CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ACTE Brings High-Quality CTE Research Project to Capitol Hill

This week, ACTE Research Manager Catherine Imperatore, Legislative and Public Affairs Manager Sean Lynch, and Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Manager Mitch Coppes spoke at a special briefing on Capitol Hill about ACTE’s new high-quality CTE research project. The event, hosted by the Senate CTE Caucus, was provided for congressional staff to introduce them to the recently release  Defining High-quality CTE: Contemporary Perspectives on CTE Quality, the first publication in a multi-phase research project that seeks to identify and share best practices in high-quality CTE. ACTE staff discussed key findings from the paper and highlighted the policy implications of these findings for the reauthorization of the Perkins Act, as well as the Higher Education Act and Elementary and Secondary Education Act. ACTE will continue to update policymakers and education stakeholders on the progress of this project, and utilize this research to guide our advocacy efforts.

More Real-world Learning Needed

Postsecondary faculty and employers think that high school graduates lack preparation for college and career, according to an Achieve survey.

Seventy-eight percent of college faculty and 62 percent of employers found high school graduates lacking key skills, more than were dissatisfied with graduates’ preparation a decade prior. Postsecondary instructors are particularly dissatisfied with students’ critical-thinking skills, problem-solving skills, writing skills, and work and study habits.

In addition, the organization surveyed high school graduates this past winter, who reported gaps in their preparedness. Another recent survey of high school students from YouthTruth found that less than half of students feel well prepared for college and career. In addition, YouthTruth survey respondents hadn't accessed counseling about future career possibilities.

When it comes to what would help students be more college and career ready, employers and graduates—and to a lesser extent, college faculty—surveyed by Achieve say that more college and career planning, as well as more opportunities for real-world learning, would greatly improve preparedness.