Last year marked a big year for Career Technical Education (CTE) in the federal policy arena. Read below to see the top five stories of 2017 and be sure to join us on January 25 at 1 pm ET for a webinar recapping these stories and their impact on CTE. Mark your calendars and register for the webinar here.
- The U.S. House of Representatives Passed H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act on a voice vote without objection. This bill would reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins).
- Policymakers encouraged Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee to take up Perkins reauthorization. A “Dear Colleague” letter to the committee’s leadership that urged the committee to work in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the law garnered 237 signatures in the House and a similar letter garnered 59 signatures in the Senate.
- Policymakers signaled strong support for the federal investment in CTE, despite the Trump Administration’s proposal to cut the Perkins Basic State Grant by 15% in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18). A “Dear Colleague” letter encouraging appropriators to support a strong investment in CTE for FY18 garnered 140 signatures in the House and a similar letter garnered 34 signatures in the Senate.
- States submitted their plans for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In their plans, 49 states included at least one strategy to expand career readiness and 35 states included a career-focused measure in their high school accountability rating systems.
- The House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed H.R. 4508, the “Promoting Real Opportunity, Success and Prosperity Through Education Reform” (PROSPER) Act on a party-line vote. This bill would update the Higher Education Act (HEA), which was last reauthorized in 2008.
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy