Obama FY14 Budget Proposal: More Details Regarding CTE – New Updates

As we shared earlier this week, President Obama released his budget for FY14. As we have had more time to analyze the budget documents, we wanted to share with you a few more details:

• $300 million for high school redesign: The budget documents share that the high school redesign competitive grant program was modeled after the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in New York. P-TECH works in partnership with New York Public Schools, the City University of New York and IBM to ensure their students graduate with both a high school diploma and an associates degree in computing or engineering. This model is also being replicated at five high schools in Chicago.
• President’s proposal highlights two CTE schools: In addition to P-TECH, the President’s high school redesign proposal highlights Loving High School, located in rural New Mexico. Loving High School, an early adopter of the Arts, Audio Video Communications Career Cluster® was featured in NASDCTEc’s Redesigning the High School Experience for College and Career Readiness series.  This series, funded by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning, documents Loving High School’s adoption, struggles and successful implementation of the Career Clusters®. Leaders from Loving have presented at the National Career Clusters® Institute and are a great example of innovation, community engagement and high quality CTE.
• Clarification on the $42 million for dual enrollment: In a previous blog post, we reported that $42m of funding was being provided to establish or expand dual enrollment programs aligned to career pathways and local workforce needs. As more details have become available, we learned that the proposed $10m increase in Perkins National Programs would be used to, in part, offset this new investment in dual enrollment.

NASDCTEc’s Spring Meeting features an array of policy panels, sharing information about the budget, sequestration, appropriations, pending reauthorizations (Perkins, WIA and ESEA), as well as other Congressional proposals related to CTE. Look for blogs at the end of next week sharing this just-in-time news!

David Beckett, Advocacy Manager

In March, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) and representatives from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation hosted a summit in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to incorporate 21st Century competencies into K-16 education, and how business can influence internal and external stakeholders to align education and the workforce.  The event was attended by leaders from government agencies, industry, and associations like NASDCTEc.

BHEF is the nation’s oldest organization of senior business and higher education executives dedicated to advancing innovative solutions to U.S. education and workforce challenges. Composed of Fortune 500 CEOs, prominent college and university presidents, and other leaders, BHEF addresses issues fundamental to our global competitiveness.

The summit included the launch of a report which talked of the importance of alignment between student outcomes and workforce demand, closer collaboration between the corporations recruiting employees and the institutions educating them, and deeper learning, which is defined as a mix of content knowledge and 21st Century competencies such as team work, communication skills and the ability to think critically.

As stated in a press release for the summit, BHEF’s research suggests that:

• Rapid technological change, the increasing complexity of the challenges companies face, and the pace solutions must be brought to market have forced recent college graduates to enter the workforce with a wide combination of high-order competencies that go beyond content knowledge.
• Leaner companies are doing more with fewer employees, moving staff across divisions to give them a cross-functional work experience that deepens the company’s bench strength and fills gaps in the workforce. This means employees, to be viewed as an asset to the organization, must emerge as “T-shaped professionals,” flexible and able to adapt their deep content knowledge across work environments.
• Companies are developing their own assessments to screen the competencies of applicants and current employees and investing less in internal training programs to increase workplace competencies. Developing those workplace competencies at the K-16 levels will realize considerable cost savings and, concomitantly, strengthen students’ competitiveness in the job market. However, developing the necessary 21st century workforce competencies in graduates will require closer collaboration between the corporations recruiting employees and the institutions educating them.
• Business-led partnerships that engage industry and educational institutions in strategic rather than transactional relationships can help address the ineffective signaling between business and higher education on the need for 21st century workforce skills.

“Our workforce is at a critical juncture,” stated Brian Fitzgerald, CEO of BHEF. “Our members’ collaboration has revealed not only key insights, but also a unique opportunity for business and higher education to communicate in a new way and create fresh pathways for graduates to the innovation workforce.”

BHEF was a member of the Career Readiness Partner Council. Career Technical Education has an important part to play in all of the issues featured in the report, through implementing our vision, and our participation in events like these ensure a strong voice for state directors in the education and business world, by ensuring that the work we do is well known and appreciated.

David Beckett, Advocacy Manager

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of representing NASDCTEc at a meeting with Jeff Zients (Director of the Office of Management and Budget), Gene Sperling (Director of the National Economic Council), and Alan Krueger (Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers). The meeting was set up to allow organizations, such as NASDCTEc, the chance to explain to the President’s staff how sequestration would impact our programs. Those in attendance agreed that sequestration would have a negative impact on domestic programs, including the Career Technical Education (CTE) community.  NASDCTEc is collaborating with the Committee for Education Funding and the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce to fight any additional cuts to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins).

On Tuesday, President Obama called for a delay in the sequestration process, currently scheduled for March 1, 2013. Should sequestration occur, all discretionary federal programs, including Perkins would be reduced by an estimated 5.9%. This cut would be harmful, resulting in the loss of CTE programs and negatively impacted the availability of programs to students. A delay in the sequestration process would mean a holding pattern in federal funding, which might be cautiously welcomed.  Congress would have to approve the President’s suggestion, so in the coming weeks, more details should be forthcoming.

A short reminder that President Obama will be giving his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on the evening of Tuesday, February 12, 2013. This address is important for the CTE community because the President will use it to outline his legislative agenda and national priorities for the coming year. Giving the response to the State of the Union will be Senator Marco Rubio, who spoke on the benefits of CTE at a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce event and at the Opportunity Nation event last year.

David Beckett, Advocacy Manager

Thanks to State Director Rod Duckworth, third-party usage of the CTE: Learning that works for Americaâ„¢ logos experienced a burst of interest and many CTE Directors in Florida are now signed on to use the logo in their programs.

During their fall 2012 CTE Directors Meeting, Mr. Duckworth (pictured) was presenting, and used the CTE: Learning that works for Americaâ„¢ logos embedded in his Power Point. When he shared with the group that the new CTE: Learning that works for Americaâ„¢ logos were available through the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), this created much excitement about having a way to promote Career Technical Education (CTE) and tie this initiative to jobs in Florida. Mr. Duckworth explained that the logo and associated resources can be used to assist in talking about CTE.

Florida requires third-party approval to enable use of the state logo images. Mr. Duckworth’s office sent out instructions to the CTE Director group, which included completion of the User Agreement, enabling the approval process.

What is the User Agreement? For access to digital artwork for the CTE brand, advocates must first complete and submit the CTE Brand User’s Agreement. Consistent usage and vigilant stewardship of the CTE brand are critical to effectively establish the brand. By signing the user’s agreement—and by using the CTE brand in the ways outlined in the CTE User’s Guidelines—applicants are helping to create awareness and recognition for CTE that enhances its leadership position among key target audiences.

Learn more:
• CTE: Learning that works for America Initiative
• Resources available
• Third-party User Agreement application

Find out how your state approves third-party usage of the CTE: Learning that works for America logos, and discover a great way to promote CTE by calling our office at 301-588-9630.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager