CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ACTION NEEDED: Ask Congress to Support Perkins Funding in Next COVID-19 Relief Package

Now that lawmakers in both chambers have introduced their latest COVID-19 relief proposals, negotiations have begun on what could end up being the final COVID-19 relief measure enacted this Congress. Although these proposals include many positive provisions, they both contain one GLARING PROBLEM – neither include dedicated funding for CTE programs, nor an adequate amount of funding for the other programs that make up our federal education and workforce systems. If Congress is serious about ensuring America recovers from its reeling economy caused by the pandemic, it's important they recognize the vital role our country's education and workforce systems will play.

ASK Congress to include $1 billion in dedicated Perkins funding & robust funding levels for the entire education and workforce development systems in any new covid-19 relief package.

Additional resources are a critical step to ensuring that students have access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities that are needed to help combat the pandemic and that will be needed by business and industry as we shift toward long-term economic recovery. Further, ensuring both the safety of students and staff and a robust instructional experience during these unprecedented times will take more, not fewer, resources.

We need to continue to raise awareness with policymakers to ensure they understand the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages policymakers to take action, so please contact your representative today!

You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will then connect you with your requested congressional office.

Senate Republicans Release New COVID-19 Relief Proposal

On Monday evening, Senate Republicans released the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protections, and Schools Act (HEALS Act), an approximately trillion-dollar proposal for the next round of relief funding aimed at quelling the economic and public health crisis ignited by the pandemic.

Some of the larger provisions of the HEALS Act include $200 per week in unemployment insurance, down from $600 in the previously enacted CARES Act, another round of stimulus checks, liability protection for businesses and schools, an additional round of Paycheck Protection Program loans, among other measures.

More specifically for education, the proposal calls for $105 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund, authorizes Emergency Education Freedom Scholarships, consolidates the nine current student loan repayment plans into two, and provides various emergency waiver authority to the Secretary for federal programs, including the Perkins Act. Of the $105 billion, the Elementary and Secondary Education fund would receive $70 billion, with two-thirds of that be conditioned on local education agencies meeting certain requirements around reopening. Higher education institutions would receive $29 billion with funding being allotted based on the number of Pell Grant recipients. The last $5 billion would go to the Governors’ Emergency Relief Fund, which can be used for any emergency grants for any part of education. Although the proposal does not include dedicated funding for CTE programs, they are included in the allowable use of funds for money allocated to the Education Stabilization Fund.

Additionally, the bill authorizes additional funding for various workforce development activities.  The appropriations package provides a total of $950 million in the Department of Labor for adult and youth training programs.

This proposal will serve as the Senate Republicans opening bid with Democrats, who will most certainly seek to make changes prior to any relief proposal being signed into law. Democratic leadership in both chambers have voiced serious concerns with the proposal, saying that it “falls short of what is needed to help with the coronavirus recession.” Democrats will seek to include hazard pay for essential workers, further address the looming eviction crisis, provide additional funding for social safety programs, and have serious concerns with the conditioning school funding to physical re-opening and liability protection provisions. It is expected for negotiations to start immediately and could potentially drag out into August, forcing Congress to work through a portion of their recess.

We are continuing to advocate for these critical resources directly for CTE and workforce programs to be included in the next relief package to ensure learners are prepared for labor market needs, particularly as the economy begins to rebuild after the pandemic. We need your help quickly to emphasize this message with Congress as the congressional leaders come together in negotiations. Click here to ask your Members of Congress to support the inclusion of funds for CTE, as provided in the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act, in the next relief package.

DC Digest: July 20-26

Both the Senate and House were back in session last week and have been working to finalize several bills before the scheduled August recess. The Senate revealed their coronavirus relief package proposal on Monday, while most of the movement in the House has been around appropriations. Below are a few updates on the happenings on the Hill and in the Administration:

• House Approves Four Spending Bills: On Friday, the House passed a $259.5 billion spending package for fiscal year 2021. The four bills included State and Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Interior and Environment, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. The Education spending bill is expected to be voted on in the House this week along with six other spending bills. 
• House Subcommittee Hearing on COVID-19 and Higher Education: On Thursday, the House’s Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Subcommittee held a hearing titled “Underfunded and Unprepared: Examining How to Overcome Obstacles to Safely Reopen Public Schools” to discuss how schools can safely reopen in the fall. During the hearing, members heard and questioned four witnesses: Michael Hinojosa, Leslie Boggs, Penny Schwinn and Sean O'Leary. Watch the entire hearing here. 
• CTE Caucus Letter to Senate Leadership to Include ACCESS to Careers Act in Next COVID Package: On July 22, CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IL) sent a letter to Senate Leadership asking them to include the ACCESS to Careers Act (S.3273) in the upcoming COVID-19 relief package. This proposal, which was endorsed by ACTE, aims to boost student success and career readiness by increasing work-based learning opportunities, ensuring students have access to support services such as career navigators and counselors, and creating career pathways to meet the changing skill demands of the U.S. economy. 
• Association Letter to Congress to Include the Emergency Educational Connections Act in Next COVID Package: ACTE, as part of the Homework Gap Coalition, sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to include the Emergency Educational Connections Act of 2020 (S. 3690) in the next COVID package. This proposal would appropriate $4 billion towards the FCC's E-Rate program, which would help schools and libraries ensure that all students and educators have internet access for remote teaching and learning this academic year.​ Click here​ to read the letter.
• New CDC Resources and Tools: Under significant political pressure, the CDC released new resources and tools related to schools and reopening. Guidance is also given on implementing collaboration between state and local health departments and schools to protect the health and safety of everyone. Some of the tools and strategies recommended are promoting behaviors to prevent the spread, changing the school and school day structure, ensuring a clean environment, taking measures to prevent others getting sick from someone who is infected, and disseminating information to guide decision-making and adapt to local conditions.
• Department of Education Releases New Guidance on CARES Act Additional Funds: The Department of Education has released updated guidance on how it will distribute the “third allocation” of CARES Act funding available to some institutions that originally qualified for small amounts of funding, including many smaller community and technical colleges or area CTE Centers. New requirements include more extensive budget and expenditure reporting for institutions meeting certain parameters. 

Preliminary Findings of an Evaluability Assessment of CTE Programs

The CTE Research Network has released preliminary findings of an evaluability assessment, or feasibility study, aimed at identifying existing CTE models with the potential for rigorous evaluation. 

The researchers identified four programs: Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), NAF Academies, Delaware Pathways and Franklin Technology Center in Joplin, Missouri. Each program has favorable conditions for research using experimental designs that show the causal impact of CTE on student outcomes. The network hopes that researchers can harness Institute for Education Sciences (IES) grants and other funding sources to evaluate these programs and expand the CTE evidence base. 

For each program, the researchers identified key elements that would make it valuable for evaluation. For VEI, the virtual work skills and virtual work-based learning that are incorporated into courses could potentially be translated to other CTE programs. Franklin Technology Center’s competency-based curriculum can be studied to determine whether it can be replicated for other CTE programs. NAF Academies is a national network of career academies, which would allow for a deeper analysis about the success of academy systems. Finally, Delaware Pathways would allow comparison between a more intensive model of CTE delivered through a technical high school and a less intensive model in a comprehensive high school setting. 

The evaluability study began with nominations from CTE stakeholders. Researchers used questionnaires, interviews and other methods to narrow down those programs to the four selected. Postsecondary institutions were not included because of the limited number of nominations that were received from that sector. 

ACTE is a partner in the IES CTE Research Network, which aims to expand the evidence base on the impact of CTE programs on student outcomes.

Research Round-up: Benefits of Taking Community College Courses, Perceptions of Perkins V, Learning During the Pandemic

Recent publications describe various CTE topics ranging from new data on postsecondary certificate and Associate degree programs to research on skills training leading to higher earnings.

Data on Students Enrolled in Postsecondary Certificate or Associate Degree Programs: A new report from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) examines the three-year completion and employment outcomes from students who entered into a postsecondary certificate or associate degree program in 2011-12. . 

Benefits for Enrollment, STEM and Earnings at Community Colleges: Taking some courses at a community college can increase the chances of earning a bachelor’s degree, earning potential, and credits earned in STEM courses for low-income, women, and Black and Latino students, according to a new report from the Community College Research Center. The researchers credit the low cost, increased course options, more diverse STEM course options and small classroom size in community colleges with the possible success of these students.

Report on Preparing for the Future Workforce: The National Governors Association (NGA) examined 150 state policies and programs to create The State Guide to Preparing the Future Workforce to encourage lifelong learning in an effort to improve the workforce. In the report, the researchers highlight the necessity for retraining, especially during the pandemic. The guide is designed to promote opportunities for all by using innovative and promising ideas in a rapidly changing economy. There are three phases suggested for a state to prepare the future workforce:

1. Build a statewide network with a shared vision.
2. Invest in innovative teaching and learning models, engage employers and become a model employer.
3. Give support to workers to engage in the future workforce.

Perceptions on Supporting Perkins V: Researchers at AEI wanted to understand policymakers’ motivations for supporting Perkins V. To understand these opinions, the researchers examined press releases from policymakers and held interviews with key staff members and CTE organizations, including ACTE, and found three key points:

1. The definitions of CTE focus on how CTE can connect job seekers with in-demand skills to meet employer demands.
2. Key policy issues in CTE that are important to both CTE leaders and members of Congress are state and local flexibility, involvement of the business community, accountability and simplification.
3. Specific policy areas, such as workforce gaps, local investment and oversight allow policymakers insight to the most compelling policy arguments for CTE. 

Skills Leading to Higher Earnings: A new report, Exploring Skills-Based Approach to Occupational Mobility, argues that transferable skills, such as job training and hiring practices, can be used to help employers fill in-demand or hard-to-fill positions and help job seekers find pathways to new careers. The researchers examined over 60 million job ads to narrow down common skills across occupations that can be used for workers to increase earning potential. In order for skills transitions to promote economic mobility, collaboration between employers and training providers must collaborate to ensure success.  

Data on Learning During the Pandemic: The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a household survey in early June to understand the effect on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Education Commission of the States (ECS) examined this data and found that K-12 students, on average, spent less than 20 hours a week on learning activities. The results also showed that during the spring, 90% of households responded that they had access to the internet and 87% said that a device was available, however, access to internet and devices became less readily available when disaggregating the data by income status and race. ECS suggests that this data can help policymakers and educators understand how to close the digital divide and identify students who need support for the fall semester.

DC Digest: July 13-19

There wasn’t much movement on the Hill last week, but both Chambers will return on July 20. The main focus was on appropriations which we have more information about below. The House Committee on Appropriations passed all 12 appropriation bills out of committee and the full House will start consideration of the first four spending bills this week. It is expected that the second round of spending bills will be taken up within the coming weeks. Here are a few more updates: 

• Appropriations Update: The House Appropriations Committee passed the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. This bill would give the Perkins Basic State Grant program an increase of $18 million, or 1.4%, over its FY 2020 enacted level, which would bring the total proposed appropriation level to approximately 1.3 billion. Read more.
• Eligibility Requirements in the CARES Act: In a joint statement, ACTE and Advance CTE submitted comments to the federal register opposing the CARES Act rule that only allows eligibility for the CARES Act funds if a student is also eligible for federal aid. Read the entire response here.

Find Something New Campaign

The White House has released its long awaited ad campaign “Find Something New” as an effort to encourage people who are unemployed or unsatisfied in their current occupation to find a pathway to a new job or career. The campaign is a product of  the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, created in 2018, in collaboration with the Ad Council, IBM, Apple and members of the Business Roundtable, and a number of other partners. 

This ad campaign seeks to meet the need for skills-based training as an alternative to four-year degree programs in order for workers to find jobs. This ad campaign is accompanied by a companion website . The website provides resources ranging from self-assessments to professional development, and links to education and training options. A number of videos are also available that may be useful for students as they engage in career development activities. 

FY21 Labor-HHS-Education Bill Passes House Committee Markup

On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 by a party-line vote. As reported last week, under this proposal, the Perkins Basic State Grant program would receive an increase of $18 million, or 1.4%, over its FY 2020 enacted level. This would bring the total proposed appropriation level for the Perkins Basic State Grant program in FY 2021 to just over 1.3 billion. You can read more about the details of the bill on our previous blog post.

Now the bill will go to the House floor for consideration by the entire House of Representatives, and a similar process will take place in the Senate before final agreement. House leaders have expressed interest in passing all 12 appropriations bills, including this one, on the House floor before the August recess. While some of the appropriations bills are already tentatively slated for votes the week of July 20, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill has not been scheduled yet. In addition, the process remains stalled in the Senate, so it is likely one or more continuing resolutions will be needed to extend funding at the end of the fiscal year.

While the Perkins increase in the bill doesn’t come close to meeting the funding needs for CTE, particularly as a result of the pandemic, it is a solid first step in this process considering restrictive budget caps. We will continue to work with Congress on appropriations bills and on the next COVID-19 response package to advocate for more resources to ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs.

Research Round-up: Employability Skills Preparedness Gaps, Expectations for Healthcare and STEM Careers, Filling the Skills Gap

Data on Subbaccalearate Health Science Students: A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) uses data from a 2015-16 national survey of undergraduates to examine the characteristics of students seeking subbaccalaureate credentials in health sciences. Health sciences is the most common occupational education program chosen by subbaccalueate students, followed closely by business and marketing. The data also shows that health science students were more likely to enroll in a two-year institution, and were more likely to obtain an associate degree rather than a certificate.

Access and Equity to Incarcerated Youth and Young Adults: Advance CTE recently released a resource that was developed in collaboration with the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center that seeks to provide incarcerated youth and young adult students with equity and access in high-quality CTE programs. This report onlines five key actions CTE state leaders can take: 

1. Ensure CTE program rigor in programs with incarcerated youth and young adult students.
2. Continue adopting and implementing promising practices.
3. Use funding to support CTE programs in correctional facilities.
4. Appoint a state-level designee to oversee the development and delivery of these CTE programs.
5. Collaborate, collect and share student-level data and program-outcome data to enhance the accountability for these programs.

Report on Top Employability Skills Preparedness Gaps: Two reports from The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) on a survey of 11,000 respondents, composed of students, faculty, alumni and employers, explore gaps in employability skills and workforce preparedness among college graduates. The first report focuses on gaps in employability skills. The researchers found that the most crucial gap among all groups was the ability to handle conflict. The second report focuses on preparedness in the workforce. The researchers found four key skills that employees need: conflict resolution, building persistence, accepting change and managing ambiguity. 

High School Students Expectations for Healthcare Careers: High school freshmen, specifically those interested in healthcare, were asked about their occupational expectations by the age of 30 in 2009 and again in 2012 to understand how students’ perception may have evolved, in a report from NCES. Two of the key findings include:

• Nearly a third of students expected to have a healthcare related job by the age of 30 when they were freshman in 2009 and 2012.
• A higher percentage of females expected to have a job in healthcare by the age of 30 than males in both 2009 and 2012. 

Bring Financial Wellness to Community College Students: Community colleges have a responsibility to provide students with access to financial aid and ensure students are aware of available resources as well as have a strong foundation in personal financial management, states the Association for Community College Trustees’ new report on financial wellness. In order to provide holistic support to students, it must be recognized that the expenses for going to school often exceed the grant aid that is given. Also, financial literacy is critical for students when they are navigating college finances and personal expenses. The researchers also provide an example of a personal finance course from the Guardian Money Management for Life (MMFL) Program to show the holistic supports students need to be successful. 

Research on Skills Trade Programs: JFF released a new report to examine skilled trades education and the types of programs that are being offered in 37 states, as well as who is participating in these programs and both the academic and nonacademic outcomes of the students. The researchers discuss the challenges of skilled trades education and provide some solutions to overcome them. A companion piece by Harbor Freight can be found here, (which was covered in a recent Research Round-up that can be found here. 

Report on STEM Occupational Intentions: A report released by NCES explores how the occupational expectations changed -or not- of high school freshmen in 2009 by the spring of 2012 who were in Science, Information Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The report focuses on four different categories of STEM occupational intentions: STEM Intenders, STEM Newcomers, STEM Leavers and Non-STEM Intenders. 

Health and STEM Career Expectations of High School Students: In a report from NCES, the researchers use U.S. data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) to determine 15-year-old high school students’ perspectives on future career paths. The report  includes the percentage and average score of students who anticipate a career path in a health field or in a STEM field. 

Report of Projection of Education Statistics to 2028: A continuing report, Projection of Education Statistics to 2028, from NCES provides national-level data on public and private elementary and secondary school schools and degree-granting postsecondary institutions. Included in the report are projections of enrollment, graduates, teachers and expenditures to the year 2028. 

Effect of Dual Enrollment on Student Outcomes: A longitudinal study was conducted to understand the effects of dual enrollment on college and early labor market outcomes. Researchers found significant effects for students who participated in dual enrollment on two-year and four-year college enrollment, degree attainment and early labor market earnings six years after high school, with greater positive impacts on minority students. Using their findings, the researchers highlight the importance of dual enrollment for improving the transition to postsecondary and workforce for underrepresented students.  

Students Without College Degrees Filling the Skills Gap: Of the 16 million workers without a college degree but with skills through alternative routes (STARS), 11 million workers termed “Rising STARs” are currently employed in middle-to low-wage work, according to a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. Based on these findings, researchers propose classification for STARS to identify potential job transitions to higher-wage work within their current earnings category and across earnings categories.

Higher Education Data Tool: College Insight has a new tool on their website to allow higher education advocates to find data related to college access, affordability and success. The platform allows users to compare institutions, explore higher education data and browse topics related issues students and graduates are facing in the United States.

DC Digest: July 6-12

The House and the Senate were not in session this week, instead focusing on committee activity, but are expected to return to session on July 20. This week, the conversation around the delivery of instruction in schools and colleges in the fall took center stage at the federal level, with Administration officials pushing for full-time in-person learning and debates among policymakers about the safety and efficacy of such a decision as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase in many places. The conversation is likely to continue as the situation around the country evolves steadily. Here are a few other happenings:

• House FY2021 Appropriations Bill: The House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved its Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bill. The bill proposes $196.5 billion in overall funding, an increase of $2.4 billion above the FY 2020 level, and includes a small increase in the Perkins Basic State Grant. Read more in our full blog post. 
• House Subcommittee Hearing on COVID-19 and Higher Education: On July 7, the House Education and Labor Subcommittee held a hearing where committee members were able to ask questions about COVID-19 and the impact on higher education. Four witnesses presented during the hearing: Sharon Pierce, Scott Pulsipher, Shaun Harper and Timothy Whitek. Watch the full hearing here. 
• More Support for Increased Education Funding: Following the remarks made by Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in favor of increasing funding to schools in the next coronavirus response package, Steven Mnuchin, the U.S. Secretary to the Treasury, has also signalled he is in favor of giving more money to schools. For schools to open safely, he stated that more funds are needed to properly equip their areas. However, it is unclear at this point whether Congress will be able to reach an agreement around the amount and criteria for any additional federal funding for education. 
• Funding for Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants: In order for community colleges to meet labor demands for a skilled workforce, the Department of Labor announced $40 million in funding for the Strengthening Community College Training Grants. These grants will help retrain individuals and build a pipeline of workers in healthcare, logistics, cybersecurity and other industries. The deadline to apply is October 8, 2020.