CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

New Report Shows Increasing Media Interest in CTE

A new report issued by the American Enterprise Institute addresses the recent uptick in attention that CTE has garnered in state policy, on campaign trails and in the media. The study reports that CTE media coverage has increased more than a hundredfold since 1998, and more than double since 2012. The report looked specifically at articles mentioning "career and technical education," noting that the term surpassed use of "vocational education" 15 years ago.

While the report shows that CTE media coverage has increased significantly over the last two decades, it notes that at certain times other education-related terms like "Common Core" and "No Child Left Behind" were covered much more frequently during a given year than CTE ever has been. However, CTE's coverage has been steadily increasing, whereas other terms increase in popularity exponentially, then rapidly decline. For instance, while "No Child Left Behind," "Common Core" and "Teacher Evaluation" were all at one point more popular terms than CTE ever has been, in 2018, CTE was a more popular term than all three. The study also shows that when it comes to terms typically associated with rhetoric around education improvement strategies, CTE far outpaces "21st-Century Skills," "Personalized Learning" and "School Turnaround," and also surpassed "School Voucher" in 2018.

One fun fact from the study is that in both 2017 and 2018, "Career and Technical Education" beat out "Kim Kardashian" and "Steph Curry" in U.S. media articles, though it did fall short to "Queen Elizabeth."

What the study demonstrates is that unlike many other popular search terms that were examined, CTE is long-lasting, and has experienced a constant increase in its news coverage. The constant flow of news coverage is a function of several factors, including all of the activism and attention given to it by CTE advocates. So for everyone who has written a letter to the editor, organized a media event or helped raise awareness another way… thank you! This media attention has helped tremendously to contribute to policy victories, such as the reauthorization of Perkins and the increased funding CTE has received at the federal level the last two years. To continue your advocacy, you can learn more about ACTE's advocacy resources on our website.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

CTE Absent in State of the Union, Democratic Rebuttal

Last week, President Trump gave his second State of the Union address. Unlike last year, however, no specific CTE references were included in his remarks. Despite Perkins reauthorization last year and much anticipation around reauthorization of the Higher Education Act this year, there was only one sentence related to education. Roughly halfway through his speech, President Trump said: "To help support working parents, the time has come to pass school choice for America's children." The president also urged Congress to pass an infrastructure bill, but failed to mention any investments in the nation's workforce as part of a comprehensive infrastructure package.

Similarly, the Democratic response featured less CTE-related content than last year, where it was delivered at a CTE high school. This year, Democrat Stacey Abrams, a 2018 gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, delivered the rebuttal. She spoke slightly more in depth about education, saying that, "Children deserve an excellent education from cradle to career." She also spoke about school safety, the achievement gap, college affordability, and support for educators.

ACTE will continue to work with the Trump Administration and policymakers in both political parties to advance and strengthen CTE.

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition IX (FINAL)

This week we close with our final coverage of New Members of Congress by profiling new Members from Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

You can find all of our editions at the links below:

• Edition I (AZ, CA)
• Edition II (CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA)
• Edition III (ID, IL, IN, KS, MA)
• Edition IV (MD, ME, MI, MN)
• Edition V (MO, MS, NC, ND, NH, NJ)
• Edition VI (NM, NV, NY)
• Edition VII (OH, OK, PA, SC)
• Edition VIII (SD, TN, TX)
• Edition IX (UT, VA, WA, WI, WV)

In Utah, Republican Mitt Romney replaced Sen. Orrin Hatch, who chose not to seek re-election. Sen. Romney, a former governor and Republican nominee for president, has a significant record on education from his past political campaigns/experience. Education Week recently did a deep dive into Sen. Romney's education record. Sen. Romney has also been named as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

In Virginia's Second Congressional District, Democrat Elaine Luria defeated Republican Rep. Scott Taylor. Rep. Luria spent her career in the U.S. Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. On the campaign trail, she talked about ensuring "every child has access to a quality public education—from pre-K to college or technical training." In the Commonwealth's Fifth Congressional District, Republican Denver Riggleman replaced Republican Rep. Tom Garrett, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Riggleman is a former U.S. Air Force officer and NSA contractor, who later became a small business owner by opening a craft distillery. He is also a community college graduate. In Virginia's Sixth Congressional District, Republican Ben Cline replaced Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who retired. Rep. Cline, a lawyer by trade, is a former state legislator who also worked in government and was president of a sales and marketing company. Rep. Cline serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor.

In Virginia's Seventh Congressional District, Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Rep. Dave Brat. Rep. Spanberger spent most of her career in federal law enforcement and the CIA. However, upon exiting government service, she worked with academic institutions who sought to diversify their student bodies. On her website, Rep. Spanberger spoke about her commitment to public schools, pledged to address college affordability, and stated her "support [for] building more skills/career training and apprenticeship programs." In the Commonwealth's Tenth Congressional District, Democrat Jennifer Wexton defeated Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock. Rep. Wexton is a former state legislator and prosecutor. On the campaign trail, Rep. Wexton spoke about her work in the state legislature to address college affordability and campus sexual violence. She also pledged her "support [for] policies that raise teachers' pay and benefits, promote STEM courses and careers, and incentivize career and technical training."

In Washington's Eighth Congressional District, Democrat Kim Schrier replaced Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Schrier is a pediatrician and daughter of a public school teacher. During her campaign, Rep. Schrier talked about improving STEM outcomes, and said she would work to make college more affordable, including at "trade schools."

In Wisconsin's First Congressional District, Republican Bryan Steil replaced former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Steil is an attorney who once worked for a plastics manufacturer. He was also on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Touting that experience on the campaign train, he said that he had "seen first-hand the importance of quality high schools, effective technical colleges and affordable, high quality universities." He also spoke about ensuring that "the federal government does not interfere with [Wisconsin's] efforts to improve and grow [its] workforce."

In West Virginia's Third Congressional District, Republican Carol Miller replaced Evan Jenkins, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. During her campaign, Rep. Miller pledged to bring "West Virginia values to Washington," in part by "funding education."

Regardless of whether you are represented in Congress by a freshman legislator or an incumbent, you can visit ACTE's Action Center to ask your senators and representative to join the CTE Caucus, increase Perkins CTE state grant funding, and more!

ACTE Participates in House CTE Caucus Briefing

Last week, ACTE participated in a "CTE 101" briefing, hosted by the Congressional CTE Caucus. The briefing was aimed at giving new Members of Congress and their staffs an overview of CTE and its unique role in the nation's education and workforce development systems. Speaking to a packed room, the panelists gave an overview of CTE, a recap of Perkins V and discussed the importance of CTSOs.

The panelists at the briefing were:

• Tim Lawrence, Executive Director, SkillsUSA
• Jarrod Nagurka, Advocacy and Public Affairs Manager, ACTE
• Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy, Advance CTE

The co-chairs of the Congressional CTE Caucus also spoke at the briefing. Reps. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) each stopped by to talk about what inspired their strong involvement in CTE, and to underscore why CTE is so important.

You can find a full list of the House CTE Caucus here and the Senate CTE Caucus here. If your Members of Congress aren't members of the House or Senate CTE Caucuses, you can contact them through ACTE's action center to ask that they join by clicking here.

Ask Your Senators: Cosponsor the Senate CTE Month Resolution!

The co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Todd Young (R-IN), will soon be introducing a resolution honoring February as CTE Month. Last year, a record-breaking 45 senators from 31 states cosponsored the resolution.

CLICK HERE to ask your senators to cosponsor this year’s Senate CTE Month Resolution. The deadline for senators to cosponsor is noon ET on Tuesday, February 12.

You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will then connect you with your requested Senate office.

The resolution raises awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages senators to cosponsor the resolution, so please contact your senators today!

House, Senate Education Committee Chairmen Discuss Priorities

Earlier this week, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, spoke at the American Enterprise Institute to discuss his priorities for this Congress. Chairman Alexander's remarks focused on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), which he has previously identified as his top education priority for the 116th Congress and pledged to address in 2019.

Chairman Alexander first highlighted various bipartisan proposals that he supports, making clear that he intends for HEA reauthorization to be a bipartisan process. Notably, he highlighted the work done by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) to expand Pell grants to short-term programs, which ACTE strongly supports. Drawing from and adding to various bipartisan proposals, Chairman Alexander proposed three major themes for HEA. First, he pledged to simply FAFSA, noting that much of the information is duplicative as it is already collected by the IRS, and that it can discourage people from applying. Second, he proposed streamlining federal loan repayment into two options. In both options, loan payments would be automatically deducted from paychecks. In the option the Chairman thinks students will prefer, borrowers would pay 10 percent of their discretionary income toward loan repayment. In the other option, students would pay through a 10-year repayment plan. Lastly, the Chairman proposed a new accountability system that measures, among other things, postsecondary institutions' loan repayment rates. He also discussed other priorities, like standardizing language in financial aid awards. You can read more about his remarks here, and watch them here.

Last week, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, discussed his upcoming HEA priorities and stressed the importance of bipartisanship. Chairman Scott's priorities largely centered on college affordability, saying that exploring student loan servicing options and increasing Pell grants could be part of the solution. Unlike Chairman Alexander, however, Chairman Scott identified a review of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as the first agenda item for the committee. Other things that Chairman Scott identified included the Rebuilding America's Schools Act, a bill that funds updates to public school infrastructure; accreditation accountability; and oversight over the Department of Education. You can read more about Chairman Scott's remarks here.

ACTE will continue to work with Democrats and Republicans on both committees throughout the HEA reauthorization process to strengthen CTE. You can find ACTE's legislative priorities for HEA here.

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition VIII

Continuing with our coverage of new Members of Congress, this week we profile new Members from South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

The sole new Member of Congress from South Dakota is Republican Rep. Dusty Johnson in the state's only congressional district. Rep. Johnson replaced Rep. Kristi Noem, who was elected governor. He has significant policy and political experience, having worked for different governors and as the state's public utilities commissioner, and as a businessman. He also previously worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In Tennessee, Republican Tim Burchett was elected in the state's Second Congressional District to succeed Republican Rep. Jimmy Duncan, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Burchett previously served in the state legislature and as a mayor. In the state's Sixth Congressional District, Republican John Rose replaced Rep. Diane Black, who unsuccessfully ran for governor. Rep. Rose previously served as the state's Agriculture Commissioner, and also owns and led a software company that trains IT professionals. On the campaign trail, he talked about the importance of education decisions taking place at the local level.

Also in Tennessee, in the state's Seventh Congressional District, Republican Mark Green replaced Republican Marsha Blackburn, who was elected to the senate. Rep. Green, a doctor, previously served in the state legislature, ran a health care company, and is a veteran. On the campaign trail, he spoke about completely abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. On the senate side, Republican Marshal Blackburn succeeded Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who chose not to seek re-election. Blackburn previously served as a member of the House of Representatives and as a state senator, and she earned her undergraduate degree in home economics. On the campaign trail, she advocated for returning education oversight to the states.

In Texas, nine new Members of Congress were elected. In the state's Second Congressional District, Republican Dan Crenshaw replaced Rep. Ted Poe, who chose not to seek re-election. Rep. Crenshaw spent his career as a Navy SEAL, and earned several prestigious distinctions for his military service. In the state's Third Congressional District, Republican Van Taylor succeeded Republican Rep. Sam Johnson, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Taylor is a veteran and former state legislator. His website lists his education platform as focusing on reducing the federal bureaucracy to return education power to state and local governments.

In Texas' Fifth Congressional District, Republican Lance Gooden replaced Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Gooden, previously a state legislator and the son of lifelong educators, touts his time in state government for his efforts to increase public and higher education funding. In the Sixth Congressional District, Republican Ron Wright replaced Republican Rep. Joe Barton, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Wright previously served as a city councilman, mayor, and chief of staff for Rep. Barton. On the campaign trail he pledged to minimize the federal government's interference with parental rights and state/local education programs.

In Texas' Seventh Congressional District, Democrat Lizzie Fletcher defeated Republican Rep. John Culberson. A lawyer by trade, during her campaign Fletcher advocated for ensuring all schools offer a STEM curriculum "that helps build the skills our students need for the jobs of the future." She also pledged to address college affordability and to expand community colleges and "access to technical and vocational programs." In the Sixteenth Congressional District, Democrat Veronica Escobar replaced Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Escobar previously served as a county commissioner and judge. She also previously taught at El Paso Community College. In the State's Twenty-First Congressional District, Republican Roy Chip replaced Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Chip has extensive experience in government and politics, and also served as a U.S. Attorney.

In Texas' Twenty-Ninth Congressional District, Democrat Sylvia Garcia replaced Democratic Rep. Gene Green, who did not seek re-election. Rep. Garcia had extensive experience in local government before being elected to the state legislature. Lastly, in the Thirty-Second Congressional District, Democrat Colin Allred defeated Republican Rep. Pete Sessions. Rep. Allred is a former professional football player and attorney who served in the Obama Administration and U.S. Attorney's office. On the campaign trail, he pledged to "[b]olster vocational and apprenticeship programs, and work toward debt-free college." He also supports student loan debt refinancing and upgrading public school infrastructure.

You can find the seventh edition of new Member profiles here. Stay tuned for next week's final recap of New Members of Congress, which will cover Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Ask Your Representative: Cosponsor the House CTE Month Resolution!

The co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn "GT" Thompson, have introduced a resolution honoring February as CTE Month. This is the second year in a row that a CTE Month resolution has been introduced in the House. Last year, 47 representatives cosponsored the resolution!

CLICK HERE to ask your representative to cosponsor this year’s House CTE Month Resolution. The deadline for representatives to cosponsor is 5PM ET on Friday, February 8.

The resolution raises awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages representatives to cosponsor the resolution, so please contact your representative today!

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition VII

Continuing with our coverage of new Members of Congress, this week we profile new Members from Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.

The sole new Member of Congress from Ohio is Republican Anthony Gonzalez in the state's Sixteenth Congressional District. He replaced Republican Rep. Jim Renacci, who unsuccessfully ran for senate. Rep. Gonzalez was a professional football player. His father also owns a steel company. While stressing more local control in education during the campaign, Rep. Gonzalez also spoke about "need[ing] to promote policies that will encourage the private sector to work directly with . . . community colleges and trade schools to ensure that the skills being cultivated are those that are in the highest demand in our regional economy." He also specifically spoke about expanding CTE and STEM opportunities.

In Oklahoma's Fifth Congressional District, Democrat Kendra Horn defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Russell. Horn is a lawyer by trade who has also worked in government and for the Space Foundation. During the campaign, Rep. Horn pledged to "expand[] job training," and focus on college affordability issues. She also highlighted the state's CTE system and noted the critical role it plays in addressing the skills gap in Oklahoma.

Prior to the 2018 election, many of Pennsylvanian's congressional districts were redrawn. In Pennsylvania's new Fourth Congressional District, Democrat Madeleine Dean was elected. She is a lawyer who previously served in the state legislature, and was also a college English professor for more than a decade. In the state's Fifth Congressional District, Democrat Mary Scanlon was elected. Rep. Scanlon is a lawyer whose career included working at the Education Law Center of Philadelphia, where she focused on special education law. She also served as president, an elected position, on her local school district. She pledged during the campaign to ensure "job training programs are fully funded" and to "develop innovative solutions to make higher education, including career and technical education, more accessible and affordable."

In Pennsylvania's Sixth Congressional District, Democrat Christina Houlahan was elected. Rep. Houlahan served as a Teach for America teacher and worked at a nonprofit aimed at addressing childhood literacy. In the state's Ninth Congressional District, Republican Daniel Meuser was elected. A businessman, Rep. Meuser previously served as president of a motorized wheelchair manufacturer. The only education-related position on his website is related to school property taxes, which he calls "un-American and unconstitutional." He claimed he would introduce a bill in Congress to forbid states/locals from imposing such taxes. Lastly, in the state's Thirteenth Congressional District, Republican John Joyce was elected. Rep. Joyce is a dermatologist by training, but did not list any education issues on his website.

In South Carolina's First Congressional District, Democrat Joe Cunningham defeated Republican state legislator Katie Arrington, who herself defeated incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford in a primary. Rep. Cunningham is an ocean engineer and attorney by trade. In the state's Fourth Congressional District, Republican William Timmons replaced incumbent Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, who retired. An entrepreneur, Rep. Timmons owns several fitness studios and his own law practice. Neither Reps. Cunningham nor Timmons mentioned education issues on their websites.

You can find the sixth edition of new Member profiles here. Stay tuned for next week's recap of New Members of Congress, which will cover South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.

State CTE Policies: 2018 Year in Review

On the federal and state levels, 2018 was a significant year for CTE. The President signed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) into law, signaling a federal commitment to and a recognition of the promise and value of high-quality CTE.

On the state level, in 2018, 42 states and Washington, D.C., passed a total of 146 policy actions related to CTE and career readiness, including legislation, executive orders, board of education actions, budget provisions and ballot initiatives, as documented in State Policies Impacting CTE: 2018 Year in Review. States most frequently addressed the following priorities:

• Funding
• Industry partnerships/work-based learning
• Dual/concurrent enrollment, articulation and early college
• Industry-recognized credentials, tied with graduation requirements
• Access/equity

This report from ACTE and Advance CTE, the sixth annual review of CTE and career readiness policies across the United States, summarizes each state’s CTE policy activity and describes major themes across states.

In addition to reading the report, you can also join ACTE and Advance CTE on Thursday, February 14, 2:00-3:00pm EST for a webinar that will explore trends in state CTE policy and discuss implications of Perkins V for 2019 state policy. Participants will also hear from state leaders in Michigan about the state’s Marshall Plan for Talent and other CTE initiatives.

Sign up for this one-hour webinar at https://acte.webex.com/acte/onstage/g.php?MTID=e51335fc5c59fff9cac1e542425b4b58a.