CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest May 17-23

This has been a busy week on Capitol Hill as Congress held multiple hearings relevant to education and workforce development across both chambers. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon both testified before Congress this week to discuss the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request. Meanwhile, the House passed its budget reconciliation bill, shifting the process to the Senate. Congress is scheduled to take recess next week, but will back in DC in June!  

• House Passes Reconciliation Bill: The House of Representatives passed its budget reconciliation proposal on May 22. The process now shifts to the Senate where it is certain to face many changes from Senators. Budget reconciliation allows for changes to tax and mandatory spending programs and can sidestep the filibuster in the Senate. It cannot impact discretionary spending, which will be addressed in the FY 2026 appropriations bills. Read more about how the bill would impact education on the blog.  

• Senate HELP Committee Advances Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE): The Senate HELP Committee voted to advance several of the President’s nominees at the Department of Labor (DOL), the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission and the Department of Education (ED). Included in these nominees is Kevin O’Farrell, nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of OCTAE. Learn more about O’Farrell from ACTE’s statement regarding his nomination.  

• McMahon Testifies Before House Appropriations Committee: Secretary McMahon testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Her testimony focused on the Trump Administration’s budget proposal outline for FY 2026. Read more on the blog. 

• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Holds Hearing on the State of Higher Education: The Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on the state of higher education. One of the witnesses, Russell Lowery-Hart, is the chancellor of Austin Community College and spoke of the critical role that community colleges play in innovation and workforcetraining. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) used this hearing to promote short-term Pell Grants, pressing the committee to mark up the JOBS Act, which is endorsed by ACTE.  

• House Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Development Holds Hearing on DEI: The House Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Development held a hearing to address DEI issues in education, discussing some of the recent funding cuts and other actions taken related to the Administration's agenda around this topic.  

• Secretary Lori Chavez De-Remer Testifies Before Senate HELP Committee: Secretary Chavez-DeRemer testified before the Senate HELP Committee regarding the President’s “Skinny” Budget Request for DOL. Check out the blog to learn more about the budget request.  

• Democratic Lawmakers Send Letter to Secretary McMahon on Federal Funding Delays: Several lawmakers with minority leadership roles sent a letter to Secretary McMahon to address recent delays in providing states and school districts with information about formula funding that had been previously appropriated. While Perkins allocations for FY 2025 have been released, many other grant allocations have not.  

• Judge Rules Against Staffing Cuts at ED: A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of employees fired at the Department of Education through a “Reduction in Force” earlier this year, stating that the firings were akin to dismantling the agency, which only Congress can do, would keep the agency from fulfilling its core functions. The Administration has appealed the ruling and next steps in the legal process are uncertain.   

• More on Staffing Challenges at ED: Related to the legal argument that layoffs have impeded core activities at the Department, a recent survey, published by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) found that postsecondary financial aid offices nationwide have reported recent operational delays, breakdowns in federal support systems and insufficient communication with ED.  

• Secretary McMahon Announced Proposed Priorities for ED Discretionary Grants: Secretary McMahon announced her first three proposed priorities for ED discretionary grants, including evidence-based literacy, expanding education choice and returning education to the states. The Administration will align discretionary grant competitions with these priorities in the future.  

Research Roundup: Postsecondary Enrollment, CTE Teacher PD, CTE Policy and Industry-based Credentials

Latest Postsecondary Enrollment Data: The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently released spring 2025 postsecondary enrollment data. Major takeaways include:

• Total postsecondary enrollment grew by 3.2% compared to spring 2024.
• Growth occurred at all institutional levels, with community colleges seeing the greatest increase in enrollment (+5.4%) for both men and women. 
• Undergraduate certificate enrollment grew by 4.8% and is now 20% higher compared to 2020. Community colleges accounted for two-thirds of this growth. 
• Public two-year schools that strongly focus on CTE program areas saw their third consecutive year of significant growth (+11.7%). Compared to 2020, enrollment has increased by 19.4%.  
• Among two-year colleges, programs that saw significant growth include construction trades (+15%), health professions (+11.7%) and precision production (+8.9%). 
• Most racial/ethnic groups saw enrollment growth, led by Black students with a 10.3% increase in enrollment. White students experienced their first enrollment increase since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Assessing the Professional Development Needs of Traditionally and Alternatively Certified CTE Teachers in Virginia: An article by Natalie Ferand, Bradley Bowen and Brett Milliken in the May 2025 issue of the Journal of Research in Technical Careers examines the professional development needs of traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers in Virginia. The researchers surveyed traditionally and alternatively certified CTE teachers along with teachers traditionally certified in a non-CTE subject area who later received a CTE endorsement.  

The researchers found varying professional development needs for each group: 

• Alternatively certified CTE teachers were most interested in information about CTSOs and adapting instruction for students with special needs. 
• Traditionally certified CTE teachers were most interested in information about managing stress, student behavior and work/life balance. 
• Traditionally certified non-CTE teachers who later received a CTE endorsement were most interested in information about motivating students, managing stress and Perkins funding.  
• Teachers across all three groups need help with managing stress. Managing time, Perkins funding and supporting students with special needs were other professional development needs shared across teachers from different pathways into the profession. 

Curricular-credential Decoupling: How Schools Respond to CTE Policy: A report from the Annenberg Institute examines the implementation of CTE and industry-based certification (IBC) policy in Texas, including House Bill 5 (2013) that created five areas of concentration; 2017 legislation that added IBCs to the state’s accountability system; and 2019 policy that incentivized schools for student attainment of IBCs.  

Analysis of state longitudinal data reveals that there was a nine-point increase in the percentage of students completing a CTE program from 2017 to 2018, coinciding with the first class to graduate under House Bill 5. From 2018 to 2022, the CTE program completion rate held steady.  

In comparison, from 2017-2022, the rate of IBC attainment increased by much more: 25 percentage points. However, over this same period, the rate of students earning IBCs aligned to their CTE program areas decreased by 16 percentage points. Business, manufacturing and construction had the highest CTE-IBC alignment; conversely, health sciences, human services and public service had the lowest CTE-IBC alignment.  

The researchers suggest that the financial incentive may have encouraged schools to focus on quick, easy-to-earn IBCs regardless of those credentials’ alignment to CTE program areas.  

House Passes Reconciliation Bill

This week, the House of Representatives passed its budget reconciliation proposal. The bill passed the House in a 215-214 vote, along party lines. The process now shifts to the Senate where it is certain to face many changes from Senators. 

Separate from the appropriations process, budget reconciliation allows for changes to tax and mandatory spending programs and can sidestep the filibuster in the Senate. It cannot impact discretionary spending, which will be addressed in the FY 2026 appropriations bills.  

This reconciliation bill is the culmination of a series of markups from different committees who were tasked with putting together their portions of the bill based on instructions they received in the budget resolution that passed earlier this year. The House Education and Workforce Committee had produced legislation in April to contribute to the broader bill that was ultimately passed by the House. In some positive news, the reconciliation bill would authorize the Workforce Pell Grant Program, designed to expand Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term training programs. 

However, the primary goal of the education portions of the bill was to reduce mandatory spending by at least $330 billion over 10 years. To accomplish this, the bill would implement several critical changes to financial aid and student loan eligibility, limits and repayment options. Key changes include:  

• Placing new maximum caps on student loans for students and parents, and eliminating some loan options  

• Eliminating the “SAVE” student loan repayment plan  

• Consolidating other loan repayment options into one fixed plan and one income-driven repayment plan (with higher payments than current options)  

• Instituting a “risk-sharing” program where colleges are responsible for some defaulted loans  

• Eliminating some student loan borrower protections as well as the gainful employment rule  

• Limiting Pell grants only to students who are enrolled at least half-time, and redefining full-time as 15 credit hours per semester compared with the current 12 hours  

Additionally, lawmakers included in the Ways and Means portion of the bill a proposal that would use the tax code to offer vouchers that students could use to attend private secular or religious schools. The Educational Choice for Children Act would create a federal tax credit for individuals who donate to groups that provide school choice scholarships to students. ACTE opposes any proposal that would take resources away from public education. 

In the coming weeks, the Senate will take up the bill. If the Senate makes changes, which is likely, then it will head back to the House for final passage and to President Trump’s desk. 

ACTE will continue to monitor the bill and communicate the latest developments as they occur. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Jimmy Koch ([email protected]). 

McMahon Testifies Before House Appropriations

Yesterday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies. Her testimony focused on the Trump Administration’s budget proposal outline for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.

In its FY 2026 outline, the Administration proposed a $12 billion cut to the Department of Education (ED). In her testimony, McMahon noted that this request was part of the larger effort to support President Trump’s goal to “eliminate federal bureaucracy and return education to the states.”

McMahon noted that programs intended to be eliminated are ones that are “rife with wase, fraud or abuse.” The budget request also creates a K-12 Simplified Funding Program, which would consolidate 18 grant programs into a $2 billion formula grant.

Other programs that face funding cuts in the proposal include adult education, grants for teacher preparation and professional development, TRIO and Gear UP, federal work study, English Language Acquisition, grants for preschool development, programs within the National Science Foundation, postsecondary institutional grants, and many others. Funds for program administration and staffing at ED are also reduced. CTE programs or Perkins were not addressed in the budget outline, and Secretary McMahon did not mention them in the hearing either, so it is unclear what the Administration’s goals are related to Perkins funding. More information can be found here.

Committee Chair Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) praised the budget and reforms noting that despite record spending, test scores are continually low and America is losing ground compared to other nations.

A recording of the hearing can be found here.

Cross-cutting Career Clusters: New Resources

A recent blog post published by Getting Smart and Advance CTE provides practitioners with additional information and new resources on
the Cross-cutting Clusters from Advance CTE’s recently released update to the Career Clusters® Framework. The Cross-cutting Clusters – Management & Entrepreneurship, Digital Technology and Marketing & Sales – incorporate essential functions and transferable skills that are distinct to their industry sector, but also foundational to success across all industries.

The post shares new graphics, examples and strategies on how to leverage the Cross-cutting Clusters to augment programs. For more information and resources, visit Advance CTE’s website.

DC Digest May 4-May 16

On Capitol Hill, Congress continued to work on the budget reconciliation package, with most of the activity in the House. At the same time, work is beginning in Congress on the FY 2026 appropriations bills. Don't forget to contact your senator and urge them to support Perkins increases in Fiscal year (FY) 2026! Congruently, the Senate plans to consider several of the Trump Administration’s nominees for the Departments of Education and Labor next week, including the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE). Keep reading for details. 

• Perkins Allocations for FY 2025 Released: ED announced its allocations for Perkins in FY 2025. Part of these funds are available starting July 1, with the remainder distributed on October 1. For more information on the specific allocations in each state, see the linked letter.  

• House Members Sign Letter Requesting Increased Funding for Perkins in FY 2026: Members joined House CTE Caucus co-chairs Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) in signing a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education. The letter requested increased funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Thanks to CTE advocates, 78 representatives signed the letter! 

• Senate Votes for Repeal of E-rate Wi-Fi Hotspots: The Federal Communications Commission had previously enacted an expanded rule allowing schools and libraries to use E-rate resources to loan out Wi-Fi hot spots, providing more accessible internet for students and patrons who lack at-home access. This week, the Senate voted for a resolution of disapproval for this program under the Congressional Review Act. ACTE has supported E-rate expansion and signed a letter encouraging the House to maintain the current rule and flexibility.  

• Senate HELP Committee to Hold Hearing on State of Higher Education: Next Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee is holding a hearing, “State of Higher Education.” ACTE will share any relevant information that emerges! 

• Department of Labor (DOL) Cancels Teacher Apprenticeship Program: The DOL canceled a five-year contract for the Educator Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary. This contact was designed to guide apprenticeship providers through the necessary processes to launch new programs.  

• Secretary of Labor Testifies on Administration’s FY 2026 Budget Request: On May 15, Secretary Chavez-DeRemer testified before the House Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. She discussed the significant proposed cuts to the DOL budget and the proposed consolidation of programs into a block grant. You can view the recording here.  

• CTE Grants for Native American and Hawaiian Students Retracted: ED cancelled two grant competitions for FY 2025 that are intended to expand CTE opportunities for Native American and Native Hawaiian students. It is unclear when these grants (which are required to be offered under Perkins) will be reposted.  

• Lawmakers Participate in Forum on Cuts to ED: Members of Congress participated in a forum, “Abandoning America’s Promise: The Real Cost of Dismantling the Department of Education,” hosted by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

• Judge Reverses ED's Rule on COVID Relief: In March, ED published a letter announcing that the due date for schools to spend remaining pandemic relief funds had moved up. A federal judge ruled that ED cannot implement their intended cancellation of COVID-19 relief spending or modify the spending timeline without at least 14 days’ notice. A new deadline has been set, although legal action is still pending related to the issue 

• Secretary Chavez-DeRemer Celebrates National Skilled Trades Day: Secretary Chavez-DeRemer continued her America at Work Tour, stopping in Denver to tour an apprentice training facility. She participated in a discussion on expanding youth apprenticeships, as well as President Trump’s Executive Order, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future.” She also stopped at Pima Community College to discuss workforce development with Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ).  

ACTION ALERT: Support Increased Funding for CTE in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a longtime and committed CTE advocate, is circulating an important “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests increased funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. It is critical that we secure as many signatures on the letter as possible to show the importance of sustained investment in Perkins funding in the Senate. 

CLICK HERE to ask your Senators to sign the letter and support increased CTE funding in the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

Senators have until May 19 to sign the letter and can do so by contacting Sydney Lamb ([email protected]) in Sen. Blumenthal’s office.  

Research Roundup: Subbaccalaureate CTE Attainment, ASAP Ohio Evaluation, STARs in the Workforce, Federal Work-study

Subbaccalaureate CTE Attainment for Special Populations: An article by Cameron Sublett and Jay Plasman in the January 2025 edition of the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success examines how certificate and associate degree attainment has changed over time and across special population groups. The researchers used National Center for Education Statistics data to examine credential attainment across several CTE fields of study. They compared data from two groups of students, one who began postsecondary education in 2003 and the other in 2011, each tracked over a six-year time period:

• Only 2% of the 2011 cohort were not enrolled in a degree program, compared to 13% of the 2003 cohort.
• The 2011 cohort was much more likely to earn certificates and associate degrees in business and marketing and less likely to earn associate degrees in health sciences.
• Female students were less likely to earn applied STEM credentials in both cohorts, with the gap increasing from the 2003 to 2011 cohort. Female students were much more likely to earn associate degrees in public service in the 2011 cohort.
• Underrepresented minority (URM) students in the 2011 cohort were more likely to earn a public service associate degree than non-minority students in the same cohort and URM students in the 2003 cohort.
• Students with disabilities (SWDs) in the 2011 cohort were less likely to earn an associate degree in health sciences and more likely to earn a certificate in the trades than SWDs in the 2003 cohort.

The authors encourage other researchers to conduct similar analyses in local and regional contexts and to consider the impact of more recent innovations in federal and state CTE policy.

Eight-year Findings from the ASAP Ohio Demonstration: A brief from MDRC evaluates the effectiveness of ASAP Ohio programs designed to increase community college graduation rates by offering tutoring, financial assistance and career advising to low-income students. Researchers randomly assigned interested students either into the ASAP program or a control group and compared the two to analyze the impact of the programs on student outcomes.

The researchers found that students in the program earned an associate degree at a much higher rate than control group students: 15 percentage points higher. Women and students with developmental education needs attained a degree at higher rates compared to men and students without special needs, respectively. Notably, program students also went on to attain bachelor’s degrees at a higher rate even though the programs do not provide additional assistance once a student transfers. Program students also earned 14% more in income than control group students by the eighth year of tracking.

Advancing STARs in the American Workforce: A report from Opportunity@Work (O@W) describes the current workforce landscape for individuals skilled through alternative routes (STARs): i.e., skilled workers without a bachelor’s degree. The researchers found that 92% of all employers are interested in hiring people without a degree but skilled through other means, and job postings are increasingly open to STARs now compared to the early 2000s. The report also documents the benefits that participation in the O@W Network has had for STARs and employer partners.  

Modernizing Federal Work-study to Support Work-based Learning: A report from the Bipartisan Policy Center discusses how states have utilized the Federal Work-study (FWS) Program to expand work-based learning opportunities for students. The researchers identified several stakeholders challenges:

• Underrepresented minorities, as well as community college and low-income students, are less likely to participate in work-based learning programs for a variety of reasons, posing challenges for schools wanting to offer these programs.
• FWS programs often have limited staffing and face difficulties in creating and maintaining partnerships with outside employers while also addressing the regulatory uncertainty surrounding the authorized uses of FWS funding.
• Demand far exceeds the supply of work-based learning opportunities, and employers cite several factors, such as costs, that prevent them from providing additional opportunities.

The researchers end with strategies to guide policymakers in updating FWS, including providing flexibility in how FWS funding can be used, improving the collection of data on outcomes, and basing the allocation of FWS funding on Pell recipients in an institution.

DC Digest: April 27 - May 5

Congress was back in session this week and spent significant time continuing work on the budget reconciliation process in the House. The Administration celebrated National Apprenticeship Day and began to implement several of the President’s recent Executive Orders (EOs). President Trump also released an outline of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget Request. Keep reading for more details! 

• President Trump Releases FY 2026 Budget Request Outline: The Trump Administration released a “skinny version” of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request. This proposal would reduce non-defense programs across the federal government by $163 billion, or 22.6 percent, including large cuts to education and workforce development. Read more on the blog. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Introduces Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan: The House Education and Workforce Committee introduced and advanced its budget reconciliation bill, Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan. Read more on the blog. 

• Department of Education Releases Letter on Accreditation Options for Colleges and Universities: The Department of Education published a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) informing institutions of changes made to the accreditation process, in compliance with President Trump’s EO, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, which instructed the Department to allow institutions to more freely change accreditors and begin reviewing new accreditors. 

• Department of Labor Celebrates National Apprenticeship Day 2025: The Department of Labor celebrated National Apprenticeship Day on April 30 with a ceremonial signing event highlighting the importance of apprenticeships.  

• New EO Impacting Undocumented Students’ In-State Tuition: The Trump Administration announced a new EO regarding sanctuary cities and localities. This instructs federal officials to “take appropriate action” to reduce benefits and protections to undocumented students, including state and local laws that provide in-state tuition to these students. 

 

 

House Education and Workforce Committee Releases Budget Reconciliation Bill

On April 28, the House Education and Workforce Committee released its budget reconciliation bill, the Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan. The Committee then held a markup of the bill on Tuesday and advanced the legislation on a party-line vote. This bill is just one piece of the broader “budget reconciliation” bill that Congress is working to pass to enact many of the Administration’s priorities.   

Notably, this bill would authorize the Workforce Pell Grant Program, designed to expand Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term, high-quality, workforce-aligned programs. This has been a priority of the CTE and workforce development communities for many years, and has bipartisan support in Congress. We will be examining the specific provisions included with this short-term Pell program closely and following activity as the bill moves forward. In addition, the bill does increase mandatory funding for Pell grants slightly, presumably to cover some of the costs to offering short-term Pell.   

The main goal of the bill, however, is to reduce mandatory spending under the jurisdiction of the Committee by at least $330 billion over 10 years. To accomplish this, the bill would implement several critical changes to financial aid and student loan eligibility, limits and repayment options. Key changes include: 

• Placing new maximum caps on student loans for students and parents, and eliminating some loan options 

• Eliminating the “SAVE” student loan repayment plan 

• Consolidating other loan repayment options into one fixed plan and one income-driven repayment plan (with higher payments than current options) 

• Instituting a “risk-sharing” program where colleges are responsible for some defaulted loans 

• Eliminating some student loan borrower protections as well as the gainful employment rule 

• Limiting Pell grants only to students who are enrolled at least half-time, and redefining full-time as 15 credit hours per semester compared with the current 12 hours 

This bill will now go to the Budget Committee and be combined with bills other committees are producing as part of the broader budget reconciliation process. Then the full package would go to the House floor, and if passed there, would still need to be considered by the Senate. Only a simple majority vote is needed in the Senate to pass a budget reconciliation bill however, which means there is no need for bipartisan compromise.   

ACTE will share more about this legislation and its progression as future activity unfolds.