State of CTE Funding: Advance CTE recently published the 2023 State of CTE report, which provides an overview of secondary CTE funding models across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It also serves as a resource for those interested in conducting side-by-side state comparisons of funding models and related factors. One of the report’s key findings is that CTE funding models are deeply varied and complex due to the reliance on a mix of federal, state and local policies to provide funds for secondary CTE.
More findings from the report below:
- The categorical student-based funding approach, which distributes funds relative to the number of CTE learners enrolled, is the most common model used by states (23).
- States have increased their CTE funding over the past 10 years, with an average state increase of over $180 million, reflecting the growing focus and attention on CTE by policymakers.
- Secondary CTE programs of study used state funds to support equitable access (65%), program of study completion (56%) and the purchase of equipment and resources (54%).
- Maine was the state with the highest amount of CTE funds per FTE in FY 2022 with a range of $7,500-7,999.
The report recommends that CTE leaders actively look for opportunities for continuous improvement to better their models in areas such as ongoing policy and practice, formula design and innovation and incentives.
Lessons in how to build students’ social capital through career-connected learning: The Christensen Institute recently published a report that offers field-tested strategies for building learners’ social capital through existing CTE pathways by increased networking opportunities and personal and professional relationships. After an 18-month pilot initiative conducted with partner organizations like Education Strategy Group, researchers developed 10 crucial social capital building lessons for school leaders.
The following list highlights some of these lesson topics. Leaders can implement these lessons to help learners expand their networks and engage in more networking opportunities:
- Embed social capital into your infrastructure. Hiring the right staff can help foster change but embedding practices into curricula, roles and data systems helps maintain it.
- Prioritize building curricula and allocate time and resources for social capital training instead of purchasing poorly fit off-the-shelf products.
- Adapt practices to cultural norms. Social capital requires cooperation between students and staff. Tailor your strategies to align with learner backgrounds.
- Take a show-not-tell approach to teaching about social capital. Rather than adapting it as a subject matter, immerse students in experiences that build their understanding.
Increasing Equitable Postsecondary Value: A report recently published by the Institute for Higher Education Policy tackles the issue of equitable value in postsecondary education by exploring policy interventions that aim to break down barriers and assess the economic value of postsecondary credentials through publicly available data that estimates a minimum economic return to students. Researchers discovered that approximately 88% of public two-year or less-than-two-year institutions provide students with at least a minimum economic return on their investment.
To go beyond the threshold of minimum return, school leaders, administrators and policymakers must address the shortcomings and inequities that underserved learner groups face nationwide. Researchers made the following recommendations to help institutions address these issues and strive further toward equitable value:
- Invest in first-dollar free college programs to increase affordability value by maximizing aid for high-need students.
- Assist low-income background students with non-tuition expenses to reduce affordability barriers and facilitate completion.
- Make financial aid more feasible for low-income students by avoiding restrictions on part-time status, enrollment age, state background and transfer status.
- Advocate for changes in federal and state law to decrease time-to-degree and increase completion rates.
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