TWEET OF THE WEEK
We transitioned from automotive to engineering to expand options for kids w/o sacrificing content.. Today the solar car team was recognized by @kathrynbarger. @CTEWorks @linked_learning #STEM pic.twitter.com/vpsBJ0ywxz
— Betsy Mckinstry Ed.D. (@bmckinstry) September 11, 2018
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK
$70 Million Proposed Increase for Career Technical Education
Last week, a conference committee comprised of members of both the House and Senate was formed to negotiate the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) final appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education). As we reported, the Senate passed their FY19 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill on August 23. The conference committee has released final bill text with a proposed $70 million increase for Career Technical Education (CTE). The bill has to be voted on by both the Senate and the House and then the President must sign it for it to go into effect.
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
CareerTech Delivers – Conversations with Dr. Marcie Mack
Dr. Marcie Mack, the State CTE Director of Oklahoma talks with Jennifer Moines, the Executive Director of Oklahoma Achieves about the importance of creating CTE classroom instruction that emulates the workforce this includes qualified instructors.
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Data Matters: Using Chronic Absence to Accelerate Action for Student Success by Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center
According to the latest federal chronic absence data nearly 8 million students in the nation were chronically absent in the 2015-16 school year. The definition of chronic absence refers to missing 15 or more days each year. Along with a report an interactive data map was developed by The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. It provides you with the ability to explore chronic absence rates at the school, district and state level.
Key Findings Include:
- Chronic absence levels are much higher, regardless of locale, in schools where a majority (75 percent or more) of students live in poverty.
- Chronic absence disproportionately affects special populations such as Native American, Hispanic, African-American, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander learners.
- 15 percent of students are chronically absent.
Recommendations for State Departments of Education:
- Develop and implement a state plan to reduce chronic absence.
- Use chronic absence data as a factor in determining the allocation of related grant funding and technical assistance, as well as in conjunction with other performance indicators in order to identify broader issues.
- Ensure that school report cards are easy to understand.
Learn more here.
Nicole Howard, Communications Associate