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Legislative Update: House Advances FY24 Appropriations With Steep Cuts to Domestic Programs

Monday, July 17th, 2023

This week, lawmakers in the House advanced newly proposed funding legislation for the upcoming 2024 federal fiscal year (FY24). Elsewhere, Senators have introduced new data and research legislation that would improve career readiness opportunities for learners.

House Appropriators Advance FY24 Labor-HHS-ED Legislation

Lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill recently for a busy three-week work period ahead of Congress’ annual August recess. Topping the agenda is the need to address annual appropriations legislation for FY24 . The recent passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), which outlines topline spending caps for FY24 and FY25 that aim to roughly freeze federal funding at current FY23 levels, was widely expected to provide lawmakers greater clarity regarding how to move forward with this process.

Shortly after the passage of the FRA, however, House Republican leadership announced plans to move forward with a series of spending bills that further reduce federal spending to FY22 funding levels, rather than FY23 levels of investment as required by the FRA. Shortly after this announcement, Senate leaders outlined plans for FY24 which align much more closely with the requirements of the FRA. In practical terms, these divergent approaches to FY24 appropriations are putting Congress on a likely path towards conflict over the direction of federal spending later this year.

In recent weeks, the House and Senate appropriations committees have advanced legislation for roughly half of the dozen individual spending bills that compose the federal budget. Late last week, Republican leaders on the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (Labor-HHS-ED) Appropriations Subcommittee unveiled the text of their proposed FY24 Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill–annual legislation which provides funding for programs like the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V).* This legislation proposes an overall cut of 28 percent to the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) budget when factoring existing appropriations that would be rescinded under the proposal and a 29 percent reduction in funding for the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) budget. Despite these significant proposed reductions in funding, the legislation proposes to level-fund Perkins V’s basic state formula grant program at existing FY23 levels.

Concerningly, however, the bill would dramatically reduce and in some cases entirely eliminate a slew of education and workforce development programs overseen by ED and DOL that intersect with or otherwise complement CTE. For instance, Title I funding from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) would be reduced by 80 percent, while core Title I funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) would be reduced by more than half of current funding levels. While Advance CTE appreciates Congress’ recognition of continuing to invest in Career Technical Education (CTE), these proposals would significantly disrupt the ability of schools, districts, and institutions to provide high quality learning opportunities for all students. In light of this, Advance CTE and partners issued a statement opposing this proposal and calling on the House to reverse course on this approach to FY24 funding.

On Friday, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee marked up and advanced this legislation along party lines. Timing for comparable appropriations efforts in the Senate regarding their Labor-HHS-ED bill are still forthcoming. Regardless, both chambers will need to reconcile differences between these visions for FY24 funding in the coming weeks and months, before the formal start of FY24 on October 1. As these efforts continue to move forward, Advance CTE is closely monitoring the process and engaging with partners on Capitol Hill to ensure the funding needs of the CTE community are realized as part of the ongoing budget and appropriations process for FY24.

*As amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

Senators Introduce CTE Data Bill

Last Thursday, Senators Baldwin (D-WI), Young (R-IN), and Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Data for American Jobs Act (S. 2290). This legislation would make a series of updates to the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) to increase the law’s focus on CTE and more closely align state data systems and related federal investments to increase data transparency and quality. “Achieving career success for every learner through CTE requires actionable, transparent and trustworthy data. Advance CTE is pleased to support the Data for American Jobs Act, which takes important steps to leverage national research efforts and resources to promote a better understanding of CTE and advances modernized and interconnected data infrastructure for states,” said Kate Kreamer, Advance CTE’s Executive Director, upon the introduction of the legislation. The legislation comes ahead of potential consideration of ESRA by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee expected later this Congress.

P3 Pilot Applications Announced

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) issued a notice inviting applications for selection as a Performance Partnership Pilots for disconnected youth (P3). This pilot authority has been authorized by Congress since 2014 and is aimed at better supporting disconnected youth populations by allowing ED and other federal agencies to waive certain requirements of existing federal funding streams like ESSA, Perkins V, and other similar investments. In doing so, recipients of these funds can braid and blend federal resources more easily, allowing for greater coordination of services for these populations. More on the announcement, including how to apply, can be found here.

Energy Department Announces School Infrastructure Funding

In recent weeks, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $178 million in new grant funding it has made available to local school districts in 22 states via the Renew America’s Schools grant program. This grant program was created as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden. The program aims to help schools and districts make improvements to facilities that improve energy efficiency and foster healthier learning environments. More information about the grants can be found here.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
Tags: appropriations, Carl D. Perkins Act, Data and Accountability, Department of Education, Department of Labor, ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act, HELP Committee, Indiana, Infrastructure, OCTAE, Virginia, WIOA, wisconsin

Legislative Update: House Examines Skills-Based Hiring as Senate Sets Spending Toplines

Friday, June 23rd, 2023

This week, the Senate has continued to make progress on federal appropriations legislation while lawmakers in the House explored skills-based hiring efforts underway across the country. Meanwhile, federal agencies have announced the availability of new grants aimed at supporting tribal education.

Senate Appropriators Set Funding Framework

As previously shared, the legislative agreement Congress and President Biden reached in recent weeks, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), extends the nation’s borrowing authority for the next two years. Of significance for the Career Technical Education (CTE) community, the FRA establishes new spending caps for that same period of time for federal fiscal years 2024 (FY24) and FY25. In a recent development last week, House Republicans announced their intention to move forward with individual spending bills that, taken together, provide much less funding for domestic programs, like the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V)* than required by the FRA. This sets up a likely scenario where the House and Senate propose radically different funding levels for the upcoming federal fiscal year, set to formally begin on October 1, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), recently met to establish topline spending caps, known as 302(b)s, that align with the FRA. The committee considered these proposed 302(b) allocations yesterday and advanced them along party lines as Republicans on the panel remained concerned regarding funding levels for defense programs. Broadly the Senate’s 302(b) allocations are intended to provide roughly the same amount of funding for education and workforce development programs, like Perkins V, at current federal fiscal year 2023 (FY23) levels. In practical terms, however, the differences between the House and the Senate’s proposed visions for FY24 funding may prove challenging to reconcile as the October 1 deadline for FY24 draws nearer.

As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will be closely engaging with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to ensure that the significant funding needs of the CTE community are realized as part of the ongoing budget and appropriations process for FY24.

*As amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

House Explores Skills-based Hiring

On Thursday, June 22, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing titled “Competencies Over Degrees: Transitioning to a Skills-based Economy.” The hearing focused on changes that could be made to reorient systems of education, workforce development, and employment to strengthen approaches and programs that provide skills needed for further economic opportunities and to better reward the attainment of these competencies in the labor market. The hearing also highlighted the issue of the “paper ceiling”–the issue of increasing numbers of workers being overlooked for jobs they would otherwise qualify for because they lack a four-year degree.

Witnesses and lawmakers explored a wide array of issues in this context, including potential changes to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and federal apprenticeship legislation to facilitate this vision for the future. In addition, House CTE Caucus Co-chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) highlighted the need for further investment in CTE and noted that many programs in his district have waiting lists for learners– indicating that demand for CTE pathways is continuing to exceed current supply. An archived webcast of the hearing, including witness testimony, can be found here.

ED Announces New Native Language Grants

Last week, The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the availability of approximately $8 million in new funding intended to support several federal initiatives aimed at better supporting Indigenous learners. “Our efforts to Raise the Bar for multilingual learners includes strengthening and revitalizing Native languages and the recruitment, retention, and leadership of Native educators,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said as part of the announcement. The new grantmaking is aimed at three separate ED initiatives that together are aimed at increasing the capacity of Indigenous communities to serve learners, preserve Native languages, and promote educator recruitment and retention efforts through the nation. More information regarding these grants can be found here.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Education and the Workforce, Native and Tribal populations, Perkins V, Senate Appropriations Committee, US Department of Education, WIOA

Legislative Update: Congress Looks Ahead on Funding

Friday, June 9th, 2023

This week, Congress plans next steps on appropriations while lawmakers examine the U.S. Department of Labor’s recent budget request. Elsewhere, federal officials have announced the availability of new grant funding for school infrastructure projects.

Congress Looks to Next Steps for Funding

As shared previously, lawmakers recently advanced and President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA)—legislation that suspends the debt limit through 2025 and establishes new spending caps for that same two-year period of time. A summary of the FRA can be found here. The spending caps contained in the bill will freeze current federal fiscal year 2023 (FY23) funding levels for the upcoming FY24 appropriations process and will allow for a one percent increase in domestic discretionary programs, like federal investments in Career Technical Education (CTE), for FY25. In addition, the FRA includes a provision that strongly encourages Congress to pass all 12 federal appropriations bills before the end of the calendar year. If lawmakers are unable to reach that goal, an automatic spending reduction would be applied to the entire federal budget until full-year appropriations legislation has been passed.

With the new appropriations framework now signed into law, Congress is expected to begin marking up individual spending bills in the coming weeks and months. However, less than a week after passage, recent reports indicate that House Republicans may attempt to move forward with spending bills that use lower spending caps than those contained in the FRA. A specific timeline for lawmakers in both the House and Senate to advance Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) appropriations legislation, which provides funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V; as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act), has yet to be determined.

As these efforts continue to take shape, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has provided additional clarity regarding nearly $400 million in rescinded pandemic aid funds that were also included as part of the FRA. In a recent letter to Education Stabilization Fund grantees, ED has made clear that K-12 education funds that have already been obligated and sent to states will not be included in these amounts. Advance CTE is monitoring these developments closely and will continue to engage with partners in Congress to secure needed investments in CTE as part of the upcoming FY24 budget and appropriations process and beyond.

House Education Committee Examines Department of Labor FY24 Budget

On Wednesday, June 7, the House Education and the Workforce Committee (E&W) held a hearing examining the policies and priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and, relatedly, its recent FY24 budget request to Congress. Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, was the sole witness at the hearing whose confirmation is currently stalled in the Senate. The over three-hour-long hearing focused on a wide array of topics including how to align and coordinate CTE and workforce development systems and related programs, extensive discussion on apprenticeship programs, including ways to expand and grow these models into nontraditional fields such as teaching, and a host of other issues related to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) which is due for reauthorization. A webcast archive of the hearing, including statements and testimony, can be found here.

ED Announces School Infrastructure Grants

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a notice inviting K-12 schools and districts to apply for roughly $40 million in new funding to support school building and related infrastructure improvement projects. ED anticipates making 8-13 awards, between $3 and $5 million each, to support these efforts. In addition, ED is planning to set aside an additional $2 million for the creation of a National Center on School Infrastructure to provide technical assistance and best practices to states and schools as part of this wider initiative. More information about the grants, including how to apply, can be accessed here.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: appropriations, Carl D. Perkins Act, cte funding, Department of Labor, Fiscal Responsibility Act, House Education and the Workforce, Infrastructure, K-12, Pandemic Relief, Perkins, Perkins V, US Department of Education, WIOA

Perkins Regional Meetings April and May 2023: Key Takeaways

Thursday, June 8th, 2023

Over April and May 2023, Advance CTE hosted three Perkins Regional Meetings across the country in Minneapolis, Baltimore and Phoenix, with over 200 leaders from across 40 states and territories which was made possible through support from the Gates Foundation. The agenda for the three meetings was designed for state leaders from secondary, postsecondary and workforce development to connect and collaborate on ways to enhance their current Career Technical Education (CTE) systems and programs.

States participated in keynote presentations, workshops, roundtables focused on supporting special populations and cross-state sharing sessions with the intent of building and strengthening the career preparation ecosystem for all learners across the nation. State leaders and our Advance CTE team were both energized by the engagement and inspired by the dedication of all those that attended the meetings and are working to create a high-quality and equitable system that supports all CTE learners.

While each state has its own unique challenges, accomplishments and opportunities, certain recurring themes emerged across multiple states. The national CTE landscape is one of great opportunity but will need support to provide access to high-quality experiences for all CTE learners.

Key Takeaways

Accomplishments

Strong partnerships and support between private industry, education and government leaders to support economic development
Implementation of needed improvements garnered from Comprehensive Local Needs Assessments (CLNA) at the state and local levels
Collaboration and cooperation among state workforce agencies and departments of education and higher education during the Perkins Regional Meetings
Work-based learning (WBL) program guidance on how to focus staffing and funding resources

Challenges

CTE instructor training, recruitment and retention
Staff turnover at both the local and state level
Data management, collection and utilization
Collaboration between secondary, postsecondary and workforce development
Capacity building to meet the demands of learners and region-specific needs

Using the information gained at these meetings, CTE leaders will be able to build upon the accomplishments and help provide resources, tools and support to address the challenges within the current system, with an eye towards how states will leverage the potential to revise or update their Perkins V state plans as their original four-year plans come to a close next spring. Advance CTE continues to be available as a resource to provide best practices, information on innovative policies on the horizon and technical assistance to states to achieve our shared vision of Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education (CTE Without Limits).

As states work to address the challenges they face, Advance CTE has numerous resources available below and through the Learning that Works Resource Center to assist with goal set and challenges identified during the meeting:

Perkins V Supports Teacher Recruitment and Retention
This resource discusses the mechanisms in Perkins V that support teacher recruitment and retention, an overview of how this appears in Perkins V state plans and examples of how states are tackling the challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified and diverse CTE instructors.
Championing High-Quality Data
This brief addresses the importance of a unifying vision for education and workforce that draws upon and regularly uses postsecondary CTE data to measure progress and guide state policy and practice.
Beyond the Numbers: Design Principles for CTE Data Reporting and A Toolkit for Communicating CTE Data
This report, developed with input from a shared solutions workgroup of national and state experts, provides nine principles for developing effective and accessible CTE data reporting tools. A companion toolkit contains guidance, best practices and tools that CTE leaders can use to create communications to help stakeholders better understand and act on CTE data.
Coordinating Across Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
This guide looks at six opportunities to promote coordination across Perkins V and WIOA as states develop and implement plans under Perkins V.
Strengthening Career Pathways Through the Power of State and Local Partnerships
This resource is the third in a series of policy briefs centered on strengthening career pathways. It offers promising practices for leveraging the strengths of state and local leaders to cultivate sustainable, scalable partnerships and advance high-quality career pathways.

Save the Date for our next in-person opportunity to connect and receive support from Advance CTE! Our 2023 Fall Meeting: Elevating CTE’s Impact, will be held October 16-18 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Paul Mattingly, Senior Policy Associate

By Layla Alagic in Uncategorized
Tags: career pathways, CLNA, CTE instruction, CTE Without Limits, Data Collection, data quality, Industry Collaboration, Learning that Works Resource Center, Perkins, Perkins V, Postsecondary Education, Secondary, turnover, WIOA, work-based learning, workforce development

Legislative Update: Impasse on Debt Ceiling Continues

Friday, May 12th, 2023

This week lawmakers continued to negotiate a pathway forward regarding the nation’s borrowing authority, while the House examined federal investments in workforce development and the Senate hosted U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to testify on the Biden Administration’s federal fiscal year 2024 (FY24) budget request. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced this year’s Presidential Scholars and circulated new guidance encouraging postsecondary institutions to assist in wider K-12 learning recovery efforts.

Debt Ceiling Impasse Continues

Earlier this week, top Congressional leaders from both parties in the House and Senate met at the White House with President Biden to determine a pathway forward for increasing the nation’s statutory borrowing authority (known informally as the debt ceiling or debt limit). Recent estimates from the U.S. Treasury Department have indicated that the federal government will exhaust its current options by June 1 of this year. Failure to raise the debt ceiling would result in a national default on the nation’s existing debt obligations and would have devastating economic consequences.

Since the beginning of the year, House Republicans have demanded a litany of policy and spending concessions from Democrats and the Biden Administration in exchange for raising the debt limit. These concessions include significant and dramatic cuts to domestic discretionary program funding, including Career Technical Education (CTE) programs funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (as amended by the Strengthening Career Technical Education for the 21st Century Act; Perkins V). Democrats in Congress and President Biden have maintained that the debt limit should be extended without preconditions to avoid a default and negotiate separately on these other issues unrelated to the nation’s borrowing authority.

Unfortunately, the meeting that took place on Tuesday failed to provide a clear path forward beyond this current impasse. With the debt limit deadline fast approaching, lawmakers have directed their staff to begin behind-the-scenes negotiations on a potential compromise and are expected to reconvene sometime in the near future. This situation remains fluid and Advance CTE will continue to closely monitor developments related to this situation and the potential impacts it may have on the CTE community.

House Holds WIOA Hearing

On Thursday, May 11, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittee held a hearing titled “Examining America’s Workforce Challenges: Looking for Ways to Improve Skills Development.” The hearing featured testimony from an array of witnesses ranging from employers to workforce development leaders and other stakeholders who provided perspectives and recommendations regarding ways to update and improve the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The hearing is a likely precursor to further House Education and Workforce Committee consideration of this legislation and focused particular attention on aspects of current law that could be changed to improve training services and related activities supported by WIOA. In addition, the hearing also highlighted the importance of resourcing state workforce development and CTE systems to improve results and related outcomes for workers and learners. An archived webcast of the hearing, including witness testimony and opening statements, can be accessed here.

Secretary Cardona Testifies on FY24 Budget in the Senate

Also on Thursday, May 11, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) hosted U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, to testify on the Biden Administration’s FY24 budget request for his agency. During the hearing Labor-HHS-ED Subcommittee Chair, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), questioned Secretary Cardona at length regarding CTE and the ways in which states, local education agencies and postsecondary institutions are using basic state grant funding from Perkins V to support high-quality CTE programs. During this line of questioning, Chair Baldwin noted that CTE learners graduate high school at higher rates than their non-CTE peers and also emphasized that they are more likely to go on to pursue further education and training.

Notably, Secretary Cardona highlighted a number of CTE programs that he had recently visited that currently make use of existing Perkins V formula resources and noted how closely current Perkins V grant recipients, including employer partners, are collaborating to provide opportunities for learners. As shared previously, however, the Biden Administration is currently requesting $200 million in funding for the creation of a new competitive grant program– a proposal Advance CTE and others have shared significant concerns over. An archived webcast of the hearing, including Secretary Cardona’s testimony can be found here.

Presidential Scholars Announced

This week the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars announced the 59th cohort of U.S. Presidential Scholars—an initiative that annually recognizes 161 high school seniors for academic, career and technical and artistic achievements. The selection process takes into consideration a number of criteria including transcripts and test scores. Each year, this program features 20 CTE scholars for their outstanding achievements and recognizes related accomplishments. A full list of scholars can be found here.

ED Encourages Federal Work Study to Help With Learning Recovery

On Wednesday, May 10, the U.S. Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague letter to postsecondary and school district leaders regarding the federal work study program and wider efforts to support K-12 student populations recover from lost instructional time during the pandemic. The primary purpose of the letter was to encourage postsecondary institutions to use Federal Work Study funding—provided to institutions as part of the Higher Education Act— to support opportunities for enrolled students to serve as tutors, mentors and other supportive roles. Additionally, the letter encouraged the use of the funds to assist in the implementation of afterschool and out-of-school time programs aimed at helping students recover lost learning and instructional time due to the pandemic. The letter also highlighted other funding sources that can be used in support of similar efforts.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Jodi Langellotti in Public Policy
Tags: cte funding, debt ceiling, debt talks, FY 2024 Funding, perkins funding, Presidential Scholars, Secretary Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education, WIOA, wisconsin

Legislative Update: House Republicans Advance Significant Spending Cut Proposal

Thursday, April 27th, 2023

This week Congress’ collective attention has been centered on the need to raise the nation’s statutory borrowing authority. House Republicans have successfully passed legislation that would achieve this in exchange for dramatic reductions in investments for domestic programs, including Career Technical Education (CTE). Elsewhere, President Biden’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Labor has continued to progress while new guidance for youth workforce development efforts has been released.

House Republicans Advance Dramatic Spending Cut Proposal

For the last several months, Congress has intensely debated the need to raise the nation’s borrowing authority. Known informally as the debt ceiling or debt limit, this is the total amount of money the federal government is legally permitted to borrow to pay for expenses already incurred. Failure to increase this limit would result in a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt obligations which nearly happened in 2011 when the nation’s credit rating was downgraded for the first time in its history. The U.S. Treasury Department currently projects the debt limit will be reached by early summer.

Lawmakers have continued to disagree on how and, in some cases, whether to raise the debt limit to avert this impending crisis. This has resulted in a lengthy stalemate that has been ongoing since the start of the 118th Congress. Recently, House Republicans released a new legislative proposal that would dramatically cut federal investments in all discretionary domestic programs, including those overseen by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) by nearly 22 percent. If enacted, this would dramatically reduce the federal investment in CTE, made by the Carl D. Perkins Act as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), by over $300 million. ED currently estimates that this would impact roughly 26 million students among many other programmatic cuts, related disruptions and negative consequences for learners.

In addition to this significant proposed funding reduction, the bill also includes a cap on discretionary spending for domestic programs, including programs like Perkins V, to one percent over the next decade. The proposal also includes a slew of other Republican priorities House leaders hope to enact in exchange for raising the national borrowing authority through March 21, 2024 or by $1.5 trillion (whichever occurs first).

On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee met to procedurally advance this proposal. The measure was approved along party lines by a vote of 9-4. Due to the tight margins of control in the House, Speaker McCarthy made several modifications to the legislation, including increasing proposed work requirements for social safety net programs and removing provisions that would eliminate tax credits for ethanol fuel, as he and his leadership team continued to firm up support for the bill. Late yesterday evening, the House voted to approve the measure along party lines by a thin margin of 217-215. The proposal is not likely to be taken up by the Senate and it remains unclear whether this recent development will overcome the current political impasse on this issue.

DOL Nominee Advanced by Senate HELP Committee

With the recent departure of U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, President Biden has nominated current U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor and former California Labor Secretary, Julie Su, to fill this important position overseeing the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to advance Su’s nomination along party lines by a margin of 11-10. Su’s nomination now heads to the full Senate for further consideration. However, all Republicans are expected to vote against her nomination due to concerns regarding Su’s tenure as California Labor Secretary and several moderate Democrats have also shared these same perspectives. Given the narrow margin of control in the Senate, the fate of Su’s nomination, therefore, remains unclear as more Senators share whether they will ultimately approve her nomination.

DOL Releases New Youth Workforce Guidance

Recently, the DOL released a training and employment guidance letter (TEGL 09-22) which clarifies DOL’s Employment and Training Adminstration’s (ETA) priorities regarding youth workforce development and updates non regulatory guidance regarding the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth formula program. The TEGL highlights new strategies for determining youth funding eligibility and provides suggestions for how stakeholders can better provide workforce development services for youth populations served by WIOA. A webinar hosted by ETA to provide an overview of this guidance is scheduled for next month. Registration information can be found here.

ED Publishes National CTE Research Study Notice

Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Institute of Education Sciences (IES) published an updated version of two survey instruments that will be used to gather data and information from state and local CTE stakeholders. This effort is mandated by Perkins V which requires a national evaluation of policies and programs being implemented as part of the law. The notice is soliciting feedback and input from the public regarding the survey instruments prior to being used later this year as part of this wider national evaluation. The notice, including instructions to provide comment, can be found here.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Jodi Langellotti in Public Policy
Tags: 118th Congress, Carl D. Perkins Act Funding, cte funding, debt ceiling, debt talks, Department of Labor, HELP Committee, U.S. Department of Education, WIOA, Workforce Training

Legislative Update: Bipartisan Spotlight on CTE This Week

Friday, February 10th, 2023

This week the President delivered the annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress, while the House held its first hearing of the new 118th Congress. Elsewhere Career Technical Education (CTE) champions in the House introduced a resolution designating February as CTE Month while lawmakers reintroduced legislation that would greatly expand postsecondary CTE opportunities for learners across the country.

President Biden Delivers State of the Union

On Tuesday, February 7, President Joe Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The speech focused on the President and Congress’ accomplishments over the last two years, including significant investments in advanced manufacturing, the nation’s infrastructure, and other domestic priorities, while also reiterating a need to “finish the job” in the 118th Congress—a recurrent theme that the President returned to throughout the evening. Ahead of the address to the joint session of Congress, First Lady Jill Biden’s guests included Kate Foley– a 10th grade computer-integrated manufacturing student who the First Lady had met last year during a visit she and other Administration officials made to CTE programs in Rolling Meadows High School. In addition, Rep. Glusenkamp Perez (D-WA) brought Cory Toppa, a construction, engineering design, and manufacturing teacher at Kalama High School and the director of CTE for the Kalama school district as her guest during the speech.

During the speech, the President touched on a wide range of issues, including universal preschool for three- and four-year olds, raising teacher salaries, and calling on Congress to provide greater resources for digital connectivity. However, the President consistently highlighted the centrality of education and workforce development as part of America’s ability to compete within the wider global economy. Notably, the President touched on Career Technical Education (CTE) saying, in part, “Let’s finish the job, and connect students to career opportunities starting in high school, provide access to two years of community college, the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a four-year degree. Let’s offer every American a path to a good career, whether they go to college or not.”

Reinforcing the Biden Administration’s sincere and growing interest in CTE, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited high school career academies in Omaha, Nebraska the following day to discuss students’ experiences in these programs. Advance CTE was proud to honor this program as an Excellence in Action awardee in 2015, highlighting the program’s exemplary performance which was on full display as part of the Secretary’s visit this week. As shared by the U.S. Department of Education (USED), the visit was also intended to reinforce Secretary Cardona’s recent speech outlining his Department’s priorities for the coming year, which include a focus on strengthening CTE pathways for students. A full transcript of the President’s State of the Union Address can be accessed here.

House Education Committee Hosts First Hearing

The newly renamed House Education and the Workforce Committee, Chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) held its first hearing this week titled, “American Education in Crisis.” Witnesses included Virginia Gentles, Director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Scott Pulsipher, the President of Western Governors University, and Monty Sullivan, the President of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. The wide-ranging hearing was intended to highlight aspects of the committee’s likely agenda over the next year ranging from K-12 and postsecondary education to workforce development. During the hearing several CTE topics were discussed at length, including the need to greatly expand postsecondary CTE opportunities by enacting legislation that would expand federal Pell grant eligibility for high-quality, shorter-term CTE programs.

Hearing witnesses, along with an array of committee members on both sides of the aisle, also voiced support for these much needed reforms to the nation’s postsecondary education system. “The single most important step Congress can take in helping address our nation’s skill shortage is to immediately authorize the use of Pell Grants for workforce programs. . . [I] strongly urge Congress to come to consensus on legislation that, when passed, will enable a significant increase in the number of students across the country who will have a new opportunity in how they improve their skills” Monty Sullivan shared as part of his testimony.

Beyond short-term Pell reform, the hearing also touched on the need to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Higher Education Act (HEA), most notably by more tightly aligning these federal investments in future legislative updates. In particular, witnesses spoke about the importance of wrap-around services and developing integrated systems of education and workforce development that more effectively ensured learner and worker success. Witnesses also voiced strong support for expanding work-based learning opportunities, particularly apprenticeship programs and called for a broadening of federal support for multiple postsecondary pathways that lead to opportunity. An archived webcast of the more than three hour hearing can be found here.

House Lawmakers Reintroduce the JOBS Act

Late last week, a group of bipartisan lawmakers including Reps. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE), Michael Turner (R-OH), and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), reintroduced the Jumpstarting our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act (H.R. 793)– legislation that would expand federal Pell grant funding eligibility to high-quality, shorter-term CTE programs that meet certain criteria. The bill is the House companion to legislation also reintroduced in the Senate last week, which is currently supported by just under half of the upper chamber. Advance CTE is proud to support this legislation and encourages members to reach out to their Representatives to encourage them to co-sponsor the legislation this Congress. More on the reintroduction can be found here.

House CTE Caucus Introduces CTE Month Resolution

On Wednesday, February 8th, House CTE Caucus Co-chairs Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) introduced a resolution recognizing and designating February as National CTE Month (H. Res. 110). The resolution was co-sponsored by a broad bipartisan coalition of 71 Representatives– a new high watermark of support for the annual resolution. Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) were joined by more than 50 other organizations who also supported the introduction of the resolution this week.

“We are proud to support the 2023 Career Technical Education (CTE) Month resolution as a celebration and recognition of the impact CTE has for learners as they explore and find their career passions, secure meaningful credentials of value aligned to in-demand careers and provide employers with a highly skilled workforce that is responsive to rapidly evolving industry needs,” said Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green. More on the introduction can be found here.

Senate HELP Organizes

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee– the entity with responsibility over CTE policymaking in the Senate– met for the first time this week to formally organize and adopt rules for the Congress. New HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) emphasized his desire to focus on a wide range of healthcare issues, including a focus on the workforce shortages within the sector. Chair Sanders noted that “We desperately need plumbers and carpenters and electricians and yet we don’t have the training capabilities of doing that.” He highlighted apprenticeships as a potential strategy to address these needs and emphasized that he hoped to work together with Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and his colleagues on these issues in the coming Congress.

During remarks, Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) emphasized his desire to reauthorize WIOA and HEA, while also identifying reducing the costs of postsecondary education as being another potential area of bipartisan consensus he hoped to pursue over the next two years. The brief organizational meeting also featured high-level remarks from other committee members who highlighted their priorities for the coming Congress. As part of the meeting HELP members adopted rules for the committee unanimously, as well as a budget, before adjourning. An archived webcast of the meeting can be found here.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Jodi Langellotti in Public Policy
Tags: Congressional CTE Caucus, cte funding, CTE Policy, Education and the Workforce Committee, excellence in action, HELP Committee, Illinois, JOBS Act, Louisiana, Nebraska, President Biden, SOTU, U.S. Secretary of Education, washington, Washington State, WIOA

Legislative Update: Lawmakers Introduce Proposals to Expand Pell Grants for CTE Programs as CTE Month Begins

Friday, February 3rd, 2023

This week lawmakers in both Chambers introduced proposals to expand federal Pell grant eligibility to high-quality, shorter-term Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Elsewhere, the House and Senate CTE Caucuses are seeking support for a resolution in honor of CTE Month this February. Lawmakers have also finalized committee assignments for entities that will determine CTE funding and policymaking over the next two years.

Short-Term Pell Proposals Introduced

Earlier this week, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) reintroduced the Jumpstarting our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act (S.161)– legislation that would expand federal Pell grant funding eligibility to high-quality, shorter-term CTE programs that meet certain criteria. This legislation has been a longstanding federal priority for Advance CTE as a key way to provide more learners quality postsecondary pathways that lead to jobs in growing sectors of the economy. A bipartisan group of 36 Senators also co-sponsored the legislation upon introduction, underscoring the significant level of support the proposal continues to have in the chamber. A one-page summary of the bill can be found here.

Additionally, late last week House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), along with several Republican colleagues, introduced the Promoting Employment and Lifelong Learning (PELL) Act (H.R. 496)– legislation that also seeks to expand federal Pell grant eligibility for certain short-term postsecondary CTE programs. This legislation differs from the JOBS Act in several ways and is a competing proposal to the bipartisan JOBS Act which is also expected to be reintroduced in the House this Congress. The text of the bill can be found here and a summary of the proposal can be accessed here.

Be Sure to Encourage Congress to Support CTE Month Resolutions!

Co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are currently circulating a resolution designating February as CTE Month. These leaders are asking their colleagues to co-sponsor this resolution and Advance CTE encourages members to reach out to your Senators to encourage them to sign on to this resolution as soon as possible.

Concurrent to these efforts, House CTE Caucus co-chairs Reps. Thompson (R-PA) and Bonamici (D-OR) are also circulating a resolution in the chamber for this same purpose and are seeking co-sponsors ahead of planned introduction on February 8th. However, the resolution will be open throughout the month to add more co-sponsoring members ahead of planned passage at the end of the month. Be sure to encourage your members of Congress to co-sponsor by clicking here!

Both of these resolutions are important ways in which CTE can be elevated amongst federal policymakers and allows Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education to continue to highlight the benefits CTE programs provide for learners and the need to continue to invest in these efforts.

House Education Committee Lays Out Vision for New Congress

The newly renamed Education and the Workforce Committee—the House entity responsible for CTE policymaking—has continued to take important steps this week to organize and map out an agenda for the 118th Congress. Earlier in the week, House Democrats, led by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), announced committee assignments for the new Congress. This comes after Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) announced her party’s members slated for the committee last week. Following these necessary first steps, Chair Foxx held an organizing meeting this week where the committee adopted a set of rules and a related oversight plan for the coming year.

“Oversight will be a major priority for this Committee in the 118th Congress. . . Federal agency heads might as well get comfortable with this hearing room—they are going to be here a lot” Chair Foxx said, in part, at the outset of the meeting. The oversight plan includes a wide range of issues that will likely be focused on by the committee this Congress including an examination of how pandemic relief funding for education was used, as well as several workforce programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). In a separate interview this week, Chair Foxx also shared that she plans to prioritize higher education and workforce development legislation this Congress and is hopeful about finding consensus on short-term Pell grant proposals outlined above. Committee leadership has also shared that the Education and Workforce Committee will hold its first hearing of the new Congress titled, “American Education in Crisis”, scheduled for February 8th.

Senate Organization Take Shape

On the other side of the Capitol, the 118th Congress has gotten off to a slower start than the House. This has been due, in part, to efforts to determine where newly elected Senators would be assigned for the coming Congress, particularly amongst Republicans who have six new members joining the caucus this year. Late last week, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced committee assignments for Democrats, including for the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee—the entity with responsibility for K-12 education policymaking.

Of note, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will chair the HELP committee, replacing longtime Chair Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) who will be leading the Appropriations Committee in the new Congress. In addition, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) will be joining the HELP Committee this Congress, filling a vacancy left by Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-NV) who has been assigned elsewhere. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) similarly announced assignments for committees in the upper chamber this week, including HELP. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Tim Scott (R-SC) are set to leave the committee and will be replaced by freshman Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
Tags: CTE Caucus, CTE Month, Federal Policy, HELP Committee, House Education and the Workforce, JOBS Act, Legislative Update, Legislative Updates, pell grants, WIOA

Research Round-up: Perceptions of and Participation in Alternative Credentials

Thursday, August 25th, 2022

Advance CTE’s “Research Round-Up” series features summaries of relevant research reports and studies to elevate evidence-backed Career Technical Educational (CTE) policies and practices, as well as topics related to college and career readiness. This month’s topic, Alternative Credentials, advances a vision for the future of CTE where statewide systems and supports are in place for each learner’s skills to be fully counted, valued, and portable, and highlights the potential benefits of alternative credentials for both learners and employers.

Defining Alternative Credentials

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, alternative credentials can be loosely defined as any micro-credential, industry or professional certification, acknowledgment of apprenticeship (registered or non-registered), or badging that indicates one’s competencies and skills within a particular field. Other common characteristics of alternative credentials include:

These credentials typically take less time to complete;
Focus on specific skills;
Are stackable;
Are verifiable; and
Are often aligned to industries and can be frequently delivered digitally.

The key takeaways from three recent reports on the perceptions and outcomes of alternative credentials suggest that skills-based hiring offers a competitive alternative to the traditional, four-year degree job requirement and benefits both employers and employees.

Research shows a growing need to think outside of the traditional four-year degree.

Jobs for the Future (JFF) and American Student Assistance (ASA)’s white paper, “Degrees of Risk: What Gen Z and Employers Think About Education-to-Career Pathways…and How Those Views are Changing”, illustrates the shifting perceptions of alternative credentials

When trying to determine their next steps after graduation, Generation Z youth are becoming increasingly wary of the cost and time to complete a traditional four-year degree. Almost 86 percent of learners today receive financial aid; the average student loan balance accumulated over four years ranges from $25,880 to $107,520. Knowing this, they are open to the idea of non-degree pathways and credentials to help build job readiness skills in order to accelerate their timelines for entering the workforce.
Employers who are willing to look outside of the traditional four-year degree are looking for a certain threshold of experience (typically measured in years) to satisfy skill requirements. This could suggest that potential candidates who have completed an apprenticeship or work-based learning have an advantage over traditional college applicants who may not yet have accumulated work experience.

For employees, alternative credentials may have a return on investment that is competitive with the traditional degree track.

The Midwest Economic Policy Institute co-authored “Apprenticeship as a Career Development Alternative” with the University of Illinois’ Labor and Employment Relations division to examine registered apprenticeship programs in the state of Wisconsin. The report analyzes enrollment, hours worked, and wages earned by learners, to demonstrate the market value of alternative credentials when learners are considering their postsecondary options.

Wages earned by workers who have achieved journey-level experience start at $67,200 annual salary, on par with annual earnings for workers with bachelor’s degrees.
The average construction worker who completes an apprenticeship program in Wisconsin earns 33 percent more than the average worker with an associate degree. These wages are only 3 percent less than the average worker with a bachelor’s degree and avoid incurring $27,100 in student debt, the average loan burden for graduating seniors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

For employers, lowering barriers to jobs by removing burdensome degree requirements has the potential of diversifying talent pools.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) published the findings of a survey sampling executives, supervisors, HR professionals, and workers to measure the frequency and perceptions of alternative credentials. A majority of executives, supervisors, and HR professionals believe that including alternative credentials in hiring decisions can actually improve overall workplace diversity. The findings show that 81 percent of executives, 71 percent of supervisors, and 59 percent of human resource professionals recognize that using alternative credentials can uncover untapped talent and make it easier for diverse candidates to obtain employment.

Credentials are popular with nontraditional groups:

Older Workers: Most workers ages 50 and older funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) who seek further education earn a non-degree credential. WIOA observed a clear preference on the part of older workers for training options that are usually under one year in duration with training program completion rates ranging from 74 to 85 percent .
Individuals without a postsecondary degree: 58 percent of working-age adults with some college but no degree have earned nondegree credentials, while 19 percent of those with no higher education have earned nondegree credentials.
Veterans: For those adults without college degrees, military veterans (57 percent) are far more likely than nonveterans (35 percent) to have a certificate or certification.

Confidence in alternative credentials is growing among learners and employers, alike. CTE has long been viewed as a responsive, skills-based avenue for learners to earn alternative credentials. To move the needle on skills-based practices, CTE leaders must ensure that alternative credentials are high-quality, backed by labor market information and provide on and off ramps to allow learners to stack their credentials.

Additional discussions about skills-based hiring can be found in this webinar, Valuing Individuals’ Career-Ready Competencies Through Skills-Based Hiring, hosted earlier this year by Advance CTE, and in the Learning that Works Resource Center.

Amy Hodge, Policy Associate

By Stacy Whitehouse in Research
Tags: Alternative Certification, employers, veterans, WIOA

Legislative Update: House Advances WIOA Reauthorization

Friday, May 20th, 2022

This week the House passed legislation that would make updates to federal workforce development legislation, while elsewhere lawmakers examined the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) federal fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget request. In addition, the U.S. Department of Education announced the latest class of Presidential Scholars, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made additional funding announcements and DOL convened a meeting on apprenticeship programs.

House Advances WIOA Reauthorization Proposal

On Tuesday, May 17, lawmakers in the House passed H.R. 7309– legislation that would reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This legislation was passed largely along party lines by a margin of 220-196. If enacted, this legislation would make important reforms to the sharing of One-stop Center infrastructure costs amongst required partner programs, including postsecondary Career Technical Education (CTE) programs receiving funding from the Carl D. Perkins Act (Perkins V). The proposed legislation would also codify the Workforce Data Quality Initiative, authorizes additional funding for this effort to modernize state workforce data systems, and would make related improvements to data system infrastructure. The proposal strongly emphasizes equitable access and opportunity for workers and learners of all ages in a variety of ways among many other encouraging aspects of the legislation.

Notably, the legislation was amended during floor consideration to encourage CTE representation on local workforce development boards– a key priority for Advance CTE. Yet, despite these improvements to current WIOA law, Advance CTE looks forward to further refining this proposal as part of the wider legislative process as shared previously. This includes addressing issues with a more narrow definition for “eligible youth” in addition to developing more reciprocal connections between state CTE and workforce development systems. With House passage complete, the legislation now moves to the Senate where its future remains unclear. As this process moves forward, Advance CTE will continue to advocate for thoughtful and meaningful coordination and alignment between CTE and the publicly funded workforce development system.

House Examines DOL FY23 Budget

Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing examining the Biden Administration’s FY23 budget request for DOL. U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh testified before lawmakers on the subcommittee, highlighting many aspects of this request including its support for apprenticeship programs and his Department’s role in promoting the Administration’s Good Jobs Initiative. An archived webcast of the hearing can be found here.

DOL Convenes Apprenticeship Advisory Committee

On Monday, May 16, DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship (OA) hosted a quarterly meeting for its Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA). Authorized by the National Apprenticeship Act, the ACA is intended to help the Department expand, modernize, and diversify registered apprenticeship programs, including by expanding these programs into nontraditional sectors of the economy and ensuring equitable access for all workers. The meeting focused on ways stakeholders can achieve these objectives, which included a set of recommendations for the agency to consider. Among these recommendations, the committee encouraged officials to consider further clarifying aspects of high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs in future guidance. Materials for the meeting, including related presentations, can be found here.

FCC Announces New Funding Commitments

On Tuesday, May 17, the FCC announced that it had committed $50 million in additional awards as part of a 15th wave of Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) program support. Created as part of the American Rescue Plan, the ECF Program allows eligible schools and libraries to apply for financial support to purchase connected devices including laptops and tablets, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connectivity to serve unmet needs of students, school staff, and library patrons at home. This round of funding will support 46 schools, 7 libraries, and 2 consortia across the country, including for students in American Samoa, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FCC’s third filing window for applications closed last week with additional award announcements expected in the near future.

Biden Administration Announces Presidential Scholars

Late last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars announced the 58th cohort of U.S. Presidential Scholars—an initiative that annually recognizes 161 high school seniors for academic, career technical, and artistic achievements. The selection process takes into consideration a number of criteria including learners’ transcripts and test scores. Each year, this initiative highlights the achievements of 20 CTE scholars for their outstanding achievements. A full list of scholars can be found here.

June Meeting Series

On June 22nd, Advance CTE will be joined by partners from the Association for Career and Technical Education and Association of Community College Trustees to provide a federal policy update as part of Advance CTE’s Equip, Empower, Elevate: June Meeting Series. The series consists of three, three-hour events on June 8, 15, and 22 from 2 to 5 p.m. ET. Those interested in attending one or more sessions can register here by May 25, 2022.

Be Sure to Encourage Lawmakers to Join CTE Caucuses

The House and Senate CTE Caucuses, Advance CTE and ACTE are currently working to encourage Senators and Representatives to join their respective CTE Caucuses, if they have not done so already. To find out if your Members of Congress have joined their respective Caucus, you can review House and Senate membership lists. Membership in these caucuses is an important way for lawmakers to signal their support for CTE and the millions of learners across the country who enroll in these programs. To encourage your Senator or member of Congress to join, click here and scroll down to the request form corresponding to your needs.

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
Tags: Congressional CTE Caucus, Department of Labor, FCC, House Appropriations Committee, Presidential Scholars, Registered Apprenticeship, WIOA

Posts Tagged ‘WIOA’

Legislative Update: House Advances FY24 Appropriations With Steep Cuts to Domestic Programs

Legislative Update: House Examines Skills-Based Hiring as Senate Sets Spending Toplines

Legislative Update: Congress Looks Ahead on Funding

Perkins Regional Meetings April and May 2023: Key Takeaways

Legislative Update: Impasse on Debt Ceiling Continues

Legislative Update: House Republicans Advance Significant Spending Cut Proposal

Legislative Update: Bipartisan Spotlight on CTE This Week

Legislative Update: Lawmakers Introduce Proposals to Expand Pell Grants for CTE Programs as CTE Month Begins

Research Round-up: Perceptions of and Participation in Alternative Credentials

Legislative Update: House Advances WIOA Reauthorization

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