This week, Congress attempted to wrap up their work for the year ahead of their target adjournment date. The annual National Defense Authorization Act was passed by both chambers, but negotiations continue on an emergency international aid package for Israel and Ukraine. The House has now adjourned for the holiday break while the Senate delayed its recess in hopes of getting a deal through. More news and notes below:
- Senate HELP Committee Approves Education Sciences Reform Act Reauthorization: This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to approve the Advancing Research in Education Act (S.3392), which amends the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) that has not been touched by Congress since 2002. This new ESRA bill includes CTE more overtly and focuses on both the education and workforce outcomes of students. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog.
- House Education and Workforce Committee Approves WIOA Reauthorization and Short-term Pell Legislation: The House and Education Workforce Committee voted to approve a reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and a bill to extend Pell grants to short-term programs. Read more about WIOA on the CTE Policy Watch Blog here and short-term Pell here.
- NCES Releases Data on Public School Teachers, Highlighting Rates of Professionals Exiting the Field: The National Center for Education Statistics has released a set of selected findings from its Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS). This week’s data release announced that approximately 8% of teachers left the profession in 2021, a rate unchanged from a decade earlier.
- NCES Releases Data on Outcomes and Graduation Rates for Students at Postsecondary Institutions: The National Center for Education Statistics has released a set of provisional data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which discovered that at least 31% of students attending a 2-year institution in school year 2014-15 earned a degree or a certificate within 8 years after initial enrollment, representing an increase from school year 2013-14.
- Department of Energy Launches New Office to Coordinate Critical and Emerging Technologies: The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the launch of the Office of Critical and Emerging Technology to coordinate efforts in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, quantum computing and semiconductors.
- Department of Labor Announced Proposed Rulemaking to Modernize Registered Apprenticeship Regulations: The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that it will propose new regulations related to the National Apprenticeship System. The proposed rule includes stronger labor standards and workers protections, better defined roles for state apprenticeship agencies, better promotion of apprenticeship pathways and the creation of a student centric model of registered apprenticeship, among other things. It also contains new connections to CTE programs, which we will be analyzing carefully!
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