It was a busy week in DC last week! While police reform bills have stalled, discussions continue on next steps. In addition, lawmakers continue to move slowly toward a new COVID-19 relief bill, and support for additional funding for education in the next relief package is gaining traction. Read more below!
- Four More CTE State Plans Approved: The Department of Education has approved four additional Perkins State Plans! The plans that were approved are: Arkansas, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee. More information on their plans can be found on the Departments website.
- House Committee Hearing on Racial Inequities During COVID-19: On Monday, June 22, the House Education and Labor Committee hosted a hearing on “Inequities Exposed: How COVID-19 Widened Racial Inequalities in Education, Health and the Workforce”. During the hearing, committee members were able to hear from four experts about this issue discussed ways to move forward. Topics included lack of access to distance learning for Black, Latino and low-income students, minority businesses being most negatively affected during the pandemic, and other impacts that have disproportionately affected people of color during COVID-19.
- Transformation of Work Summit: Protocol hosted “The Transformation of Work Summit” to explain how COVID-19 has shaped employability skills, workforce training, economic development and more. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), the Future of Work Caucus Chair in the House, spoke on how COVID-19 illuminated inequities and accentuated the need for technology to address the current and future skills gap. A Future of Skills panel discussed barriers to closing the skills gap, in-demand skills and the role of educational institutions during and after COVID-19. Watch the recording here.
- Executive Order on Skills-Based Hiring: President Trump signed an Executive Order stating that the federal hiring process will no longer rely on degree-based hiring but instead on skills-based hiring. The order directs the Office of Personnel Management and the heads of other agencies to “review and revise all job classification and qualification standards for positions within the competitive service” to focus more on skills and competencies rather than educational credentials.
- Apply for Out-of-school-time Career Pathways Grant: The Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) is inviting schools to apply for the new Out-of-school-time Career Pathway program. This grant program is offering $1.5 million to help state educational agencies support projects that will lead to expanded options for career pathways that can lead to postsecondary credentials. The deadline to apply is September 21, 2020.
- Support for Additional Education Funding in COVID-19 Relief Package: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, supports giving schools and colleges additional funds in the next COVID-19 relief package in order for students to be able to safely return to campuses in the fall.
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