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Posts Tagged ‘postsecondary’

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Valencia College Named Top Community College

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Last month the Aspen Institute awarded Valencia College in Orlando, Florida the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. As the winner, Valencia was recognized as the top community college in the nation and will receive $600,000 to support its programs. To determine a winner, the Aspen Institute reviewed data on community colleges and other elements of student success, including: student learning, degree completion and transfer, equity, and employment/earnings after college. At Valencia close to fifty percent of students are under-represented minorities, and many are low-income, yet more than half graduate or transfer within three years, versus less than forty percent for community colleges nationally.

The four finalists with distinction included Miami Dade College, West Kentucky Community and Technical College, Lake Area Technical Institute (South Dakota), and Walla Walla Community College (Washington). Each will receive $100,000.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in News
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Study Shows Most States Have Capacity to Provide High School Feedback Reports

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Nearly all states have the capacity to provide high schools with information on graduates’ postsecondary progress, according to new data released by the Data Quality Campaign (DQC).

DQC, a Washington-based non-profit organization, reported that forty-nine states have the capacity to match K-12 student records with those of public postsecondary education systems. Of those states, thirty-nine currently provide high schools with feedback reports to show how former students fare in postsecondary education. The feedback reports include student information on topics like college enrollment (33 states), remediation (28 states), and degree completion (14 states).

With a nationwide focus on preparing college- and career-ready students, specific feedback is especially critical to high schools as they work to improve programs and student outcomes.

According to DQC, states are positioned better than locals to access and analyze this information, and report it back to stakeholders. States leading the way in this process include Kentucky, Hawaii, Indiana, and Washington.

For more information, view this DQC one-pager on providing high schools with feedback.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst

By admin in Research, Resources
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Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series: College Ready for Some or Career Ready for All

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Jana Hambruch, an Industry Advisor who provides consulting services for Adobe Systems Incorporated, has more than 18 years of technical certification industry experience in the secondary, postsecondary, and workforce education markets.

For years, educators have been driven to produce “college ready” students through secondary education programs. Yet today, 41% of matriculated high school students do not pursue postsecondary education.[1]  Of the ones who do, less than half actually graduate.[2] These students need to be taught marketable 21st century skills at the secondary level.[3]  

Some existing Career Technical Education (CTE) programs remain centered on vocational skills that were important in the past but find little traction in today’s digital technology driven market. In order to overcome the challenges our nation faces, our workforce must be highly competitive in the global market, and it must remain the leading innovator in the high-tech industries and occupations that dominate our global economy. In order to accomplish this, our education system must adapt to these new demands.

America’s workforce is aging.  Fifty percent of our workforce [3] is close to retirement age, and others lack the skills necessary to truly compete in today’s market. The generation of future workers who are entering high school now will be expected to use technology at the beginning of their careers, in many cases technology that does not even exist today. How do we prepare these students to meet these challenges and take the reins of a digital economy?

Well, to begin with, educators must recognize the paradigm shift from “College Ready for Some” to “Career Ready for All”.

CTE is more important now than ever.

To prepare secondary students to be “Career Ready”, we need to look at what employable and marketable skill sets all students need foundationally to succeed regardless of the profession they desire to be in. These include …

To meet this challenge, educators themselves have begun using a variety of technology based education tools and methods. These include virtual learning environments, blended learning environments, web-based technologies such as blogs, streaming media, social networks and more.

The majority of students who enroll in modern CTE programs that incorporate these learning styles and include a measureable result with an industry certification (Intro to IT, Web Design, Web Development, Digital Design, Gaming Design, TV Production, and Digital Media) are staying in school, graduating, and performing better on state standardized exams. These courses include digital design applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Premiere Pro which are engaging and provide a true visual learning
experience that attracts all students. They focus on cognitive and critical thinking skills as a core element of the learning process.

What do the district and school gain?

Adobe has made tremendous strides in providing free online curriculum, teacher and student resources and a nationally recognized industry certification. The industry certification the students achieve is a credential that employers recognize, one which quantifies the skills of the worker and sets them apart. As a result, students entering the workforce have a much better opportunity to earn a livable wage, either while beginning their postsecondary studies or embarking on their career.

More information about the resources available through Adobe can be found online at http://www.adobe.com/education/k12/career-technical-education.edu.html. Programs of Study are also available for the Information Technology Career Clusterâ„¢ at http://www.careertech.org/career-clusters/resources/plans/it.html.

Companies like Adobe have made great strides to understand the value of Career Ready for All!

 

The Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series  provides advocates – from business and industry, researchers and organizations – an opportunity to articulate their support for Career Technical Education. The monthly series features a guest blogger who provides their perspective on and experience with CTE as it relates to policy, the economy and education.

Are you interested in being a guest blogger and expressing your support for CTE? Contact Melinda Findley Lloyd, Communications Consultant, at [email protected].

 

[1] Harvard Graduate School of Education, “Pathways To Prosperity”, Harvard University,
2011. Web, 12/01/2011. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2011/Pathways_to_Prosperity_Feb2011.pdf

[2] Bowler,Mike. “Dropouts Loom Large For Schools”. U.S. News and World Report. 2009. Web. 12/01/2011. http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2009/08/19/dropouts-loom-large-for-schools

[3] Sturko Grossman,Cheryl. “Preparing WIA Youth for the STEM Workforce”. Youthwork Information Brief. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Workforce Development, Bureau of Workforce Services. 2008. Web. 12/01/2011. http://jfs.ohio.gov/owd/WorkforceProf/Youth/Docs/Infobrief35_STEM_Workforce_.pdf

By admin in Career Clusters®
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State Education Data Systems Improve, Still Lack Connections to Workforce

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

States have made incredible progress over the last year in developing comprehensive longitudinal data systems, but they are still lacking when it comes to stakeholder empowerment and connections to workforce programs and employment outcomes.

The Data Quality Campaign (DQC), a nonprofit organization that supports the availability and use of high-quality education data, released this year’s state analysis report which reviews states’ progress in implementing DQC’s 10 essential elements of education data systems. According to the report, “without exception, every state in the country has robust longitudinal data that extend beyond test scores and could inform today’s toughest education decisions.”

Still, as DQC executive director Aimee Guidera noted on a webinar last week, most states have not yet empowered stakeholders with these data to make informed decisions.

The survey also revealed that little progress has been made around career readiness data. Only nine states have data that connects K-12 student learning with employment or other workforce education and training programs, and just twelve states have connected postsecondary students with employment outcomes.  The next Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grants will give more states the opportunity to focus on building these linkages to workforce data.

Since the DQC’s primary focus is on K-12 data issues, leaders from the National Skills Coalition and other national organizations  are developing an initiative, the Workforce Data Quality Campaign, to support states’ efforts to link K-12 and postsecondary data to workforce data. NASDCTEc will provide more information on this campaign as it becomes available.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst

By admin in News, Publications, Resources
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New FERPA Regulations Seek to Balance Privacy with Flexibility

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Late last week the U.S. Department of Education released new regulations for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). These long anticipated regulations seek to “safeguard student privacy while giving states the flexibility to share school data that can be helpful in judging the effectiveness of government investments in education.” The amended regulations will take effect on January 3, 2012.

The new FERPA regulations expand access to data in a variety of ways. First, they broaden the types of individuals or entities that can receive data for evaluation or audit purposes. This will allow states to link data across sectors, such as education and workforce, so that state departments of education can disclose data to state departments of labor or workforce to be used to evaluate education programs such as those supported by the Perkins Act.

Second, the regulations allow postsecondary institutions to disclose data to K-12 agencies with the purpose of evaluating how well the K-12 system has prepared students for postsecondary education. This is a change from the previous interpretation of FERPA which held that data could be disclosed only to evaluate or audit programs of the disclosing agency.

Finally, the new regulations broaden the definition of “education program” in the context of evaluation and auditing to mean any program that is principally engaged in the provision of education, including, career and technical education, adult education, and job training. Note that this definition includes not only programs administered by an education agency, but education programs administered by any entity. This reinforces the reality that not all education programs are administered by a state education agency, but may be overseen by a state labor or workforce agency.

For more information, there are two webinars scheduled for this week:

 

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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New Accountability Measures Released for Community Colleges

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) last week launched the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA), a custom framework that allows 2-year colleges to measure student performance in areas such as college readiness, academic progress, and job placement. Community colleges have typically been assessed on the same measures as 4-year colleges and universities, which, according to AACC, do not always match the mission or characteristics of students at community colleges. The VFA will give community colleges specific metrics that will assess student progress and achievement, implementation of CTE programs and transparency in reporting outcomes.

AACC is asking its members to adopt the framework and is seeking endorsement from accrediting bodies and adoption by states and community-college systems. The framework will be available to all community colleges in 2012.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Public Policy
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Friends of CTE Guest Blog: CTE Offers Pathways to High-Demand, High-Skill Jobs

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Nicole Smith is a Senior Economist at The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, co-authored Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs. The report explores what students need to learn and what skills to attain in order to succeed in the economy.

Two views dominate much popular thinking on higher education today. The first view is that Americans are overeducated, underemployed, and that college isn’t worth it. The second view is that the only pathway to the middle class is through a higher education credential. The first view is demonstrably false, but the second view is also too extreme.

The more complex reality is that, while low-skill pathways to the middle class are being placed under increasing pressure by advancements in technology, those pathways still exist — just at a much lesser extent than they used to. This does not mean that anyone should be satisfied with a high school diploma if there is an opportunity for further education. The data clearly show that college pays off in the long run in the form of higher wages, better jobs, and a wider opportunity to achieve the American dream. But those who cannot, for whatever reason, go beyond high school should not give up hope. Career Technical Education (CTE) offers opportunities to these students through developed career pathways that begin the grooming process in high school, preparing them for distinct high-wage, high-demand, high-skill jobs.

Over the last 40 years, our economy has seen enormous change in what the labor market demands of job seekers. In 1972, 72 percent of all jobs required a high school diploma or less along with some on-the-job training. By 2018, that number will drop to 37 percent. Of those 37 percent, one in three jobs will offer salaries of $35,000 or more. So, while the old days of using a high school diploma as a ticket to the middle class are clearly over, there are and will be middle class citizens who did not attend college.

What are these jobs and who benefits? A few highlights from our Career Clusters â„¢ study are listed below:

The labor market demand for workers with higher education is increasing, but we should not forget altogether the workers who do not need a higher education credential to access the middle class and the American dream. We need to inform decision makers, institutions and individuals about the best ways to select the education and training required to achieve their educational goal.  Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs is a first step in that direction that answers the question:  “Is it worth it? What can I expect for my career choice today and long term? And what are the prospects in my state?

 

The Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series  provides advocates – from business and industry, the research community and organizations – an opportunity to articulate their support for Career Technical Education. The monthly series features a guest blogger who provides their perspective on and experience with CTE as it relates to policy, the economy and education.

Are you interested in being a guest blogger and expressing your support for CTE? Contact Melinda Findley Lloyd, Communications Consultant, at [email protected].

By admin in News
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, WIA, Bills Introduced

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Senate Reluctant to Vote on Education Funding Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) announced this week that he plans to bring three appropriations bills to the floor for a vote this month: Agriculture, Transportation-HUD and Commerce-Justice-Science. However, it is unlikely that the Labor-HHS-Education bill will go to the floor because Senate Republicans are opposed to it.

CTE Highlighted at House WIA Hearing

During Tuesday’s hearing, “Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act: Developing an Effective Job Training System for Workers and Employers,” members of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training heard a number of suggestions on how to improve the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

The consensus among witnesses was that the workforce system must be employer driven, flexible and respond to local needs. Witnesses were also concerned about the heavy burden the current system places on providers, as well as the level of federal involvement. “There is a high reporting burden, and in my mind, before you cut any dollar to the customer, you’ve got to cut down the bureaucracy,” said Kristen Cox, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services.  

Jaime Fall, Vice President of Workforce and Talent Development Policy at the HR Policy Association, urged Congress to “ensure the skills developed through job training programs meet the needs of employers” by giving priority to “training resulting in employer recognized credentials that document skills.” Fall also voiced HR Policy Association’s support for CTE and Perkins-funded programs, saying:

Our members believe that career and technical education programs funded through the Perkins Act are a critical component of the overall national strategy to develop a skilled workforce. We encourage you to strongly support these programs as you discuss WIA, No Child Left Behind and the Perkins Act.

This is not the first time the HR Policy Association has showed their support for Perkins and CTE on Capitol Hill. This summer they sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to restore Perkins Act funding.

Bills Introduced

Ready to Compete Act

Rep. John Yarmuth (KY) has introduced H.R. 3036, the Ready to Compete Act, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act to award grants to prepare individuals for 21st century careers. The bill would update the Ready to Learn program under ESEA and create a new Ready to Earn program under WIA. These programs would encourage the use of technology and public television to expand the availability of workforce training programs, GED preparation, and adult education initiatives, while providing new resources for classroom instruction and school readiness efforts.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: House Appropriations, Community College Grants, ESEA Markup

Friday, September 30th, 2011

House Labor-HHS-Education Funding Bill Released

As we told you this morning, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education released a draft of their FY12 appropriations bill. The bill provides for $153.4 billion in discretionary spending, which is $4 billion below FY11 enacted levels. However, this is a much smaller cut than the $18 billion proposed in Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s (WI) FY12 budget plan.

Perkins Act funding was maintained in the House’s current proposal, but not all education and workforce programs fared as well. The bill eliminates 31 programs from the Department of Education, including the Elementary and Secondary Counseling Act, High School Graduation Initiative, Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation grants, and FIPSE. The Pell grant maximum award was maintained at $5,550, but eligibility was eliminated for less-than–half-time students and the proposal would reduce the semesters that a student can receive the grant from 18 to 12.

Programs within the Department of Labor saw significant cuts, including:

The bill is not scheduled to be marked up by the Appropriations Committee, but these funding levels will likely be part of a House omnibus bill.

TAA Community College Grants Awarded

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter announced $500 million in Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants to 32 community colleges this week. The grants will be used for targeted training and workforce development to help dislocated workers obtain the skills they need to change careers. The grants support partnerships between community colleges and employers to develop programs that provide career pathways and build instructional programs that meet industry needs. Congress allocated $2 billion for the TAACCCT program to be awarded in each of fiscal years 2011-2014.  A list of grantees can be found here.

Senate ESEA Markup Scheduled

Senator Tom Harkin (IA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, announced that they will markup an Elementary and Secondary Education Act bill on October 18. In a statement, Harkin said “This reauthorization is now more than four years overdue, and our students, schools, and communities cannot afford to wait any longer.” Draft language has not yet been released, but we will keep you posted on any further developments.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, Deficit Reduction, American Jobs Act, School Modernization

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

House Passes Continuing Resolution

Late last night, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government until November 18. The bill passed in a vote of 219 – 203, after failing to pass earlier in the week. The bill proposes a 1.5 percent across-the-board cut to domestic and defense programs, bringing the total FY12 appropriations to $1.043 trillion. The bill now moves to the Senate.

President Releases Deficit Reduction Plan

Earlier this week President Obama unveiled a plan that would reduce the federal deficit by $2 trillion over the next 10 years. The plan consists primarily of tax increases on those making more than $250,000 a year, as well as $580 billion in cuts to mandatory benefit programs, including $248 billion from Medicare. The plan also factors in $1 trillion in savings over 10 years if troops are withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan. Notably absent from this plan are additional cuts to education programs. Clearly, the President understands the importance of education in stabilizing our economy.

While this plan has very little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House, the Administration hopes that it will influence the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction which has been tasked with finding $1.5 trillion in savings over 10 years. In addition to reducing the deficit, savings from this plan would help pay for the American Jobs Act – the President’s job creation package.

Republicans Respond to the American Jobs Act

Last week, House Republican leaders sent a memo to fellow Republicans which outlined their views, both positive and negative, on the President’s jobs plan. Unfortunately, Republicans said it would be “harder to find common ground” on some of the aspects in the package that relate to education.

Republicans voiced concern over the provision that would allocate $30 billion for preventing public sector layoffs, including teachers. Referring to a similar stimulus package aimed at preventing layoffs in 2009, the memo stated, “This band-aid approach masked over the true fiscal problems facing states and local governments. Some jurisdictions used the funds to provide one-time raises; others retained employees for a short-period of time, only to lay them off later.” The memo also took issue with the federal government funding school construction, stating, “School construction has historically been a state and local function.”

Bills Introduced

American Jobs Act

Senator Harry Reid (NV) has introduced the President’s jobs bill as S.1549, American Jobs Act. The Senate is expected to take up the bill on the floor in October. However, if it does not pass, the Senate will break it up into smaller pieces of legislation. Republicans in the House are also expected to take up the bill in pieces.

Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) Act

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) have announced the Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) Act. This bill covers the school modernization aspect of the President’s jobs plan. “The FAST Act will create good, well-paying jobs now, strengthening our economy while providing our school districts with the resources they need to make needed improvements to their school facilities.” Rep. DeLauro said.

The FAST Act would provide $25 billion to renovate and modernize public elementary and secondary schools. Forty percent of the funds would be allocated to the 100 largest high-need school districts in the U.S. and the remaining 60 percent would be split among state departments of education to administer through competitive grants. An additional $5 billion would be given to states to modernize community colleges.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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