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This Week in CTE

July 26th, 2019

TWEET OF THE WEEK

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK

House Holds Hearing on International Apprenticeship Models

The House Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee held a hearing on “Scaling Up Apprenticeships: Building on the Success of International Apprenticeship Models.”

In their opening remarks, both Subcommittee Chair Susan Davis (D-CA) and Ranking Member Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) discussed the need for innovative apprenticeship models that provide students with academic skills and work-based learning experience. Witnesses shared apprenticeship models in Australia, Germany and Switzerland. 

To make sure you get the latest news and resources about federal policy that affects Career Technical Education (CTE), sign up for our Legislative Updates!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Teacher Recruitment and Retention

The U.S. Department of Education Teacher Shortage survey data tool reveals that 31 states are currently identifying a critical shortage of Career Technical Education educators. Check out the most recent video on teacher recruitment and retention here. It features two organizations who are conducting groundbreaking work around teacher recruitment, retention, and professional development in CTE.  Use the information to spark ideas in the context of your Perkins V state plan.

You can access the video discussion guide here.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

Practitioner Perspectives On Equity In Career And Technical Education 

MDRC Center for Effective Career and Technical Education released a new brief on equity titled Practitioner Perspectives On Equity In Career And Technical Education. In the spring of 2019, MDRC invited practitioners from innovative CTE programs to discuss questions of equity. This policy brief summarizes the most common equity challenges that were raised in the discussion, along with ideas that emerged for how to address them. It concludes with a discussion of how research can help practitioners address equity, and how policymakers can support equitable delivery and outcomes.

Read the brief here. 

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Perkins V: How can states advance equity in CTE?

July 25th, 2019

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) provides states with an important opportunity to dive into data on Career Technical Education (CTE), identify disparities and gaps in performance, and begin to address them. The new law emphasizes the importance of engaging in this process by maintaining the required disaggregation of performance data by student populations, requiring additional disaggregation by CTE program or Career Cluster, and requiring state plans and local applications to address how disparities and gaps in performance will be addressed. In addition, the law includes a new purpose focused on how CTE can better serve special population and an expanded definition of special populations that aligns with the Every Student Succeeds Act. As Perkins V implementation begins, how can states advance equity in CTE? Check out the briefs in the Making Good on the Promise series below to learn about CTE’s equity challenges, strategies to confront inequities and rebuild trust, and how to expand CTE opportunities for each learner.

BRIEF: Understanding the CTE Equity Challenge: This brief, the first in the Making Good on the Promise series, attempts to confront the negative aspects of CTE’s legacy and define the key challenges learners face today.

BRIEF: Examining Access and Achievement Gaps: This brief, the second in the Making Good on the Promise series, lays out a strategy for state and local policymakers to confront historical inequities by using data to examine and address gaps.

BRIEF: Building Trust to Promote Equity in CTE: This brief, the third in the Making Good on the Promise series, maps out steps state leaders can take to rebuild trust in marginalized communities that CTE historically failed to serve equitably.

BRIEF: Expanding Access to Opportunity: This brief, the fourth in the Making Good on the Promise series, examines strategies state leaders can use to expand CTE opportunities for each learner.

MORE RESOURCES

Looking for additional resources? Please be sure to check out the Learning that Works Resource Center.

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This Week in CTE

July 19th, 2019

TWEET OF THE WEEK

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK

CEF Visits 41 Congressional Offices to Advocate for Education Funding 

CEF, of which Advance CTE is on the Board of Directors, held its annual Hill Day on July 17. CEF members spanning the education continuum met with a collective 41 congressional offices of both parties in the House and the Senate. In these meetings, CEF representatives advocated for an increase in education funding, which currently makes up less than 2 percent of the federal budget. Check out #CEFHillDay on Twitter to see some of the offices that were visited.

To make sure you get the latest news and resources about federal policy that affects Career Technical Education (CTE), sign up for our Legislative Updates!

Advance CTE has a New Website

We’ve made resources and information easier for you to find! In the Learning that Works Resource Center, there is new slider showcasing the latest resources, new topic areas to help you find Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) and communications resources and an improved search function.

Check it out here!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Brownsville ISD CTE Success Story

Want to hear a CTE success story? Watch this video about a former Brownsville Independent School District’s Firefighter-EMT Certification program student who is now a Firefighter/EMT for the South Padre Island Fire Department. As a child, a career as a firefighter was a distant dream now it’s a reality. 

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/O7MzclqPdvw

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

CTE Data Puts Meaningful Information about Student Pathways in the Hands of Policymakers

The Data Quality Campaign released a new fact sheet which includes guidance for state CTE leaders in creating the linkages necessary to collect CTE data and publicly reporting this information in actionable ways. It also offers recommendations for publicly reporting information on workforce outcomes in ways that are actionable to families and students.

Learn more here. 

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CEF Hill Day, House Hearing on Apprenticeship Models

July 19th, 2019

This week, Advance CTE joined the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) to advocate for an increased federal investment in education. Read below to learn more about CEF Hill Day, a hearing on apprenticeship models and  the new postsecondary post filled in the U.S. Department of Education.

CEF Visits 41 Congressional Offices to Advocate for Education Funding 

CEF, of which Advance CTE is on the Board of Directors, held its annual Hill Day on July 17. CEF members spanning the education continuum met with a collective 41 congressional offices of both parties in the House and the Senate. In these meetings CEF representatives advocated for an increase in education funding, which currently makes up less than 2 percent of the federal budget. Check out #CEFHillDay on Twitter to see some of the offices that were visited.

House Holds Hearing on International Apprenticeship Models

On July 16, the House Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee held a hearing on “Scaling Up Apprenticeships: Building on the Success of International Apprenticeship Models.”

In their opening remarks, both Subcommittee Chair Susan Davis (D-CA) and Ranking Member Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) discussed the need for innovative apprenticeship models that provide students with academic skills and work-based learning experience. 

Witnesses shared apprenticeship models in Australia, Germany and Switzerland, and included:

  • Tim Bradley, Minister Counsellor for Industry, Science and Education, Embassy of Australia;
  • Silvia Annen, Ph.D., Senior Researcher, Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training; and  
  • Simon Marti, Ph.D., Head of Office, SwissCore.

Though the apprenticeship model for each country is different, all reiterated common themes for success, such as: employer engagement throughout the entire process; public-private partnerships; affordability of programs by  shared investment across partners; and high standards for quality. The group also agreed that the apprentices are not expected to remain in one life-long occupation, but should be able to find career success in different jobs and industries.

The opening statement from Chairwoman Davis and the testimony from each witness can be found here. 

Senate Confirms Higher Education Post

On July 11, the Senate confirmed Robert L. King as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education. King’s nomination passed on a 56-37 vote. Previously, King was the president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He has also served as president and CEO of the Arizona Community Foundation and chancellor of the State University of New York system. 

The announcement and statement from the Department can be found here. 

Meredith Hills, Policy Associate

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Perkins V: How can states create meaningful pathways to graduation?

July 11th, 2019

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) gives states an opportunity to look at how Career Technical Education (CTE) intersects with other statewide policies related to graduation requirements. The new law maintains a focus on flexibility that allows states to determine how CTE works together with their strategies for competency-based education and policies for graduation. How can states create meaningful pathways to graduation? Check out the resources and policy profiles below to learn about the relationship between CTE and competency-based pathways, graduation requirements, and state approaches to these policies.

REPORT: Building a Strong Relationship Between Competency-Based Pathways and Career Technical Education: This report by Achieve and Advance CTE lays out the leverage points between Career Technical Education (CTE) and Competency-Based Pathways (CBP) and provides guiding questions to help state and local leaders consider how CTE is, can and should be a part of their CBP strategies.

BRIEF: Endorsements, Electives & More: CTE & State Graduation Requirements: This Advance CTE brief explores common approaches to offering or requiring CTE courses and assessments within a statewide set of graduation requirements, offers illustrative examples of state-level policies and elevates implementation issues for consideration.

POLICY PROFILES

  • Vermont: Flexible Pathways Initiative: Vermont’s Flexible Pathways Initiative provides flexibility for school districts and enables learners to pursue personalized pathways to college and career readiness that include dual enrollment and work-based learning opportunities.
  • New Hampshire: Statewide Competency-Based Education: New Hampshire has a statewide competency-based education and assessment system, requiring all students to complete competency-based pathways to graduate and demonstrate their mastery of knowledge and skills, rather than just accumulate credits based on seat time.

Looking for additional resources? Please be sure to check out the Learning that Works Resource Center.

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New Survey on ESSA Title IV-A Funds, Perkins Implementation Begins

July 11th, 2019

On July 1, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) (which reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act) went into effect.  As such, each state’s Perkins V one-year transition plan went into effect. Read below to learn more about Perkins V implementation, new survey data on how schools are using ESSA Title IV-A funding, what the repeal of the gainful employment rule means and how afterschool programs can reduce equity gaps in Career Technical Education (CTE).

New Survey Illuminates How Schools are Using ESSA Funds

For the first time, policymakers have a glimpse at how schools are using their grant funding under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant, a program established in 2015 through Title IV-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). SSAE consolidated several existing categorical funding streams to provide local leaders more flexibility to support student learning. The program has three focus areas: well-rounded education (which includes CTE as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)), the effective use of technology, and safe and healthy schools. 

Thanks to a survey conducted by the School Superintendents Association, the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA), and the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators (NAFEPA), we now have a glimpse at how schools are using these funds. According to their findings, 83 percent of survey respondents said that the investment in a well-rounded education is very or extremely important. 

Many schools and school districts are already using these funds to strengthen career readiness. Forty-nine percent of survey respondents said they are using SSAE funds to support STEM education, 16 percent for college and career counseling, and 15 percent for CTE. 

Perkins V Implementation Begins

The U.S. Department of Education announced that each state’s one-year transition plan had been approved to be implemented beginning July 1 when Perkins V went into effect. 

Secretary Betsy DeVos shared the following statement : 

“Our team is so encouraged by the way states have embraced the spirit of this new law and are rethinking career and technical education on behalf of their students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “The work is just beginning though. As states begin to think about their long-term career and technical education strategies, I would encourage them to continue to act boldly and break down the silos that exist between education and industry so that all students are prepared for the in-demand, high-paying jobs of today’s economy and tomorrow’s.”

Now, states are developing their full four-year Perkins V state plans that must be submitted to the Department in the spring of 2020. You can learn more about the Perkins V state plan process and content here. 

DeVos Repeals Gainful Employment Rule

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released its final regulation that rescinds the 2014 Gainful Employment Rule. The Obama-era rule stated that an educational program must prepare students for “gainful employment in a recognized occupation” to be eligible for funding from Title IV of the Higher Education Act, measured by data such as debt-to-earnings rates. This rule mainly impacts for-profit institutions, as well as non-credit programs at non-profit institutions. 

This repeal will be effective beginning July 1, 2020, but the administration announced that an early implementation option is available to institutions. If institutions are accepted for early implementation they will not have to submit 2018-2019 data. 

Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education & Labor, Virginia Foxx (R-NC) opposed the gainful employment rule largely on the basis that it is biased against for-profit programs. Their committee counterparts took the opposing stance. House Committee on Education & Labor Chairman Bobby Scott’s (D-VA) statement opposing this repeal can be found here, and Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray’s (D-WA) press release can be found here. 

Senate CTE Caucus Holds Event on Middle School Career Exploration

Earlier this summer, the Senate CTE Caucus held an event in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance that discussed how to make the most of middle school career exploration. In particular, the featured panel looked at the role of afterschool programs in showing students different career pathways. Check out this blog to learn more about topics covered during this event, and how afterschool programs can help address inequities in CTE. 

Austin Estes, Senior Policy Associate & Meredith Hills, Policy Associate

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Can Afterschool Programs Help Address CTE’s Equity Challenges?

July 9th, 2019

Afterschool programs can give students access to enriching career exploration opportunities outside of the school day, but many of these programs are not accessible to all middle schoolers. Last month, the Senate Career Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, organized a panel on making the most of middle school career exploration. This panel’s particular focus was the important role that afterschool programs can play in exposing students to career pathways. 

The panel included:

  • Regina Sidney Brown, Director of the Delaware Afterschool Network
  • Luke Rhine, Director of CTE and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Initiatives for the Delaware Department of Education
  • Daniela Grigioni, Executive Director of After-School All-Stars for Washington, D.C.
  • Andrew Coy, Executive Director of the Digital Harbor Foundation in Baltimore
  • Student panelist Jacob, participant in a Digital Harbor program

Afterschool programs encompass a wide range of activities that keep students engaged in their own learning outside of the regular school day. When students participate in an afterschool program in middle school, they are more likely to graduate high school. These programs offer opportunities for students to improve their skills in subjects ranging from computer science to agriculture. Learning these skills and interacting with professionals in a variety of fields allows students to explore and pursue different career paths of interest.

Expanding Access to High-quality Career Exploration After School

Despite all these programs have to offer, there are still major barriers to creating and expanding access to high-quality, career-focused afterschool programming in middle school. When panelists were asked about the largest barriers facing afterschool programming, their responses ranged from the difficulties of creating community partnerships to the lack of funding. Andrew Coy—whose organization, Digital Harbor, focuses on developing technology skills like computer programming, video game design and 3-D printing— summed up these issues as the need to have “formal support for informal learning.” This problem remains largely in communities of lower socioeconomic status, limiting access to enriching learning opportunities for students who could benefit the most.

The impacts that these programs have on middle schoolers make them worth the investment. Student panelist Jacob excitedly talked about the experiences he had with Digital Harbor—such as going to museums, participating in the White House science fair and learning to 3-D print—showing how important it is to give students a place to be creative. Jacob even earned certifications in Information Technology through the program. Having such a space outside of the classroom to encourage hands-on learning and career exploration allows students like Jacob to develop real world skills and get a leg up on both college and their careers. 

Afterschool programs can also help close equity gaps by equipping learners with skills that may not be offered in the regular classroom but are highly valued in the job market. Exposing learners to new and different career pathways allows for diversity in these fields as more students can see themselves inhabiting those roles. Panelist Daniela Grigioni discussed how her organization, After-School All-Stars, engages middle schoolers, predominantly students of color, to help them build skills through programs in business and STEM. Early introduction to career exploration can help promote more equity within these fields.

By expanding career exploration in and out of the classroom, state leaders can foster creativity and passion among middle school students. This opens a pathway for students to imagine careers for themselves by giving them a sense of their options and what they do and do not want to do at an earlier age. 

To read more about middle school CTE, check out Advance CTE’s report, Expanding Middle School CTE to Promote Lifelong Learning Success. 

Jordan Dreisbach, Policy Intern

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This Week in CTE

July 3rd, 2019

Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) is now in effect! 

TWEET OF THE WEEK

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK

Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) is in effect

On July 1, Perkins V officially went into effect and states will begin implementation. The U.S. Department of Education announced that they have approved every state’s Perkins V one-year transition plan. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos encouraged states to act boldly in their strategies, by removing silos between education and industry to ensure learners are prepared for high-wage, high-skill employment opportunities. 

Read the press release to learn more.

To make sure you get the latest news and resources about federal policy that affects Career Technical Education (CTE), sign up for our Legislative Updates!

Scholarship Opportunity for CTE High School Graduates 

The Horatio Alger National Career and Technical Scholarship Program provides up to $2,500 for students to pursue CTE in two-year or less degree/credential programs. The deadline to apply is June 15. The association will award more than 1,000 new CTE learners! Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books and supplies. All scholarship funds are paid directly to the institution on behalf of the recipient.

Learn more here. https://scholars.horatioalger.org/scholarships/about-our-scholarship-programs/technical/

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Connect Learners to High-wage, High-skill and High-demand Occupations

Watch learners and staff at Essex North Shore high school in Hathonre, Massachusetts share why CTE is important and how it’s providing opportunities to gain real-world skills while in high school. 

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

With the implementation of Perkins V underway here is a list of resources to help states through the process. It includes new resources to help states develop a meaningful Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment. 

Access the resources here.

 

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This Week in CTE

June 28th, 2019

TWEET OF THE WEEK

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK

Secretary DeVos Delivers Remarks at Second Chance Pell Commencement

On June 25, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos delivered commencement remarks to students in the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, Oklahoma who completed Tulsa Community College’s Second Chance Pell pilot. In her speech, Secretary DeVos shared her intent for the Second Chance Pell experimental site pilot to become a permanent program. 

Advance CTE supports expanding Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated individuals, and lifting this ban is one of the organization’s priorities in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. 

Read the full blog to learn more.

To make sure you get the latest news and resources about federal policy that affects Career Technical Education (CTE), sign up for our Legislative Updates!

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

The Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board located in the state of Washington developed a video contest to encourage Washington CTE learners to shoot their own videos to promote CTE. Watch the video from Eatonville High School sophomore Alexia Price who won the first place award! The video focused on what a world without CTE would look like for learners. Watch it here.

Want to learn more about creating video content to promote high-quality CTE? Read the Washington Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board’s video toolkit to help local schools, instructors, and students develop their own videos promoting CTE in their communities. The guide provides technical tips for setting up shots, capturing sound, and conducting interviews. The toolkit also links to the sample videos so students can learn, step by step. 

Advance CTE, with support from the Siemens Foundation, worked with the state of Washington to promote high-quality Career and Technical Education to learners and their parents. They received a grant to help fund the video project, create videos and the toolkit.

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

Building Credential Currency: Resources to Drive Attainment across K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Development

Employers need workers for high-skill jobs. Workers need training beyond a high school diploma to access those jobs. And state governments need a certifiably skilled workforce to meet their education goals, attract industry, and contribute to their economies. Floating amid this triangle are thousands of credentials that claim to meet everyone’s needs—the worker, the employer, the community. Which ones lead to jobs that can sustain a family, grow a business, and fuel an economy—and which do not provide meaningful value? 

A new toolkit from the Education Strategy Group aims to support this essential analysis within states. Building Credential Currency: Resources to Drive Attainment across K-12, Higher Education, and Workforce Development takes state and local policymakers through a step-by-step process for collaboratively accomplishing four objectives key to meeting their educational attainment goals:

  • Identifying in-demand, high-skill, high-wage occupations  and associated non-degree credentials;
  • Validating those findings with employers and finalizing a statewide list of “priority” non-degree credentials;
  • Incentivizing priority non-degree credential attainment through funding strategies for schools and colleges, articulated postsecondary credit for high school earners, and rigorous accountability systems; and
  • Reporting and monitoring priority non-degree credential attainment with reliable, verified data.

Download the toolkit here.

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Perkins V: How can states promote quality postsecondary CTE?

June 27th, 2019

While many may think of Career Technical Education (CTE) as operating only at the K-12 level, postsecondary-level CTE programs and pathways are serving millions of learners at institutions across the nation. With most jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage requiring at least some college education — such as a technical certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree or another credential of value — postsecondary CTE is more important than ever before in preparing learners for high-skill, high-wage and high-demand careers.

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) continues to emphasize the importance of postsecondary CTE and the need for alignment across the secondary and postsecondary levels. The new law has a formal definition of program of study (which includes academic and technical content across secondary and postsecondary levels), maintains the requirement that every state and local recipient of funds implement at least one program of study, and calls for each state’s Perkins V plan to include a description of how the split of funds across the secondary and postsecondary levels is determined. As implementation of Perkins V begins, how can states promote quality postsecondary CTE? Check out the resources below to learn more about how states can promote postsecondary attainment, quality and alignment with secondary CTE.

REPORT: Developing Credit for Prior Learning Policies to Support Postsecondary Attainment for Every Learner: This report by Advance CTE explores the benefits of credit for prior learning (CPL) policies, best practices in CPL across states and what states can do to advance CPL opportunities for learners.

REPORT: Driving Quality in Postsecondary CTE: Approval and Evaluation Policies: This report from Advance CTE explores how states can leverage program approval and program evaluation policies and processes to ensure postsecondary CTE program quality. The report examines state examples from California, Florida and Wisconsin.

GUIDE: College-Level Examination Program and Career and Technical Education: This guide from Advance CTE and the College Board examines how specific CLEP exams can be embedded into or used to augment programs of study by Career Cluster.

MORE RESOURCES

Looking for additional resources? Please be sure to check out the Learning that Works Resource Center.

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