CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Sec. DeVos Outlines Higher Education Priorities

As Inside Higher Ed reports, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently outlined her priorities for reforming the nation's higher education system. While principally focused on accreditation and the need for flexibility, DeVos also touched on issues like how to improve the transfer credit process and ways for institutions to engage with employers prior to starting new graduate programs.

The meeting foreshadowed a framework from the Department of Education that will shape a rule-making process that starts next month. In coordination with the meeting, the Department released two white papers on Rethinking Higher Education: Principles for Reform and on Higher Education Accreditation Reform.

On reforming higher education, the Department addresses a wide variety of topics. It starts by noting that "a significant portion of the current available jobs require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. The paper then asserts that "academic degrees may have little relevance to the demands of the workplace," and urges programs to give students academic credit for things they do in the workforce or military. The white paper also claims that licensing requirements have "reduced the number and diversity of career pathways that can lead to employment." The growing outstanding federal student loan debt is also cited as an area of concern.

Regarding accreditation reform, one of the Department's proposals is to "increase academic and career mobility for students by eliminating artificial boundaries between institutions due to the credential levels an institution offers." The Department cites problems with regional institutions being reluctant to accept transfer credits from nationally accredited institutions. The proposal also seeks to give institutions greater flexibility to meet local and national workforce needs, saying current accreditation rules sometimes discourage innovation.

ACTE will continue to engage with federal policymakers in the executive branch and Congress on higher education issues, particularly as reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is considered in the 116th Congress. You can find ACTE's HEA reauthorization priorities here.

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition III

Continuing with our coverage of new Members of Congress, this week we profile new Members from Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Massachusetts.

In Idaho, Russell Fulcher was elected to replace outgoing Rep. Raúl Labrador in the state's First Congressional District. Fulcher, who had a long career at Micron Technology, previously served in the Idaho legislature. On his website, Fulcher pledges to work on "educating and training our workforce for jobs in growth industry sectors," saying he will remove "excessive federal mandates that act as an obstacle to ensuring Idaho has the most competitive workforce in the world."

In Illinois, Jesús "Chuy" García will replace retiring Rep. Luis Gutiérrez in the state's Fourth Congressional District. García previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners and in the Illinois Senate. On his website, he says that "[w]e must connect education and training issues and funding with creating good-paying jobs and jobs in growth industries, especially in green industries." He also advocates for an infrastructure bill that will "provide training/jobs." In the state's Sixth Congressional District, Democrat Sean Casten defeated Republican Rep. Peter Roskam. Casten is a scientist and clean energy entrepreneur. In extensively outlining his education-related positions, Casten wants to increase investments in STEM and cites the thousands of unfilled jobs in high-tech manufacturing as a reason to support "programs enabling trade-path students." Lastly, in Illinois' Fourteenth Congressional District, Democrat Lauren Underwood defeated Republican Rep. Randy Hultgren. Underwood's background is in healthcare policy and has a nursing degree. Her campaign's education platform focused on improving public schools and college affordability, including increasing funding for Pell grants.

In Indiana, Republican businessman and state legislator Mike Braun defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly. Braun's business previously involved manufacturing truck bodies, and now focuses on truck accessories. On the House side, Republican Jim Baird will replace Republican Rep. Todd Rokita, who lost a primary for U.S. Senate, in Indiana's Fourth Congressional District. Baird previously served in local and state government and has his bachelor' degree, master's degree and PhD in animal science. He also previously served on Advisory Council to Purdue's Dean of Agriculture. Lastly, in Indiana's Sixth Congressional District Republican Greg Pence (brother of Vice President Mike Pence) will replace outgoing Republican Rep. Luke Messer. Pence is a businessman and veteran.

In Kansas, Republican Steven Watkins will replace Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins, who chose not to seek re-election in the state's Second Congressional District. Watkins is a veteran and businessman, and pledges to "ensure our workforce has the skills necessary to meet the jobs of tomorrow." In the state's Third Congressional District, Democrat Sharice Davids defeated Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder. Davids will bring the unique perspective of being one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Davids also graduated from community college prior to earning her law degree.

In Massachusetts, Democrat Lori Trahan will replace retiring Democratic Rep. Niki Tsongas in the state's Third Congressional District. Trahan advocates on her website for promoting "early exposure to trade, vocational and apprenticeship programs," saying she supports partnerships between federal, state and local governments to "collaborate to design programs that expose students to more pathways to success at an early age, so they can find the one that works for them." In the state's Seventh Congressional District, Democrat Ayanna Pressley will replace Democratic Rep. Mike Capuano, who Pressley defeated in a primary. Pressley previously served as a member of the Boston City Council. Pressley identifies equity and affordability issues as some of her top education priorities, and touts her work improving the quality of Madison Park Vocational Technical High School during her time on the city council. She also talks extensively on her website about her support for CTE, noting that "[c]reating clear linkages between vocational education and job prospects, and leveraging partnerships with existing workforce authorities and the private sector, is essential to increasing graduation rates from vocational technical high schools and providing relevant skills that will help students ultimately succeed in the job market."

ACTE's profile of new Members of Congress will continue into the New Year. You can find last week's profiles here. And once the new Congress begins, stay tuned for alerts directing you to ACTE's action center to ask Members of Congress (new and returning) to join the CTE Caucus!

Senate Education Committee Takes Shape; Chairman Retiring in 2020

While we will not know until January what the composition of the House Education and Labor committee will look like, on the senate side, things are beginning to take shape. Democrats recently announced that Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) will no longer be on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and will instead be replaced by incoming-Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

Sen-elect Rosen previously served in the House, where she was a member of the House CTE Caucus. ACTE conducted an extensive interview with then-Rep. Rosen as part of our Policymaker Perspectives interview series. You can read that interview and learn more about Sen.-elect Rosen by clicking here.

Senate Republicans have not yet publicly announced Committee assignments for the upcoming Congress. However, we know at least one change is forthcoming, as Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is retiring. Additionally, this will mark the final Congress for HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who recently announced he will not seek re-election in 2020. Chairman Alexander is term-limited as HELP Committee chair, so this was going to be his final Congress leading the Committee, regardless of whether he sought re-election. Education Week has more on Sen. Alexander's extensive history impacting education policy.

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition II

Continuing with our coverage of new Members of Congress, this week we profile new Members from Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and Iowa.

Beginning in Colorado, Democrat Joseph Neguse won election in the state's Second Congressional District, replacing Rep. Jared Polis, who successfully ran for governor. Neguse was previously elected to the Regents of the University of Colorado, and advocated during his campaign for increasing federal Title II funding for teacher training. Also in Colorado, Democrat Jason Crow defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in the state's Sixth Congressional District. Crow, an attorney by trade, advocated during his campaign for supporting "apprenticeship and training programs to fill much-needed gaps in skilled laborers," and for investing in "community colleges and technical training programs for tomorrow's workforce."

In Connecticut, Democrat Jahana Hayes won election to replace retiring Rep. Elizabeth Esty in the Fifth Congressional District. Hayes is a history teacher who was recognized in 2016 by the National Education Association as its teacher of the year. Hayes is a product of Naugatuck Valley Community College, having first earned her associate's degree there. On her website, Hayes touts the value of public education and pledges to improve "teacher training, support and resources." She also notes that "career readiness and training is necessary to adapt to our changing economy and should be readily available to all students."

In Florida, three new representatives, and one new senator, were elected. In the House, Republican Gregory Steube is replacing Rep. Tom Rooney in the Seventeenth Congressional District, who did not seek re-election. Steube is a veteran who previously served in both the Florida House and Senate. In the Twenty-sixth Congressional District, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Carlos Curbelo. Mucarsel-Powell is a college administrator, having served in various roles at Florida International University. She advocated for free community college during the campaign.

Lastly, Democrat Donna Shalala will replace Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who announced she would not seek re-election. Shalala served as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration, and is the former Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin and President of the University of Miami. Early in her career, after first graduating from college, she served in the Peace Corps, where she helped construct an agricultural college abroad. During her campaign, Shalala stated that "students should be able to attend public and community colleges without taking on student debt."

Florida also elected a new senator, as Republican Gov. Rick Scott defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Scott a businessman and two-term governor, has an extensive record in education. Scott is perhaps best known for expanding school choice programs in the state, boosting charter and virtual schools. On the CTE front, as governor, Scott issued proclamations supporting CTE Month and proposed additional grant funding for technical colleges and CTE centers.

In Georgia, Democrat Lucy McBath defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Karen Handel in the state's Sixth Congressional District. McBath, a flight attendant, was driven to run after her son fell victim to gun violence. As part of her commitment to service following her son's death, she started a foundation that provides educational assistance to high school students pursuing "traditional and vocational" schools. She also pledges on her website to "fully fund K-12 public education, and to make community colleges, public universities, and vocational schools more affordable."

In Hawaii, Democrat Ed Case will replace Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who unsuccessfully ran for governor. Case previously served in the U.S. House from 2002-2007, and prior to that served as majority leader in the state legislature. His education platform centered on making higher education more affordable, and improving veterans' and Native Hawaiians' access to education.

In Iowa, Abby Finkenauer defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Rod Blum in the state's First Congressional District. Finkenauer currently serves in the state legislature and is the daughter of a welder and public school employee. Finkenauer has a section of her website dedicated to CTE, where she notes its importance for all students, including adults seeking new careers. She pledges to support CTE funding, and emphasizes the importance of partnerships between industry and education, to ensure access to "internships, job training opportunities, and apprenticeship programs." Also in Iowa, Democrat Cindy Axne defeated Republican Rep. David Young in the state's Third Congressional District. Axne touts her efforts to secure full-day kindergarten in West Des Moines public schools, and supports promoting STEM programs "that enable students to graduate with the skills they need to be successful in todays' workforce." She also to "fight for a greater investment in our community colleges and grow apprenticeship programs and trade schools."

ACTE's profile of new Members of Congress will continue next week. You can find last week's profiles here. And once the new Congress begins, stay tuned for alerts directing you to ACTE's action center to ask Members of Congress (new and returning) to join the CTE Caucus!

CTE Creates the Aerospace and Defense Workforce

The aerospace and defense sector directly and indirectly employs 2.4 million Americans. Learn how CTE prepares the future workforce in this sector with ACTE’s updated Sector Sheet. This brief has been revised with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs.  

This sector typically pays well above the national average, and is protected from outsourcing by the need for government clearances. Despite the attractions of working in this industry, three-quarters of aerospace and defense CEOs are concerned about workforce skills. Highly skilled individuals are needed in this sector with expertise in information security, unmanned systems and additive manufacturing, among other fields.

To engage and prepare students for careers in this sector, the Aviation and Aerospace Academy at B.C. Rain High School in Mobile, Alabama, provides a project-based curriculum in aerospace technology and aerospace, aeronautics and astronautics engineering that integrates technical, academic and employability skills. Hands-on learning is facilitated by equipment such as a flight simulator, drone and U.S. Navy trainer aircraft. Among the academy’s business and education partners are Airbus, ST Aerospace and Alabama Aviation College at Ozark, and the school is also home to a U.S. Army JROTC program that supports and collaborates with the academy.

On the postsecondary level, students at Washington’s Green River College can earn postsecondary certificates in advanced manufacturing tailored to the aerospace sector after 20 weeks, or 400 hours of training. Boeing and several other industry partners have provided input to and approval of the curriculum. Opportunities abound in the aerospace industry in the state, which is home to 1,400 aerospace-related companies.

ACTE’s Sector Sheet series is generously supported by Pearson.

 

White House STEM Announcement

On Tuesday, the White House unveiled a STEM strategic plan intended to guide the next five years: Charting a Course of Success: America's Strategy for STEM Education. Having identified STEM skills as critical in the 21st century economy, the goal is to increase STEM opportunities for students nationwide. This is the second five-year STEM plan released by a presidential administration, with the Obama Administration first releasing one in 2013.

The plan is described as "an urgent call to action for nationwide collaboration with learners, families, educators, communities, and employers." As U.S. News & World Report highlights, the administration's three main goals are for Americans to acquire basic STEM concepts, increase STEM access to underserved students, and encourage the pursuit of STEM careers.

The plan was developed by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Science and Technology Council Committee on STEM Education. Embedded in the plan is a reinforcement of the importance of things like project-based learning and CTE, with the report noting that "[e]ducation systems that combing high-quality career and technical training with college preparatory curriculum are particularly effective at preparing students for both employment and post-secondary study, especially when training required to obtain industry-recognized credentials is embedded in the coursework."

In terms of the federal government's role, the report notes that "Federal agencies can help post-secondary institutions better align their programs with secondary school STEM and CTE curricula through meetings and workshops, studies, and grant funding." The report also noted teacher pipeline issues in STEM and the resulting challenges it has presented. This of course is an issue across CTE that ACTE continues to work to address.

ACTE understands that STEM is an important part of CTE, and has held a "STEM is CTE" symposium at CareerTech VISION for the past three years.

U.S. and Swiss Governments Renew Apprenticeship Commitment

On December 3, the U.S. and Swiss governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding renewing and strengthening a commitment on apprenticeships. The Swiss Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Amman, Minister of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, recognized the partnership at an evening event at the residence of the Swiss Ambassador to the U.S. Other speakers included Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross; Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos; Sen.Tim Kaine (D-VA), a co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus; Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH); and Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA).

Swiss Ambassador Martin Dahinden and U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullen, Jr. rounded off the speakers list during an evening program in Washington. Both diplomats noted the importance of the partnership between the two nations and the importance of the collaboration on apprenticeship.

Several speakers noted that despite Switzerland's small size, the nation exports an significant amount of products to the U.S. and other nations. More importantly related to apprenticeship, many Swiss companies in the U.S. have initiated and extended apprenticeships to U.S. students, and are participating in open dialogue to support the U.S. government and U.S.-based industries interested in replicating the Swiss apprenticeship model or portions of it.

Ambassador Dahinden spoke at a general session during ACTE's CareerTech VISION in San Antonio the week prior, and has hosted ACTE members at his residence after Embassy programs on apprenticeship.

This post was authored by ACTE Deputy Executive Director Steve DeWitt.

116th Congress: New Member Profiles, Edition I

Come January, it appears that there will be a total of 98 new Members of Congress (eight in the Senate and 90 in the House). These new Members have diverse backgrounds, from a former major party presidential nominee to governors to returning lawmakers to first time candidates, some will come to Washington with backgrounds in education and CTE, and some will learn when they get here. Over the next few weeks, we will be profiling these new Members to highlight any relevant education- or workforce-related backgrounds they may bring to Congress.

ARIZONA

Arizona will have three new Members of Congress come January; two in the House and one in the Senate. In the Senate, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-09) won a Senate seat. She is currently a member of the House CTE Caucus. On her website, she touts her efforts "to strengthen STEM education for primary and secondary students, and to increase access to technical and skills training."

Replacing Sen.-elect Sinema in the House is Greg Stanton. Stanton is a former city councilor and mayor of Phoenix, and previously worked as an education attorney. As a local elected official, he pushed for the creation of Bioscience High School, which provides specialized learning opportunities for secondary students. On his website, Stanton advocates for "strong career and technical education options available for students who wish to go directly into the workforce, so that every student can acquire the skills they need to join a trade or get a good job."

Lastly, representing Arizona's Second Congressional District will be Ann Kirkpatrick, who previously served in the House from 2013-2017. She did not run for re-election in 2016 because she challenged the late Sen. John McCain, but has now reclaimed a House seat. She is a former community college adjunct professor and previously served in the state legislature, where she was on the education committee. While she was not a member of the House CTE Caucus during her previous congressional service, she did support the Perkins reauthorization bill that passed in the House in 2016.

CALIFORNIA

Californians elected seven new House members, all Democrats who are replacing Republicans. In the Tenth District, Josh Harder defeated Rep. Jeff Denham. Harder is a venture capitalist who previously taught business at a junior college. During the campaign, he pledged to "fight to make community college and vocational training programs tuition-free."

In the Twenty-first Congressional District, T.J Cox defeated Rep. David Valadao. Cox founded a nut processing businesses, giving him firsthand experience in agricultural entrepreneurship. He was also the COO of the Central Valley New Market Tax Credit Fund, where he directed money to local community colleges. On his website, he advocates for funding "free community-college, vocational school, secondary school education and job training."

Katie Hill defeated Rep. Steve Knight in the Twenty-fifth Congressional District. While Hill's website lacks any education-related policy positions, she is the daughter of a police officer and registered nurse. In the Thirty-ninth Congressional District, Gil Cisneros will replace Rep. Ed Royce. After being laid off from his job as a shipping and manufacturing manager, Cisneros, a military veteran, won a Mega Millions jackpot. With his winnings, he has focused on educational equity issues, particularly related to Latino students. His website's education platform focuses on college affordability.

Katie Porter defeated Rep. Mimi Walters in California's Forty-fifth Congressional District and a member of the Republican leadership team. Porter has strong legal credentials, having graduated at the top of her law school class at Harvard before becoming a law professor in California. Her education platform focuses on college affordability. In the Forty-eighth Congressional District, Harley Rouda, a lawyer and businessman, defeated Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. On his website, Rouda advocates for "tuition-free education at non-profit public colleges and universities" and says that "we need to promote trade school apprenticeships that equip folks for the jobs of the future in advanced technology sectors."

To round on the new Members from California, Mike Levin replaced Rep. Darrell Issa in California's Forty-ninth Congressional District. Levin's background is centered on environmental issues. He has worked at trade associations and private companies that focus on clean energy, giving him insight into new and emerging career opportunities in the green tech sector. Indeed, he has stated that "clean energy drives job creation." Levin also advocates for investing in STEAM programs and making college more affordable, and he identifies the "dire teacher shortage" as a priority of his.