CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

President Calls for Postsecondary Education, Leaves Out Certifications

In a rose garden event this morning, President Barack Obama called attention to the doubling of interest rates on student loans set to occur on July 1. President Obama also used the event to advance the message that all students graduating from high schools today will need some form of postsecondary education to succeed in today’s economy.

A striking omission in his speech though was an acknowledgement that a postsecondary credential includes more than just a degree. Here is a quote from the event:

“How do we make sure our workers earn the skills and education they need to do the jobs that companies are hiring for right now, and are going to keep hiring for in the future?  We know that the surest path to the middle class is some form of higher education -- a four-year degree, a community college degree, an advanced degree.  You’re going to need more than just a high school education to succeed in this economy. 
 
“And the young people here today, they get that.  They’re working through college; maybe just graduated.  And earning their degree isn’t just the best investment that they can make for their future -- it’s the best investment that they can make in America’s future.” 

President Barack Obama
 May 31, 2013 

While it is true that every student needs “more than just a high school education to succeed,” it is not true that the only postsecondary options are degrees. In fact, 27 percent of people with less than an associate degree, including certificates, certifications and licenses, earn more than the average bachelor degree recipient. Additionally, 43 percent of people with less than an associate degree earn more than the average person with an associate degree.

We need the President and our Members of Congress to know that every student does need a postsecondary credential and that includes more than just degrees.

Career and technical education can put every student on a path to a postsecondary credential as early as high school in in-demand fields such as healthcare, construction, biotechnology, culinary arts, engineering, mass media and cybersecurity.

Use the CTE Action Center to tell your Members of Congress and the President to support CTE!

New Tools to Fight Cuts

Federal funding for CTE has been cut by over $100 million since Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. This staggering total could soon grow an additional $58 million in FY 2013 as a result of Congress and the Administration’s inability to fix the reckless, across-the-board sequester. This cut will impact the Perkins state allocations in July, and will result in less funding for CTE programs in 2013-14 school year!

ACTE is working in conjunction with NDD United, a national coalition of organizations representing the fields of medical research, healthcare, national defense, education and job training among others, to educate policymakers about the negative consequences of cutting federal investments for domestic discretionary programs, like Perkins.

Complex and obscure budget issues often conceal the real impact of cutting funding for essential programs and the repercussions that these cuts have for real people. To help unpack the complexities of budget cuts and sequestration, NDD United has created this video and online toolkit.

Rhode Island First State to Approve Next Generation Science Standards

On May 24, Rhode Island's State Board of Education unanimously adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS are being developed by 26 states (AZ, AR, CA, DE, GA, IL, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, RI, SD, TN, VT and WA) and, similar to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and mathematics, are focused on identifying common standards to provide greater comparability across states.

The Standards are organized by three categories: Science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, and are much more contextual than many existing state standards. Developers say the NGSS are much more aligned with the way that students learn in the 21st century. An interactive version of the is now available online allowing searches and organization of content.

Kentucky and Maine are the next states expected to approve the NGSS later this spring.

Provide Your Input Into the Higher Education Act Reauthorization

Congress has begun requesting comments on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, and ACTE needs your input into our priorities!

Specifically, the House Education and the Workforce Committee has asked for input that will enable them to: empower students as consumers in higher education; simplify and improve the student aid and loan programs; increase college accessibility, affordability, and completion; encourage institutions to reduce costs; promote innovation to improve access to and delivery of higher education; and balance the need for accountability with the burden of federal requirements. Issues related to student financial aid and data collection requirements are of particular importance to postsecondary CTE programs.

We have developed a short, 13-question survey for those of you who are involved in postsecondary CTE. It will only take a few minutes of your time. Please click here to provide your input-your thoughts are extremely important to us!

Department of Education Provides Guidance on Use of Federal Grant Funding

Last week, the Department of Education released a new set of "Frequently Asked Questions" designed to help grantees appropriately use funds for conferences and meetings. This new guidance applies to all federal grant funds, both formula and discretionary, including programs like Perkins.

The topics covered in the frequently asked questions include hosting a meeting or conference, paying for food (which is generally not allowed), and paying for the costs of attending a meeting or conference sponsored by the agency or a third party. For example, the new document includes guidance on how to tell if federal funds can be appropriately used for hosting a conference, and when paying for travel is appropriate. Other resources, such as the relevant OMB circulars, are also referenced.

I encourage everyone to review this new document to ensure that you are appropriately using federal funds!

Question: What If My Child Isn't Interested In Going to a Four-year College? Answer: Consider CTE!

By: Ashley Parker

Jay Mathews, education columnist for the Washington Post, recently wrote an article dissecting a question he was asked by a friend regarding her child, which was "What should I do if my child isn't going to college?", i.e., four-year university.  Indeed, as Mathews points out, all students need to pursue some form of postsecondary education in order to have the best chances at career success over a lifetime. What other options exist for students besides "college" or four-year university and how do students and families know if they are valid, worthy options? These are core questions Mathews explores in his article, "What if my Child isn't Interested in Going to Four-Year College?"

While Mathews highlights the importance of preparing all students for some form of postsecondary training AND a career, he mentions that the general consensus amongst educators is that all students should take the same courses up until junior year. However, many career and technical education (CTE) offerings are offered to students as young as middle school and ninth grade, with an emphasis on career exploration. Additionally, several programs of study and CTE curriculum, such as Project Lead the Way, have courses that begin in ninth grade for students seeking to pursue an engineering career.  While some states have adopted graduation requirements that make it difficult for students to have flexibility in elective choices, such as CTE, other states are including some CTE courses as academic credits. ACTE Board of Directors recently issued a position statement on CTE and graduation requirements.

Mathews also explores what signifies a strong "trades" program, quoting Beth Downey, coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) CTE, to illustrate the importance of linkage between the program and industry. "Beth Downey, coordinator for CTE in Fairfax County schools, said one of the guarantees of effective vocational training are the industry certifications issued to students who have completed courses monitored by experts," Mathews states in his article. Indeed, business and industry partnerships that ensure the curriculum and skills begin taught in programs meet the needs of employers are a staple in high-quality CTE programs. Rigorous, relevant academics, hands-on learning experiences and exposure to the important "employability skills" business are seeking as they hire are also important program elements.

15 States Eligible to Receive Additional CTE Funding

The U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education announced today that 15 states are eligible to receive additional funding for exceeding performance measures in both their workforce investment system and adult education programs.

These “incentive grants” were established under the Workforce Investment Act to encourage states to meet performance targets, and may be used to improve the workforce and adult education system as well as CTE programs under the Perkins Act.

Qualifying states and their grant amounts are:

• Arizona – $696,551
• Arkansas – $674,924
• Georgia – $717,658
• Idaho – $667,885
• Kentucky – $688,486
• Louisiana – $683,255
• Minnesota – $683,360
• Mississippi – $692,377
• New Hampshire – $665,342
• New York – $768,000
• Ohio – $729,340
• Pennsylvania – $724,355
• Rhode Island – $668,615
• Tennessee – $697,963
• West Virginia – $670,161

Additional information on how these states can apply to receive their incentive grant funds will be released at a later date.

*Originally, Missouri was reported as one of the states eligible for funding, but a correction in the Federal Register on June 5 replaced Missouri with Mississippi.

CTE Relevant, Effective and Rigorous, ACTE-NRCCUA Survey Finds

ACTE is proud to announce results from its annual, nationwide survey of CTE students and educators, conducted in partnership with the National Research Center for College and University Admissions™ (NRCCUA®). Findings presented in CTE Works! 2013 Results from a National Survey demonstrate the effectiveness and relevancy of CTE for students, as well as CTE educators' dedication to integrating and aligning CTE with academics and with business and industry needs, despite stagnant funding.

Student Findings:

• 66 percent say they are learning skills to get a job in the future
• More than half plan to pursue a career related to their CTE area of study, particularly in engineering
• 45 percent of students taking CTE say they get the chance to work as a team and interact with employers and community leaders
• Students interested in science and engineering careers are more likely to say that CTE courses provide them with higher levels of academic skills

Educator Findings:

• 95 percent of educators report integrating CTE with core courses
• About three-quarters of educators work with business and industry to help ensure their CTE programs are relevant
• 9 out of 10 rely on the federal Perkins Act to support their programs
• 94 percent report that CTE funding has decreased or remained stable in recent years
• 80 percent say that they would spend an increase in federal funding on new equipment for classrooms

CTE Works! 2013 Results from a National Survey is a product of ACTE and My College Options®. The survey was conducted in fall 2012 by NRCCUA®, which operates the My College Options® college planning program.

Many thanks to all who participated in this survey! The information gleaned helps ACTE advocate more effectively in support of CTE.

House Appropriators Endorse Dangerously Low Funding Levels for Education

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved a measure that caps federal discretionary funding at $966 billion for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. This amount is the maximum discretionary spending allowed under sequestration policy, and represents an $18 billion decrease from current FY 2013 funding.

Committee leaders also determined how they would divide that total among the 12 appropriations bills. The individual FY 2014 funding level, known as a 302(b) allocation, for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education will be $121 billion in the House, a reduction of over 18 percent from FY 2013! The level is so low because the House budget shifted all of the sequester cuts from defense programs to non-defense discretionary programs, including education and workforce development. From this amount, the appropriators will divide up funding for individual programs like Perkins. The Senate has not yet set funding caps for FY 2014, but they are expected to authorize higher levels than the House.

These reduced funding levels are on top of $85 billion in sequestration-mandated across-the-board cuts for FY 2013, with $58 million coming from Perkins! The House is expected to produce appropriations bills that will establish FY 2014 funding levels for Perkins and other programs within the next few months. Because the overall amount of funding available has been substantially reduced, the Perkins appropriation could be cut below the current level in the House bill. While we still have a long way to go, it is important that Congress understands that we cannot continue to cut federal resources for essential CTE programs. Tell Congress it’s time to make investing in CTE a priority!

Duncan Pressed on “Hold Harmless” in Hearing on FY 14 Budget

Education Secretary Arne Duncan appeared on May 21 before the House Education and the Workforce Committee to discuss the Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget request for the Department of Education. The hearing covered a range of issues from special education to student loan interest rates, but the committee also had some pointed questions for the secretary on the budget plan for CTE.

In the budget request, there is a proposal to set aside up to $100 million from the Perkins Basic State Grant for a competitive CTE innovation fund as part of the Administration’s Blueprint for the reauthorization of the Perkins Act. While ACTE supports the principal of encouraging innovative practices, we do not support the proposal to set aside funds for a competitive innovation grant that would result in less funds being distributed to all Perkins eligible CTE programs through the existing formula grant. This set-aside would also trigger a “hold harmless” provision in the Perkins Act that is designed to prevent states from dropping below their 1998 funding allocations. States that saw increases in their Perkins allocations due to rapid population growth since 1998 could now see large reductions in funding to prevent other states from being cut below their 1998 funding level as the overall allocation decreases.

It was this issue that prompted Rep. Joseph Heck (R-NV) to raise concerns with Sec. Duncan during the hearing. Rep. Heck’s home state of Nevada would see the largest cut in funding if the Perkins state allocation were to be cut another $100 million. “I do have some concerns with this proposal to create a $100 million competitive CTE innovation fund,” said Heck. He asked if the department had considered the potential impact of the hold harmless when including the innovation fund in the budget request. Duncan responded that he was not familiar with the details of the hold harmless, but welcomed input on the reauthorization Blueprint.

It is important to remember that the Administration’s reauthorization Blueprint and its FY 2014 budget request are only proposals and not law. It is up to Congress to determine how Perkins funding will be distributed and it is unlikely that they will adopt this plan. However, the threat of the hold harmless is real, and has already led to many states losing disproportionate funding due to prior cuts. ACTE will continue to work with Congress to ensure a strong federal investment in CTE that prevents more harmful cuts due to the hold harmless.