Study: Expand Voc-Tech Seats, Don’t Require Lottery-Based Admissions

• Published in: Policy File 2024
• Main Authors: Donovan, William, Ferreira, David J
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: Admissions policies; Education; Education policy; Low income groups; Secondary schools; Students; Vocational education

State policy makers should address an underlying access problem by expanding the number of seats in Massachusetts vocational-technical high schools rather than changing the schools’ admissions policies, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. “The commonwealth should expand vocational-technical education to satisfy the demand,” said David Ferreira, who co-authored “Hands Off Voc-Techs’ Success: Lottery-based admissions proposal is a mistake” with William Donovan. “Changing to a lottery system would only rearrange who gets left out.” There were more than 54,300 Massachusetts students in vocational-technical programs during the 2022-23 school year, over 9,500 more than a decade ago. But thanks to strong academic performance, low dropout rates and their success at producing career-ready graduates, at least 6,000 and potentially up to 11,000 remain on waitlists at voc-tech high schools. Admissions policies at the schools include five categories: grades, attendance, school discipline, guidance counselor commendations and personal interviews. The points allocated to each vary by school. In 2021, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) promulgated new regulations that made grades a less dominant factor in admissions, eliminated minor disciplinary infractions and excused absences as a factor, provided additional language translation assistance, and provided interviewers with anti-bias training. Nearly every vocational-technical and agricultural school in Massachusetts made changes to its admissions procedures as a result of the new regulations. But in February 2023, the Vocational Education Justice Coalition (VEJC) filed a civil rights complaint that calls for federal funding to be suspended until DESE prohibits career vocational technical programs from using discriminatory admissions criteria. VEJC argues that students of color, English language learners, students with disabilities and low-income students are admitted to voc-tech programs at lower rates than other students. Earlier this year, a bill was filed in the state legislature that would require voc-tech programs to admit students by lottery if there are more applications from a sending community than available seats. The Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA) counters that the voc-tech students accurately reflect the demographics of their sending districts. The organization also notes that the high-tech equipment voc-tech students use can b