Online and hybrid career and technical education (CTE) can be important for providing students flexible access to pursuing postsecondary certificates and degrees. However, data show that the benefits of online postsecondary education are not evenly distributed between students of color and white students. As online learning remains popular after the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding how programs can address barriers and create equitable experiences for students of color is important.

Summarizing research findings from the CTE CoLab initiative, this brief contextualizes issues of racial equity and online/hybrid learning in postsecondary CTE, provides insights on racial equity gaps in CTE student outcomes from national and CTE CoLab data, and suggests strategies on how to address these gaps. Recommendations include examining data to better understand racial equity gaps in student outcomes, designing courses for equity, supporting equity consciousness at a broader level, and conducting further research on effective approaches.