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Tech-Prep consortia are particularly concentrated in the South. Of the 702 responding consortia, almost half (46 percent) were located in the Southern census region, more than twice as many as the Western (19 percent) or Midwestern (22 percent) regions, and more than three times as many as in the Northeast (13 percent). Within all regions, there is substantial state-to-state variation in the number of consortia, mostly because of differences in state size. However, differences in the number of consortia also seem related in part to state funding practices. Some large states, such as Texas and Michigan, have encouraged and funded the organization of all or most secondary districts and community colleges into Tech-Prep consortia, but other states appear to be very selective in determining how many and which partnerships of districts and community colleges receive Title IIIE funding.
Although urban districts are relatively likely to be involved in Tech-Prep, relatively few consortia are located primarily within urban areas. A substantially higher percentage of urban school districts (69 percent) are included in Tech-Prep consortia than is true of suburban or rural districts (47 and 40 percent). However, since most school districts are suburban or rural, only 12 percent of all consortia funded in FY 1993 were primarily urban.
The number of institutions involved in Tech-Prep consortia varies widely, but about a third of all consortia involve just a handful of institutions. If consortium size is measured by the number of school districts and postsecondary institutions involved, the most common size pattern is one district and one college--representing about 15 percent of all consortia. About 300 consortia involve no more than three districts, and 322 include just one postsecondary partner. On the other hand, almost 25 percent of all consortia include more than 10 school districts, and 12 percent include five or more postsecondary institutions. Large consortia are concentrated in a few states; California, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas have consortia with very large numbers of both secondary districts and postsecondary institutions. This concentration of large consortia in part reflects state decisions to organize Tech-Prep statewide. On average, suburban consortia involve more institutions than urban or rural consortia--a pattern which probably reflects the large student populations in urban districts and the relative isolation of rural districts and colleges.
Tech-Prep consortia include a large portion of U.S. school districts. The 702 consortia that responded to the survey include about 44 percent of all U.S. school districts. Actual district "coverage"--including non-responding consortia--is thus even higher.
The racial/ethnic distribution of students in Tech-Prep districts is somewhat different from the distribution of the total U.S. secondary school population. Relative to U.S. districts overall, Tech-Prep districts have a lower percentage of white students and higher percentages of African-American, Hispanic, and Asian students--probably because urban districts, with substantial minority populations, are more likely than suburban or rural districts to be in Tech-Prep consortia. As explained later, however, actual reported participation in Tech-Prep districts is lower for minority students than for white students.
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[The Organization, Leadership, and Resources of Tech-Prep Consortia]