Congress continued to recognize Career Technical Education (CTE) this week. Read below to find out more about a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter about reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins), a recent briefing and a resolution about workforce development.
59 Senators Sign on to Letter to Encourage Perkins Reauthorization
On October 12, Senators McCaskill (D-MO) and Inhofe (R-OK) sent a letter, along with 57 additional Senators, to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee leaders Senators Alexander (R-TN) and Murray (D-WA). The letter encouraged them to take up reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins), emphasizing that “It is crucial that the Senate work in a bipartisan effort to help our nation’s students acquire the skills needed to be successful in today’s work environment.”
Communicating the Value and Promise of CTE Briefing
On October 11, Advance CTE, in coordination with the House and Senate CTE Caucuses, held a briefing, “Communicating the Value and Promise of CTE.” The briefing highlighted the key findings from research that Advance CTE commissioned with support from the Siemens Foundation and focused on how to combat negative stereotypes about CTE, and more effectively communicate the many benefits of CTE with parents, students and additional critical audiences. Read more about the event in Advance CTE’s blog post here.
In Case You Missed It: Workforce Development Resolution
On September 26, Senators Feinstein (D-CA), Hatch (R-UT), Baldwin (D-WI) and Enzi (R-WY) introduced a resolution, co-sponsored by an additional 11 Senators, designating September 2017, “National Workforce Development Month.” Advance CTE was proud to support his resolution. The resolution recognizes a number of workforce development programs and highlights CTE, noting the number of CTE students across the country, CTE’s role in dropout prevention, and that all states report higher graduation rates for CTE students.
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy