Members of Congress have reintroduced a bipartisan bill that aims to improve access to higher education for secondary students through dual and concurrent enrollment programs. The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) was re-introduced in the 115th Congress by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Boozman (R-AR) and Al Franken (D-MN) in the Senate (S. 718), and by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO) and Tom Reed (R-NY) in the House (H.R. 1710).
Career and technical education is an important component to dual and concurrent enrollment programs. A report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics on the 2010-11 school year showed that 82 percent of the nation’s public high schools had students taking dual credit courses, and in 59 percent of those schools, students participated in dual credit courses with a CTE focus.
According to a press release from Senator Peters’ office, the bill would use funds provided under the Higher Education Act to provide grants to postsecondary institutions to:
- Offer dual and concurrent enrollment programs for secondary students.
- Provide professional development to educators teaching these programs.
- Support other aspects of the programs, like course design, community outreach and counseling services.
ACTE has endorsed the bill, and Executive Director LeAnn Wilson issued the following statement upon the bill’s introduction:
“Rigorous, high-quality career and technical education provides millions of students with opportunities to earn college credit and industry credentials through concurrent and dual enrollment programs. The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) will strengthen the secondary-postsecondary transition for high school CTE students pursuing college credit and will support professional development activities for CTE teachers. ACTE is pleased to endorse MEAA and thanks the bill’s sponsors for their leadership.”
Similar bills were introduced in the House and Senate last year. ACTE continues to work closely with policymakers on Capitol Hill to enhance access to high-quality career and technical education.
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