On July 1, 2019, changes made to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act by the reauthorization bill passed last summer, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, officially went into effect. The Department of Education marked the occasion with a Perkins “Happy New Year” video message and a press release describing early implementation efforts.
As part of kicking off the new plan year, the Department also announced that every state’s one-year transition plan to cover the start of Perkins V had been approved. To mark the occasion, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said, "Our team is so encouraged by the way states have embraced the spirit of this new law and are rethinking career and technical education on behalf of their students. The work is just beginning though. As states begin to think about their long-term career and technical education strategies, I would encourage them to continue to act boldly and break down the silos that exist between education and industry so that all students are prepared for the in-demand, high-paying jobs of today's economy and tomorrow's."
States are now moving full-steam ahead with work on their full four-year Perkins V implementation plans, which are due to the Department of Education next spring. During the transition year, most states are making minimal operational changes to their CTE system, but focusing on planning and stakeholder engagement around the new Perkins V requirements, like the local needs assessment. A few changes states are making in their transition plans were highlighted in the Department’s release, including shifting funding allocations, encouraging more regional collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions, and focusing on quality CTE program elements, including a specific mention of those in ACTE’s Quality Program of Study Framework. You can read more about our Framework at https://www.acteonline.org/professional-development/high-quality-cte-tools/ and find Perkins implementation resources at https://www.acteonline.org/perkins-implementation/.
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