CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest: July 19-25

In Washington this week, Congress remained in session to continue appropriations bill markups, consider pending nominees and hold committee hearings. Negotiations continue on a bipartisan infrastructure package, although no deal has been reached. The remainder of the summer promises to be a busy time for CTE-related policy, but in the meantime, here are the biggest headlines of the week. 

• ACTE Supports Letter to Congressional Leaders on Workforce Investments: Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV), along with 101 House members, sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to request that at least $100 billion in new spending for workforce development be included in the upcoming reconciliation package. Thank you to all the ACTE members that responded to our legislative alert and contacted your representatives to ask that they join the letter to congressional leadership. 
   
• House Education and Labor Committee Holds Press Conference on Workforce Development Funding: On July 22, the House Education and Labor Committee held a press conference featuring Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), manufacturing business owner Traci Tapani of Wyoming Machine and National Skills Coalition Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen to express the urgent need to include the $100 billion investment in workforce development laid out in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal as a part of the upcoming reconciliation package.

• House Committee Holds Hearing on the Direct Care Workforce: On July 20, the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee and the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee, held a joint subcommittee hearing on making investments in the direct care workforce. Zulma Torres, a home health aide from Waterbury, Connecticut, described in detail to the subcommittee members the challenges that direct care workers face, including low pay and long hours. In addition to those difficulties, the direct care sector lacks training opportunities and career pathways that would ensure quality care and provide the chance for professional advancement, as highlighted by the witnesses and subcommittee members. 
   
• House Announces Plans to Consider Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill: The House Appropriations Committee has announced that the full House is expected to consider the Fiscal Year 2022 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies funding bill this week. For a complete recap of the bill’s CTE-related funding levels, visit CTE Policy Watch. 
   
• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) Leads Letter to Senate Leadership on the Educator Workforce: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senate CTE Caucus co-chair, led 13 senators in sending a letter to Senate leadership urging investments in the educator workforce in any upcoming infrastructure legislation. The letter requests investments that will create a well-prepared, diverse, supported and stable educator workforce.

• Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) Introduce Legislation to Close the Homework Gap: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MA) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced the Securing Universal Communications Connectivity to Ensure Students Succeed (SUCCESS) Act, legislation that will help bolster the FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund created under the American Rescue Plan. Schools and libraries would receive $40 billion over 5 years to provide internet access and internet-enabled devices to students, staff and library patrons. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.

• Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Hosts Advocacy Day: On July 21, CEF hosted a Day of Advocacy on Capitol Hill to call on Congress to support greater federal investments in education. ACTE participated in meetings with lawmakers as a part of CEF’s advocacy efforts. Additionally, CEF participated in a social media campaign, #HearOurEdStories, to highlight the impact of greater education investments, which was joined by multiple House members and organizations. CEF requests that advocates contact their Members of Congress and urge them to support increased funding for education. 
   
• Department of Education Releases Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has announced its approval of 10 additional American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund state plans. These plans detail how states are using and plan to use ARP-ESSER funds to safely reopen schools and expand educational opportunities for students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.  
    
• Department of Education Releases Updated Title IX Guidance: The Department of Education has released updated guidance to help institutions comply with changes made to Title IX in 2020. The document released by the department addresses how an institution should determine whether to investigate off-campus conduct, the types of allowable evidence for a decision-maker to use and the appropriate length of time that an institution should take to investigate a complaint. 
   
• Economic Development Administration Announces Good Jobs Challenge: The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), a bureau of the Department of Commerce, announced the Good Jobs Challenge, a $500 million program to help get Americans back to work by strengthening in-demand skills and job training partnerships between employers and workers. You may apply here for the grant funding.

Research Round-up: Digital and Remote Learning Edition

• Analysis of Distance Learning for the 2020-21 School Year: New America released a report examining distance learning successes and challenges in higher education during the 2020–21 school year. The report describes five pillars of quality digital learning, including: 

• Implement an organized class structure and clear communication. 
• Delineate clear and aligned learning objectives. 
• Provide regular feedback. 
• Build on supportive technology. 
• Support student connection and community. 

Additionally, the findings tie into federal policy recommendations to improve quality and equity for all students. The report’s authors suggest that policymakers should boost broadband access, improve the collection of data on distance education programs, establish and fund a federal research agenda, and create a federal grant program to support professional development. 

 

• What Worked and What Did Not for Remote Learning and Reopenings: The Center for American Progress (CAP) analyzed what did and did not work for students, schools, parents and others during the COVID-impacted 2020-2021 school year. The findings revealed intense stress among educators, examples of open and successful communication and struggles with engaging communities in the reopening process. Additional findings sought to identify barriers to student success. 

 

• Summary of Research on the Impact of Online Education: A collection of research studies and other resources compiled by Maryville University examines the impact of online education on families, as well as how they contended with the sudden transition to remote learning. The article includes information on the benefits of online learning, the negative impacts of school disruptions and the nature of parents’ concerns about their children's learning outcomes as a result of the pandemic. 

 

• Internships and Apprenticeships in a Virtual Workplace: A podcast episode from MDRC covers work-based learning opportunities and their importance to CTE programs. With the abrupt shift to remote learning, these programs struggled - MDRC also authored a report describing how employers and trainers have adapted to a new virtual workplace. 

 

• Adapting to a Post-Pandemic World: A new report from Quality Matters and Eduventures® Research looks at how postsecondary institutions are adapting to the future of online learning, as well as how they are shifting their focus to professional, faculty and technology development. 

Findings include: 

• An elevated commitment to online learning quality assurance goals, including having courses meet quality standards, supported by a commitment to faculty professional development. 
• On average, a 10-15% increase across institutions in online professional development and student orientation to online study. 
• The largest yearly increases ever in education technology investments during 2020 and 2021, across all sectors of higher education.

House Education and Labor Committee Holds Press Conference on Workforce Investments

On July 22, the House Education and Labor Committee held a press conference featuring Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), manufacturing business owner Traci Tapani of Wyoming Machine and National Skills Coalition Executive Director Andy Van Kleunen to express the urgent need to include the $100 billion investment in workforce development laid out in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan proposal as a part of the upcoming reconciliation package.

Chairman Scott noted that workforce development programs have not been properly funded, particularly in any of the pandemic-related stimulus packages, and workers are seeking the skills necessary to be competitive in the workforce. Adding to Chairman Scott’s observations, Secretary Walsh expressed that CTE is an area of priority – 22 million jobs have been lost to the pandemic, and the country is falling behind the pace of change in the workforce. 

Education Deputy Secretary Marten identified CTE as providing critically important opportunities for students and noted that the $10 billion in CTE investments proposed by the Biden Administration will help scale best practices, provide an evidence base for successful CTE programs and support middle and high school career pathways. Marten also cited statistics showing CTE enrollment leads to higher high school graduation rates, increased college enrollment and higher earnings gains. 

Secretary Walsh, Deputy Secretary Marten, Sen. Klobuchar and Rep. Bonamici each emphasized the importance of apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and work-based learning. Bonamici highlighted the need to invest in traditionally underinvested workers; Klobuchar drew attention to the fact that every dollar spent on apprenticeships in Minnesota will increase the state’s GDP by $20. 

Bringing the business-owner perspective, Traci Tapani of Minnesota-based Wyoming Machine celebrated the skilled workers who helped the country during the pandemic, but cautioned that the country cannot forget their efforts, and labor shortages have gotten progressively worse for the last decade. Equity efforts are also an area of need, according to Tapani. 

Van Kleunen called on Congress not to negotiate away the $100 billion investment in workforce training originally included in the Administration's American Jobs Plan to help provide those most impacted by the pandemic a chance at a fulfilling career. Citing a figure that 89% of voting Americans think that Congress needs to invest substantially in workforce training, Van Kleunen concluded that investments in workforce development are vital to economic recovery. 

In response to press questions, Chairman Scott expressed his belief that new workforce spending would be included in the final passage of the bill, but he is not approaching negotiations with any dealbreaker in mind. Sen. Klobuchar continued that the Senate’s focus is on a bipartisan infrastructure package, in addition to focusing on the budget reconciliation process. 

You can watch the full press conference at the House Education and Labor Committee’s YouTube channel. For more information on the ongoing budget reconciliation process, stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch.

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Support CTE Funding in the Budget Reconciliation Process!

Last week, ACTE called on CTE advocates to contact their representatives and request that they sign a letter to House leadership advocating for workforce development funding to be incorporated into the “budget reconciliation” package that is being negotiated right now among congressional leadership.

The deadline to sign-on to the letter has been EXTENDED until close of business on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.

Please contact your House members BY TUESDAY to ask them to sign on to the letter on workforce development funding sponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV).

We have provided more details here about this advocacy request, as well as instructions for how you can help.

DC Digest: July 12-18

Congress returned to Washington last week to mark up appropriations bills, hold several committee hearings and consider pending nominations. In addition, Senate Democrats announced an initial framework for a budget reconciliation package worth $3.5 trillion, although there are still many unknowns about how details of this package will be fleshed out over the next few months. We made one last push for a focus on workforce development funding in the negotiations last week, thank you to those who reached out to Members of Congress! This bill is in addition to the bipartisan infrastructure package that was announced several weeks ago and that the Senate could begin voting on as early as later this week. While we wait for forthcoming news on these spending packages, catch up on the latest in CTE-related news from Washington. 

• House Appropriations Committee Approves Labor-HHS-Education Bill: On July 15, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by voice vote the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies funding bill. The bill provides a $50 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant as well as a new $100 competitive grant program focused on CTE innovation. Now that it has been favorably reported out of the committee, the bill will need to be approved by the full House. Prior to the Committee action, ACTE joined with Advance CTE to send a letter to committee leaders with our thoughts on the bill. For more details on the legislation, you can read the CTE Policy Watch recap and read the full report of the bill.

 

• Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Holds Education Budget Briefing: On July 13, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget book titled, “Education Matters: Investing in America’s Future,” and held a panel discussion about the need for increased education funding. Four panelists participated, each with a wealth of knowledge to share from across the educational spectrum, including Craig Statucki, the Director of Career Readiness, Adult Learning and Education Options for the Nevada Department of Education, who recently served as the Executive Director of Nevada’s Association for Career and Technical Education.

 

• Secretary of Labor Walsh Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee: On July 14, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh testified before the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request for the Department of Labor. Secretary Walsh and several senators on the committee highlighted the importance of apprenticeships, as well as the need to improve access to them.

 

• Department of Education Announces Temporary Changes to Student Aid Process: The Department of Education recently announced that it will focus federal student aid verification on identity theft and fraud for the 2021–22 college application cycle. Richard Cordray of Federal Student Aid (FSA) said this plan will address immediate student needs, protect the integrity of the Pell Grant program and reduce barriers to access for underserved students. This announcement comes amidst reports that FAFSA completion decreased significantly again this year among high school graduates.

 

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education has approved plans for South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia to utilize their ARP-ESSER funds to support safe school reopenings and expand opportunities for students impacted by the pandemic. The funds were made available to states through the passage of the American Rescue Plan.

 

• Education Groups Launch Effort to Double Pell Grant: A coalition of 24 education associations, organizations and advocacy groups recently launched an effort to double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000 per year. Approximately 7 million low and middle-income students across the country are awarded Pell Grants.

Research Round-up: Aligned Advising, Community College Enrollment, Postsecondary CTE Investment Priorities

Supporting Transition Through Aligned Advising: Education Strategy Group recently released a new microsite – Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success – that makes the case for prioritizing alignment of advising across K-12 and postsecondary education. It shares action steps and resources for different stakeholders, including secondary education, postsecondary education, state government, federal government, nonprofits and college access organizations, and philanthropies.   

Interventions Encourage Summer Enrollment: The What Works Clearinghouse has announced a new batch of research studies that meet its standards for showing a causal link between education programs and outcomes. One recent study from MDRC found positive impacts from two interventions designed to increase community college enrollment in summer courses. The research included three groups:

• Students in the control group received messages the college was already sending to promote summer enrollment and its standard financial aid.
• Students in the informational campaign group received personalized funding information about how the student could pay for the courses; testimonials from other students about summer courses; plan-making prompts about how to register and choose courses; and reminders about deadlines.
• Students in the “last dollar” group were offered a similar informational campaign plus tuition that covered the difference between their summer tuition and fees and their financial aid.

Both interventions effectively increased summer enrollment; however, adding the last-dollar grant doubled the magnitude of the impact.

Investing to Support Postsecondary CTE: The Community College Research Center has developed several briefs and fact sheets on topics including guided pathways, Federal Work-Study, transfer between community colleges and four-year colleges, and advising and student supports. The brief on community college CTE summarizes the existing data on the benefits of postsecondary CTE programs and credentials and recommends that the federal government invest in the following:

• Competitive grants to community colleges to help institutions conduct outreach and better serve unemployed, underemployed, and low-income adults most affected by the pandemic.
• Grants to state agencies or intermediaries such as Student Success Centers to help community colleges, employers, public workforce training systems, nonprofit groups, and other entities collaborate in the design and delivery of workforce education.
• Improved data systems to collect data on CTE and workforce training participants as they advance through college and into the labor market.

Key Strategies from Generation Work: A new report from the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program describes workforce development practices used by partner sites in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Generation Work^TM program. Generation Work sites are striving to align education, employment and support services to help young people develop the skills required to succeed in the working world; link them with employers; and increase advancement and earning opportunities. Key strategies include hosting opportunities for employers to engage with young adults; helping employers to promote race, equity and inclusion in their workforce; and walking away from an employer partner who doesn’t demonstrate commitment to its workforce.

Support CTE Funding in the Budget Reconciliation Process!

Late yesterday, ACTE received a time-sensitive advocacy request! Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV) are circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter for Members of Congress to sign to advocate for workforce development funding to be incorporated into the “budget reconciliation” package that is being negotiated right now among congressional leadership. This package is designed to implement portions of the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan, which included $100 billion for workforce development programs. However, negotiations are fluid, and the workforce funds could be eliminated from the proposal without adequate support.

We want to make one more big push to show congressional leadership that funding for workforce development is critical as the country and economy recover from the pandemic. However, timing is crucial, as this phase of negotiations is wrapping up soon. The deadline to sign the letter is by close of business TODAY, Friday, July 16.

ACTION NEEDED: 

• Please contact your House members TODAY to ask them to sign on to the letter on workforce development funding sponsored by Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Steven Horsford (D-NV). To sign the letter, Members should contact Adam McBride in Congressman Krishnamoorthi's office at adam.mcbride@mail.house.gov.  
• Because time is short, please call the offices and ask to speak with the education staff person, or reach out directly to a contact you have in the office via email. We are not sure if emails sent through the form on our website will get routed to the correct staff person in time to be effective. You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to reach House offices, or find direct contact information for your representative in ACTE’s Action Center. If you need help finding contact info, please let ACTE know! 
• Please forward this message to others who might be able to reach out to offices TODAY!

Secretary of Labor Walsh Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

On July 14, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh testified before the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget request for the Department of Labor.

During the hearing, Secretary Walsh and several senators on the committee highlighted the importance of apprenticeships, as well as the need to improve access to them. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee, noted that apprenticeships lead to good-paying, high demand jobs, and emphasized that providing more funding for them will help improve access to apprenticeships for women and workers of color who are historically underrepresented in these programs – and subsequently, in the careers that they lead to.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced plans to soon reintroduce her apprenticeships legislation, the PARTNERS Act, that would focus on collaboration between smaller workplaces, technical colleges and workforce boards to help create apprenticeship programs.

Ranking Member Roy Blunt (R-MO) commended Missouri for its second-place rank nationally in active apprenticeships, and added that the state has a goal of having 20,000 active apprenticeships by 2025. Sen. Blunt asked how apprenticeships could be developed in industries like health care, cybersecurity or finance; Secretary Walsh responded that working with businesses to develop industry partnerships and create career pathways is just one way to accomplish that goal, but a great advantage of apprenticeships is that students are paid for their work while learning on the job.

Secretary Walsh concluded that retraining and reskilling workers must be a coordinated, bipartisan effort.

You can watch the full hearing on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s website.

Updated: Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Sector Sheet

Recently, ACTE updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce for transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) with the latest details on occupational demand, the role CTE plays in preparing the workforce for this sector, and descriptions of exemplary programs in TDL.  

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of transportation, warehousing and related sectors, which employ nearly 15 million people – 9.8% of the labor force. Almost 500,000 jobs will be created within transportation and material moving this decade, with strong growth for flight attendants, recreational vehicle service technicians and motorcycle mechanics. Demand will also be high through 2028 for jobs driving and operating vehicles. Many of these occupations pay family-sustaining wages for those with a high school diploma as well as middle-skill workers with credentials below the bachelor’s degree level.

CTE programs are at the forefront of preparing individuals for careers in TDL. The School of Aviation at Irving High School in Irving, Texas, offers pathways in aviation science, aviation technology and drone engineering. More than 77 industry partners help ensure curriculum is up to date with the latest industry trends and create work-based learning experiences for students. In addition, students can earn college credits and industry-recognized credentials. On the postsecondary level, the Diesel Equipment Technology program at Copiah Lincoln’s Wesson Campus, part of the Copiah Lincoln Community College District, prepares students for a career in inspecting and repairing a variety of industrial equipment. Employer partners help to ensure that individuals are career ready through internships and scholarships as well as employment opportunities after graduation. Students in the Diesel Equipment Technology program are excelling with a 100% student completion rate and a 98% job placement rate.

ACTE’s Sector Sheet series is generously supported by Pearson.  

Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Holds Education Budget Briefing

On July 13, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget book titled, “Education Matters: Investing in America’s Future,” and held a panel discussion about the need for increased education funding. Four panelists participated, each with a wealth of knowledge to share from across the educational spectrum, including Craig Statucki, the Director of Career Readiness, Adult Learning and Education Options for the Nevada Department of Education, who recently served as the Executive Director of Nevada’s Association for Career and Technical Education. 

Statucki brought his expertise as a CTE educator and administrator to the panel, focusing on the need to invest in incumbent workers and our future workforce. He identified the pandemic as a force that wiped out thousands of jobs in Nevada, especially in the hospitality and tourism industries – current employment numbers in Nevada are at 124,400 jobs below the pre-recessionary peak, and 35,000 to 45,000 of these positions are not expected to return. 

 “Unemployment trends during the pandemic have shown that upskilling and reskilling needs have already increased, and we can expect that will continue," said Statucki. "Just as all education programs have been hit hard by the pandemic, so have CTE programs. This has been exacerbated by the lack of CTE-designated funding in stimulus bills."

 The Nevada Department of Education features 74 secondary CTE programs of study, serving 72,579 students during the 2020-21 school year. COVID-19 brought assorted challenges to schools; Statucki added that schools were forced to purchase PPE and additional tools, and needed to delay the purchase of needed equipment and materials. 

 Ultimately, Statucki emphasized that federal support is the key to making students employable. Nevada has seen over 5,800 more students enrolled in one or more CTE courses associated with a program of study in 2020-21 than in 2018-19. 

 "CTE at the secondary and postsecondary levels is an integral part of achieving an equitable and efficient economic recovery.” 

 Other panelists included Amanda Lalicker, a Washington state head start teacher, who noted the impact of federal COVID-19 relief funding, and how the pandemic has only highlighted the need for additional funding. Jennifer Halter, 2021 Florida Principal of the Year, discussed the need for more broadband access, especially in rural areas. In addition, Halter discussed the myriad challenges of recruiting and retaining school leaders. Richard Davis Jr., a graduate student and policy intern with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, also called on Congress to support low-income students through additional federal funding.

You can watch the full briefing on YouTube, and access CEF’s budget book.