CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Draft Perkins V State Plan Guide Released

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) released its first official guidance related to the implementation of Perkins V—its draft “Guide for the Submission of State Plans.” The guide was released in the federal register and is available for public comment. Once comments are received, it will be revised if necessary and re-released in final form, likely in January.

In releasing the guide, OCTAE Assistant Secretary Scott Stump summed up his thoughts on his Perkins V implementation, “We hope you will arrive at big and bold goals for CTE in your State under this newly-authorized Perkins V statute. And, we look forward to working with you and helping you along the way.” He also outlined some key questions state (and local) leaders should ask themselves as they embark on a new Perkins law:

• What is the right “split of funds” between secondary and postsecondary programs given today’s environment?
• How can “reserve” funds be used to incentivize “high-quality” CTE programs?
• How do you define and approve high-quality CTE programs?
• How can work-based learning, including “earn and learn programs” such as apprenticeships, be the rule and not the exception?
• How can you build the pipeline of teachers necessary to develop the pathways local communities need?
• What is the best role for employers in the development and delivery of CTE programs?

As stated in the federal register notice, “State eligible agencies may submit a 4-year state plan or, for FY 2019 only, a one-year transition plan followed by a 4-year plan. An eligible agency also may submit its state plan as part of a Combined State Plan under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014 (WIOA).” This guide outlines the specific requirements under each of these scenarios, including checklists of required materials and timelines, as well as an outline of required plan contents. It is important to note that only a few items, primarily related to the state’s fiscal responsibilities under Perkins V, must be included in a transition plan if that option is chosen.

Comments are due on the state plan guide by December 24, 2018, but we encourage you to submit early if you have concerns to allow plenty of time for them to be addressed. Comments can be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number ED–2018–ICCD–0108.

ED Accepting Nominations for Postsecondary Rulemaking

In July, the U.S. Department of Education announced that a new negotiated rulemaking panel will be formed to address some key aspects of federal higher education policy. Through negotiated rulemaking, the department has indicated that it will undertake a comprehensive review of the role that accrediting agencies play in overseeing postsecondary institutions, while also examining innovative practices in higher education. As part of this process, the department will also establish three subcommittees to address specific topics, including faith-based entities, TEACH Grants, and distance learning and educational innovation. The department is now seeking nominations for negotiators to represent students, financial aid administrators, community colleges, four-year institutions of higher education, accreditation agencies and employers. Nominations are due by November 15. The rulemaking sessions will take place in January, February and March of 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Trump Seeks Cut for Education in Next Budget

Recently, President Donald Trump announced that he will seek a 5 percent cut across most federal Cabinet departments, including the U.S. Department of Education, for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, which begins next October. This proposed across-the-board cut to nondefense discretionary funding will likely be included in the president’s FY 2020 budget request to Congress early next year.  

In September, Congress approved, with overwhelming bipartisan support, a final FY 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that will increase funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant by $70 million--bringing the total to nearly $1.263 billion for next school year (2019-20)! This comes on top of a $75 million boost in Perkins funding in the FY 2018 funding measure. The proposal to cut overall funding for education programs in FY 2020 could jeopardize the important gains in Perkins funding going forward. Continue to let your Members of Congress know that you support increasing our investment in Perkins!

Research Round-up: Credentials of Value, Equity, Noncredit Outcomes

Fill your fall reading list with new research and publications on CTE equity, industry-recognized credentials, career pathways and postsecondary outcomes.

Credentials of Value: ACTE, among other education and industry leaders, participated in a working group convened by the Education Strategy Group, in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers and Advance CTE. The working group developed the following recommendations to help states identify credentials with labor market value and improve attainment of those credentials:

• Identify high-value credentials by analyzing employer signaling, determining which industry credentials can be used for postsecondary credit and building a cross-sector industry-recognized credential list and validation process
• Incentivize attainment of high-value credentials by better communicating the benefits of these credentials, providing funding for credential exams and leveraging program approval processes
• Collect and report credential attainment data by sharing data with industry certifiers and creating a standardized reporting framework

Lessons learned and templates from ACTE’s Certification Data Exchange Project can help states achieve this last goal. 

Equity in CTE: Advance CTE has launched its new Making Good on the Promise series this fall. The first brief charts the history of equity challenges in CTE and looks at equity gaps in CTE today. It describes how bias can impact students through career and academic advising and selection/enrollment criteria, as well as through barriers in different geographic locations, through graduation requirements that pit college and career pathways against each other and through the provision, or lack thereof, of student accommodations.

A second brief in the series looks at how states are using their data systems to address equity gaps by leveraging accountability to highlight inequities, providing data publicly and transparently, and analyzing the causes of access and achievement gaps. Examples are shared from Maryland, Minnesota, Delaware and Oregon.

The Making Good on the Promise series is made possible through the New Skills for Youth initiative, a partnership of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Advance CTE and Education Strategy Group, funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Iowa Noncredit Postsecondary CTE Outcomes: The state of Iowa is continuing its commitment to high-quality CTE data and analysis with a new tool: The first edition of Iowa’s Community Colleges: Noncredit CTE Employment Outcomes Report and Interactive Dashboard.

Among its findings, the report notes that:

• Noncredit CTE students in Iowa community colleges are more likely to be older, male and more racially diverse than students in credit-bearing programs
• 32 percent of noncredit students either transfer to credit-bearing programs, or already have postsecondary degrees
• 92 percent of noncredit students were employed in the first year after program exit, primarily in health care, manufacturing, transportation, retail trade, construction and administrative services

Student Data in 2018: According to the Data Quality Campaign, 25 states have passed 59 new laws in 2018 governing the collection, linking, use, access and protection of education data. For instance, Louisiana passed legislation directing the Board of Regents to provide local education agencies with data on high school students’ postsecondary outcomes. In addition, Colorado and Wyoming must now collect data on military enrollment, in addition to other postsecondary pathways.

Career Pathways: A new brief from CLASP defines career pathways and guided pathways, and describes how these two approaches complement each other to support student success.

Another recent CLASP brief summarizes the state of research into career pathways. Author Tim Harmon describes promising findings that show higher earnings and better education outcomes through career pathways, but notes that much research has examined only short-term results and only in health care and manufacturing pathways.

A group of state education and workforce development leaders, national organizations, advocates, funders and federal agency staff was convened by CLASP and the Workforce Collaborative of the Greater Washington Community Foundation to make recommendations for improving career pathways research. These recommendations include developing new measures for career pathways success, tracking co-enrollment to determine how well it addresses students’ education and employment barriers and measuring student retention more effectively, among other steps.

ED Officials Visit CTE Programs on National Tour

Recently, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos embarked on a “Rethink School” tour through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The tour was intended to highlight innovative local practices in education, and included a stop at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where DeVos visited the college’s CTE programs and learned more about its business and industry partnerships. "I think that partnership with business and industry really drives the future in terms of workers' needs and opportunities for them," DeVos said. "Having business integrally involved with helping form and shape programs and curriculums is an imperative for connecting students with the possibilities."

In addition, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education Scott Stump undertook his own tour of promising CTE programs around the country. Stump traveled to the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) at Wichita Area Technical College in Wichita, Kansas, which offers a range of degree and certificate programs in aviation career fields. He spotlighted NCAT’s partnerships for developing aviation career pathways that includes local employers, postsecondary institutions and secondary CTE programs. “The most exciting part of the tour was learning more about the seamless secondary to postsecondary transition that NCAT offers to local high school students,” said Stump. “Students in the Wichita area are able to take classes at NCAT in 9th-12th grade and jumpstart their training and education for a career in aviation.” Assistant Secretary Stump also stopped by an apprenticeship program in Kentucky, high school CTE classrooms in Tennessee, and Francis Tuttle Technology Center (an ACTE Educational Institution Member) in Oklahoma.

Election 2018: State Superintendents

Come November 6, voters in more than half of the 13 states that still elect state superintendents will determine their state's next top education official. Democratic and Republican candidates will face off in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina. In California the election is nonpartisan, and the race features two candidates both running with Democratic support. In Wyoming, Republican incumbent Jillian Balow is running unopposed

As Education Week documents, state superintendents play an interesting and important role in a state's education system. Oftentimes, these elected state officers clash with the governor's office, particularly when they are of different political parties. Issues for state superintendents in recent years have largely centered on state standards, accountability, educator recruitment/retention and state education funding.

In addition to electing a state superintendent, as we reported on the CTE Policy Watch Blog last week, South Carolina voters face a unique choice. A ballot measure in the state would transform the elected state superintendent position into one appointed by the governor. This would follow a similar trend over the last century, as the number of states that elect state superintendents has dwindled from 33 at one point.

Along with critical U.S. Senate and House elections, many gubernatorial offices, state legislative seats and ballot initiatives will be decided in the 2018 elections. Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 6, 2018!

ACTE is a nonpartisan organization that does not—and will not—support or oppose any candidate for public office. For more nonpartisan information on elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit Nonprofit VOTE.

STEM Big Winner in Innovation Grants

The Department of Education recently announced 18 winners for its Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants. Of the winners, Education Week reports that 11 have some sort of STEM element, and a number of those are linked to CTE. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, EIR was a $120 million program with the aim of spurring innovation in states and districts. Of the $120 million allocated, Congress required at least $50 million be allocated to STEM grantees. This follows a similar pattern of the Trump Administration's prioritization of STEM within the broader education system.

Among the grantees, Jobs for the Future was awarded funds to assist computer science secondary students in Texas. Additionally, ExpandED schools in New York City will receive funding for a STEM-focused internship and apprenticeship program, and Knox County Schools in Tennessee will receive a grant to support a STEM-based workforce preparation program. In California, Sonoma State University was awarded funds to expand STEM work-based learning opportunities for rural students and to improve curriculum and instruction, and in Menlo Park, SRI International will receive funding for math work-based learning for middle school students.

Eligible grant applicants can include LEAs, state educational agencies, nonprofits and more. EIR grants will continue in FY 2019, where at least $60 million must be allocated for STEM-related programs. Visit the Department of Education's website to learn more about EIR, how to apply and eligibility.

Election 2018: Offices and State Ballot Measures

On Tuesday, November 6, voters all across the country will head to the polls for Election Day. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be on the ballot. Additionally, 35 U.S. Senate seats will be up for election. There will be at least one Senate race in every state except: AK, AL, AR, CO, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, NC, NH, OK, OR, SC and SD. To fill vacancies, Minnesota and Mississippi will have both Senate seats on the ballot. Additionally, there will be gubernatorial races in 36 states. The following states will not hold a governor's election: DE, IN, KY, LA, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NJ, UT, VA, WA and WV. Most states will hold elections for their state legislatures, and many will also have local elections.

In addition to voting for individual candidates, many states will have various ballot measures for voters to consider. The list of ballot measures outlined below, along with their summaries, are largely drawn from a list maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures. They are not meant to be exhaustive, and only discuss relevant education-related issues.

• Colorado: Taxes incomes over $150,000 and increase corporate taxes to fund public schools
• Georgia: Allows school districts to call for a sales tax referendum
• Hawaii: Allows state legislature to impose a surcharge on residential investment properties and would use the revenue for public education
• Maine: $15 million in bond funding for Maine's community colleges
• Maryland: Dedicates an increasing amount of gambling revenue to public education, including for CTE and college credit for high school students. The percentage of gambling revenue dedicated to public education would increase for the next several years, up to 100 percent in fiscal year 2023 and thereafter.
• Montana: Continues a property tax to fund the Montana University System for ten years
• New Jersey: Authorizes $500 million in bonds for, among other things, CTE schools and technical colleges
• New Mexico: Authorizes a $128.4 million bond for higher education, special schools, and tribal bonds
• Oklahoma: Allows local property taxes to be used to fund public school operations and constructions
• Rhode Islands: Two bond authorizations both higher education facilities and public schools
• South Carolina: Changes the state superintendent of education into a position appointed by the governor
• Utah: Nonbinding measure to ask voters if they would support raising the state's motor and special fuel tax by 10 cents per gallon to fund education and local roads

The 2018 midterm elections are important and could flip control of one or both chambers of Congress. State and local elections are also critical, as governors, state legislatures and municipalities are often tasked with implementing federal legislation. State and local officeholders also set education funding levels and pass education- and workforce-related legislation. Lastly, as demonstrated above, state ballot measures can have significant impacts on education and CTE programs.

ACTE will continue to monitor the 2018 elections as part of our coverage on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. For more nonpartisan information on elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit Nonprofit VOTE.