A new report from The Aspen Institute’s Education & Society Program provides education advocates with information and insight about how they can get involved with policymaking at the state level. As gridlock continues to limit legislative progress at the federal level, states are becoming increasingly active in all aspects of policymaking, including education. By learning more about the stakeholders and circumstances affecting education policy in your state, you can help to ensure that CTE has a voice in these decisions and that your students and programs have the support they need.
The report notes that while major pieces of federal legislation and funding issues are often the most talked about aspects of education policy, states hold significant sway over the implementation of these issues and provide the largest portion of investment in education funding. State investments constitute roughly 45.6 percent of the total national investment – and state policymakers consider it their responsibility to ensure that this investment is creating opportunity for their constituents as well as strong return on that investment in the labor market. While federal authority preempts that of states when the law prescribes specific actions, states are often left to interpret specific provisions of federal law and decide from themselves on issues of implementation, including on issues like accountability, which was a major point of emphasis in the recent debate over the Every Student Succeeds Act. For these reasons, it is important to work with your state legislators to educate them about CTE and highlight its importance in preparing all students for college- and career-success.
Key differences in advocacy at the state level include significantly shorter or more infrequent legislative sessions, higher rates of turnover in elected positions, and shorter tenure in administration positions (such as chief state school officers). All of these contribute to a need for more detailed explanation of CTE-related issues and the policies that would most benefit your students. However, many of the same principles of effective advocacy at the federal level hold true in working with state counterparts, including working to establish ongoing relationships with policymakers, sharing success stories and offering to show them examples of your programs and issues firsthand through experiences such as school visits.
To access the report, click here – and to learn more about strategies for working with your policymakers and becoming a CTE advocate, click here!
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