Serving a Diverse Population: Describing Gender and Racial Parity in Agricultural Education Engagement

We examined gender and racial parity in agricultural education enrollment and engagement among 230,228 students representing 1245 secondary-level agricultural education programs in nine U.S. states. Guided by the Representative Bureaucracy Theory, we evaluated agricultural education demographic enrollment and compared it to the demographics of the school that each program served to assess gender and racial representation differences. We also analyzed engagement patterns in Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) and FFA activities by comparing the agricultural education enrollment to program engagement data. The results indicated that minority students were enrolled in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs at rates slightly below their representation in the school population. However, engagement data suggested that females were enrolled in agricultural education at expected rates but participated in SAE and FFA at higher-than-expected rates. These findings highlighted modest discrepancies in demographic representation and engagement, though the differences were generally minor and reflect progress toward inclusivity. The study concludes that, while increasing diversity and parity remain goals, agricultural education programs have made measurable strides in engaging broader student audiences. Recommendations include continued efforts to recruit and support underrepresented groups in SBAE, with a focus on both enrollment and meaningful participation.