Functional Statements > Office of Career, Technical, and Adult

Division of Academic and Technical Education

The Division of Academic and Technical Education (DATE) is the principal policy and program advisor to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education on all career and technical education matters, pursuant to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins Act), related legislation, and Departmental regulations. DATE supports programs and other activities that promote the education of students enrolled in secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs, and help them prepare for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations in current and emerging professions. DATE has overall responsibility for providing a broad range of services specified in the Perkins Act, including providing technical and program improvement assistance to National, State, and local education systems, programs, and organizations and carrying out national leadership functions in career and technical education.

DATE is responsible for administering formula and discretionary programs authorized in the Perkins statute, through which Federal funds are allocated to State and local grantees for the provision of secondary and postsecondary career and technical education across the nation. The Division also provides technical assistance to States and local grantees on matters ranging from planning and program improvement to financial management and accountability. DATE staff also performs a variety of grant administration activities, such as monitoring State and local grantee’s compliance with the Perkins Act and related Departmental regulations, and gathering and reporting annual State accountability data to Congress and the general public.

DATE administers the Perkins National Leadership Activities program and has primary responsibility for ensuring that the requirements for providing technical assistance to help States and local providers meet the performance accountability requirements of the statute and carrying out research and evaluation of career and technical education activities are met. DATE’s staff, in collaboration with the Policy, Research and Evaluation Staff, provides day-to-day programmatic direction and support to career and technical education research and evaluation activities.

DATE maintains on-going communication and strategic dialog with other OCTAE and ED components, Federal agencies, States, professional associations, industry and organizations to promote college and career readiness for our nation’s youth and adults.

DATE is divided into the following two components:

• Program Administration and Accountability Branch
• College and Career Transitions Branch

Program Administration and Accountability Branch

The Program Administration and Accountability Branch administers State formula grants authorized under Title I of the Perkins Act to all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Palau (referred to as “States”) to improve the academic, technical, and employability skills of youth and adults who participate in career and technical education programs.

In performing its responsibilities, the Branch:

• Develops State plan guidance to help States effectively implement their Perkins grant programs.
• Reviews State plan submissions and any annual revisions in accordance with the Perkins Act.
• Issues annual grant awards to States in accordance with the Perkins Act and applicable Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).
• Hosts technical assistance meetings and conferences to help States improve their Perkins administration, implementation, and accountability systems.
• Conducts on-site and virtual monitoring visits to uphold the Department’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure State’s compliance with the Perkins Act and to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as to provide technical assistance to States in implementing the Perkins statute.
• Tracks corrective actions taken by States to resolve any monitoring findings.
• Monitors States’ drawdowns of funds to assure that grant funds do not lapse from availability and are used to provide career and technical education programs in accordance with the Perkins Act.
• Develops and administers the Consolidated Annual Report (CAR), which gathers narrative, financial, and accountability data from States in accordance with the Perkins Act.
• Develops and issues annual reports to Congress and the general public containing States’ accountability data.

College and Career Transitions Branch

The College and Career Transitions Branch administers discretionary programs authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to local grantees to improve the academic, technical, and employability skills of Native American youth and adults who participate in career and technical education programs. The Branch also executes national activities authorized under statute to support the development and implementation of high-quality career and technical education programs for both State formula and discretionary grantees.

In performing its responsibilities, the Branch:

• Administers the Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program (NHCTEP), the Tribally Controlled Postsecondary Career and Technical Institutions Program (TCPCTIP), the Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP).
• Develops program notices for publication in the Federal Register, announcing discretionary program competitions and establishing selection criteria, priorities, and program requirements.
• Administers grant competitions and awards discretionary grants to eligible recipients in accordance with the Perkins Act and the Department’s Handbook for the Discretionary Grant Process.
• Administers discretionary grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for national activities that support the development and implementation of high-quality career and technical education programs for State formula and discretionary grantees.
• Hosts annual technical assistance meetings for local grantees to help them implement their discretionary grant programs.
• Conducts virtual monitoring visits to uphold the Department’s fiduciary responsibility to ensure discretionary grantee’s compliance with the Perkins Act and to protect against waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as to provide technical assistance to discretionary grantees in implementing the Perkins statute.
• Identifies and disseminates promising practices in secondary and postsecondary career and technical education.

TOP