The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is releasing today six guiding principles that it believes should shape the future of the federal investment in career and technical education (CTE) through the reauthorization Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act).
While the Perkins Act is not scheduled for reauthorization until 2013, these guiding principles are designed to inform initial policy discussions related to the reauthorization and help shape the foundation of future Perkins efforts. They represent key principles that ACTE believes must be considered as any new legislation is developed. The full Perkins guiding principles document can be found on the ACTE Web site. The principles include:
- Redefine the Federal Role in CTE
- Target Expenditures
- Define Program Quality Elements
- Ensure Relevant & Consistent Data
- Offer Incentives for Innovation
- Provide the Infrastructure to Support the System
Cutting across all of these guiding principles must be a clear goal of building the capacity of secondary and postsecondary educational institutions to prepare all students for success in current and emerging in-demand career pathways, which lead to self-sufficiency and provide opportunities for advancement. At its core, CTE is about preparing a competitive workforce to participate successfully in a global economy—meeting the needs of individuals and employers.
“We hope these principles will spark a positive discussion about how to better support a system of high-quality CTE programs around the country,” said ACTE executive director Jan Bray. “The federal Perkins Act is a critical lever within the CTE system, and its reauthorization can serve a powerful role in ensuring CTE programs can prepare students for the workforce of the future and that business and industry have the skilled employees necessary to drive U.S. economic growth.”
The principles were developed by ACTE’s Perkins Reauthorization Task Force, comprised of CTE practitioners from around the country, and will be followed by a set of more detailed policy recommendations later this year.
Comments