CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Public Support for CTE in PDK/Gallup Poll

Public awareness of the need for CTE is on the increase, as indicated by the findings of the 2014 PDK/Gallup poll, part 2.

Major findings about CTE and career guidance include:

• 87 percent of Americans agree that secondary students need more education on career choices, including 60 percent who strongly agree.   
• More than three-quarters of Americans want a greater emphasis on preparing students for in-demand careers.
• More than 60 percent are in favor of requiring at least one internship per student during high school.

However, this public perception of the need for career guidance, CTE and work-based learning does not extend to wanting students to specialize in one career area during high school. About 50 percent of U.S. adults are in favor of secondary school career specialization, while the other 50 percent are neutral or not in favor. This may reflect a lack of understanding by the general public about flexibility in career pathways.

The factors that respondents chose as most helpful in preparing students for the workplace, ranked in order, will sound familiar to CTE advocates:

• 21st-century skills such as dependability, persistence and teamwork
• Having a mentor or adviser
• Earning  a B or higher grade point average
• Doing a real-world project that takes at least 6 months

In addition, only 37 percent of Americans think that college graduates are ready for the workplace, and the percentages are even lower for those with less education.

OECD Highlights U.S. Education and Earnings Gaps

The benefits of postsecondary education in the United States, in comparison to other nations, and the disadvantages of not completing high school are featured in the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2014 report.

Several major findings emerge from the report’s 570 pages:

• Adults demonstrate less upward mobility in terms of educational attainment in the United States than the average across OECD countries.
• Adults whose parents have less than an upper secondary education (did not graduate high school) were more likely to perform at a low level in literacy proficiency in the United States than in all the other OECD nations.
• Workers without a high school diploma experience a higher wage penalty in the United States than the OECD average, and the benefits of postsecondary education are higher than average.
• In the United States, Japan and the Netherlands, individuals invest more than $100,000 in their college education, versus $50,000 across OECD countries.
• The United States invests more public funds in postsecondary education than many other OECD nations.

The authors also note that vocational education and apprenticeship have benefited workers in countries that have well-established programs. CTE can help close the U.S. education and income gap highlighted in the OECD publication by engaging students, connecting academics with relevant technical skills and providing pathways to higher levels of attainment and earnings.

Senate Caucus Briefing on CTE Draws Major Attention

Although Perkins reauthorization is not a top priority on Capitol Hill right now, the Senate CTE Caucus hosted a briefing today to educate and keep CTE on the minds of legislative staff. Caucus co-chairs Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) kicked off the briefing with their own remarks on the importance of supporting robust CTE programs through policy and tearing down the notion of CTE as a second-tier education.

ACTE Deputy Executive Director Steve DeWitt moderated the briefing which included leaders from the education, business and government sectors in Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin and the U.S. Department of Labor. The panelists shared their experiences and perspectives on best practices and policies for preparing students with the education and skills necessary for employment in the 21st century, and for meeting the long-term employment needs of local and regional economies.

Briefing panelists includes:

• Charles Speelman, Superintendent, Tri-Rivers Career Center, Marion, OH
• Danny Hunley, Vice President of Operations, Newport News Shipbuilding, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News, VA
• Bryan Albrecht, President, Gateway Technical College, Kenosha, WI
• Portia Wu, Employment and Training Administration, Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor

“Our continued economic recovery truly depends upon sound investments in policies and programs that promote CTE both at the secondary and postsecondary level.”

– Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Congress Takes Up Stopgap Perkins Funding Bill

The House and Senate are expected to begin consideration of a temporary funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), later this week. The short-term measure is necessary to keep the federal government running past the fiscal year deadline on September 30, and will likely last through December 11. The CR will effetely put the federal budget on autopilot, continuing the current funding levels for Perkins and other education programs until a long-term agreement can be reached.

In July, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that included a $5.4 million increase for Perkins! Though the Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee voted to advance it to the full committee, further action on the bill was postponed indefinitely. While the Republican leadership in House Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee never officially produced a bill, the committee’s Democrats recently announced their own funding measure that restores virtually every education and workforce training program to pre-sequestration levels.

ACTE has called on Congress to complete its work on a full-year appropriations bill that includes an increase in Perkins funding. Let your Members of Congress know that building our investment in CTE can’t wait!

Federal Agencies to Host National Dialogue on Career Pathways

 

 

 

 

On September 23, the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services will be hosting a live-streamed “National Dialogue on Career Pathways.” The event is designed to showcase how career pathways can impact the workforce development system, and highlight best practices and lessons learned from current pathways efforts. Speakers will include federal leaders, such as Johan Uvin, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education.

Career pathway stakeholders from around the country are encouraged to tune in and participate in the dialogue. It is particularly important for career and technical educators to get involved to share how Programs of Study fit into seamless career pathway systems.

An agenda and other materials are available on the Department of Labor’s “National Dialogue” website.

Below is additional information directly from the Department of Education about the event and corresponding resources:

The National Dialogue will be broadcast via live stream beginning at 9:00 AM EDT and end at 4:00 PM EDT.  Before and during the event, you are encouraged to post questions on Twitter using the hashtag #careerpathways. The federal team will monitor your questions on Twitter and respond to them from the Labor Department Twitter account (@USDOL) during the event.

Sign up now to get email alerts from the new Career Pathways Exchange, a project funded by OCTAE to support states’ work on career pathways.  This email-based information service will connect interested stakeholders with career pathways-related resources, news, and events from a wide network of federal agencies and partner organizations. Members can select to receive email digests on their topics of interest, including: Building Cross-agency Partnerships, Identifying Sector/Engaging Employers, Designing Programs, Identifying Funding Needs, Aligning Policy and Programs, and Measuring System Change and Evaluations.

Aspen Recognizes Top 10 Community Colleges

The 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for excellence in community colleges have been announced. The top 10 were whittled down from more than 100 eligible institutions. The Aspen Prize assesses community colleges’ achievements in four areas: student learning, certificate and degree completion, high rates of employment and earnings for graduates, and high levels of access and success for minority and low-income students. From this list, several may be chosen as winner or finalists-with-distinction:

• Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, TX (a finalist for the second time)
• City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King in Chicago, IL
• CUNY Hostos Community College in the Bronx, NY
• El Paso Community College in El Paso, TX
• Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL
• Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, SD (third-time finalist)
• Olympic College in Bremerton, WA
• Renton Technical College in Renton, WA
• Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL (second-time finalist)
• West Kentucky Community and Technical College in Paducah, KY (third-time finalist)

The winners and finalists-with-distinction will be announced in March 2015.

Midterm Races Decide Control of the 114th Congress

2014 is a “midterm” election year for members of the House and Senate. Though generally more low profile than presidential election years, the midterms play an important role in determining the balance of power on Capitol Hill. The political party that has the majority of members in the House or Senate is able to drive the legislative agenda and control key leadership positions. With the upcoming reauthorization of several important pieces of legislation including the Perkins Act, Higher Education Act, and Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as well as the continued threat of budget austerity in federal CTE funding, the battle for control of the 114th Congress will certainly have an impact on the future of education and workforce development policy.

Currently, Democrats hold a 10 seat majority (including two Independents who caucus as Democrats) in the Senate; while Republicans have a 34 seat advantage in the House. This divided Congress has been a source of much of the legislative gridlock that has plagued Washington over the past four years, so both sides are eager to take majority control of both chambers to advance their policy agendas when the 114th Congress begins next year. All 435 seats of the House of Representatives, with a two year term of office, will be up for election this year. In the Senate, where staggered six-year terms are used, only 36 of the 100 seats will be up for grabs. Senate Democrats will attempt to hold their majority by defending incumbent senators in key races in states like Alaska, Louisiana, North Carolina and Arkansas. Republicans will attempt to keep their strong majority in the House, while working to add seats in the Senate. Additionally, open races to replace retiring senators in Georgia, Michigan, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and West Virginia, along with over 40 open seat races in the House, will bring a large freshman class of new legislators.

Many of the new and returning Members of Congress will take positions on key committees that oversee policy and funding for education and workforce development. Congressional elections are a great opportunity engage current and future federal policymakers on issue that are important to you. Educate yourself on the candidates’ policy positions so you can be an informed advocate for CTE at the ballot box. For more information and resources, visit the Election Watch 2014 page on the ACTE website.

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is a nonpartisan organization and does not support or oppose any candidate for public office.

Sen. Baldwin Calls for Aid for CTE Students

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced legislation last week that would extend federal student loan eligibility to students in short-term postsecondary CTE programs. Under current law, students enrolled in postsecondary training programs less than 600 clock hours and 15 weeks in length are ineligible for financial aid, leaving many high-quality CTE programs linked to economically in-demand skills out of reach for potential students.

The CTE Opportunity Act (S. 2795) would lower the eligibility threshold to 250 clock hours over 5 weeks with a qualifier that the program must result in an industry-recognized credential needed in the local, state or regional economy. While this bill doesn’t open all high-quality CTE programs to aid opportunities, it will make a significant impact on many students around the country, helping them to receive the necessary skills to start or further their career.

ACTE received feedback from its members in many states about the need to address aid eligibility for CTE programs, and worked with Sen. Baldwin’s office throughout the development of this legislation. We support the CTE Opportunity Act and thank the Senator for her continual support of CTE issues.

Do you have a program at your postsecondary institution that could benefit from the shortened clock hours requirement? Let me know in the comments section.

Senators Introduce Career Exploration Bill

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, introduced a bill this week to support and expand career exploration opportunities for middle school students. The Middle School Technical Education Partnerships (STEP) Act (S. 2788) was co-sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

#CTE is a great tool to educate middle school students about what goes into a career field that matches their interests #MiddleSTEP

— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) September 10, 2014

The proposed legislation would provide funding to local educational agencies in partnership with institutions of higher education and relevant business and industry representatives to establish and expand career exploration programs in middle schools that are linked to CTE programs of study offered at the high school or postsecondary level. The act would also provide students with comprehensive career and academic guidance and counseling to help students make informed decisions about their future education and career goals.

ACTE was involved in the development of the Middle STEP Act and supports the legislation as a significant boost to middle schools and college- and career-readiness.

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