CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest September 16-22

This week Congress continued its efforts to fund the government and avoid a shutdown before the end of the month, without much progress. The House continues to struggle to pass appropriations bills on the floor and has also been unable to come to an agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open after the fiscal year ends on September 30, which is needed if the appropriations bills aren’t complete. Appropriations work in the Senate remained stalled most of the week as well, but they are now planning to take up their own version of a CR next week. Even with that step, the odds of a bill the passing the House remain low, increasing the potential of a government shutdown on October 1. Read more news and notes below:

• Department of Education Announces Funding to Improve Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities: ED has announced nearly $199 million in funding for the Pathways to Partnerships disability innovation fund that aims to support individuals with disabilities in accessing self-advocacy training, career pathways and independent living. The funding will go towards 20 model demonstration projects focused on increasing economic self-sufficiency and decreasing the unemployment disparity between youth with and without disabilities.

• Biden-Harris Administration Awards Funding to Support Hispanic-Serving Institutions: ED and the Biden-Harris Administration have announced an award of more than $40 million being dispersed to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the country, including community colleges. The funding will assist these institutions in providing supports, expanding postsecondary attainment and opportunities and preparing Hispanic and Latino learners to enter the workforce.

• Department of Education Issues Details for ARP Spending Extension Requests: ED has announced a 14-month deadline extension for spending American Rescue Plan money in a letter sent to state grantees this week. Grantees can request the extension through state education agencies, which would allow for a spending deadline of as late as March 2026. Applicants will need to explain how a longer spending period would contribute to the acceleration of student learning and expand the continued path of academic recovery.

• Committee on Education & the Workforce Holds Hearing on Strengthening the Workforce Development System: This week, the Committee on Education & the Workforce held a hearing on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in which leaders discussed the legislation’s progress and needed areas of improvement since its enactment in 2014. Legislators discussed issues such as the high unemployment rate and the persistent shortage of skilled workers that have not sufficiently been improved since the passing of WIOA. The hearing also touched on reforms for WIOA’s bureaucracy, accountability mechanisms and provisions for better outcomes needed to fulfill the programs’ potential. Read more about the hearing on the blog here.

House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Reauthorizing WIOA

On September 20, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled “Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for Jobseekers, Employers and Taxpayers.” This hearing examined the issues at play at the heart of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) as lawmakers work on reauthorizing the legislation. 

Those testifying were Mr. Scott Sanders, president and CEO of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA); Ms. Rya Conrad-Bradshaw, vice president of corporate markets at the Cengage Group; Mr. Rick Beasley, executive director of the South Florida Workforce Investment Board; and Mr. Mason Bishop, nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. 

Subcommittee Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) opened the hearing by identifying many issues in the economy that need reform. “In July of 2014, the United State had 4.8 million unfilled jobs. In July of this year, there were 8.8 million unfilled jobs, an increase of four million. Further, the labor force participation rate has not improved a bit since WIOA was enacted.” 

The witnesses stated that the law often stymies innovation among states and other organizations, dissuades employers from participating because of bureaucratic red tape and does not do enough to reach and encourage individuals to use the training services. “We are trying to operate in an iPhone economy with programs that were created and modeled from the New Deal and Great Society — and continue to do so,” said Bishop. “We must modernize this program and provide the governance and service delivery improvements and flexibility that will allow innovation and new ideas.”  

Several of the speakers also noted the need to provide more performance data on the programs and to make the information more accessible and less confusing for potential program participants and employers. Conrad-Bradshaw cited a Harvard study that finds there are more than 7,000 eligible training providers encompassing about 75,000 eligible programs in more than 700 occupational fields nationwide. 

Notably, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the ranking member of the full committee, used his time to talk about short-term Pell. In a question directed to Beasley, Scott asked, “If they had access to a Pell Grant, they’d be able to train a lot more people in your programs, is that right?” Beasley responded by saying that if Pell covered the training costs, his organization would use the other resources for support services to help individuals complete their programs. 

A recording of the hearing can be found here. 

Research Roundup: Guided Pathways, Job Training and Work-based Learning

Guided Pathways Adoption by Community Colleges: The Community College Research Center (CCRC) recently published a report on guided pathways implementation across community and technical colleges in Ohio, Tennessee and Washington. Researchers found that CTE pathways were the most likely to be mapped and scaled in all three states, regardless of the total level of guided pathways adoption in each state.

The following list details how community and technical colleges are implementing guided pathways:

• In Ohio, 89% of all colleges have mapped out requirements and course sequences for CTE program pathways.
• Colleges are increasingly organizing their programs by meta-majors to help students’ direct entry into the workforce or career advancement education.
• Advising and onboarding practices like students taking career-relevant courses early in their postsecondary education and mandatory education planning were usually adopted in tandem across each state.

Researchers recommend that any institutions interested in following the model discussed in this report design their practices, policies and systems parallel to the four pillars of the guided pathways system.

Reforming Government-supported Job Training: The American Enterprise Institute recently published a series of reports analyzing the effectiveness of federal programs funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and presenting options for experimentation at the local level. In the first of these reports, researchers share that job training programs are struggling to show positive outcomes for participants and that job training funding has been declining since the 1970s.

Researchers suggested the following changes to fix WIOA program operations for increased outcomes, success and efficiency:

• Reduce administrative red tape for participation in a WIOA program to improve opportunity for individuals who are in the reentry process following incarceration, are economically disadvantaged or have disabilities.
• Clarify which agencies must co-locate in a job center to share costs and provide local WIOA officials with the ability to enforce cost-sharing rules.
• Hold annual meetings at the start of each program year allowing local, state and federal workforce development administrators to provide input into setting goals and discuss systems improvements.
• Expand sector-based training programs, allowing workers without degrees to earn living wages and receive training for key sectors of the economy where labor demand is strong.

The report also suggests that increased WIOA funding would lay the groundwork for improving programs and lead to better outcomes.

Addressing Equity Blockers to Work-based Learning: A report recently published by the Education Strategy Group examined how leaders are identifying and effectively addressing equity blockers affecting students in work-based learning on the secondary and postsecondary levels. Researchers found that offering equitable work-based learning opportunities was a key focus area for each of the six communities within the New Skills Ready Network (NSRN) as leaders across the country increasingly look to erase barriers and improve meaningful experiences for all students.

The report highlights some of the following issues, barriers and circumstances limiting students’ participation in a work-based learning program:

• Geographic proximity and transportation challenges, with a lack of effective transit routes convenient enough for economically disadvantaged individuals.
• Scheduling constraints owing to existing part-time employment for students with financial needs as well as limited availability for students with caregiving responsibilities.
• Minimum requirements for participation that lead many types of students to self-select out of applying for a work-based learning experience.
• Lack of local staff capacity to identify, vet and engage industry partners; provide support; and collect data.

To combat these barriers and target increased access to students who need it most, researchers emphasize the importance of information sharing and recommend that districts ramp up their efforts to formalize and publish their policies, which may serve as examples to others.

DC Digest: September 9-15

This week was a busy period in Washington as both chambers of Congress were in session for the first time following the August recess. Efforts were primarily focused on the appropriations process ahead of the deadline to enact funding bills or pass a continuing resolution before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, although both the House and Senate ran into issues moving forward. Many experts are now increasing the odds of a government shutdown. Meanwhile, the House and the Senate continued their efforts to advance their respective spending bills in policy areas of transportation, agriculture and national defense. Read more news and notes below:

• Department of Education Celebrates Completion of Nationwide Unlocking Pathways Summit Series: ED and the Biden-Harris Administration have announced the completion of the nationwide Unlocking Pathways Summit series, concluding with one final stop in Biloxi, Mississippi. This series was a part of the Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success initiative, aimed at reimagining the high school experience to help learners thrive in future careers by earning postsecondary degrees and industry credentials to meet economic demands and employer needs. The initiative was a joint effort across ED, DOL, DOC, public and private sector leaders and multiple community-based organizations that was split into four parts across four different states. ACTE leaders attended each event to ensure the CTE voice was included.

• Department of Education Announces New Actions to Build on Work to Accelerate Learning and Improve Student Achievement: ED and the Biden-Harris Administration have announced a list of additional actions to improve classroom instruction and accelerate academic success across the nation for the start of the new school year as a part of the Department’s Raise the Bar: Lead the World Effort. The Department announced actions that include increased state funding to improve student outcomes, expanded school capacity to build a diverse educator workforce and strategic initiatives to provide student supports for mental health needs and combat absenteeism.

• Department of Labor Awards $44 Million to Support Job Training Services for Workers in Multiple Regions: The Department of Labor has announced more than $44 million in awards for the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority and the Northern Border Regional Commission to help workers in across these regions secure good jobs in high-demand industries through career training and supportive services. The funding comes as a result of the Department’s efforts to advance economic mobility and address historic inequities for marginalized communities of color, rural areas and other underserved and underrepresented communities in these areas.

• Chairman Owens to Hold Hearing on Strengthening the Workforce Development System: The Committee on Education and thehe Workforce’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development will hold a hearing titled “Strengthening WIOA: Improving Outcomes for Jobseekers, Employers, and Taxpayers” on Wednesday, September 20 at 10:15 a.m. EST. The hearing will aim to dissect the job market, analyze the WIOA system and highlight current practices that are working to create a system that matches the needs of a modern economy. 

• IES Announces the Extending the Reach of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network: The Institute for Education Science (IES) has announced the establishment of a second research network focusing on CTE. The new network will be named the “Extending the Reach of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Research Network” and will carry out scientifically based research and evaluation to develop, improve and identify successful methods for addressing education and employment training needs of CTE participants in CTE programs. ACTE is a partner in this network and will be focused on disseminating research from the project.

• Applications for New Awards; Education Research Grant Programs: This week, ED and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) issued a notice calling for research grant applications for research teams to participate in research networks focused on critical problems of education policy and practice, including CTE. Interested parties have until January 11, 2024, to submit an application and be considered for funding opportunities.

Department of Ed’s Public Comment Request Provides Opportunity to Advocate for CTE

The Department of Education invites public comments on regional educational needs to guide its Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) in their administration of technical assistance to states and school districts. This provides an opportunity to identify growing demands for expanding CTE programs and challenges programs currently face. 

The 10 RACs collect information on educational needs within their assigned region and then determine how comprehensive centers as described in the Educational Technical Assistance Act (ETAA) can provide technical assistance to address these needs. These committees rely on public comments to guide their work, and these comments, alongside data and resources, will be considered at the next committee meeting. In order for the committee to consider offering enhanced technical assistance to CTE programs, comments must present the current need for these programs and why it should be considered a priority. For example, you might want to share any challenges you are facing around the CTE teacher pipeline or providing students access to work-based learning.

Access the form to submit public comments here which includes the following questions:

1. What are 1 to 2 educational needs within your region the RAC should prioritize?
2. Why do you believe these are educational priorities that your region should address?
3. What information can the RACs collect about these priorities to better understand and address the need(s)?
4. Please add any other comments about educational needs in the region and how they could be addressed.

There isn’t much time to submit comments - they should be submitted two business days before the upcoming committee meeting for your respective region. Meeting dates are not publicly posted yet, but are expected to occur in late September or early October, so time is of the essence! The committees also encourage public attendance of these meetings, and the schedule and registration link will be posted here. 

Department of Education Secretary Cardona’s Bus Tour Spotlights CTE

Last week, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona embarked on his “Back to School Bus Tour 2023: Raise the Bar” which included stops highlighting CTE programs and their value to their local communities. 

The bus tour traveled through multiple states to showcase current strengths of the education system amid the beginning of a new school year. Secretary Cardona, alongside various members of Congress and state and local officials, visited educational programs in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Alongside multiple CTE-centered visits, the tour also highlighted the topics of early childhood education, teacher recruitment, parent engagement, mental health initiatives, HBCUs and after-school programs. 

As part of his first stop in Topeka, Kansas, Secretary Cardona, alongside Kansas’s governor Laura Kelly and other state officials, held a discussion at the Brown v. Board of Education historic site with Teaching as a Profession high school students. The discussion centered around teacher recruitment and efforts to diversify the teacher workforce. 

The tour later stopped at Woodruff Career and Technical Center in Peoria, Illinois, for a roundtable on CTE that included students, instructors and local workers. Secretary Cardona spoke about the ways CTE allows students to intentionally engage in their personal academic journey, and he stated: “These students are also walking away with credentials, they’re walking away with a pathway to a career, a connection with a college, and mentors that are going to be with them all the way through.”

Another stop on the tour spotlighted recently renovated CTE facilities at a Madison, Wisconsin, high school. After touring the school, Secretary Cardona led a CTE roundtable that discussed the value of CTE programs and his own personal experience with such programs. He shared how his own experience in a CTE automotive course in high school provided him with skills that support him in his work today.  

He reiterated these sentiments Friday during a visit to Dakota County Community College in Rosemont, Minnesota, where he hosted another CTE roundtable discussion with local officials and students. During this discussion he stated: “I’m going to tell you right now that my experience at a technical high school without question, it’s part of the reason why I’m sitting here.” 

Update on FY24 Appropriations

Both chambers of Congress will be back in session this week after spending the month of August in recess. With only a few weeks left until government funding runs out, lawmakers face a hectic September as they work to avoid a government shutdown. Congress will either need to pass all 12 appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to keep the government open past September 30. 

House GOP appropriators have drafted a slate of spending bills that are tens of billions of dollars below the bipartisan agreement reached in May to raise the debt ceiling, and the House Appropriations Committee has approved 10 out of the 12 FY24 appropriations bills along entirely partisan lines. Notably, one of the bills that has not been approved is the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which proposes deep cuts to the Departments of Education and Labor while level-funding Perkins.  

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate is working in a bipartisan fashion, which has allowed all 12 spending bills to be passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, with some bills adopted unanimously. Senate Appropriations Committee members approved their version of the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill on a bipartisan vote. This bill proposes a $40 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant. 

Both the House and the Senate have a long way to go before the full chambers vote on their own versions of each bill – let alone reconcile the vast spending differences in each chamber before the legislation lands on the president’s desk. Senate lawmakers are aiming to move a three-bill appropriations package this week that will consist of Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development measures.  

Your advocacy will be critical to attempt to maintain the higher level for Perkins included in the Senate bill, as well as the Senate funding levels for programs across the education and workforce spectrum. Ask your lawmakers to show their support!   

DC Digest: September 2 – September 8

The Senate returned to session this week, and the House is set to return next week. With only a few weeks left until government funding runs out, lawmakers face a hectic September as they work to avoid a government shutdown. Lawmakers will either need to pass all 12 appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to keep the government open past September 30. This will be a critical time for your advocacy as we work to share our message of support for the Senate’s FY24 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education funding bill and its higher funding levels for Perkins and education and workforce development programs! In the meantime, here are some news and notes: 

• Senate to Consider Three Appropriations Bills Next Week: The Senate is aiming to move a three-bill appropriations package next week that will consist of Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development measures. The package, more commonly referred to as a “minibus,” will represent the first appropriations bills to reach the floor in the Senate. 

• Congressional Republicans to Introduce Resolution to Overturn New Student Loan Plan: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will introduce a Congressional Review Act Resolution that would prevent the Biden administration from continuing its new “Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment plan. More than 4 million borrowers of federal student loans have already enrolled in the new plan, which can cut monthly payments and allow loan forgiveness after less time than under previous repayment plans. The Congressional Review Act provides Congress with a mechanism to overturn certain Administration rules.  

• Secretary Cardona Goes on Back-to-School Bus Tour: This week, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona embarked on a back-to-school bus tour that included several CTE stops. We will recapping his entire tour next week. 

• Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program: The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program will invest $200 million in persistently distressed communities to create and connect people to good jobs. On June 29, 2023, Economic Development Administration (EDA) published the Phase 1 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Click here for more information on how to apply. 

• Labor Department Announces $14M in Grants to Prepare Young People for Good-Paying Jobs: The Department of Labor this week announced the award of $14 million in grants to seven organizations in five states to deliver workforce services when youth are out of school. The Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants being made to organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Virginia are intended to support recipients’ efforts to supply workforce readiness programming for historically underserved youth from ages 14 to 21 in 21 states and American Samoa. More information on the awards can be found here. 

Research Roundup: Outcomes for Dual Enrollment, Non-degree Credentials and Reentering Young Adults

How States and Localities are Improving Employment Outcomes for Reentering Young Adults: The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently published a report highlighting how states and localities are improving employment outcomes for justice-involved 18-to-24-year old individuals. Researchers discovered that one in five young adults reported not being able to find employment within their first year of release from incarceration, while those who do find a job report working fewer weeks per year than their non-incarcerated peers.

The report notes that legal reforms aimed at improving post-incarceration outcomes have historically only applied to individuals younger than 18, leaving others in limbo. Researchers highlighted the following practices emerging across the country to support reentering young adults:

• Increasing access to identification forms so reentering young adults can secure resources like housing, public benefits, employment and banking access.
• Increasing access to the social safety net to help reentering young adults secure basic economic needs and transition toward stability.
• Investing in career exploration and workforce development programs dedicated to young adults who often do not have previous work experience or training.
• Reforming restrictive employment laws that limit access to work for young adults due to their criminal record.

The report also recommends holistic support for justice-involved young adults at all stages of the process to help them better reach their goals and build stronger communities.

Understanding the Link Between Dual Enrollment Course Characteristics and Students’ Postsecondary Enrollment Outcomes: The Community College Research Center at Columbia University (CCRC) recently published a report examining dual enrollment (DE) course participation and outcomes among recent high school students to offer policymakers, administrators and practitioners insights for the design and development of these courses. The report reinforced the importance of CTE’s effects on student outcomes, finding that individuals who participate in CTE-DE courses have an increased probability of high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment.

Researchers also found the following about the student characteristics and outcomes of CTE-DE courses:

• CTE-DE courses serve more Black and Hispanic students and individuals from low-income backgrounds than academic DE courses.
• Learners who take CTE-DE courses at a postsecondary campus are more likely to enroll in a public two-year institution upon graduation.
• Larger CTE-DE class sizes and higher credit CTE-DE classes negatively predict student outcomes.
• Taking a CTE-DE course with an instructor who holds a baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree increases students’ probability of enrolling in postsecondary education after high school.

Additionally, the report recommends that postsecondary institutions partner more intentionally with high schools to recruit, support and engage DE students and that educational leaders balance short- and long-term outcomes when designing evidence-based practices.

The Impacts of Quality Non-degree Credentials in Preparing Learners for the Workforce: A report recently published by the National Skills Coalition (NSC) encourages state policymakers to invest in quality non-degree credentials (NDC) and shares how NSC researchers have worked with states to define, measure and track credential quality. Researchers reported that large shares of NDC holders are women as well as individuals of color with no other postsecondary credential, reinforcing the importance of ensuring that NDCs are high quality and lead to upward mobility and family-sustaining wages.

The report includes the following recommendations for growing quality credentials:

• Ensure a strong leadership commitment that mandates action and directs resources toward quality assurance and greater cross-system collaboration.
• Engage diverse groups of stakeholders to build buy-in and trust and develop initiatives with an equity lens.
• Invest time and resources into improved data collection, capacity and reporting infrastructure.
• Prioritize funding for individuals pursuing quality NDCs, along with other access and attainment policies that support equitable credential attainment.

National Council on Teacher Quality Releases Report on Increasing Teacher Diversity

The National Council on Teacher Quality recently published a report that explores emerging trends and state policies for increasing diversity in the field of teaching. Researchers found that teacher apprenticeships and residencies are crucial avenues to attract more candidates of color to the teacher pipeline.

The analysis investigates the following state-level approaches to teacher recruitment:

• 46 states have developed high school pipeline or career pathways programs through CTE and dual or concurrent enrollment, 21 with the explicit goal of increasing diversity.
• 26 states have established Grow Your Own programs at the state level, with 20 states explicitly making teacher diversity a goal.
• 23 states have taken steps through state policy to establish teacher apprenticeships since 2022.
• Six states have established post-baccalaureate residencies, three with the goal to explicitly diversify the workforce.

Researchers noted that secondary-level career pathways programs can lead to a more diverse pipeline by improving overall educational outcomes for individuals of color. Yet, these programs are often less available to these students.

In the state of Colorado, leaders are diversifying the teacher workforce by increasing access for low-income individuals and students of color through the Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) program, which gives learners in an education and training career pathway the opportunity to continue their education at a postsecondary institution tuition-free for two years. In another example, legislators in the state of Washington expanded the Recruit Washington Teachers Initiative to include a career pathway that supports students in becoming certified bilingual educators. Illinois, an early pioneer of the Grow Your Own model, invested approximately $2.5 million toward Grow Your Own programming in 2020 to fund initiatives that run across five programs and roughly 200 candidates.

The report also covers recruitment and retention strategies being enacted across the country. Researchers found that the majority of states have funded or established financial incentives or state-level initiatives to support educator retention, but less than half of these initiatives have explicitly focused on supporting or retaining educators of color.

The lack of more expansive policies in this area across the 50 states has translated into a higher national turnover for teachers of color (19%) than for white instructors (15%). Strategies for retention in states like Minnesota, which enacted the Due North Education Plan, primarily focus on peer support, mentorship and affinity groups while financial assistance initiatives have come in the form of incentives through scholarships or loan forgiveness programs.

Researchers made the following recommendations to policymakers to better support the teacher pipeline for underrepresented groups:

• Set explicit goals to diversify the workforce and publish more data to track progress toward goals.
• Engage teachers of color in policymaking.
• Minimize the disproportionate impact of layoffs on teachers of color.
• Invest in improving school climate and school leadership.
• Evaluate initiatives and measure success.