Equity Leadership Academy for States
Building Capacity to Implement and Support the Postsecondary Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment and Local Application under Perkins V
The Academy was developed to help postsecondary state agencies center equity within Perkins V and the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment.
The opportunity available to states and local education agencies through the CLNA process is broad and powerful, but it is hampered by the complexity of implementing such a process in a responsive and transformational manner at the local level. NAPE brought its many years of supporting CTE leaders and educators to the Academy to craft a space where state leaders, community college faculty and staff, and, most importantly, students could come together and begin the important conversations necessary to transform our education systems.
The Academy progressed through five distinct phases:
- Co-creation,
- Equity Training,
- Action Research for Equity Project,
- Academy Showcase, andÂ
- Evaluation.
Who participated?
NAPE brought its many years of supporting CTE leaders and educators to the Academy to craft a space where state leaders, community college faculty and staff, and, most importantly, students could come together and begin the important conversations necessary to transform our education systems. From 2020-2024, 136 participants from 22 state teams participated across three cohorts.
We are so proud of our graduates from Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming!
Academy Learning Goals
Here's what past participants had to say...
âWorking with NAPE has really shown me the power of planning and taking action, especially when it comes to student voice and centering people who are less represented. Taking action can be something as simple as students sharing their learnings with their peers, a teacher asking a student whatâs important to them, or a legislature making equity systemic. If we are not always asking âHow can we do better?â, we canât get to the solution. No matter who you are or where you are coming from, you can start the process and make a difference.â
âSeeing is believing. My biggest takeaway from the Equity Leadership Academy is knowing that so many people are involved on a national scale working behind the scenes to bring equity to our educational system. I am just happy to see everyone fighting for whatâs right. The Academy has allowed me to share my own story about experiencing racism at my school with a group of people who are choosing to surround me with support and come together towards a common cause. My hope is that we continue to see the effects real time locally; Itâs good to sit and talk about it, but eventually weâve got to stop talking about it and take action.â
âStudent voice is important to me because all of us, as students, are affected directly by the CTE and education in general. Many students like me belong to underserved populations, with different backgrounds or special conditions and we need extra support or conditioning to accomplish similar objectives that students who are part of the dominant culture. I am a Latina adult English learner, with great motivation to continue with higher education in this country. Unfortunately, I have a strong accent. It has often been a cause of discrimination, probably because I have been perceived as a person who has "broken English" instead of a person who is perseverant and is working hard to achieve her goals. The Equity Leadership Academy provided me a space to use my own voice even "broken" in a constructive way to be able to share my own and others studentâs experience from similar backgrounds like me as a way to find alternatives for improvements and help future studentsâ generation to close equity gaps for underserved populations.â
Sustaining Our Learning
NAPE is steadfast in our dedication to support secondary and postsecondary institutions with opportunities to skill build towards ensuring the Perkins V CLNA is a true lever for equitable and systemic change. Increasing capacity necessitates continued learning, growing our community of support, co-creating systems of shared accountability, and amplifying authentic student voice.
We also know the responsibility to achieve equity in CTE programs nationwide cannot rest upon the actions and commitment of a handful of members in our communities. Transforming our systems requires us all. While the funding for this grant is currently complete, the Equity Leadership Academy for States will be integrated into NAPEâs professional development offerings and be made available for purchase to clients across the country.
Complete our Professional Development Request Form to speak with a NAPE team member on how we can partner with your institution.
We look forward to continuing this important work alongside you!
