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The late 1700s and early 1800s in the US marked the beginning of formalized apprenticeship programs - including the founding of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in 1785 which expanded into a fully-fledged education program by 1821. -
The early 1800s marked expanded opportunities for women's education. In New York state between 1819-1853, 32 academies incorporated with "female" in their title. These schools continued to go beyond domestic duties with a wide variety of intellectual subjects. The first girl's high school was established in Worcester, MA in 1826. -
Federal legislative act which designated federal land for establishing colleges focused on mechanical arts and agriculture. -
US Department of Education was established in 1867 with the initial purpose to collect information for schools throughout the nation. Due to concerns regarding the power held by the Department, the new department was downgraded to the Office of Education in 1868. -
Lobby group established to pursue advancing vocational education throughout the US by emphasizing the importance of industrial education and ensuring adequate institutions for its teaching. -
Federal legislation which established the Cooperative Extension System in the US which focused on providing research-based education to the public - primarily focused in rural areas (specifically to farmers, ranchers, etc.) to advance agricultural science. -
Federal legislation which established guidelines for federal funding to vocational education / training at the state level - primarily focused on agriculture, home economics, and the trades. -
The American Vocational Association was formed by combining the National Society for Vocational Education and the Vocational Education Association of the Middle West. These combined forces allowed the group to establish more influence in pursuing CTE-related educational goals. -
Federal legislation to increase funding for vocational education by $1 million annually between 1930-1934. -
The Federal Board for Vocational Education was created by the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 for advancing vocational education throughout the US. in 1933, this board was transferred to the U.S. Office of Education for a more formalized structure. -
The George-Elizey Act (1934) and George-Deen Act (1936) both continued increased federal funding to support vocational education. These funds helped with furthering education for teachers in addition to enhanced training opportunities. -
Increased efforts made during the early-mid 1940s years to train workers in vocational fields to support key industries necessary during WWII. -
The George-Barden Act took over from the George-Deen Act, which increased federal funding of vocational programs significantly from $14 million to $29 million annually. This increased funding included allotted funds for two agricultural student organizations: Future Farmers of American and the New Farmers of America. -
This amendment to the existing George-Barden Act expanded funding for vocational centers, including the adding nursing and fishery occupations to be eligible for vocational funding. -
The NDEA was passed in 1958 which helped to support training opportunities for highly skilled technical positions which supported national defense operations. -
This federal act allowed and allocated federal funding for the construction of vocational schools with expanded emphasis on providing these educational opportunities to people of all ages. This federal funding at the state level was now categorized by the student population demographics versus fields of study which helped to redistribute additional funds for economically disadvantaged students. This act was key in helping established area technical center and work-study programs. -
The 1968 amendments to the Vocational Education Act served as the first legislative measures to officially include postsecondary students. This act also included expanded funding for research, established state-advisory councils, and permanent programs for vocational/consumer/homemaking education. Each state featured a task force which met federal representatives in DC to discuss potential improvements within their respective states. -
The Vocational Education Foundation was founded to enhance cooperative efforts for state directors of vocational education to maintain a baseline standard. -
National Association of State Directors of Vocational Education (established in 1969 with national HQ in Columbia, SC) moved its main office to DC in 1975. The office was established within the American Vocational Association (known as the Association for Career and Technical Education [ACTE] since 1998). -
Amendments to Vocational Education Act (1963) which focused on providing equal opportunities for women/girls for vocational occupations, expanding upon the 1972 passage of Title IX. This amendment also helped establish the National Assessment of Vocational Education. -
This act was a series of amendments from the Vocational Education Act primarily in response to "A Nation at Risk" (1983) which identified issues with the education system with recommended reforms for higher educational standards, increased teacher training, etc. This act placed an emphasis on educational counseling and enhanced school-industry connections (including high technology industries). -
The Perkins Act was amended in 1990 to increase cooperation between states and various federal bodies to enhance CTE accountability infrastructure. This included the formation of the Data Quality Institute to quantify performance indicators and offer opportunities for improvement for secondary-post secondary alignment along with school-industry partnerships. This act helped to broaden opportunities for both college- and non-college bound students. -
This act helped to further strengthen school-industry partnerships with increased connections between both school-based and work-based learning opportunities. Of note - this act expired in 2001. -
The Perkins Act was expanded with an enhanced emphasis on accountability for CTE program results and provided additional adaptability at the state level. -
This amendment (often referred to as Perkins IV) continued with additional funding at the state-level for CTE programs at secondary and post-secondary levels via two primary funding methods - the Basic State Grand and Tech Prep. Of note - federal funding for Tech Prep was terminated in 2011. -
The Common Career Technical Core was developed as a cooperative, state-led goal to establish high-quality standards for CTE adopted by 42 states. These goals included input from 3,600 individuals from secondary, post-secondary and industry. -
This act (also known as Perkins V) reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins and Career Technical Education Act of 2006 with increased federal support at the state level for CTE programs. The primary goal of this act was to increase state flexibility and ensure data-driven decision making via enhanced, formalized accountability/reassessment measures.