The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December, 2015, ushered in a new era for K-12 education that ensures all students are prepared for college- and career-success. The new law places unprecedented emphasis on the role of CTE in achieving positive outcomes for all students, including through integration of CTE and academics, increased emphasis on career guidance and counseling, and inclusion of career readiness indicators in accountability systems.
The implementation process for the new law is now underway, which the U.S. Department of Education plans to have fully completed by 2017-18 school year. For the roll-out of this new law to provide maximum support to CTE students and professionals, it is important that ACTE members and the CTE community understand the opportunities presented for their programs.
ACTE has assembled several new fact sheets to support our members in learning about ESSA and how it will affect secondary-level CTE. They include information on:
- Academics and CTE in the Classroom
- Career Guidance and Counseling
- Career Readiness Accountability
- Teacher Recruitment, Training and Professional Development
We hope these resources will be helpful in learning more about what this major development means for CTE programs nationwide.