Work-Based Learning for All: Changes in Internship and Cooperative Education Participation Post-Perkins IV

• In Event: New Evidence in Career and Technical Education Policy

Abstract

The authorization of the Perkins Act in 2006 (Perkins IV) called for school districts to expand access and participation in CTE programming for key ‘special’ populations of students and emphasized the need to increase work-based learning opportunities (WBL). However, little is known about who participates in WBL and how patterns of participation may have changed after the introduction of Perkins IV. We rely on two nationally representative datasets—one prior to Perkins and one after Perkins—to identify changes in WBL participation. We find that students post-Perkins were more likely to participate and that female students saw significantly more growth in participation than males, while students with disabilities saw a decrease in share of WBL participation. Implications are discussed.

Authors

• Jay Plasman, The Ohio State University

• Noemi Linares-Ramirez, The Ohio State University