CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Comprehensive Analysis of State Perkins Plans

Last week, Advance CTE released The State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of States’ Perkins V Priorities. The report takes an in-depth, national look at state Perkins V plans and trends across the country, including around key aspects of Perkins implementation, including program quality, access and equity, and accountability and funding decisions.

In the report, Advance CTE identified common facets of states’ Perkins V plans that are indicative of a comprehensive and cohesive state plan and that set up learners for lifelong success:

• a shared statewide vision
• ongoing and meaningful alignment and collaboration across the K-12, postsecondary and workforce systems
• a commitment to equity and learner supports  
• a commitment to quality programs 
• systems for attracting, retaining and developing CTE instructors
• the use of data-driven decisionmaking
• a strong system of supports to ensure fidelity of implementation

ACTE staff contributed to the research and analysis underlying the report, and we hope it will provide useful insights into how states are stepping up to tackle the implementation of Perkins V, and the work that remains to strengthen the CTE system across the country.

In addition to the comprehensive report, state-by-state breakdown of some of the information included can be found here: https://careertech.org/cte-your-state/.

DC Digest: October 26-November 1

Tomorrow is election day! If you have not voted yet, read about why voting is important to ACTE’s Public Policy team on the CTE Policy Watch blog. In the lead up to the election, most official activity on Capitol Hill has slowed, but one extremely significant piece of business remained. On Monday, the Senate confirmed Justice Amy Coney Barrett as the 115th justice to serve on the Supreme Court. Barrett’s confirmation vote in the Senate fell largely on party lines. Since the House and Senate were out of session last week, there are only a couple of other notes from DC last week:

• 2019 Nation’s Report Card Math and Reading Results: Results from the 2019 Nation’s Report Card for mathematics and reading assessment scores for grade 12 students show that 40% of students were below basic in math and 30% were below basic in reading. The performance of the most disadvantaged and lowest-performing students decreased as well. Read Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s statement on the results. 
• COVID-19 Stimulus Package Update: As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States, congressional efforts to pass an additional relief package have remained at a stand still. Negotiations have been put on hold in the lead up to the election, with no date in sight for resuming talks. Some lawmakers are hopeful that they will be able to pass a stimulus relief bill after the election when both chambers are back in session, but there is no official date set for resuming these talks. 
• Two Virtual Showcase Events: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education hosted two virtual showcases featuring Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. These virtual showcases highlighted each college’s hybrid models of in-person and online instruction, as well as how the programs are handling COVID-19, and the range of degree, technical and training programs each institution has to offer during the pandemic. 

Vote on Tuesday, November 3!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day! Voters all across the country will head to the polls. At the federal level, control of the White House and both the House and Senate will be decided. The results of this election have implications when it comes to committee chairs, committee compositions, the legislative agenda and more.

To learn more about what's on your ballot, where to vote and voting times, visit Nonprofit VOTE!

Further, many voters will also cast ballots for governors, state legislative representatives, and on education-related ballot initiatives, among other critical state and local races. Be sure to make your voice heard!

As a reminder, ACTE is a nonpartisan organization that does not—and will not—support or oppose any candidate for public office.