CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

DC Digest: March 16-22

We at ACTE hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during these uncertain times. We will continue to bring you news from the federal government on COVID-19. For the most recent updates on federal policy activities related to COVID-19, please visit this blog post, which is being updated on a daily basis with any recent news or activity. While Congress and the Administration are spending most of their time on these response activities, there were a few other news items on CTE-related issues last week:

• The Education Commission of the States (ECS) and National Governer’s Association (NGA) released their new report “Governor’s Top Education Priorities in 2020 State of the State Addresses”. One of the top findings showed CTE and workforce development programs were addressed by Governors in at least 34 states, making it the most addressed issue in 2020 state-of-the state addresses.
  
  
• The Department of Education is now accepting applications for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program. This goal of this program is to decrease, eliminate and prevent isolation of minority groups through grant-based funding to create and reproduce evidence-based programs in schools. The application deadline is May 26.

DC Digest: March 9-15

Most of the news from the federal government is understandably focused on the Coronavirus, so this Digest (and likely others for the next several weeks) largely concentrates on news and guidance coming from the administration and the Education Department. We will certainly still report on other news concerning federal education policy when it occurs! Here’s the news from this week:

 

• Senate Introduces Early Educators Apprenticeship Act: Three Senators—Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)—introduced the Early Educators Apprenticeship Act. The Act increases the number of child care apprentices with credentials or degrees, recruits new workers and offers apprentices career advancement opportunities.

 

• New Resources from the Department of Education for the Coronavirus: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has released new resources to help education leaders protect student privacy, allow for flexibility on accountability standards under ESSA and ensure students with disabilities continue to receive services that are required for learning. 

 

• COVID-19 Conference Call Between Department of Education and Chief State School Officers: The Department of Education, along with other agencies, hosted a conference call with the Council of Chief State School Officers and discussed issues relating to the Coronavirus such as school closures, school meal programs, testing and accountability measures and grant administration. Read the summary of that call here. 

 

• CDC Guidance on School Closures: The CDC has released guidance for schools when faced with decision to close down for a short period of time due to the Coronavirus or measures that should be taken if your school has already shut down. 

 

For the most up-to-date information on the Coronavirus, the Department of Education has created an information page for schools and educators. You can find more here.

 

DC Digest: March 2-8

It’s March and we’ve hit the ground running this month in the federal education policy realm. The coronavirus is on many people’s minds and on Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) asked top health officials about what school leaders and families should know. Here is what was said in the meeting, and the Department of Education has made additional resources available here. In addition, there were hearings in the House and Senate on appropriations, and in the House on apprenticeship during the week. You can find complete coverage of those in the linked blog posts. In addition, here’s what else is in the news:

• Speaker Pelosi Supports School Infrastructure Bill: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her support of the Rebuild America’s Schools Act at a press conference with teachers’ union leaders. The Act would allocated $100 billion in funding towards improving both the physical and digital infrastructure of public schools.
  
  
• New Legislation for Nutrition Education: Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) are jointly working on legislation to help students learn about healthy eating. The grants from the bill would fund activities such as school gardens, and would target schools that are experiencing high rates of childhood diet-related issues.
  
  
• CTE Mentioned at Annual Latino Coalition Legislative Summit: Secretary DeVos promoted CTE at the annual Latino Coalition legislative summit on Thursday, giving her support for CTE, and more specifically apprenticeship programs, to help with the increasing number of unfilled jobs.

DC Digest: February 24-March 1

As CTE Month wraps up, we hope that you were able to celebrate and advocate for CTE in your community and state. Take a look at how CTE Month has been celebrated around the country! Switching to the news this week, the Department of Education was very active in the federal education policy realm. Read those stories and more below!

• Applications for Advancing Innovation in Adult Education Project: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) has opened applications for the Advancing Innovation in Adult Education project, which encourages new ways to increase innovative practices for adult education. These innovations can include adult education and CTE partnering to offer innovative program designs. Applications are due April 15, 2020.
  
  
• New Upgrade to Federal Student Aid Website: Upgrades to the Education Department’s gov website include new tools to help borrowers receive personalized information about loan repayment plans. These new tools include a new Aid Summary to show users specific information on each grant and loan received, a Loan Simulator to help borrowers chart a repayment plan, and Make a Payment pilot where, in some areas, borrowers can schedule upcoming monthly payments directly on the StudentAid website.
  
  
• New Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault in Public Schools: The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has launched a new initiative to try and combat sexual assault in public schools. The initiative will increase schools’ capacity to respond to all sexual harassment and assault cases and will prohibit schools from moving employees to other schools if they have committed acts of sexual misconduct.
  
  
• House Introduces Bipartisan Apprenticeship Bill: Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the Student Apprenticeship Act of 2020. The bill would create a grant program where students can earn college credit and industry credentials through apprenticeships while partnering businesses cover at least 25 percent of the tuition and fees. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.
  
  
• Joint Op-Ed Pushes for CTE Investment: To close out CTE Month, ACTE and Advance CTE published a joint op-ed calling for a significant funding increase for Perkins Basic State Grants to continue providing services to students through high-quality CTE programs.

DC Digest: February 17-23

Last week the House and Senate finished up their district work periods, and are now set to return to Washington.  Below are some of the CTE-related policy highlights from last week:

 

• Apprenticeship Grantees Announced: The U.S. Department of Labor announced the 28 public-private partnerships that are set to receive $100 million worth of grants through the Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap program. The grants are specifically targeted to paid apprenticeship programs that lead to industry-recognized credentials.
  
  
• Stackable Credential Program Technical Assistance Application Opened: The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education announced that the technical assistance phase for its Pathways to Credentials project has begun. This allows up to 10 community colleges to receive free technical assistance on stackable credential program design. Full details are available here, and you can register for a webinar on the program here.​
  
  
• CTE Month Resolutions Finalized: The deadlines for co-sponsors to the House and Senate CTE Month resolutions closed. We are hearing that each resolution received more than 50 co-sponsors, which is terrific. Final numbers will be posted on the CTE Policy Watch Blog once confirmed. Thank you to everyone who contacted their Members of Congress.

DC Digest: February 10-16

CTE month is still in full swing and we hope that you are spending this time reflecting on the importance of CTE and encouraging others to expand CTE in schools and in your local communities, regions and states! The biggest education policy news last week was the release of the Administration’s budget, but there were several other developments as well.  . Here’s the news from last week:

• New Federal School Safety Website Launched: The Trump Administration released the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse website to help address safety and security in schools. The website is a “one-stop-shop” where students, parents and educators can visit to get more information, tools and best practices regarding safety.
  
  
• Bipartisan Bill providing Community College Innovation and Career Training Grants Introduced: The Assisting Community Colleges in Education Skilled Students (ACCESS) to Careers Act was introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and is aimed at increasing college and career readiness for students. The bill includes resources to increase local and regional labor market demand for a skilled workforce such as providing work-based learning opportunities, wraparound services and creating career pathways. ACTE has endorsed this bill.
  
  
• Scott Stump Visits Hartland Community College: On February 14, Scott Stump, Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical and Adult Education, visited Heartland Community College in Illinois to see how Hartland is training students to fill the skills gap. Stump met with students and educators and talked about the importance of increasing technical skills and workforce development efforts.

DC Digest: February 2-February 9

It was a lively week for federal education policy on the Hill this week and a great way to start CTE month! Make sure you stay up to date on all the ways you can celebrate CTE this month in your local community or state. Now on to the news:

• Briefing on Opportunities to Improve the Higher Education Act (HEA): The National Skills Coalition, in partnership with the Senate CTE Caucus, hosted a Hill briefing on ways to improve HEA to provide students with a better framework to succeed. It included a panel of community and technical college leaders who discussed how wrap-around services, employer partnerships and guided pathways models can help prepare students for success in the classroom and in the workforce.
  
  
• Bipartisan Senate Letter on Analyzing Dual Enrollment ESSA Funding: Nineteen senators sent a letter to the Department of Education to explore how ESSA money is being used for dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment and early college in high schools. The senators want an examination of the use of funds to evaluate how low-income and underrepresented students are being provided access to ensure college and career readiness.
  
  
• SouthTech Wins Second Round of Catalyzing CTE through Pay for Success Competition: Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Social Finance awarded SouthTech Academy in Palm Beach County, Florida, the second round of the “Catalyzing CTE through Pay for Success Competition,” an award to expand high-quality K-12 CTE programming for underserved communities through “Pay-for-Success” funding. SouthTech demonstrated how they will expand CTE pathways so students can integrate registered apprenticeships into their education, have opportunities to earn industry certified certifications and participate in work-based learning. A New Tech Academy in Advanced Manufacturing will be opened as well to help meet local needs in the manufacturing sector.
  
  
• Department of Education on CTE Month: Scott Stump, the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education in the U.S. Department of Education, released a video in recognition of CTE Month, and on February 7, hosted a Town Hall Call to review new guidance related to civil rights monitoring in CTE programs.
  
  
• Briefing on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs): On February 4, ACTE attended a briefing entitled, “TCUs: The Future of Higher Education” that was held in the Senate. A panel of four TCU presidents detailed the challenges and successes of TCUs around the nation such as ensuring the survival of their language and culture, teacher preparation and facilities upkeep.

DC Digest: January 27-February 2

The beginning of February kicks-off CTE month! All throughout the month will be a celebration of what CTE has accomplished and the value that CTE has around the country. Also, with the House back in session and the impeachment trial wrapping up, there could be more focus on education policy in the coming weeks. For now, here is what is in the news about federal education policy:

• White House Proclamation on CTE Month: On Friday, the White House released a proclamation on the 2020 CTE month. The Administration says this month reinforces their commitment to continue striving for expanding high-quality CTE for all Americans.
  
  
• Secretary DeVos Announces New Flexibility to States: Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont were the first states to be approved to participate in ESSA’s Education Flexibility Program (Ed-Flex), to allow states to waive certain federal regulatory requirements. It is important for stakeholders in these states to keep a close eye on this program to ensure the flexibility offered still requires a local focus on quality and equity.
  
  
• First Women in STEM Caucus: On January 29, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jackie Walorki (R-IN) and Haley Stevens (D,MI) came together to form the first Women in STEM Caucus. They explained that this caucus was created to help support and increase the number of women in the STEM fields, as well as to help create policies that address the underrepresentation of women and other minorities in STEM education and careers.

DC Digest: January 20-26

Last week was fairly quiet on the Hill regarding federal education policy updates because of the ongoing impeachment trial in the Senate and the fact that the House was in recess. Though little movement happened from the Hill, ACTE was still active this week:

• ACTE Signed House Infrastructure Letter: ACTE joined over 30 education advocacy organizations in signing a letter to House leadership urging them to include investments into school facility modernization and construction in any infrastructure package that is introduced in the House of Representatives. These funds could be used to modernize CTE programs nationwide.
  
  
• Meetings with Appropriations Committee Members: As the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations cycle gets started, ACTE’s public policy team began meeting with key Appropriations Committee members and their staff to advocate for increased funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant program.
  
  
• Looking Ahead: A quick reminder that the State of the Union will be held on February 4, and the President’s budget will be released on February 10 (both dates are a bit later than normal). Be sure to be on the lookout for information on education and workforce initiatives that may be addressed!

DC Digest: January 13-19

Despite the fact that much of Congress’ attention was focused on preparation for the impeachment trial, several new developments regarding education occurred in the third week of the new year. Read more below to find out more!

• House Disapproves of Borrower Defense Rule: The House passed a resolution to revoke the Department of Education’s borrower defense rule, which they think would make it more difficult for students to receive debt forgiveness from defrauded colleges. The resolution now goes to the Senate, but faces an uphill battle to enactment.
  
  
• Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) Joins the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP): Loeffler replaces Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) on the HELP committee, which oversees authorizing legislation affecting education like Perkins, making her the second woman to represent Georgia in the Senate. She was formally the chief executive of Bakkt, which is a trading platform for bitcoin.
  
  
• Updated Rules Treatment for Faith-Based Education Institutions and Guidance on School Prayer: The Department of Education has announced a series of actions related to religious liberty. The actions include proposing new rules related to equal treatment of faith-based institutions and the implementation of First Amendment freedoms on college campuses, and updated guidance on prayer in schools. The new documents are based on current legal rulings, so do not represent policy changes, but do contain some new institutional requirements.