rural « NASDCTEc Blog

ED Seeks Student Input on Improving Education

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

On February 1, the Department of Education launched the National Education Startup Challenge, asking students to develop innovative, real world solutions to improve education. Students from across the country are invited to submit a business plan and a video pitch for a for-profit or non-profit startup that includes an innovative strategy, product or service designed to address one of these four topics:

Middle Grades Matter: Helping middle school students transition to high school and stay on track to graduate.
Skills, Skills, Skills: Providing students in rural, urban, and/or high-poverty communities with opportunities for internships or other work- and community-based learning experiences that help them develop skills for success in postsecondary education, 21st century careers, and civic life.
Education Pays: Making it easier for students and families to find and select high-quality, affordable postsecondary programs – whether colleges, universities, or career training programs – that provide good value.
Finishing Faster: Increasing the likelihood that postsecondary students complete their degrees and decreasing the time it takes them to finish, such as by improving and speeding up remedial education.

Students in grade 6 through postsecondary, as well as out-of-school youth, are eligible to participate. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2012.

For more information visit the National Education Startup Challenge Web site.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By Nancy in News
Tags: degree attainment, graduation, Post Secondary Access and Affordability, postsecondary, rural, school improvement, Secondary, skills

White House Report Shows Fewer Rural Students Attend College

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

Despite greater parental and community involvement, students in rural schools have college-going rates that are 10 to 15 percentage points lower than those of urban school students.

Through his recently-launched White House Rural Council, President Barack Obama aims to conquer this issue and other problems faced by rural communities today. The Rural Council released a report this month, Jobs and Economic Security for Rural America, that briefly addresses education and focuses more on job creation and economic growth.

The report shows ways that the Obama administration is working to close gaps between rural schools and other public schools, mostly by increasing access to Pell Grants and making student loans more affordable.

The Rural Council describes educational training, job certification and credential attainment as critical to supporting military families and the 6.1 million veterans who live in rural communities. Additionally, the Rural Council includes “training a globally competitive workforce” as a key area for strengthening rural America. The report references several of the administration’s initiatives that are already in place to meet this goal including: the Education Jobs Fund program, the Rural Education Achievement program and the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grants.

Career Technical Education (CTE) helps close the college-going gap between rural and urban schools by providing education and skills training to prepare veterans, displaced workers, career changers, and other individuals for further education and careers in high-demand fields.

By Kara in News, Resources
Tags: college-going rate, Job training, President Obama, rural, White House Rural Council

AYPF Webinar This Week – Rural High Schools Preparing Students through CTE and Dual Enrollment

Monday, July 25th, 2011

The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonprofit professional development organization for policymakers, practitioners and researchers, is holding a webinar this Thursday to describe how rural schools are preparing students for college and careers through dual enrollment and Career Technical Education (CTE). The webinar will feature speakers from two rural high schools as well as John White, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. Read more

Date: Thursday, 7/28/2011
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 ET

Click here to register for this webinar.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst, kherbertson@careertech.org

By Kara in News, Webinars
Tags: college and career readiness, dual enrollment, high schools, rural

Legislative Update: House Committee Passes ESEA Flexibility Bill; WIA Markup Rescheduled; Debt Talks Continue; All Children Are Equal Act; and Veterans Opportunity to Work Act

Friday, July 15th, 2011

House Committee Passes 3rd ESEA Bill

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved this week the third in a series of five bills designed to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The third bill, the State and Local Funding Flexibility Act, passed the Committee despite strong opposition from Democrats and accusations of civil rights violation. Read more.

Workforce Investment Act

The Senate showed an effort to move forward with reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) last month when they released a discussion draft for comment. However, markup of the bill continues to be pushed back and is now scheduled to occur on August 3rd.

Debt Talks

With only two weeks left to take action, Congress still struggles to compromise on the debt ceiling. Republican House leaders will vote next week on a plan that would increase the debt ceiling if Democrats agree to $2.4 trillion in spending cuts over the next ten years, in addition to passing a balanced budget amendment.

Obama disagrees with the Republican House plan, saying that “I have not seen a credible plan that would allow you to get to $2.4 trillion without really hurting ordinary folks.” The President continues to urge Congress to create a plan before a default occurs in early August.

Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) and Senator Harry Reid (NV) are working together to outline a plan that would give President Obama authority over the debt ceiling but would also demand its incremental increase.

Bills Introduced:

All Children Are Equal Act (ACE)

Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA) introduced H.R. 2485, the All Children Are Equal Act, to increase Title I funding through ESEA for rural districts with high numbers of low-income families. Currently, Title I funds are distributed through a complicated formula based on the size and concentration of poverty in a district. The formula often results in large, urban districts receiving much larger shares of funding than poor, rural districts. Thompson’s bill would place less weight on population to increase the formula’s focus on student poverty. The bill aims to provide more equitable distribution of funds for disadvantaged students in rural areas.

Veterans Opportunity to Work Act of 2011

Rep. Jeff Miller (FL) introduced H.R. 2433, the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act, a bill to provide retraining assistance for veterans through community college or technical schools. The bill would require attendees to participate in a full-time program leading to an associates degree or certificate and a job in a high-demand field.

By Kara in Public Policy
Tags: community colleges, debt talks, Job training, NCLB/ESEA, rural, WIA

Register for “Already at the Top: CTE Programs Show Positive Impact on Student Achievement” NASDCTEc Webinar

Friday, May 14th, 2010

When: Friday, May 28, 2010 3 PM-4 PM Eastern time. Event number: 205 969 218 Register for this webinar at: https://ciscosales.webex.com/ciscosales/onstage/g.php?d=205969218&t=a

A string of changes in global competition, demographics, as well as our collective conscience, require we ensure that every student in the United States is prepared for success. Hence, education systems are aiming to address these changes through school improvement efforts. At the federal level, the Obama Administration is incentivizing sweeping changes in four specific areas through its Race to the Top Fund. While a large-scale reform movement is still in its infancy, potential program and school models can be found in career technical education (CTE), which has led school improvement strategies linked to student achievement in rural, urban and suburban areas. This webinar expands on a NASDCTEc three-part issue brief series.

By Ramona in NASDCTEc Resources
Tags: race to the top, rural, urban, Webinars

Meeting with Senate Democratic Outreach Committee on Rural Issues

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) is chair of the Senator Democratic Leadership’s Outreach Committee on Rural Issues. NASDCTEc was one of twelve organizations invited to the U.S. Capitol to meet with the Committee to discuss ways to help rural communities meet their economic and workforce needs. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Roland Burris (D-IL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Ben Nelson (D-NE) were also in attendance.

Attendees at yesterday’s meeting discussed the critical importance of ensuring broadband access to rural communities to not only deliver distance education but also to allow individuals to work from home. Other topics of discussion included sector strategies and the role of community colleges in promoting rural economic development.

CTE has always played a strong role in rural America. According to NCES, about 43.5% of CTE is delivered in rural settings. I shared the story of Mosquero, a very rural high school in New Mexico. On average the graduating class is just four students. Four! So you can imagine what a challenge it is to provide robust options and opportunities for students. But Mosquero is doing just that!

With the support of a Microsoft Partners In Learning Grant, Mosquero has been able to implement an innovative program that gives the students exposure to a broad array of careers, empowers them with leadership skills, provides dual enrollment classes via distance education and fulfills important community needs. By using the Arts, A/V, Communications Career Cluster model as a framework, this community is developing talented entrepreneurs who know how to run a business, manage a budget, make persuasive presentations to a Board, and hire and manage staff. What these students have been exposed to and are able to do by the end of their high school experience rivals what most college graduates do even in the first years of employment!

Growing your own is a longstanding motto of rural America. Mosquero is investing in its youth and its future. Through the use of technology, community engagement, and innovative leadership, these students will be well-prepared for the 21st century workplace – no matter where that may be .

By Kimberly in Career Clusters®
Tags: Career Clusters®, rural

Posts Tagged ‘rural’