This article is part of a series on
Education in the United States
Summary
By state and in insular areas By subject area History of education in the United States History of education in Chicago History of education in Kentucky History of education in Massachusetts History of education in Missouri History of education in New York City
Issues
Accreditation Primary and secondary Post-secondary Financing Educational attainment Law Literacy Policy Post-secondary issues Bubble Cost and financing Credentialism Elite overproduction Graduate unemployment Student financial aid Student loans Reform Charter schools Inequality Achievement gaps Racial achievement gap Gender achievement gap School choice School corporal punishment Sexual harassment
Levels of education
K–12 - Early childhood (Primary – Secondary) – Post-secondary Organizations
Education portal  United States portal
v t e

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) formerly Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) is a subdivision of the United States Department of Education. OCTAE falls under the supervision of the Undersecretary, who oversees policies, programs and activities related to vocational and adult education, postsecondary education, college aid and the President's financial reforms for the Pell Grant program.

OCTAE's director has the rank of Assistant Secretary and serves as the principal adviser to the Secretary of Education on matters related to high school, career technical and adult education and lifelong learning as well as community colleges, workforce and economic development. He or she also represents the Department at national and international meetings related to vocational and adult education. The Office administers, coordinates, and recommends policy for improving quality and excellence of programs related to the Office's focus areas.

OCTAE's programs fall into four general areas:

• Adult education and literacy, represented within OCTAE by the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL)
• Career and technical education, represented within OCTAE by the Division of Academic and Technical Education (DATE)
• Community colleges
• Correctional and re-entry education

Programs under DAEL include the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS), launched in 1994 and transferred to the authority of OCTAE in 2010, which encourages adult literacy.^[1][2]