Carl D. Perkins Act

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) provides funding for secondary and post-secondary career and technical education programs.  The Act of 2006 provides funding for program years July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2012.  The re-authorized 2006 Act has a number of changes from the previous 1998 Act.  Most obvious of these changes is the use of the terms “career and technical education” instead of “vocational education.”  Like the prior Perkins laws, the 2006 Act builds upon and expands upon CTE improvement and integration of technical standards with challenging academic standards.  Perkins 2006 expands the development of standards and accountability measures for:

• academic attainment – reading/language arts
• academic attainment – mathematics
• technical skill attainment
• secondary school completion
• student graduation rates
• secondary placement
• nontraditional participation
• nontraditional completion

Perkins IV continues the tradition of the law to provide support services to students in career and technical education programs, especially special needs CTE students.  Possible services include; CTE Special Populations Coordinator, tutors, supplemental assessment, paraprofessionals, teacher aides, special instructional materials, notetakers, interpreters, placement and/or transition services, and lab supplies and equipment.