Last week, most of the activity in DC was focused on the inauguration of President Biden as the 46th president of the United States. In his inauguration speech, the biggest nod to education was when President Biden spoke about getting students safely back to schools for in-person instruction. He also signed several Executive Orders related to education, which you can read more about here. In Congress last week, cabinet confirmation hearings began, with the first confirmed cabinet member being Avril Haines as the director of national intelligence. More cabinet member hearings will take place in the coming days and weeks, although no schedule has been released for the confirmation of the secretary of education or labor. Here are a few other notes from last week:
- Webinar on Access and Equity in CTE: The Hunt Institute hosted a webinar titled, “Engaging Historically-Underserved Students Through Career and Technical Education.” The panelists, who included the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore schools and the executive director at Advance CTE, discussed key issues in Maryland and ideas and strategies that strengthen CTE by providing students access to and equity in high-quality CTE programs.
- Deputy Secretary of Education Announced: The Biden Administration has selected Cindy Marten as the next deputy secretary of education. Martin was a teacher for 17 years before she was a vice principal, principal, literacy specialist and then ultimately the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Her confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled, but will likely not occur until after cabinet-level positions have been confirmed.
- Department of Education Announces Additional Political Appointees: In addition to the deputy secretary, the Department of Education announced several more senior political appointees within the department. These 13 appointees will lead various aspects of the Department during the duration of President Biden’s term. No appointees to the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education have been announced.
- Recipients of Workforce Grants Announced: The Department of Labor announced the recipients of $145 million for workforce training for key economic sectors. The grants provide funding for upskilling workers and training for workers entering the workforce in key industries such as IT, advanced manufacturing and transportation.
- Grant Applications Available for Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Programs: The Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) announced the availability of applications for new awards to be granted to Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Programs for FY 2021. The deadline for applications is March 22, 2021, and OCTAE will be hosting an informational webinar for prospective applicants tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at 2:00 pm EST.
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