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Posts Tagged ‘postsecondary’

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United States Drops from #1 to #12 in Postsecondary Degree Attainment, Obama Administration Vows a Comeback

Friday, August 6th, 2010

The United States plummeted from 1st to 12th among nations whose 25 to 34 years old earn a postsecondary degree, according to a recent post on The White House Blog. The comments by the Obama Administration provided cited Washington Post and The New York Times articles that reported the nation’s slippage among its international peers.

As the world becomes increasingly more competitive it is important to recognize the crucial role education plays in preparing our workforce. Understanding the need for change, President Obama has instituted a new goal in the hopes of reinstituting the United States as being the leader in postsecondary degrees attainment by 2020.

The Obama Administration highlights various steps in its strategy to meet the postsecondary goal for the nation:

Keeping these goals in mind along with the action steps being implemented to achieve these goals, the White House pledges to once again claim the number one spot in postsecondary graduation rates.

By admin in News
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Senate Hearing on the State of the American Child

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Last week the Subcommittee on Children and Families of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held the second hearing in a series to address the state of the American child. This hearing looked at the impact of federal policies on children.

Dr. Cecilia Rouse, a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), told the subcommittee that a CB028331growing number of jobs require workers with greater analytical and interactive skills, but that students are not prepared to enter postsecondary, where they are most likely to acquire these skills. She went on to say that “while the current U.S. education and training system has been shown to provide valuable labor market skills to participants, it could be more effective at encouraging completion and responding to the needs of the labor market.” Her suggestions for improving the system come from CEA’s report Preparing the Workers of Today for the Jobs of Tomorrow which we told you about last summer. She also said that federal legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Workforce Investment Act would help the United States develop training and education systems that are once again first in the world.

Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary from the U.S. Department of Labor outlined the Department’s proposed “Good Jobs for Everyone” program that would ensure “that young people have access to careers in high growth industries and the skills they need to compete in the global economy.” He went on to stress the importance of WIA youth programs that prepare young adults with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in 21st century careers and emerging fields such as healthcare and “green” jobs.

Sen. Robert Casey (PA), during questioning, emphasized that there needs to be a comprehensive strategy to bring together all of the agencies and programs that focus on youth so that they are more effective at providing services to and improving the lives of children. He suggested that CEOs and business leaders could play an important role in supporting a strategy for comprehensive reform.

By admin in Public Policy
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New Report Finds Comprehensive Data Critical to Successful Remedial Education

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

The Education Commission on the States’ Getting Past Go (GPG) project recently surveyed and analyzed state and higher education systems’ reports on developmental, or remedial, programs.  In their report, State Reporting on Developmental Education: Analysis of Findings, GPG found that states, in regard to remedial programs, reported on three main categories:

Each category serves as an important element in tracking data of developmental education programs for postsecondary students. Looking at student participation will show how many students are being served through these programs. Monitoring student success is important as it shows how well these programs are serving the students and what is or is not working. The final category, cost, will determine the efficiency, when partnered with the above two categories, of remedial education.

One of the major findings from this report was that, “States and higher education  systems that report on all three areas – participation, success and cost – appear better positioned to improve and eventually reduce the need for remedial services, and as a result, to increase college completion rates.”

In addition, the report found that while it is necessary to track the pass rates of remedial courses, it is not the only thing that matters. Tracking students through their postsecondary careers and seeing whether they graduate is vital for the United States to remain globally competitive. States that do track all of this information, as well as the participation, success and cost of remedial courses, will be able to improve their programs more easily and provide better services for students.

Tracking developmental education will allow states to discover their strengths and weaknesses. As stated in the article, “The need for this direction (monitoring developmental education programs) is rooted in a reality: Despite efforts to reduce the need for remediation, history, demographic trends and economic conditions ensure that significant numbers of students — of all ages — will require additional support before entering college‐level courses and attaining a degree.”

The report also highlights a number of examples where states are tracking the progress of students in remedial courses to evaluate their effectiveness and to eventually improve these services.

By admin in Research
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Duncan Touts CTE in Speech at National Press Club

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

duncan-arne-sec_-of-ed_-3-09At a luncheon today at the National Press Club, during which he announced the finalists for round two of Race to the Top, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke about the education reforms that the Obama Administration is undertaking, and what lies ahead for federal education policy. Secretary Duncan stressed that as the United States lags behind other nations in science, math and college completion, that we must educate our way to a better economy. Some strategies for improving student achievement and restoring the United States’ position as first in the world in college graduates include federal incentives such as Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation grants, and the Teacher Incentive Fund; a change in ESEA accountability systems; and common standards, as well as the curriculum and assessments to accompany new standards.

During the Q&A portion of the event, a question was submitted that asked whether the United States needed more CTE. The Secretary responded that yes, students will benefit from programs such as apprenticeships that allow students to “work with their hands,” that provide a range of options, and that give students a reason to stay in school.  He went on to remind the audience that CTE does not happen just at the secondary level, and that community colleges play a vital role in training students in emerging fields such as STEM and green technologies.

By admin in Public Policy
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Financial Education for College Access and Success Program Grants Available

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

On Monday the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education announced a funding opportunity to support “State-led efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of personal finance instructional materials and corresponding teacher training, with the express purpose of providing high school students with knowledge and skills to make sound financial aid and other personal finance decisions, particularly in relation to obtaining access to, persisting in, and completing postsecondary education.” Eligible applicants are State educational agencies that have included personal finance in their State education standards.

This is a great opportunity for the CTE community to help the nation meet the President’s challenge of once again having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. One of the barriers to achieving this goal is the lack of financial literacy among youth, and studies have shown that Americans do not have the skills they need to make sound financial decisions, including decisions about postsecondary education. The Administration recognizes the role that CTE can play in equipping students with the financial literacy skills they need — the notice specifically mentions CTE as an area where teachers can integrate financial literacy instruction, and requires that the State project team include the agencies in the state representing CTE and 2-year postsecondary institutions.

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: August 5, 2010.

Deadline to Apply: September 9, 2010.

For more information, please see the Federal Register notice.

By admin in Public Policy
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DQC Webinar: Using Data to Improve College Success

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Join the Data Quality Campaign on August 3 from 2-3:30 P.M. for a webinar on using data to improve cDQC logoollege success. During this webinar, you will hear about the different ways in which states and postsecondary institutions can and have used data to inform policy and practice.  Participants will also have an opportunity to learn how the WA State Board for Community and Technical Colleges has used data to improve system performance.

By admin in Webinars
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Web Portal Breaking College Access Barriers

Monday, July 26th, 2010

As more students are deciding to continue their education at postsecondary institutions, the need for financial aid continues to increase. There are numerous ways for students to obtain financial aid ranging from federal, state, and local loans and grants, as well as private scholarship funds.

Understanding the need for more resources, the state of Alabama, through the use of the federal College Access Challenge Grant (CACG), has created a website that gives parents and students access to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) resources. The website, www.alcareerinfo.org, provides information for students to plan for the future, for parents to help their child plan for success and for educators to help guide stALCAREERINFO Websiteudent achievement.

Other information that can be found at this website includes:

This information is pertinent to CTE students who wish to further their education as there are numerous financial aid and scholarship opportunities specifically for those enrolled in CTE programs. To learn more about this website and the opportunities it provides please visit the website at www.alcareerinfo.org.

By admin in Advance CTE Resources
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Legislative Update: SECTORS Act, DIPLOMA Act, Veterans Training Bill

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

SECTORS Act Passes House with Bipartisan Support

Earlier this week House of Representatives passed H.R. 1855, the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act on a unanimous voice vote. The bill is sponsored by Representatives Loebsack (IA) and Platts (PA) in the House and Senators Brown (OH), Murray (WA) and Snowe (ME) in the Senate. The SECTORS Act would amend the Workforce Investment Act and establishes a new Industry or Sector Partnership Grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Grants would allow recipients to establish or expand industry or sector partnerships that lead collaborative planning, resource alignment, and training efforts across multiple firms for current and potential workers within the targeted industry cluster. The bill must now be approved by the Senate. You can reach your Senator at (202) 224-3121 to voice your support.


DIPLOMA Act Aims to Increase College and Career Readiness

Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH) introduced S. 3595, the Developing Innovative Partnerships and Learning Opportunities that Motivate Achievement (DIPLOMA) Act which aims to strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare young people for college, careers, and citizenship through innovative partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth. States would receive funding that would be used in part to administer competitive grants to local consortia to assess community needs, coordinate existing funding streams, and provide services. Career technical education is specifically mentioned as a permissible of funds by the local consortia.

Among the other permissible use of funds allowed by this bill are multiple pathways to graduation (including dual enrollment programs, early college high schools, dropout prevention strategies, and dropout recovery strategies), job training, career counseling, and internship opportunities.


Senate Committee Looks at Veteran’s Bill

On Wednesday the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing to examine improvements to S. 3447, the Post 9/11 GI Bill. This bill would make changes to the Post-9/11 GI bill which currently provides education funding and benefits to veterans. S. 3447 would allow veterans to use their benefits at educational institutions that do not award associate or higher degrees. This would be a change from the current Post-9/11 GI Bill, which does not allow participants to use funds at a non-degree granting institution. This bill would allow veterans to attend postsecondary education institutions that do not grant associate or higher degrees, such as area career technical schools, career schools, and apprenticeship programs. The Committee is scheduled to hold a markup of pending legislation on August 5, 2010, during which Chairman Akaka (HI) intends to bring the bill up for a vote

By admin in Legislation
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Strengthening Institutions Program Grants Now Available

Monday, July 19th, 2010

The Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education recently announced a notice inviting applications in the Federal Register for the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). SIP provides $17.8 million in discretionary grants to eligible institutions of higher education to help them become self sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students, by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution’s academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability. The Department will give priority to applications that address the following areas:

The deadline to apply is August 5, 2010.

By admin in Public Policy
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Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow Grants Available

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

The Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education recently announced a notice inviting applications in the Federal Register for the Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow (TCT) program. The TCT program will award up to four discretionary grants  to institutions of higher education to build partnerships with eligible recipients that will develop and implement 2-or 3-year part-time master’s degree programs in STEM or critical foreign language education for teachers in order to enhance the teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical skills; or to develop and implement programs for professionals in STEM or critical foreign language education that lead to a master’s degree in teaching that results in teacher certification.

Eligible applicants must enter into a partnership that includes:

  1. The eligible recipient;
  2. A department within the eligible applicant that provides a program of study in STEM or a critical foreign language; and a school, department, or program of education within the eligible applicant, or a two year institution of higher education that has a teacher preparation offering or a dual enrollment program with the eligible applicant; or
  3. A department or school within the eligible applicant with a competency based degree program (in STEM or a critical foreign language) that includes teacher certification; and
  4. Not less than one high-need LEA and a public school or a consortium of public schools served by the agency. A partnership may include a nonprofit organization that has a demonstrated record of providing expertise or support to meet the purposes of this initiative.

Awards will range from $200,000–$250,000. The deadline to apply is July 30, 2010.

By admin in Public Policy
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