CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest: November 23-28

We hope you had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday! Though it was a short week here at ACTE, and the House and Senate were out of session for the holiday, we still have a couple of notes from DC last week: 

• Updated CDC Guidance for Schools During COVID-19: The CDC has updated many of its guidance documents regarding COVID-19 in K-12 schools and childcare centers this month. Some of the updated guidance includes screening students with symptoms, contact tracing in schools, cleaning and PPE in schools and facts about COVID-19 vaccines. 
• Appropriations Bill Update: Last week, the House and the Senate reached a bipartisan agreement for a framework for an omnibus spending package to ensure that the government can continue to operate after the continuing resolution (CR), which is currently funding the government, expires on December 11. The details on how the $1.4 trillion for discretionary spending will be split up have not been released, and are likely to be kept confidential as negotiations continue on individual program funding levels within the broader framework.

DC Digest: November 16-22

Both the House and the Senate are back in session and are working toward a consensus on FY 21 appropriations bills, which they hope to complete during the lame duck session. The continuing resolution (CR) currently funding the government expires on December 11, so some action must be taken before that date to avoid a government shutdown. In addition, the House and the Senate have still not reached an agreement on a COVID-19 stimulus relief package and are far apart on how much to invest, with House Democrats wanting $3 trillion in relief funding and Senate Republicans wanting $500 billion. Here are a few more notes from last week:

• National Apprenticeship Act Passed in the House: The National Apprenticeship Act was introduced and passed in the House on Friday. This new Act would invest more than $35 billion to fund one million new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years, and creates pathways for students and employees to participate in registered apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, among other things. ACTE endorsed this bill earlier this Congress, but it is not expected to be taken up by the Senate this Congress. 
• New Online Portal for CARES Act Data: The Department of Education created a new online portal to show how states and other grantees are using the CARES Act funding which was allocated to ensure continued learning during the pandemic. The online portal is interactive and features state profiles which provides information on both the award recipients and expenditures within each state. However, the data should be interpreted with caution, and is not necessarily an accurate picture of how much money local school districts or states have obligated or how much CARES Act money is still available. In many cases, funds have already been allocated for contracts or other expenditures which are not reflected in the portal. Numerous groups have already pushed back on the accuracy of the information.

DC Digest: November 9-15

Last week was National Apprenticeship Week! All throughout the week, many organizations, schools and federal agencies celebrated apprenticeship programs with informational webinars or virtual events, some of which are highlighted below. Activity was relatively quiet on Capitol Hill as new Members of Congress arrived for orientation, but along with events for National Apprenticeship Week, the Department of Education made a few announcements. Read on for more details:

• Webinar on Policy Impacting Past and Future Apprenticeships: The Urban Institute collaborated with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and held a webinar to recognize National Apprenticeship Week. During the webinar, three groups of expert panelists ranging from industry leaders to state practitioners spoke about the current successes of apprenticeships and potential policy recommendations for the future.
• Nominations for Second Annual Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award: The Department of Education announced that nominations are now open for the second annual Presidential Cybersecurity Education award, which will recognize two K-12 educators for their excellence in cybersecurity education. The nomination period will remain open until January 31, 2021. For more information about the rules and specifics on how to apply, please visit the Department’s website here.
• Applications for Career and Educational Pathways Exploration System Program Award: The Department of Education announced that applications for new awards under the Career and Educational Pathways Exploration System Program are now open. This program aims to encourage the development of technology-based career exploration systems to ensure students have access to tools for career exploration and education or training planning. The deadline to apply is December 9, 2020.
• Joint Project Between the US and Germany Announced: The Departments of Labor, Commerce and Education ratified a Joint Declaration of Intent partnership with Germany regarding cooperation on apprenticeships and career and technical education and training during National Apprenticeship Week. This partnership encourages quality apprenticeship programs in both countries, increased work-based learning, public-private partnerships between business/industries and CTE programs, and bilateral exchanges of apprentices and trainers.
• White House Recognition of Apprenticeship Programs: During National Apprenticeship Week, President Trump issued a proclamation praising the successes of apprenticeships and recommitted to supporting apprenticeships while encouraging stakeholders to expand apprenticeship education and training. 

DC Digest: November 2-8

All eyes in Washington were on the election last week, as votes continued to be counted in the Presidential race and many congressional races. Now that more information is known, we’ll have complete coverage in other posts on the blog. Though the election consumed much of the airtime, here are a few other notes from last week:

• New Post-COVID-19 Workforce Initiative: The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture launched a new initiative, Engaging as One Workforce for America. This initiative seeks to increase the capacity of local and state governments to engage displaced workers to lessen their time unemployed and create clear pathways back to employment, through a public-private partnership.
• Agreement in Congress for Funding the Government: On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that both he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have agreed that an omnibus to continue funding the government should be passed, instead of another continuing resolution (CR). Congress must come to agreement on appropriations bills or pass a new CR during the lame duck session lto avoid a government shutdown, since the current CR expires on December 11. 
• COVID-19 Stimulus Relief Bill Update: Before the election, some lawmakers were hopeful that they would be able to pass a stimulus relief bill when both chambers are back in session, however, it is still unclear when or if that will happen. Both Senate Majority Leader McConnell and House Speaker Pelosi called for a stimulus relief package to be passed now that the election is over, but the two are still at odds on the size of the bill. McConnell is calling for a “skinny” relief package while Pelosi rejects that idea and wants a more comprehensive relief package. 

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. 

DC Digest: October 19-25

The second and final presidential debate took place on Thursday in Nashville, TN. Education played a minor role in the debate, with several mentions of reopening schools within the context of the coronavirus pandemic.. With the election right around the corner, make sure to keep up with ACTE’s Election Watch 2020 on the CTE Policy Watch blog. On the Hill on Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the full Senate. The full Senate is scheduled to vote on Barrett’s nomination on Monday, October 26. Here are a few other notes from the federal education policy realm last week: 

• Additional Funding for the Earn-and-Learn Initiative: The Department of Education announced additional funding for the Federal Work Study (FWS) Experimental Sites Initiative, which launched in 2019 with participants announced earlier this year . This initiative, one of several Pell experiments underway, allows students to work more hours off-campus under the work-study program, and permits institutions to pay students for work-based learning such as apprenticeships, externships and clinical rotations, among other flexibilities
• Virtual Hill Briefing Featuring Principals Thoughts on COVID-19: On Thursday, the American Federation of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals hosted a virtual Capitol Hill briefing to hear from principals on COVID-19 related challenges and the federal supports that would help schools and students during this time. 
• Senate COVID-19 Relief Proposal Fails Cloture Motion: The Senate failed to move forward the $500 billion COVID-19 relief package that was proposed on Wednesday by Senate Republicans. Among the major provisions, the proposal included more than $100 billion for schools, although these funds were largely conditioned on in-person reopening. Talks remain ongoing between congressional leaders and the White House to try and get another relief measure passed before the November 3 election.
• New Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide: The Department of Education’s Office of Technology released a Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide to help parents and guardians understand digital learning tools, particularly while students are learning from home. Some of the topics the guide covers include how to leverage the flexibilities and innovations that technology and digital tools provide, online safety, competency-based learning, federal laws concerning student privacy and safety, and more.  

DC Digest: October 12-18

Last week was the beginning of the Supreme Court nomination process for Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett testified in front of the Senate for four days, and the Senate Judiciary Committee set a vote for Thursday, October 22, to send the nomination of Barrett to the full Senate to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. On the campaign trail, both President Trump and Joe Biden held town hall meetings on Thursday in separate locations since the second presidential debate was canceled. The common topics that were discussed were COVID-19, taxes and the Supreme Court, with education playing a minor role. With only 15 days until the election, make sure to keep up with our Election Watch 2020 series to follow ACTE's continuing coverage of the 2020 election on our blog. Here are a couple other notes from DC last week: 

• New CDC Guidance for Testing in Schools: New guidance from the CDC provides a framework for schools to use when testing for COVID-19 in schools. The CDC currently recommends testing staff and students who are showing systems of COVID-19 or who have had close contact with confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients. Schools that are at a moderate-to-high level of risk of transmission of the disease may consider repeated or expanded testing. They also recommend prioritizing testing for communities with a disproportionate rise in cases, limited testing availability or with moderate-to-high proportions of racial groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.
• Civil Rights Data Collection Released: The Department of Education released the 2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection on Thursday. These data are self-reported from 17,604 public school districts and 97,632 public schools and educational programs. It covers a range of topics including enrollment, advanced placement, school characteristics and more. 
• COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Update: Negotiations on another COVID-19 stimulus bill have continued between Congress and the White House, with some reported progress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave the White House and Congress a 48-hour window to come to a compromise to get a COVID-19 stimulus bill passed before the election, and has mentioned that the two sides were close to a deal. Even if they agree on a deal, this does not ensure that the bill will be passed by the Senate. Separately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced a vote on a $500 billion bill this week,
  which contains the same education funding and provisions as in the bill considered by the Senate several weeks ago. However, no details about the specifics of the education funding, including if it is conditioned on school reopening or not, have been released. 

DC Digest: October 5-11

Last week was the first and only Vice Presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence in Salt Lake City, UT. The debate comes with only 24 more days until the presidential election, so ACTE has created a new blog series titled Election Watch 2020 where CTE advocates can learn more about the candidates and issues, access information about what is on your ballot, and stay up-to-date on the coverage of the 2020 election. After the election, that blog series will provide detailed information on the implications of the outcomes for CTE. While much of the focus in Washington is on the upcoming election, there are a few other things happening:

 

• Webinar on Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education and Workforce Development: Brookings hosted a webinar on Thursday regarding the impact of COVID-19 on higher education and workforce development. The webinar began with House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) giving remarks on the need for education funding, workforce training, stackable credentials, support for community colleges and other education issues. The program then moved to a roundtable discussion of a new proposed delivery method of higher education by introducing Learning Opportunity Credits (LOCs).

• COVID-19 Relief Package Update: Talks between the White House and the House about another COVID-19 Relief Package ended and then began again last week. President Trump on Tuesday said that there would be no discussions regarding the passage of the bill before the election in November, but on Friday the President signaled that he might be open to negotiating again with the House with a possible offer of a $1.8 trillion stimulus package. 

• Virtual Visit to Pima Community College: The Pima Community College in Tusan, AZ, hosted a virtual visit on Thursday to discuss the successes of their Integrated Basic Education Skills and Training (IBEST) model. Scott Stump, the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education, along with teachers and students from the school, spoke about the college’s adult basic education program and their successes in the program. They shared information about their partnerships with business and industry leaders, the collaborative teams in leadership, instruction and operations, embedded student supports, and more. 

DC Digest: Sept. 28-Oct. 4

The first presidential debate was held last week and it, along with the Supreme Court nomination  took up a lot of the air time in the news coming from the Hill. In the midst of that, however, the Senate passed the continuing resolution to temporarily provide funding for FY 21, and the President signed it into law to keep the government open through December 11. COVID-19 relief bill talks also continued, but no consensus was reached between the White House and the House--more on that below. Here is some other news from DC last week:

• House Passes a $2.2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package: The House passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on Thursday. Relief talks between the House and the White House had stalled before the vote on the bill took place. This relief package is not likely to be passed in the Senate or the White House, but serves to reaffirm the House’s negotiating position. 
• New Department of Labor Grants for Key Sectors: The Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $150 million in grant funds in order to fill critical shortages in the workforce and invest in training for middle- to high-skilled occupations within key employment sectors in the economy, such as information technology and cyber security, advanced manufacturing and transportation. Fifteen to 30 grants will be awarded to help build community partnerships and increase career pathways for students. The deadline to apply is November 12, at 4PM ET. 
• 2020-21 FAFSA Released: The Department of Education released the 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Thursday. This year’s form aims to provide more user-friendly features so students, families and guardians can navigate and fill out the form more easily. The Department of Education is also providing information, tools and resources in order for students to make more informed decisions about their education options.
• Webinar to Promote Adult Re-Enrollment and Completion: On Wednesday, InsideTrack hosted a webinar with five panelists to discuss how adult students can be successful when they re-enroll in secondary or postsecondary education. The topics of the conversations ranged from providing adult students with the right supports, to streamlining data systems to be in an accessible place, engaging students to increase completion rates, and more.
• Webinar on 2020 Building a Grad Nation Report: The Grad Nation Campaign hosted a webinar to explain the findings in their new 2020 Building a Grad Nation report. This campaign’s goal in 2010 was to reach an equitable 90% graduation rate by the year 2020, and their findings showed large gains, specifically among low-income, Black, Hispanic and students with disabilities populations. These findings also showed the challenges that COVID-19 has presented, and the importance of continuing the goal of reaching the 90% graduation rate equitable among all students.

DC Digest: September 21-27

Last week was National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week week, and many organizations and the Department of Education (ED) celebrated the week with different activities. On the Hill last week, the House passed a bill on Tuesday to fund the government through December 11. Funding for the government runs out at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, so the Senate will need to pass the bill and have it signed into law by the President before then to avoid a government shutdown. Here are some other happenings from last week:

• Rethink Adult Ed Challenge: As a part of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, ED announced the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge to expand career opportunities for adult learners through pre-apprenticeship programs. Community colleges, correctional facilities, community-based organizations and other eligible providers are able to compete in this challenge with the prize funds totaling $750,000 to help create innovative and high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs in industries. The submission deadline for Stage 1 is November 25 by 11:59 p.m. ET. 
  
  
• Webinar on Reopening Schools: ED hosted a webinar on Wednesday with a panel of five educators from public and private schools to discuss innovative ways schools were exploring to reach all students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read an overview and find a link to the recording here.
  
  
• Proposed Priorities for Innovation and Modernization Grants: ED published a  proposal in the Federal Register for revised priorities, requirements, definitions and selection criteria for the next round of Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grants. The Assistant Secretary can use these for competitions to identify projects that will incorporate evidence-based and innovative strategies to improve CTE in future rounds of the grant competition. 
  
  
• 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools Announced: ED announced the 2020 National Blue Ribbon Schools. This year, 367 schools were recognized based on their “overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.” The awards ceremony will be held virtually on November 12 and 13. 
  
  
• CEF Research Briefing: On Wednesday, The Committee for Education Funding (CEF) hosted a research briefing entitled, “How Money Matters in Education.” The panelists discussed recent research that suggests that if money is invested wisely into the education system, it leads to improved student learning and more equitable outcomes. Further, they used these findings to make the case that federal policymakers need to more adequately invest into our education system. To watch the recording, click here.
  
  
• ED Announces Winners of Reimagine Workforce Preparation Grants: On September 25, the Department of Education’s Office of Career Technical and Adult Education announced the winners of its recent grant competition under the Education Stabilization Fund of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Eight states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Hampton University in partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia, were awarded a total of $126 million to expand educational opportunities through short-term, career pathways or sector-based education and training programs, and to support local entrepreneurship through business incubators.