CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

New Report on the Skilled Technical Workforce

The National Science Board (NSB) released a report titled, The Skilled Technical Workforce: Crafting America’s Science and Engineering Enterprise. Its findings are based on stakeholder engagement meetings with relevant organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as nationwide listening sessions that NSB conducted with workers, students, businesses and educators.

NSB found four main challenges that the Skilled Technical Workforce (STW) is facing:

Meeting students where they are, and designing STW education around those needs. The researchers reported the need to center programs around students that work within the constraints of students’ lives. The researchers stressed that lifelong learning is the new reality, and in order to have a skilled and capable workforce, programs need to meet students where they are.

Building partnerships among STW stakeholders. Partnerships between government, industry and educational institutions should occur in order to avoid a “one-size-fits-all” approach. This allows communities to align curricula to meet local community needs.

Increasing awareness of employment and career opportunities in the STW. The report emphasizes that there are numerous paths to educational and career success. The paths should not be presented as an “either-or” option, instead, the STW should aim to complement rather than compete with other education paths. NSB reports that learners pursuing careers in the STW have opportunities for higher earning potentials, greater job selection and to pursue additional postsecondary STEM education.

Data gaps are creating challenges in establishing a system-wide approach to the STW. Stakeholders are finding it difficult to assess the STW in order to create new programs and partnerships, as well as disseminate information to the public about opportunities within the STW. NSB says that this will be a long-term project that will require the input of multiple organizations for data, however, it is crucial for the continued development of the STW for there to be system-wide data.

Based on the systemic challenges the STW faces, NSB proposes interconnected recommendations, relevant to CTE, for policymakers and STW leaders:

Change the message. The report states that there needs to be an acceptance of various educational paths that are complementary and interdependent. Students should be able to make an educational choice based on their own informed preferences.

Focus on the data. NSB recommends that data should be collected on a wide range of characteristics of the STW, and partnerships between stakeholders should develop to enable collaboration of resources and data.

Build partnerships. NSB recommends that STW stakeholders should work together to fit local community needs. To incentivize this, NSB says policymakers should further develop federal programs to require partnership participation from stakeholders.

Americans Support a Variety of Postsecondary Pathways

New America has released a report titled, Varying Degrees 2019: New America’s Third Annual Survey on Higher Education. The report is based on a survey of 2,029 Americans and their perceptions of education after high school and education’s contribution to economic mobility.

Relevant to CTE, the report found that Americans value various postsecondary educational pathways. More than eight in ten respondents felt comfortable with their child choosing an apprenticeship, technical degree/certificate, associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree.

Another CTE-related finding was that 90 percent of respondents answered that postsecondary education beyond high school will contribute to increased earning potential. While some respondents believed that a high school diploma alone can lead to a lasting career, significantly more recognized the importance of postsecondary education.

Both findings point to the increased understanding and appreciation across the country for the value of CTE, and for multiple paths to upward economic mobility. The survey indicates that the majority of Americans recognize that some type of postsecondary education is a critical component to achieving career success.

Senate Committee Flat Funds Education Appropriations Bill

On September 12th, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted on, and passed along party lines, the 302(b) allocations for each of the twelve appropriations bills for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The 302(b) allocation is the total amount of discretionary funds the bill has for all of the programs within it. 

The committee essentially flat funded the Labor-HHS-Education (Labor-H) bill, only giving it an increase of $223 million, or .1%, bringing the total to $178.299 billion. This is almost $12 billion less than what the House allocated earlier this year when they passed their version of the bill. During the mark-up, committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT) offered an alternative allocation that would have given Labor-H an additional $3.3 billion, but it was ultimately not approved. 

The future of the Senate Labor-H appropriations measure, and the overall level of Perkins funding, is still unclear after it was abruptly taken off the mark-up calendar last week because of a disagreement over a health-care related amendment. With government funding running out at the end of the month, the Senate must act in order to prevent another government shutdown. What is likely to happen is that both chambers will pass a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding at FY19 levels through the end of November to give them time to work out the FY20 bills.

With a mark-up still on the horizon, and Perkins funding levels still in the balance, we continue to ask you to contact your Senators to urge them to increase Perkins funding in FY20.

9/18 UPDATE: On September 18th, Subcommittee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) released the proposed text for the Senate Labor-H appropriations bill. It provides $71.4 billion for the Department of Education, which is $100 million less than the FY19 enacted levels, and $1.263 billion for the Perkins Basic State Grant, which is the same as the FY19 enacted levels. The funding levels in the draft text are only proposed, and are not the final committee numbers until they hold a markup and vote on the legislation. The committee still has not announced when the markup will take place, which means there is still time for the funding levels to change, including the Perkins Basic State Grant. We still urge you to contact your Senators and ask them to increase Perkins funding in FY20.

If you would like to read the bill text in its entirety, click here. 

DC Digest: September 10-16

• Appropriations Bill Markup Postponed: On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee postponed its scheduled markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Labor-H appropriations bill. The postponement was due to a disagreement between both parties around a healthcare-related provision. There has been no announcement of a new date for the markup. With the FY 2019 fiscal year ending September 30, Congress must act on new appropriations bills quickly or pass a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown. We will keep you apprised of new developments, and we encourage you to contact your senators and voice your support for an increase in Perkins CTE funding in FY2020!
• Report on Equity and Diversity in Apprenticeships: As apprenticeships become an increasingly popular subject in Washington, Jobs for the Future released a report on “Growing Equity and Diversity Through Apprenticeships: Business Perspectives”. Included in the report are strategies from leading companies about how to advance equity in their companies and apprenticeship models.
• 2019 State of the Workforce Report Released: The National Association of State Workforce Agencies published its first 2019 State of the Workforce Report, which highlighted each state’s labor market data and profile, and drew attention to exemplary programs states use to help their workforces.

New Data on CTE Coursetaking in Different Locales

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a new fact sheet in its “Data Point” series on the patterns of CTE coursetaking among students from different locales, including cities, suburbs, towns and rural areas. Titled “Career and Technical Education Coursetaking in 2013, by Locale,” the fact sheet draws data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, which includes students who graduated high school in 2013.

Previously released data shows that for 2013 graduates, of the 26.7 overall credits they earned, 2.6 of those credits were from CTE courses. This fact sheet breaks that data down further by the location of the students’ high schools. The new data show that It students in rural areas and towns earned more CTE credits than students in suburbs and cities, and fewer academic credits.  

In addition, —the research shows that  a higher percentage of CTE graduates were concentrators (using a new 2-credit definition to correspond as closely as possible to the requirement in Perkins 5) in rural areas (43%) and towns (45%) rather than suburban areas (34%) or cities (35%). Following this pattern, credit earners in rural areas and towns tended to be more concentrated in the CTE subject fields of agriculture and natural resources and construction. Students from towns earned more engineering, design and production credits than those in cities and suburbs; and students from towns, rural areas and cities earned more credits in healthcare than those from suburban areas. The other six CTE areas did not have any clear patterns in differences in credits earned among the locales.

 

Report Shows New Trends for CTE Students with Disabilities

A new study published by CALDER, the National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, adds to existing research by examining the trends of students with disabilities participating in CTE courses. To study these patterns, the researchers evaluated three different data sets, which included nationally representative data sets of high school students from 2000-01 to 2003-04 and from 2009-10 to 2012-13, and a statewide data set of Washington high school students between 2009-10 and 2017-18.

The researchers wanted to determine the differences in CTE coursetaking among three groups of students—students with learning disabilities, students with other disabilities and students without disabilities. The researchers examined two research questions to understand the relationship between CTE participation and students with disabilities.

How has the average number of CTE credits taken during high school changed over time for students with learning disabilities compared to the other two groups of students? They found that, nationally, occupational CTE credits taken declined from the early 2000s to 2013 for the students with learning disabilities and with other identified disabilities, but did not decline for students without disabilities. However, looking at the Washington dataset, participation for students with disabilities in occupational CTE courses stabilized after 2013.

How do these trends vary within different CTE occupational areas? The researchers found that Washington high school students with disabilities were participating more in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) CTE areas than in other CTE program areas. The percentage of students in the STEMM areas across all three groups increased from 15 percent to 25 percent between 2009 and 2018.

These findings illustrate that although there was a decline in CTE participation by students with disabilities in the early 2000s, in Washington, that decline has since stabilized and participation in the STEMM courses has increased. The researchers caution that, although STEMM CTE participation has been linked to positive outcomes for students with disabilities, the skilled trades and business sectors should not be forgotten as options for these students. They conclude by stressing the importance of states continuing to strive for more participation by students with disabilities in CTE courses, as it will help with both college and career readiness. 

On August 29, ACTE, collaborating with Penn State University’s Workforce Education program and the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT), hosted the first webinar of a five-part webinar series addressing programs, practices and partnerships among CTE and special education practitioners that support students with disabilities in CTE. The next webinar focus is on creating effective partnerships between special education and CTE professionals. The webinar will take place on September 19, 2019 3:00-4:30 pm EST. Learn more and register here.

DC Digest: September 4-9

New Video on Coordination Between Perkins and WIOA: The Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) recently released a new video on joint Perkins Act and Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) plans. The video has been added to OCTAE’s online video library. This brief video explains the history between Perkins and WIOA, and gives examples of states who are building these joint plans.

New Perkins V Guidance on Program Income: According to a memo released on Friday by Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education Scott Stump, the Department of Education will continue providing prior authority for eligible recipients or subrecipients under the newly-authorized Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act (Perkins V) to use the addition and/or cost sharing or matching options for program income pursuant to 2 CFR 200.307(e) of the Uniform Guidance. This updated guidance will ensure programs that earn income from school-based enterprises can continue to do so without losing Perkins funds as long as they follow the guidelines included.

Rep.  Susan Davis Announces Retirement: On Wednesday, Rep. Davis, who chairs the subcommittee overseeing higher education for the House Education and Labor Committee, announced she will not be seeking reelection. As chair of this subcommittee,  she oversees reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, so may push for action before her term in office ends.

Administration Releases FY 2021 Research and Development Priorities: The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy recently sent a memo to all federal agencies outlining the Administration’s FY 2021 research and development budget priorities. “Build and Leverage a Diverse, Highly Skilled American Workforce” is one of the cross-cutting priority actions identified in the memo, which states: “Departments and agencies should prioritize efforts to build strong foundations for STEM literacy, to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, and to prepare the STEM workforce, including college-educated STEM workers and those working in skilled trades that do not require a four-year degree.”
Agencies will reference these priorities as they invest discretionary research and development funds throughout the next year, and the ideas will likely impact overall budget development for FY 2021 as well.

Legislative Alert: Ask Your Senators to Support an Increase in Perkins CTE Funding in FY20!

Back in June, the House passed its appropriations bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, which included a $47 million increase for Perkins Basic State Grants – potentially bringing the new total to $1.31 billion. After years of declining federal support for CTE, the past two federal budgets (FY18, FY19) have included modest increases for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. Your advocacy has been critical to securing these increases, and so we need your help again to keep the momentum going!

CLICK HERE to ask your senators to support an increase in Perkins CTE funding in the FY20 appropriations bill. 

You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. An operator will then connect you with your requested Senate office.

We need to continue to raise awareness with policymakers to ensure they understand the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. The Senate Appropriations Committee plans to consider funding for education programs for FY20 as soon as NEXT WEEK. Your advocacy makes a difference and encourages policymakers to take action, so please contact your senators today!

DC Digest: August 26-September 3

The DC Digest is a new, weekly policy blog that provides more coverage of the news and activities related to federal CTE policy. Since we cannot post a lengthy blog on every policy item that could impact CTE, this blog allows us to post additional relevant material that might be of interest, in concurrence with our other in-depth blog posts on the most important issues in CTE.

• Secretary DeVos Observes CTE Programs in Alaska: Secretary DeVos traveled to Alaska last week, where she made several different stops to local CTE programs and hosted a roundtable in order to learn more about the career and college readiness initiatives being led by education and business leaders in the state. More coverage is available here, here, here and here.
  
  
• Department of Education Issues Final Borrower-Defense Regulations: On Friday, the Department of Education issued final regulations to “raise the bar” for student loan forgiveness for borrowers who claim they have been defrauded by postsecondary institutions.
  
  
• OCTAE Rescinding Perkins IV Questions and Answers: In a continued effort to streamline regulatory volume and as the transition to Perkins V is well underway, the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education announced last week that they are rescinding the “Q&A” documents that helped to guide Perkins IV implementation. These documents are no longer relevant to the new law.
  
  
• Input Floods in on DOL Proposal for Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs: Comments on the Department of Labor’s proposed rule to establish Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs were due on August 26, and over 300,000 were received. Policymakers in particular were outspoken about the new proposal. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Republican Chair of the Education and Labor Committee, along with 19 other Republican members, sent a letter expressing support for the initiative but asking that it be expanded to allow the construction industry to participate. Forty-three Senate Democrats sent their own letter in which they oppose the creation of the new program and request an extension to the public comment period. These policymakers are concerned about the impact of a parallel apprenticeship program on workplace safety, wages and training quality.
  
  
• Chiefs for Change Advocacy Agenda Includes CTE: At their recent annual meeting, members of Chiefs for Change discussed its advocacy agenda for the year, which includes a focus on “new and better postsecondary pathways for all students” including CTE.

September Marks National Workforce Development Month

In August, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution that designates September 2019 as “National Workforce Development Month.” The resolution, introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Todd Young (R-IN), recognizes the growing skills gap and supports the promotion of federal workforce development investments to ensure our economic competitiveness in the 21st century economy.

The resolution, which was supported by 29 senators, made the important distinction that CTE plays a vital role in the workforce development ecosystem, by fusing “rigorous academic content with occupational skills,” and is more effective in retaining and graduating secondary students than traditional education. Even with this recognition, CTE remains historically underfunded, especially with the increasing demand and popularity among students. If funding had simply kept pace with inflation since FY2004, its highest funding level, Perkins Basic State Grants would receive an additional $450 million per year.

ACTE will be active during September to celebrate Workforce Development Month and ensure that policymakers adequately support the CTE ecosystem. We will be conducting meetings with congressional offices, participating in briefings, actively promoting CTE on social media, and engaging in other coordinated initiatives with our partner organizations. Please stay tuned to the CTE Policy Watch Blog during the month for more updates.