CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

CTSO Student Leaders Showcase CTE

On Tuesday, March 26, the Senate CTE Caucus hosted a reception on Capitol Hill featuring students from nine CTSOs. The reception coincided with ACTE’s National Policy Seminar, allowing conference attendees to also attend the reception. The reception was titled “CTE Success: Student Leaders in Action.” Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) both attended and made remarks.

The participating CTSOs included:

• Business Professionals of America (BPA)
• DECA
• Educators Rising
• Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
• Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)
• HOSA-Future Health Professionals
• National FFA Organization
• SkillsUSA
• Technology Student Association (TSA)

ACTE is grateful to the Senate CTE Caucus for hosting the reception and for the CTSOs for their partnership and assistance in making it happen. The event was a terrific success, and we look forward to being back on Capitol Hill for NPS next year on March 29 - April 1.

Sen. Young made remarks in front of NPS attendees, CTSO students and congressional staff in attendance.

Sen. Kaine spoke with Virginia FCCLA students and ACTE's Executive Director LeAnn Wilson

162 Representatives Sign Dear Colleague Letter

Representatives Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn Thompson (R-PA), the co-chairs of the Congressional CTE Caucus, recently circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter. The letter urged the House Appropriations Committee to make a strong investment in CTE for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020.

In total, 162 Representatives signed the letter—132 Democrats and 30 Republicans—the most ever for a first session of Congress. There were 33 House freshmen who signed on to the letter—30 Democrats and 3 Republicans. California led the letter with 24 signers. The total number of signers from each state is outlined below. You can see whether your Representative signed the letter here.

There was a last-minute surge in signers, which coincided with a final push by ACTE members to contact their Representatives. Thank you to everyone who did so—your advocacy makes a difference!

CA 25  
NY 10
TX 9
GA 8 
FL 7
IL 7
PA 7
NJ 7
WA 6
MN 5
VA 5 D
MI 5
CO 4
MA 4
OR 4
WI 4
CT 4
AZ 3  
IA 3
KY 3
MO 3
OH 3
AL 2
MD 2  
NM 2
NV 2
RI 2
UT 2
AK 1
DE 1
HI 1
IN 1
KS 1
ME 1
MP 1
MS 1
NC 1
NH 1
TN 1
VI 1
VT 1
WV 1

*Note: This blog has been updated to reflect additional Representatives who signed the letter.

White House Issues Executive Order on Higher Education Issues

On March 21, President Trump signed a new executive order titled, “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities.” This executive order is not designed to supersede existing laws, but rather to offer direction to federal agencies related to a number of wide-ranging issues.

First, the executive order directs the heads of a number of federal agencies, including the Department of Education and Department of Labor, to work with the Office of Management and Budget to take appropriate steps to ensure institutions that receive federal research or education grants “promote free inquiry, including through compliance with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, and policies.” There are no specific new policies or suggested actions in the executive order, so it essentially reinforces current law that postsecondary institutions must already follow. For the purposes of this part of the executive order, the reference to “federal research or education grants” includes all federal funding made available directly to an institution, but specifically excludes funding for federal financial aid. Based on the description provided, it does not appear that Perkins funding to postsecondary institutions would be covered under this provision, as it is not provided directly to the institution. However, it is unclear how agencies will interpret the new order or if any new disclosure requirements for institutions will result.

The next parts of the executive order relate more directly to the costs of postsecondary education. The Secretary of Education is specifically directed to:

• Make available a secure website for federal student loan borrowers that contains comprehensive information on amounts owed and repayment options.
• Expand the College Scorecard and update annually with program-level performance information on median earnings and loan debt information for students that receive financial aid.
• Expand the College Scorecard and update annually with institution-level student loan default and repayment rates, including Graduate PLUS and Parent PLUS default rates and repayment rates.
• Consult with other federal agency leaders to submit a report identifying and analyzing policy options for requiring institutions of higher education and other entities to share student loan debt risk.
• In partnership with the Secretary of the Treasury, submit policy recommendations for reforming the collections process for student loans in default.
• Publish a compilation of research results related to state and institutional efforts to promote students' timely and affordable completion of a postsecondary program of study, including research on dual enrollment, easing the transfer process and increasing success for at-risk students.

While the “free speech” portions of the executive order have gotten the most public attention, the piece that may end up being the most relevant to CTE programs and institutions, as tracking program-level earnings data has long been a challenge for many institutions but could provide valuable insights if ever expanded to cover all students.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos elaborated on some of the Department’s plans to implement the executive order. A portion of her statement is specifically addresses some of the transparency provisions:

"Per the Executive Order, the Department will continue its efforts to update the College Scorecard so that it includes clear information on the cost of college, expected earnings after graduation, and student loan repayment rates. We will also continue our Federal Student Aid modernization efforts that began with the launch of our first ever mobile app.  Right now, students can use the app to complete the FAFSA. And, building on the President's directive, the app's capabilities will expand to give students access to information about loan balances, payments, and repayment options right at their fingertips. We believe that these important reforms, along with the Department's ambitious negotiated rulemaking agenda, will make college more affordable, break down barriers to innovation in higher education, and encourage new approaches and new partnerships for the benefit of students."

CTE is Thriving in the Hawkeye State!

On March 11-14, ACTE participated in a statewide media tour organized by Iowa ACTE. The tour began in the western part of the state in Sioux City, and over the course of four days moved as far east as Cedar Rapids. We visited high-quality CTE programs throughout the four-day, eight-stop media tour, including comprehensive high schools, area CTE centers and community colleges. Local TV, print and radio media outlets also participated, and we were joined by local elected officials and staff from the offices of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

Sioux City Career Academy—Sioux City

To begin the tour we visited Sioux City Career Academy, a regional CTE academy serving up to 15 area high schools, both public and private. Specifically, we visited pathways in health science, fashion and interior design, and engineering. The programs are housed in a former Delta call center, and are formed in close partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce and industry. There are 32 different pathways offered, nearly all offering college credit. The program has resulted in a significantly higher graduation rate. The program's administrators credited federal Perkins CTE funding as being an integral part of the program's success. Along with district staff from Sen. Grassley and Rep. King's offices, a television crew recorded a segment for the local news. You can watch KTIV's report here. You can learn more about the Sioux City Career Academy here.

 

Western Iowa Tech Community College—Sioux City

On our second stop, we visited the pharmacy technician, nurse aide, robotics, and video media production programs at Western Iowa Tech Community College (WIT). At WIT, the pharmacy technician program is a result of a partnership with the University of Iowa. It is set up like a real pharmacy with high-quality industry equipment. Both college and high school students are enrolled in the one-year program, and the instructor credited Perkins for helping supply much of the equipment. The nurse aid program serves 320 students annually, roughly half from 15 area high schools. The robotics program similarly serves both high school and college students, and is marked by many industry partnerships. The video media production program is also recognized as a terrific program and has much of the same equipment used in industry. Staff from Sen. Grassley and Rep. King's offices attended the visit. The local television station, KCAU, also attended the tour and produced a report, which you can watch here. You can learn more about WIT here.

 

MMCRU—Marcus, IA

MMCRU is a small, rural school district. The industrial tech and agriculture programs are what really stand out here. Roughly 80% of students take some form of industrial tech class, including 30% of women. These classes range from 3D mechanical design to architecture and construction trades. The program works closely with industry, and among many partnerships, students build cabinets for local restaurants and other community projects. Participating in the tour were two business leaders who work closely with the program's instructor to place students into internships and careers. The instructor was particularly outstanding, and had taken the initiative to not only develop these connections to local industry, but also to write grants that netted the program more than $100K worth of equipment. The agriculture program was also impressive, and students maintained a greenhouse complete with plants, fish and a pig! You can read more about MMCRU in the LeMars Daily Sentinel, which attended and wrote about the visit. You can also visit MMCRU's website here.

 

North Central Career Academy—Eagle Grove

For our next stop, we visited the North Central Career Academy, which is made up of six schools from within a 30 mile radius. The program serves juniors and seniors, who pick one of the "strands" offered by the academy. Each school has purchased a number of spots in the academy, and the number of students that the schools can send to the academy are proportional to their financial contribution to it. We visited the business, teacher, manufacturing, engineering and health services strands. Students attend classes in the morning, and earn credit and a scholarship to Iowa Central College. The program also has many local business and industry connections. You can learn more about the North Central Career Academy here.

 

Western Outreach Center—Holland

On Wednesday, our morning began at the Western Outreach Center. The program is a partnership with Hawkeye Community College, where four high schools work together to send students to the center. While the schools collaborate to provide instructors, Hawkeye Community College certifies them. We visited the health, advanced manufacturing, agricultural, and business academies. What stood out about this program was how closely the four school districts work together to provide opportunities for their students. It was apparent that the partnership was only possible because of the value that the district leaders placed in collaboration and their relentless passion for these programs. The facility is currently serving over 150 students, and those students are earning hundreds of credits through Hawkeye Community College. You can learn more about the Western Outreach center here.

 

Waterloo Career Center—Waterloo

The Waterloo Career Center is undergoing a nearly-complete renovation, having taken over the unused portion of an existing school building. We toured the sustainable construction, advanced manufacturing, nursing, and digital programs. The drive and passion for CTE was readily apparent from the outset; the center comes despite local voters rejecting a bond to finance the construction. The design of the building allows for the interaction between programs, and students were involved in hands-on learning in every class we visited. From making their own storyboards to recreating a motor and designing virtual reality games, these students were impressive! The program also earns high marks for its diversity, with nearly half of students coming from diverse backgrounds. The career center has also yielded a more than 15 point increase in student graduation rates. Along with Sen. Ernst's office, a local newspaper, The Courier, participated in the tour. You can read more about the visit from The Courier here. You can learn more about the Waterloo Career Center here.

 

Linn-Mar High School—Marion

To begin our final day, we toured Linn-Mar High School. The comprehensive high school offers students tremendous opportunities. We visited the culinary, entrepreneurship, agriscience, industrial tech, and engineering classes. In the engineering class, we met a student who had conceived of her own design and was creating a system that washes and dries your hands in one process. We also saw an aquaculture lab with dozens of fish tanks, where students would research types of fish and were tasked with maintaining the water a certain temperature and adequately feeding the fish. Lastly, the entrepreneurship program runs its own school store, developing products, calculating prices and more. During their free periods, students run the store. Sen. Grassley's staff joined us on the visit, and we were all very impressed. You can learn more about Linn-Mar High School here.

 

Kirkwood Community College—Cedar Rapids

Without a doubt, our final stop at Kirkwood Community College was both our most comfortable and our tastiest. The night before, we stayed at the Four Diamond Award on-campus hotel, where students take part in every aspect of the hotel's operation. While we toured various aspects of the hospitality management program, we also dined at the chef's table in the culinary classroom, where students were taking a midterm exam. The eight-course meal was fantastic, and we were so grateful for Kirkwood's warm welcome. The facilities and opportunities for students were unique, and really gave students the ability to learn on-the-job from within their classrooms. We also participated in a roundtable with current and former students, and learned about the life-changing education that Kirkwood Community College is providing/ provided them. KCRG, the local TV station, produced a segment on our visit which you can watch here. You can also learn more about Kirkwood Community College here, and its hospitality management program here.

I want to give a special thanks to Sandy Miller, Iowa ACTE's Executive Director, and ACTE Region III Vice-President-Elect Lisa Stange. Without their efforts, this tour would not have been possible. I also want to express my gratitude to each of the eight programs we visited and their students and staff for being so welcoming and for sharing their terrific programs. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who attended the tour, from local, state and federal policymakers to members of the media. Your support and interest in CTE is an integral part to its success.

Trump Administration Releases Higher Ed Principles

On Monday, the Trump Administration released its principles to reform the Higher Education Act. The principles are largely centered on the growing need for some type of postsecondary credential, and how to ensure students have access to high-quality education without incurring massive debt. The principles include:

• Accreditation Reform: The Administration contends that accreditors are stifling innovation, and instead should be focused on educational quality. To do this, it urges Congress to streamline accreditation standards and remove distinctions between accreditors.
• Innovation in the Education Marketplace: The Administration proposes a pilot program to "increase access to market-driven workforce development programs.”
• Aligning Education and the Workforce: The Administration urges Congress to encourage partnerships between postsecondary institutions and employers. It also embraces the expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs, and supports reforming the Federal Work Study program to focus on career and workforce skills.
• Increasing Institutional Accountability: The Administration would require educational institutions to share the financial responsibility of student loans.
• Accelerating Program Completion: The Administration suggests that Congress should require financial aid award letters to include policies on prior learning assessments.
• Supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): The Administration recommends making permanent the President’s Board of Advisers on HBCUs and the Interagency Working Group responsible for improving the capacity of HBCUs.
• Encourage Responsible Borrowing: The Administration asks Congress to take steps to improve guidance given to students in the student loan process.
• Simplifying Student Aid: The Administration supports consolidating FAFSA, offering income-driven repayment options and eliminating public service loan forgiveness in favor of a loan forgiveness plan linked to income-driven repayment over 15 years.
• Support Returning Citizens: The Administration proposes providing additional support to help of formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into communities.
• Additional Information about Schools/Programs: The Administration supports providing prospective students with more information institution-level data.

ACTE largely supports some of these priorities, particularly expanding Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, shorter-term program, but could have concerns about others that would reduce postsecondary program quality and financial aid. However, the proposed principles were largely aspirational and did not include significant detail upon which to base specific positions. ACTE will continue to work closely with federal policymakers, including the Administration, on reauthorizing the Higher Education Act to ensure the law meets the needs of today's CTE students.

Perkins V Needs Assessment: Guide for Local Leaders

One of the most significant changes in Perkins V is the new requirement for local eligible recipients to conduct a comprehensive local needs assessment and update it at least every two years.

To help local CTE leaders conduct a needs assessment that is a valuable tool for program improvement and spending decisions, without undue burden, ACTE has published Maximizing Perkins V’s Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment & Local Application to Drive CTE Program Quality and Equity: A Guide for Local Leaders.

This brief describes the foundations of a rigorous assessment process and translates needs assessment language in Perkins V into meaningful action items, including suggestions on materials to review, stakeholders to consult and questions to ask to further your analysis.

The guide includes links to resources from ACTE and organizations, such as Advance CTE and the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, that can support needs assessment. One of these tools is the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework Self-evaluation Instrument, which includes nearly 100 criteria across 12 elements of high-quality CTE. This tool can help you evaluate your programs to determine strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement and efficiently and comprehensively fulfill this Perkins V requirement.

Key Higher Education Bills Reintroduced

As Congress wrapped up work before adjourning for its March recess, several Higher Education Act-related bills that reflect CTE priorities were reintroduced. First, on March 14, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and a number of other senators reintroduced the College Transparency Act as S. 800. ACTE endorsed this legislation in the last Congress and is pleased to do so again. The College Transparency Act would overturn the ban on a postsecondary student-unit record system, and create more efficient and effective mechanisms to link postsecondary student outcome data.

According to the press release announcing the bill, “CTA modernizes the college reporting system for postsecondary data by ensuring accurate reporting on student outcomes such as enrollment, completion, and post-college success across colleges and majors, while ensuring the privacy of individual students is securely protected.” In the House, Reps. Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Josh Harder (D-CA) have reintroduced a companion bill, H.R. 1766.

Also on March 15, Sens. Kaine (D-VA) and Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, along with a number of co-sponsors, introduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, S. 839. This bill would amend the federal Pell grant program to allow eligibility for quality postsecondary programs that are at least 150 clock hours of instruction time over a period of at least 8 weeks. Current law restricts Pell funding to programs that are at least 600 hours over 15 weeks. Programs funded under the JOBS Act would have to lead to a recognized postsecondary program, be part of a career pathway, and provide training aligned with the requirements of high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations in the State or local area. New in the bill this year, programs would also have to articulate to more advanced credential programs at the institution where they are offered.

When introducing the bill, Sen. Kaine said “We need to broaden our definition of higher education to include quality career and technical programs. And we have to make sure that federal policy supports this kind of learning too.” “The JOBS Act expands Pell Grant eligibility to help students get the job training they need for careers that will give them economic security and help them join the workforce,” Sen. Portman added. ACTE has also endorsed this legislation.

President Proposes Large Cuts to Education and Workforce Development

After a significant delay due to the impact of the government shutdown earlier this year, the FY 2020 federal budget and appropriations process finally kicked off yesterday with the release of the president’s budget request to Congress. The president’s budget proposal is not binding, but is a reflection of the Administration’s priorities for the year and can serve to inform congressional negotiations over spending decisions and new policy proposals.

Specific to CTE programs, the budget proposed flat funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant at its FY 2019 level, and a small increase for the National programs line item to increase the funding available for the new Innovation and Modernization grants authorized in Perkins V. This is very similar to the CTE budget proposed last year by the Administration (which Congress rejected in order to provide a $70 million increase to the Basic State Grant).

Unfortunately, while the bulk of Perkins was level funded, the FY 2020 proposal includes deep cuts to education and workforce development programs overall. When considering rescissions of prior year funding and some accounting maneuvers, the Department of Education receives $8.8 billion less in the FY 2020 proposal than in FY 2019—a cut of 12.5 percent. This includes big cuts for literacy programs, teacher development, and student aid, among numerous other areas—many of which also support CTE teachers and students. For example, there is an almost 15 percent cut to Adult Education state grants and funding for both Title II of ESSA (focused on supporting effective instruction) and Title IV-A of ESSA (Student success and academic enhancement grants) is completely eliminated.

The Department of Labor budget is also reduced from $12.1 billion to $10.9 billion, a cut of approximately 10 percent. Significantly, this includes cuts to YouthBuild and dislocated worker programs.

The Administration does propose an increase of H-1B visa fees collected by the Department of Labor, and suggests that Congress make policy changes to redirect 15 percent of those fees to the Perkins Basic State Grant in order to provide increased funding. However, we are still examining the details of this proposal and at this point, it is unclear whether this is a practical way to ensure more resources reach state and local CTE programs, or how much funding could be realized.

Considering the extreme cuts throughout the President’s budget proposal, it will be even more critical for CTE advocates to speak out on behalf of Perkins funding this year!

High-quality CTE Series Launched

This month, ACTE is launching a new series exploring in detail each of ACTE's 12 elements of high-quality CTE with the first brief in the series, Defining Quality: Business and Community Partnerships.

Business and Community Partnerships is one of 12 elements in the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework, a comprehensive, evidence-based set of quality standards for CTE programs. Criteria within this element address business and community partner recruitment, partnership structure and the wide variety of activities partners should be engaged in to support the program of study and ensure programs are aligned with workforce needs.

Defining Quality: Business and Community Partnerships describes the criteria within the Business and Community Partnerships element, recommends types of evidence that programs can consider when assessing their performance against these quality criteria, and shares case studies of programs and institutions doing exemplary work to develop and leverage partnerships. This publication was generously supported by Stratasys.

Upcoming publications in the series include Defining Quality: Student Career Development and Defining Quality: Access and Equity. Eventually, the series will include 12 briefs, one for each of ACTE’s 12 elements of high-quality CTE. In addition, in 2019 we will be sharing a series of micro-webinars presenting short case studies on success within each element.

You can access all our High-quality CTE Initiative tools and resources at www.acteonline.org/high-quality-CTE.  

CTE Creates the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Workforce

Transportation, warehousing and related fields employ more than 13 million people—9 percent of the labor force—and more than 600,000 new jobs are projected in transportation and material moving by 2026. Learn how CTE prepares the workforce in transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) with ACTE’s updated Sector Sheet. This brief has been revised with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs.  

Careers in TDL move people and products around the nation and the world through air, freight rail, maritime, truck and public transport; maintenance of vehicles, public highways, rail systems, bridges, seaports and airports; postal, sightseeing and courier services; warehousing; and logistics and supply chain management. Many jobs in this sector will open up as older workers retire, and these jobs can provide family-sustaining wages for those with a high school diploma as well as middle-skill workers with postsecondary certificates, associate degrees, licenses and industry certifications.

To engage and prepare students for careers in this sector, Anderson I & II Career and Technology Center in rural Williamston, South Carolina, offers a program of study in automotive technology built on curriculum from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation and featuring industry-standard equipment. Employer partners provide paid work-based learning experiences for junior and seniors that result in course credit. Students can also earn postsecondary certificates in engine electrical systems and braking systems as well as Automotive Service Excellence certifications. The Automotive Technology program has been recognized by Advance CTE for excellence in TDL.

On the postsecondary level, the Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing Technology program at Cedar Valley College, part of the Dallas County Community College District, prepares students for in-demand careers in the region through a curriculum aligned with the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC). Students can earn postsecondary certificates or an associate of applied science degree that also prepares them for MSSC credentials, including Certified Logistics Technician and Certified Logistic Associate certifications.

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