CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Updates on COVID-19 and Federal CTE Policy

The ongoing global pandemic has impacted our lives in countless ways, including career and technical education. ACTE has been closely monitoring federal policy updates related to the coronavirus and how they might impacted CTE programs. You can find a complete list of CTE-related coronavirus federal policy updates at this link, which will be continually updated. Below is a brief summary of the most recent updates, along with important resources.

RESOURCES

• ACTE Resources on Distance Learning
• CDC Coronavirus Webpage
• U.S. Department of Education Coronavirus Webpage

SUMMARY OF THE CARES ACT

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a wide-ranging, more than $2 trillion package that includes a variety of provisions. On the education front, the law allows Federal Work Study payments to continue, doesn't penalize students who dropped out of school from Pell Grant eligibility, allows additional flexibility on the student loan front, provides the Secretary of Education with certain waiver authority, defers student loan payments/principal/interest for 6 months on all federally owned loans without penalty, provides local workforce boards with additional flexibility under WIOA, and exempts teachers from certain requirements related to TEACH grant obligations or Teacher Loan Forgiveness if they can't finish the teaching year. It also appropriates $30.9 billion to the Department of Education, including $13.5 billion for K-12 and $14.25 billion for higher education funding to meet a variety of coronavirus-related needs.

• Bill Text
• Summary of Appropriations and Summary of Education-related Provisions
• ACTE Blog Post on CARES Act

ACTE CORONAVIRUS PRIORITIES

• At least $1 billion in dedicated funding for CTE programs in response to the coronavirus
• Additional flexibility and waivers, including by enacting a redistribution waiver for Perkins funds, passing waivers for Perkins eligible agencies, extending the waiver of the definition of “professional development” in ESEA to Perkins, rescinding supplement not supplant provisions for one year in Perkins, and expanding pooling flexibility in Perkins.
• Expand Pell Grants to high-quality, short-term programs and reinstate Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals
• Increase support for non-traditional learners in postsecondary education
• Invest in research and development to scale the quality of online education

SELECTED LETTERS TO POLICYMAKERS

• ACTE, Advance CTE Response to the HEROES Act and Lack of Dedicated CTE Funding (5/13/20)
• ACTE and Advance CTE Letter on Concerns Regarding Certain Coronavirus Student Aid Exclusions (4/23/20)
• ACTE and Advance CTE Coronavirus-related Funding, Waiver and Policy Priorities (4/8/20)
• ACTE & Advance CTE Letter on CTE-related Coronavirus Investment Priorities (4/1/20)

MONTHLY UPDATES (June)

• June 5: President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, which extends the time PPP loan recipients have to spend funds and qualify for loan forgiveness.
• June 4: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing exploring students’ possible return to postsecondary institutions in-person in the fall.

CLICK HERE FOR ACTE’S COMPLETE COVID-19 FEDERAL POLICY RESOURCES 

Senate Education Committee Holds Hearing on Safely Reopening Higher Education Institutions

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing titled, “COVID-19: Going Back to College Safely.” The purpose of the hearing was to examine the current challenges and implications facing college and universities leaders as they develop plans to safely reopen this fall in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is notable to mention that none of the witnesses who participated in the hearing represented community or technical colleges, although many of the issues discussed apply broadly to educational institutions.

Although both parties generally agreed that the goal should be getting students safely back to school, from the beginning of the hearing, stark differences emerged between Senate Republicans and Democrats over the role the federal government should play in the reopening of college campuses. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) emphasized the importance of colleges reopening soon and that they should be able to make their decisions with little government interference. This was echoed by other Republicans on the committee, stating that opening campuses would help restore a sense of normalcy, allow employees to return to work, and would prevent students from falling further behind or potentially dropping out. The one place the Chairman does believe the federal government should get involved is in the creation of legislation to protect colleges from being sued should they reopen and students or workers contract COVID-19.

On the other hand, committee Democrats argued that the federal lawmakers should play a larger role in the decision-making around the parameters on schools reopening and that stronger health-care regulations are necessary to ensure the safety of both students and staff. Further, committee Democrats argued that with the Administration’s lack of rulemaking to set more detailed standards for institutions, it is inevitable that the virus will appear, and more than likely spread, on college campuses if schools choose to reopen in the Fall. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) echoed this sentiment by stating that schools “need very clear rules of the road and workers need to know they are protected.”

Other topics discussed were racial disparities in higher education and how COVID-19 could exacerbate that, the Trump Administration’s general response to the pandemic, and liability protections for institutions. If you would like to watch the entirety of the hearing, click here.

On Tuesday, the committee will host another hearing on the same topic, but with the focus on k-12 schools. You will be able to watch that hearing live here.

Survey Results on CTE Planning for 2020-21

ACTE received an incredible amount of feedback--nearly 1,200 responses--from a recent survey about how CTE stakeholders are planning for the 2020-21 school year and where the greatest challenges lie.

The survey asked two main questions:

1. What combination of in-person and distance learning is your state/district/school/institution planning for when students return?
2. Please rate your level of concern about the following topics in preparing for the possibility of distance or blended learning (i.e., some combination of distance learning and in-person learning) when students return.

About 60% of the respondents said that their schools, districts or institutions were undecided about plans for when students return to campus, or they were unaware of those plans. The next most frequent response was blended learning, with 26% of all respondents indicating that their programs would operate in a blended environment, with both in-person and distance learning available. This is the most common scenario that both secondary and postsecondary CTE educators are anticipating for school return. However, 18% of postsecondary CTE stakeholders are also preparing for  almost all distance learning, compared to only 3% of all respondents.

The results from the second question indicate that CTE educators’  biggest concerns are lab hours and hands-on learning in distance or blended environments, and this was true for both secondary and postsecondary respondents. Student engagement, funding for CTE programs, access and equity, internet access and online learning technology, and technical assessments and industry credentials were among the next top concerns for CTE stakeholders. In contrast, respondents are relatively less worried about instructor staffing and professional development, credit transfer, articulation and dual and concurrent enrollment and industry advisory boards and business partnerships.

These survey responses are informing ACTE’s efforts to help CTE programs and professionals prepare for the new school year. We are launching a webinar series on June 9, High-quality CTE: Planning for a COVID-19-Impacted School Year, and will release a related guide this month. 

DC Digest: May 25-31

With the Memorial Day holiday shortening the week and the Senate in recess, activity was lighter this week. The House was in session for most of the week, and considered minor changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. The Senate will return to the Hill June 1. Read more to find out what has been happening!

• Second Wave of CTE State Plans Approved: The Department of Education (ED) announced that they have approved the second wave of CTE state plans! This wave included 9 states: Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. More information on their plans can be found on the ED’s website.
  
  
• House Summer Schedule Announced: On Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer sent a letter to Representatives announcing tentative plans for summer. June will be dedicated primarily to Committee work, with only one day of votes scheduled unless additional COVID-19 legislation is ready for floor action. 

Middle Grades CTE: Work-based Learning

There is widespread agreement that high school is too late to begin to expose learners to careers and the foundational skills needed to access and succeed in careers, but there remains a lack of consensus about what CTE and career readiness should entail at the middle grades level.

Advance CTE, with support from ACTE, convened a Shared Solutions Workgroup of national, state and local leaders to identify the core components of a meaningful middle grades CTE experience. This collaboration resulted in Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE and a companion blog series exploring each of the core programmatic elements of middle grades CTE defined in the paper. In this fourth entry in the blog series, we will examine the core programmatic element of experiential learning, which includes work-based learning (WBL).

To reach students at their developmental level, middle grades CTE must be based in experiential experiences that engage students and get them excited to learn about careers. One common approach is offering early experiences on the WBL continuum (e.g., career fairs, guest speakers and job shadowing). These WBL experiences provide students with opportunities to engage directly with employers and gain skills and knowledge about careers and about themselves, as they seek to develop an occupational identity.

A number of states, districts and schools have demonstrated a commitment to delivering WBL in the middle grades. West Virginia is piloting middle school empowerment academies at several middle schools in the state. These academies are experimenting with flexible, innovative models for career exploration, project-based learning and workplace environments in the middle grades. For instance, at Peterstown Middle School, students have organized a lunch for local business leaders, met with employers in various craft industries and created promotional materials for the local Chamber of Commerce. At Westwood Middle School, students have conducted phone interviews with police officers and others who serve in the community, visited the local news station and welcomed a radio station to broadcast from the school. These academies also serve as incubators for the Simulated Workplace model that is expanding across the state. Through Simulated Workplace, students transform their classrooms into business to create an authentic workplace environment; industry partners assist in development and act as company inspectors.

In Utah, middle school students must take the College and Career Awareness course, which requires a minimum of six WBL experiences across multiple career fields, including career fairs, field studies, guest speakers and job shadows. These experiences emphasize career awareness and exploration, help students understand how what they’re learning applies to careers, and teach and reinforce positive work habits. Work-based learning coordinators in each district can help facilitate these experiences.

On the local level, Denver Public Schools CareerConnect provides opportunities for K-8 learners to begin exploring their interests and passions, and how these connect to the world of work. One option, Spark Industry Introduction, enables students in grades 6-8 to visit workplaces, where they meet industry professionals and engage in hands-on projects. Spark aspires to motivate students to pursue high-demand, high-wage careers they may never have considered before.

INSPIRE Sheboygan County, a nonprofit education-industry collaborative in Wisconsin, is one example of a local provider that has pivoted to offering virtual WBL—in this case, virtual job shadows for middle and high school students—during the pandemic. Almost 1,000 viewers participated in the first set of virtual job shadows offered in April.

As you reflect on this element of middle grades CTE in your state, district or school, consider such questions as:

• Is WBL available to all middle grades students?
• Are there efforts to identify and eliminate barriers to access, participation and success for marginalized or special populations of students?
• Are there clear standards for WBL that are available both during and outside of school?
• Are educators provided with the time, resources and supports necessary to implement quality WBL experiences?
• Is there a clear continuum of WBL experiences that begins in the middle grades (or earlier) and builds in intensity as students progress through their education?
• Is there clear guidance around the role of employers in the design and delivery of WBL at the middle grades level?
• How are students and their families provided adequate information on opportunities for WBL?
• How are WBL opportunities evaluated or monitored to ensure student growth?

For additional resources relevant to WBL in the middle grades, check out the Middle Grades CTE Repository, another deliverable of this Shared Solutions Workgroup.

DC Digest: May 18-24

We hope you had a good Memorial Day! Last week was quite lively for federal activity with Perkins CTE State Plan approvals as a major highlight! The House was out last week but will return for votes later this week, and the Senate is now in recess and will return on June 1. 

• Six CTE State Plans Approved: Six CTE State Plans for Perkins V have been approved by the Department of Education (ED)! The states that were approved are Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. More information on their plans can be found on the ED’s website. 
  
  
• 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars Announced: The Department of Education recognized 161 high school seniors as 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars. These students were accomplished in academics, the arts, and CTE fields.
  
  
• New CDC Guidance for Educational Institutions: The CDC released guidance related to the reopening of schools and postsecondary institutions (as well as other settings). First, there was a 60-page document outlining a variety of recommendations. You can find information on schools beginning on page 45. Later in the week, the webpage providing information for colleges and universities was also updated and that guidance can be accessed here.   
  
  
• Update on CARES Act Funding Student Eligibility: The Department of Education announced Thursday that it would not enforce some of the earlier guidance that had been issued related to which students were eligible for direct student aid under the CARES Act. You can read more about the rollback in an article from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators here, and access the full announcement posted in red at the top of the CARES Act webpage.
  
  
• New Skills Renewal Act: On May 20, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Skills Renewal Act to provide workers who have lost their jobs with $4000 skills training credits to be used for any type of postsecondary education.  
  
  
• Meeting on Opportunities to Transform Workforce Credentials Post COVID-19: On Wednesday, ThirdWay hosted speakers from the policy, industry and training communities to showcase different ways to help people earn credentials and make the credentialing system more connected during this time of workforce disruption.

Middle Grades CTE: Career Advisement

There is widespread agreement that high school is too late to begin to expose learners to careers and the foundational skills needed to access and succeed in careers, but there remains a lack of consensus about what CTE and career readiness should entail at the middle grades level.

Advance CTE, with support from ACTE, convened a Shared Solutions Workgroup of national, state and local leaders to identify the core components of a meaningful middle grades CTE experience. This collaboration resulted in Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE and a companion blog series exploring each of the core programmatic elements of middle grades CTE defined in the paper. In this third entry in the blog series, we will examine promising state and local practices to support career advisement for middle grade learners.

Career advisement is an integral part of any middle grades CTE program and one that will require states and districts to ensure there is capacity – in terms of time, resources, knowledge and tools – among both teachers and counselors to support each and every learner. Yet, according to research from Advance CTE, career advisement strategies remain somewhat limited at the middle grades level, with 51 percent of states funding or providing professional development, 47 percent developing and adopting statewide career advising and development standards, and 31 percent of states funding full-time or part-time positions focused on career advising and development for the middle grades. However, some states and local districts have picked up the mantle to support career advisement for all middle grades students.

Starting as a pilot in high-need, hard-to-reach communities in 2010, the Arkansas College and Career Coach program has gained legislative support over the years and been expanded to reach tens of thousands of students across the state. Through the program, coaches provide support for 7th-12th grade students as they plan and prepare for life after high school. Coaches are each stationed at a partnering institution of higher education, an education service cooperative or a non-profit organization, and are responsible for providing services and supports to students.

Wisconsin’s Academic and Career Planning (ACP) process goes beyond requiring students to simply complete an individualized learning plan (ILP) but rather helps schools and school counselors leverage the ILPs to start conversations with students about their future career possibilities. ACP begins with helping students in grade 6 explore their interests and strengths and then guides them through career exploration and planning, with regular check-ins throughout middle and high school to recalculate plans as needed. The ACP integrates CTE coursework, work-based learning and credentials. Districts have been given flexibility in how they implement ACP, but DPI provides regular guidance and training, as well as numerous support materials.

North Carolina supports career development coordinators (CDC) across the state. Randolph County Schools has a full-time CDC at each high school who also serves that high school’s feeder middle schools. CDCs function as the point person for career development across institutions and collaborate with school counselors, teachers, dropout prevention specialists and career coaches provided by the local community college. The Randolph County CDCs support middle school CTE courses and course sections, work-based learning experiences, career exploration events, career and academic planning, and a career exploration and management course for ninth graders.

As you reflect on this element of middle grades CTE in your state, district or school, consider such questions as:

• Is career advisement provided to all students? Is it designed to provide individualized supports to students?
• Do middle grades CTE programs attend to students’ aptitudes, interests and preferences, or do they overly focus on just one of those dimensions?
• Are career advisement activities aligned to age-appropriate standards?
• Are career advisement activities sequenced from early education into the middle grades and then into high school as part of a broader continuum?
• Do counseling professionals get the supports, training and tools necessary to deliver effective career advisement at the middle grades level?
• Are all students guided in the development of an individualized career/academic plan for the future by knowledgeable adults?
• What role do employers play in supporting career development and advisement activities?
• Are career advisement activities prioritized within instructional time?
• How are families appropriately involved in student career planning activities?

For additional resources relevant to middle grades career advisement, check out the Middle Grades CTE Repository, another deliverable of this Shared Solutions Workgroup

This blog series is being cross-posted with Advance CTE's blog. 

Annual Report on The Condition of Education 2020 Released

The annual congressionally mandated report The Condition of Education 2020 was released by the National Center for Education Statistics on May 19. Within the report, researchers present 47 data indicators such as enrollment levels, academic progress, educational attainment, financial status and others to illustrate new developments and trends in education. These indicators are categorized into four areas: preprimary, elementary, and secondary education; postsecondary education; population characteristics and economic outcomes; and international comparisons. 

Some of the most relevant findings include:

• Enrollment for K-12 in 2017-18 was 50.7 million and expected to increase to 51.1 million in 2029.
• The graduation rate for K-12 students during the 2017-18 school year was unchanged from the previous year at 85%. This is the highest rate since first measured in 2010-11.
• College enrollment for traditional aged students (18-24 year-olds) increased between 2000-01 and 2018-19 from 35% to 41%.
• Postsecondary certificates earned between 2017–18 increased by 117% at public institutions compared to 2000-01 (from 310,000 to 672,000). The number of associate degrees between 2017–18 increased as well, by 94% at public institutions (from 456,000 to 886,000).
• Educational attainment rates increased on all levels between 2000-01 and 2018-19 for students aged 25 to 29. Specifically, attainment of a high school degree or higher increased from 88% to 94%, attainment of an associate degree or higher increased from 38% to 49%, and attainment of a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 29% to 39%.
• An increase in average median earnings positively correlated with higher levels of education in 2018-19 for 25-34 year-olds.
• Compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, the percent of 25-34 year-olds in the United States who had completed high school  was 92%, while the OECD average was 85%.

These trends can help policymakers and other stakeholders track progress on leading educational indicators and make informed decisions to address areas needing improvement in the future.

Middle Grades CTE: Course/Activity Structure and Scheduling

There is widespread agreement that high school is too late to begin to expose learners to careers and the foundational skills needed to access and succeed in careers, but there remains a lack of consensus about what CTE and career readiness should entail at the middle grades level.

Advance CTE, with support from ACTE, convened a Shared Solutions Workgroup of national, state and local leaders to identify the core components of a meaningful middle grades CTE experience. This collaboration resulted in Broadening the Path: Design Principles for Middle Grades CTE and a companion blog series exploring each of the core programmatic elements of middle grades CTE defined in the paper. In this second entry in the blog series, we will examine the core programmatic element of course/activity structure and scheduling.

Inclusivity and flexibility are at the core of state and local decision-making about middle grades CTE structure and scheduling. Whether middle grades CTE is integrated across the curriculum or offered through individual courses or course units, specific and regular time should be dedicated to CTE in the middle grades so that all learners can benefit. In particular, careful attention must be paid to ensure that learners who need additional academic supports are not kept from experiencing CTE due to scheduling constraints. Decisions about middle grades CTE delivery may affect master schedules, the availability and qualifications of educators, and even graduation requirements.

States and local districts are implementing a variety of delivery options for middle grades CTE. Utah’s one-credit College and Career Awareness course is required for all students in grade 7 or 8 and uses project-based learning to help students explore high school, postsecondary and career options; investigate programs of study relevant to the Utah labor market; and develop workplace skills.

Delaware also uses a course model to deliver middle grades CTE, but courses are developed on the local level. Local education agencies complete an application that identifies course skill standards and curriculum as well as end-of-course assessments, affiliated career and technical student organizations, teacher qualifications and aligned CTE programs of study at the high school level.

In response to 2017 legislation expanding CTE into the middle grades, Maine is in the process of developing standards for middle school CTE and awarding grant funding to pilot a range of middle grades CTE delivery models. These pilot projects are developed in partnership among career and technical centers, CTE regions and area middle schools. The aim is to provide multiple, standards-based avenues and opportunities for middle grade students to explore CTE.

Many pilot sites are trying out a variety of CTE experiences and exposures. For instance, Lewiston Regional Technical Center is piloting week-long exploration camps, multi-week summer camps and guidance sessions. This work is supported by two dedicated staff members, a CTE exploration instructor and a CTE exploration coordinator/counselor. Mid-Maine Technical Center is matching middle school students with high school mentors to work together on applied learning projects, among other activities, while one of Biddeford Regional Center of Technology’s projects connects middle school students with local employers in the manufacturing sector through guest speakers and industry tours. Oxford Hills Technical School operates the Viking Voyages program, through which area middle school students take part in week-long, project-based learning experiences during the school year with the technical school, secondary students and community members.

As you reflect on this element of middle grades CTE in your state, district or school, consider such questions as:

• Are CTE courses or experiences structured in such a way that all students have access — or do students have to make choices between CTE and other experiences?
• Are there efforts to identify and eliminate barriers to participation and success in CTE courses or experiences for marginalized or special populations of students?
• Is enough time and space dedicated to middle grades CTE experiences to enable experiential or hands-on learning both within and outside the school day?
• Is enough time dedicated to middle grades CTE experiences to provide the necessary depth and breadth of content and deliver on student outcomes?
• How are experiences/courses sequenced from early education into the middle grades and then into high school as part of a broader continuum?
• Is information about course options and scheduling choices communicated clearly to students and their families?

For additional resources relevant to middle grades CTE course/activity structure and scheduling, check out the Middle Grades CTE Repository, another deliverable of this Shared Solutions Workgroup.

This blog series is being cross-posted with Advance CTE's blog. 

DC Digest: May 11-17

The House returned to session on Friday, and activity is picking up on the Hill.  You can read more about the House vote on their next coronavirus relief package here. Catch up on the other happenings from the Hill and Administration below!

• Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award Winners: The Department of Education has awarded Donna Woods from California and Kara Four Bear from North Dakota the inaugural Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award. The criteria for the award were “superior educator accomplishment, academic achievement indicators, and leadership contributing to educational excellence” in cybersecurity education.
  
  
• Senate Hearing on COVID-19: Safely Getting Back to Work and Back to School: On Tuesday, May 12, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing where Senators heard testimony from four top health officials and were able to ask questions about issues affected by COVID-19. Regarding the safety of opening up schools again, officials were hesitant to give an answer and stated that it would depend on the landscape of where the country and local communities are in August. You can watch the hearing here.
  
  
• Cohort Announced for the Pathways to Credentials Initiative: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education announced the cohort for a new initiative, Pathways to Credentials. The goal is to increase postsecondary institutions’ capacity for stackable, industry-recognized credentials. The cohort consists of 10 community colleges who will receive technical assistance between May 2020 and July 2021.
  
  
• New Grant Competition for Student-Centered Funding Program: The Department of Education has announced a new $3 million grant, funded through ESSA, to give an opportunity to school districts to launch student-centered funding programs. The program will allow local districts the flexibility to spend funds on individual student needs. 
  
  
• New CDC Decision Chart on Reopening Schools: The Center for Disease Control released a new decision chart to provide guidance on when and how schools should reopen. The guidance states that schools should only reopen if there is ongoing monitoring in place which includes screening protocols, daily evaluating of any staff or students with symptoms or previous exposure, and promoting healthy habits such as hand washing and face coverings among other measures.

House Passes $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package

On Friday, the House passed H.R. 6800, the HEROES Act, by a party line vote of 208 to 199. The $3 trillion proposal provides $1 trillion to aid state and local governments, funding to increase coronavirus testing capacity, almost $100 billion in education funding, provisions to strengthen the Paycheck Protection Program, and waivers to give education leaders additional flexibilities with Perkins funds to ensure the continuation of high-quality CTE programs, among other provisions. For a more detailed summary of the legislation, click here to read our recent blog post.

Next steps for the bill are unclear, as Senate Republicans have expressed deep concerns with numerous provisions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stated that Congress needs to “pause” and reassess the measures they have already taken to get a better understanding of what still needs to be done. It is not expected that a coronavirus proposal will receive any action in the Senate until after the Memorial Day recess.

This inaction provides CTE advocates a unique opportunity to continue to advocate to Congress the need for dedicated CTE funding in the next package that is taken up in both chambers. As our nation continues to battle this global pandemic and its economic fallout, dedicated CTE funding is critical to ensuring that students can gain skills that are needed to help combat the pandemic and that will be needed by business and industry as we shift toward long-term economic recovery. Although dedicated CTE funds were not included in the HEROES Act, ACTE will continue to advocate for these resources to be included in the next relief package.

We need your help to emphasize this message with Congress. Click here to ask your Members of Congress to support the inclusion of funds for CTE, as provided in the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act, in the next relief package.

Members of Congress prioritize action requests from their constituents, so contacting them makes a huge difference. Please contact them today and urge them to show their support for CTE programs by supporting the inclusion of Relaunching America’s Workforce Act in the next comprehensive coronavirus relief package! You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will then connect you with your requested office.