This week in Washington a new Speaker of the House was elected after weeks of discussion and failed candidates. Congress can now move forward on pressing legislative issues. One of those key issues is the looming deadline of November 17 for appropriations bills. Congress must complete work on these bills or pass a new continuing resolution by this date to avoid a government shutdown. Now that work has resumed on appropriations bills, it is critical to continue letting Members of Congress know how important Perkins funding is to CTE programs across the country. You can find an updated action alert here. More news and updates below:
- House Elects GOP’s Mike Johnson as New House Speaker: The House of Representatives has elected Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the new speaker of the House earlier this week in what turned out to be a unanimous Republican vote in favor of Johnson. With the election of the Speaker now finalized the House and the Senate can now fully return to business as usual and resume their efforts on finalizing the appropriations process. Read more about this development in the CTE Policy Watch Blog.
- House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing on Community Colleges and Apprenticeships: On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs held the hearing titled, “The Power of Apprenticeships: Faster, Better Paths to Prosperous Jobs and Less Waste in Higher Education.” This hearing discussed ways to draw more youth into exploring career options through CTE, apprenticeships and other work-based learning models.
OCTAE Releases New Perkins Program Memo: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) released a memo this week outlining critical policy levers that states could consider through the Perkins V state planning process. This non-regulatory guidance memo could inform state decision-making as they update their Perkins plans this school year.
- Department of Commerce Designates Multiple Tech Hubs Across America: The Department of Commerce has announced the designation of 31 Tech Hub locations across the nation as a part of an economic development initiative designed to drive innovation and job creation by strengthening each region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize and deploy technology. The Tech Hubs will be located across 32 states and Puerto Rico representing a cross-section of urban and rural regions to invest directly into burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.
- Department of Education Releases Additional Rules on Accountability for Colleges and Consumer Protection for Students: ED has announced final regulations that aim to strengthen ED’s ability to protect students and taxpayers from the negative effects of sudden college closures and require institutions to communicate more clearly about the financial aid each student will receive, among other things. This new set of rules is set to go into effect July 1, 2024.
- White House Requests Emergency Domestic Funding Package to Address Array of Issues: The Biden-Harris Administration has asked Congress for $56 billion in supplemental appropriations to tackle issues such as childcare access, natural disaster relief, low-income broadband internet subsidies and security for U.S. based religious institutions being affected by the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
- New Dual Enrollment Research Fund Opens Call for Proposals: The Dual Enrollment Research Fund has announced that it is looking for applications for a grant of at least $1 million aimed at supporting research that expands and deepens the body of knowledge and evidence on dual enrollment as a tool for increasing college access and success. The initiative is seeking rigorous research projects that will answer urgent questions and directly inform the adoption of dual enrollment policies and practices to benefit students.
- IES Releases FY 2024 Applications for Research Network Grant Opportunities: The Institute for Education Sciences (IES) has released a request for applications (RFA) for the Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice program. Through this RFA, interested parties can form a part of research teams for the Career and Technical Education Network, which will be made up of up to five teams, and the Digital Learning Platforms Network, which will be made up of up to 10 teams. For further information visit the IES funding opportunities web page.
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