In the study reported in this paper, the authors take a comparative framework to study, compare, and contrast legislations, guidelines, and programs of Career and Technical Education in the United States of America and programs of Professional and Technological Education in Brazil. The  study seeks to answer the question:  How do the educational goals and aims of the different curricula shape the role of mathematics education in the curriculum?  The main official legislations analyzed were the American Perkins IV and the Brazilian National Guidelines for Technical and Professional Education at the Secondary Level.  The methodology used was the development and application of a criterion for comparison, using a four-stage process to produce comparative hypotheses that can be used in future typologies.  Preliminary results suggest that, although the American system is concerned with preparing students for postsecondary education as well as career, this emphasis is not found in the Brazilian case.