CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Using ACTE’s Quality Framework to Support CLNA

Perkins V requires that school districts and institutions receiving federal funds conduct a comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) at least every two years to gauge how well aligned their CTE programs are to the needs of students, employers and communities. The first CLNA was conducted in fall 2019 and winter 2020 and many CTE educators are now gearing up for the second CLNA process. One tool that can support this effort is ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework and its companion self-evaluation instrument.

CLNA Requirements

Each state has created its own templates and resources to help local recipients conduct the CLNA and its own timeline for when CLNAs must be completed, but all state templates should include the following components identified in the legislation:

1. Student performance on federal accountability indicators, disaggregated
2. How programs are aligned to labor market needs
3. Whether programs are of sufficient size, scope and quality to meet all students’ needs
4. Progress toward implementing programs and programs of study
5. Efforts to improve recruitment, retention and training of faculty and staff
6. Progress toward improving access and equity

Using ACTE’s Framework for CLNA

ACTE’s evidence-based Quality CTE Program of Study Framework and self-evaluation tool can serve as the foundation of an assessment of program implementation, quality, access and equity as part of the CLNA. With more than 90 criteria organized under 12 elements, the Framework captures the full range of activities across a CTE program of study:

Standards-aligned and Integrated Curriculum	Facilities, Equipment, Technology and Materials
Sequencing and Articulation	Business and Community Partnerships
Student Assessment	Student Career Development
Prepared and Effective Program Staff	Career and Technical Student Organizations
Engaging Instruction	Work-based Learning
Access and Equity	Data and Program Improvement

Results from the self-evaluation may be particularly useful when responding to questions in a state’s CLNA template about program size, scope and quality and about implementation of programs and programs of study. Scores on specific elements of the Framework can apply to additional sections of the CLNA; for instance, responses to criteria in the Prepared and Effective Program Staff element can inform the section on recruitment, retention and training of faculty and staff while responses to criteria in the Access and Equity element can apply to questions on improving progress in those areas.

For more tips on how to use the ACTE Framework when conducting the CLNA, read our latest brief, ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework Self-evaluation: A Tool for the Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Senators to Support CTE Funding in the Build Back Better Act!

On November 19, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, paving the way for the bill to go through final negotiations in the Senate. This version of the bill includes funding for CTE priorities, including $700 million in funding for Perkins. In addition, it also includes $5 billion for Community College and Industry Partnership grants which would provide funds to postsecondary institutions (including community and technical colleges and area CTE centers) to partner with employers to expand education and training opportunities in high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations; and significant resources for a number of other education and workforce development programs.  

 

Senators are in the midst of heavy negotiations to finalize the bill before the end of the year, so now is the time to act – we need your help to keep CTE programs top of mind for senators as they make decisions about final funding levels in the bill!  

 

As CTE stakeholders, it has never been more important to engage with your senators by sending letters and participating in the #careerteched conversation on Twitter to urge them to prioritize these critical investments in CTE.  

  

Sending a letter to and engaging with your policymakers on social media will take less than five minutes – sending messages is particularly important if you live in a state with a Democratic senator, as they have the most influence over these negotiations! 

 
   

ACTION NEEDED: 

 

• CLICK HERE to send a letter and/or a Tweet urging senators to support CTE funding in the Build Back Better Act. 

Please connect with your senators by sending them a letter and a Tweet today!

Research Roundup: Strengthening Education-to-Workforce Pathways

Building Cross-sector Pathways: The Community College Research Center recently released a report about how community colleges can better serve learners and employers and build on guided pathways – a whole-college reform model that integrates program mapping, intensive onboarding and advising, and experiential learning – through cross-sector pathways. The goal of cross-sector pathways is to improve economic mobility for underrepresented students and to meet local workforce needs by strengthening connections within the community college and with K-12 schools, four-year universities and business and industry. Based on a study of four community colleges, the report outlines practices community colleges can implement within the following systems to establish cross-sector pathways:

• K-12 Schools: Conduct outreach to under-resourced schools to help them build a college-going mindset and to provide college and career exploration and planning support, and redesign dual enrollment and CTE courses to better facilitate student transition into postsecondary.
• Community Colleges: Implement meta-majors aligned with regional career and continuing education opportunities and leverage these meta-majors to organize new student onboarding, advising and networking opportunities and to create academic and career communities.
• Four-year Institutions: Partner to create major-specific transfer guidelines, jointly enroll students and guarantee transfer with junior standing in a major, and provide transfer students with field-specific academic support as well as financial and nonacademic support.
• Workforce: Build relationships with employers to establish industry advisory groups by meta-major, gain knowledge about in-demand jobs and implement work-based learning experiences.

Partnering with Intermediaries: Chiefs for Change recently released a brief describing state and local intermediaries’ important role in developing education-to-workforce pathways. Due to their connections to multiple institutions, intermediaries such as workforce development boards, postsecondary institutions, and nonprofit and community organizations can help support wide-reaching pathways. The brief outlines the following recommendations for policymakers and leaders to expand the use of intermediaries:

• Promote policies that support the role of intermediaries and create guidelines for partnering with intermediaries, including defining roles, responsibilities and shared goals.
• Identify existing or proposed legislation that supports (or hinders) intermediaries and funding opportunities across partner agencies.
• Create program-quality indicators for intermediaries based on state reporting metrics, such as K-12 postsecondary and career readiness priorities.
• Establish regular check-ins with intermediaries to evaluate their impact and determine adjustments needed to better support shared goals.

Chiefs for Change also published a brief with recommendations for establishing a state governance structure, such as a cabinet, to work toward a shared state goal for education-to-workforce outcomes like a statewide quality credential attainment goal.

Improving Transfer for Rural Students: A report by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova highlights how, too often, rural students must leave their communities when transferring from a community college to a four-year institution. This results in lower transfer rates or students leaving their communities permanently, hurting the local workforce. To solve this issue, the report highlights the following three transfer pathways community colleges can jointly implement with four-year institutions to respond to local workforce needs while providing continuing education:

• On-site Pathways: Four-year institutions deliver program coursework at community colleges through on-site faculty or the community college’s faculty.
• Locally Assisted Online Pathways: Community colleges partner with four-year institutions that offer online programs aligned with local workforce needs. While students transfer to online university programs, they can still access community college resources.
• Return Migration Pathways: Students begin at a community college and transfer to a four-year institution with programs that respond to rural workforce needs, including collaborating with local employers for work-based learning experiences in students’ home communities.

DC Digest: November 15-21

The biggest news in Washington this week was the passage of the social spending package, known as the Build Back Better Act, in the House on a party-line vote. The bill contains $1.7 in new investments across the federal government, along with accompanying revenue increases. It includes several provisions that will benefit CTE students and programs, including a $700 million investment in Perkins V. You can read more about the bill’s education-related programs in the CTE Policy Watch blog post linked below. Next, the bill heads to the Senate as leadership there aims to bring the bill up for a vote before the end of the year. In addition, negotiations surrounding the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills are still ongoing, and Congress likely needs to pass another Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government funded before government funding runs out on Dec. 3. As we await the next steps from Congress, here are the key headlines from this week: 

• House Passes Build Back Better Act: On November 19, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act along party lines, paving the way for the bill to go through final negotiations in the Senate. This version of the bill includes funding for CTE priorities that we have previously covered, including the $700 million in funding for Perkins. In addition, it also includes $5 billion for Community College and Industry Partnership grants which would provide funds to postsecondary institutions (including community and technical colleges and area CTE centers) to partner with employers to expand education and training opportunities in high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations. Read more on the bill and other ACTE legislative updates here. 
   
• Departments of Education and Labor Recognize National Apprenticeship Week: The Departments of Education and Labor, as well as organizations, schools and companies across the country, recognized November 15-21 as the 7th annual National Apprenticeship Week. The week was celebrated with events promoting apprenticeships and the opportunities that they provide for learners, including a Twitter hashtag - #NAW2021, the launch of a partnership and MOU with the Government of Switzerland to expand registered apprenticeships with Swiss-owned and Swiss-invested companies in the United States, and an online dialogue to expand access to registered apprenticeships among underserved communities. 
   
• President Biden Signs Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: On Nov. 15, President Biden signed the bi-partisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The new law would provide significant resources to upgrade infrastructure across the country, and a few programs that benefit education and workforce development as well. You can read more on the blog.  
   
• Congressional Education Subcommittees Hold Hearing on COVID-19 Funds: The Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittees of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing with the Department of Education to discuss how schools are spending COVID-19 stimulus funds. Speakers highlighted community colleges' use of funds to address student mental health and underscored the importance of transparent spending. For more details, you can watch the full hearing here. 
   
• Committee for Education Funding (CEF) Sends Letter to Congressional Appropriators: The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), of which ACTE is a member, sent a letter to the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting that Congress pass the FY 2022 Labor‐HHS-Education appropriations bill as soon as possible, calling on them to enact the bill and end the reliance on CRs to maintain government funding.  
   
• Department of Education Proposes Changes to Civil Rights Data Collection: The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education has published its draft information collection request package for 2021-22 in the federal register. In addition to new information request related to the impact of COVID-19, OCR is proposing to add an optional nonbinary category to gender data questions. This could eventually have an impact on Perkins data reporting as well. Comments on the OCR request can be submitted here by 1/18/22. 
   
• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education announced that it has approved Puerto Rico’s ARP-ESSER plan. ARP-ESSER funds are used to support schools and students as they reopen for in-person learning, and to help sustain the safe operation of schools.

Thanksgiving Federal Policy Wrap-Up

Heading into Thanksgiving recess, Washington D.C. has been busy at work on President Biden’s economic agenda. On November 15, President Biden signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, providing $1.2 trillion for rebuilding the nation’s “hard infrastructure” and including some relevant funding for schools and the workforce.

Finishing off the week on November 19, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act along party lines, paving the way for the bill to go through final negotiations in the Senate. This version of the bill includes funding for CTE priorities that we have previously covered, including the $700 million in funding for Perkins. In addition, it also includes $5 billion for Community College and Industry Partnership grants which would provide funds to postsecondary institutions (including community and technical colleges and area CTE centers) to partner with employers to expand education and training opportunities in high-skill, high-wage or in-demand industry sectors or occupations.

Moving forward, Congress has a lot on its plate between Thanksgiving and Christmas, even by normal standards. In addition to final negotiations on the Build Back Better Act, an agreement must be made on another continuing resolution (CR) for Fiscal Year 2022 funding before the current CR expires on December 3. It is likely that Congress will be unable to come to an agreement on final funding bills until the new calendar year, if at all. Additionally, Congress must consider how to address the debt ceiling. There are differing estimates on when the United States might reach the debt ceiling, ranging from mid-December to mid-February. Should Congress not address it in time, the United States would default on its debts for the first time in history. Democratic leadership has expressed that they intend to accomplish all these priorities, including passing the Build Back Better Act in the Senate, before Congress breaks for recess over the holidays.

ACTE will continue advocating to protect investments in CTE, especially proposed increases to Perkins, over the course of the coming weeks. Until the next update, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

Updated: Hospitality and Tourism Sector Sheet

Recently, ACTE updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the hospitality and tourism workforce with current labor market projections, descriptions of how CTE prepares the workforce for this sector, and examples of exemplary programs in hospitality and tourism.

Jobseekers in hospitality and tourism are increasingly in demand as the economy recovers and COVID-19 travel restrictions ease. In fact, the overall industry is projected to grow much faster than average and will add over 2.3 million new jobs by 2030. With prior experience and some postsecondary education, these occupations can pay well above the national median wage. For instance, food service managers and lodging managers make nearly $57,000 annually.

CTE programs are leaders in preparing youth and adults for careers in hospitality and tourism. One example of this on the secondary level is the ProStart® program at William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware, which features the state’s only U.S. Department of Agriculture-endorsed Farm-to-School program. Students harvest produce on Penn Farm and turn fresh ingredients into seasonal dishes to serve at the student-run Penn Bistro. Learners can earn credentials such as ServSafe® and after graduation, many have continued their education at institutions like the Culinary Institute of America. On the postsecondary level, the Hospitality Management program at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, allows students to gain hands-on experience by managing a full-service hotel. Learners rotate through various departments within the hotel and are mentored by industry professionals. Upon graduation, students earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Hospitality Management and ServSafe® Manager certification.

ACTE’s Sector Sheet series is generously supported by Pearson.

DC Digest: November 8-14

Last week in Washington, both the House and Senate were in recess, and it was a rather quiet week. However, Congress returns with a long to do list, and the Build Back Better Act may receive a vote in the House the week of November 15, before moving to the Senate. President Biden has also announced plans to sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which contains several provisions that may benefit schools, on November 15. You can read more in this blog post about the bill. As we await next steps and further information from Congress, here is the most important news from Washington:

• Department of Labor Announces Proposal to Rescind Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program: The Department of Labor has announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking public comment on a proposal to eliminate the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program. The department plans to direct its resources toward expanding access to good-paying jobs through registered apprenticeships instead.
  
  
• President Biden Nominates Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services: President Joe Biden has nominated Glenna Gallo to serve as assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services at the Department of Education. Currently, she serves as Washington State’s assistant superintendent of special education.
   
• Sen. Chuck Schumer Signals Additional Appropriations Delay Likely: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent an update to his Senate colleagues recently on the agenda for the rest of the year, including on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations process. Sen. Schumer expressed disappointment that senators have not yet been able to reach a “topline” agreement on funding levels for FY 2022, and noted it was likely that senators will need to pass an additional Continuing Resolution (CR) before current funding expires on December 3 to provide Congress with adequate time to finish their bills.

Education & Workforce Investments in Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

On Nov 5, the House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, clearing it for President Biden’s signature to make it law. Included in this package is $550 billion in new federal spending over the next 5 years on infrastructure-related programs such as roads, bridges, water and energy systems, and more. While most of these investments are related to traditional "hard" infrastructure and do not directly pertain to CTE, there are a handful that generally benefit secondary schools, broadband connection and workforce development.

Secondary School Investments

• $5 billion for clean-energy school buses
• $500 million over 5 years for competitive grants to schools and non-profits to improve energy efficiency
• $200 million over 5 years for clean drinking water, including the removal of lead contamination in schools

Broadband Investments

• A total of $65 billion worth of investments in broadband, including:
• $5 billion for a Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program that will provide grants to increase connectivity to underserved and high-cost areas
  • Note: states can provide subgrants to libraries or schools to provide internet-capable devices (25% match generally required)
• $2 billion for Digital Equity Grants, requiring states to develop plans for “digital inclusion” that ensures equitable access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed broadband internet
• Training for adult populations to use internet-capable devices to apply for jobs

Workforce Development

• $10 million for Career Skills Training grants for clean energy job fields through the U.S. Department of Energy
• $5 million for a Transportation Workforce Outreach Program promoting awareness of career opportunities across the transportation sector
• A new Commercial Vehicle Apprenticeship pilot program to provide up to 3,000 apprentices younger than 21 with 120 hours of experience driving commercial motor vehicles

President Biden is planning to sign the infrastructure bill into law on November 15.

Research Roundup: Valuing, Implementing and Improving Apprenticeships

The Value of Apprenticeships: A report by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign highlights the value of registered apprenticeship programs in construction as a postsecondary option in Wisconsin. Researchers used 2018 data from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development to compare the outcomes of construction apprentices with those who attended Wisconsin public universities. Those outcomes are summarized below.

• On average, registered apprenticeships in construction require 7,200 hours of classroom instruction and on-the-job training, which is 41% more hours of training than four-year universities and 183% more than two-year colleges.
• Construction workers who completed apprenticeship programs in Wisconsin earn 33% more than associate degree holders and only 3% less than bachelor’s degree holders, while those who apprenticed as plumbers, ironworkers and operating engineers can earn more than bachelor’s degree holders.
• In Wisconsin, joint labor-management apprenticeship programs, sponsored by labor unions and employers, train more individuals, are more racially diverse, invest more in training and result in higher wages than employer-only apprenticeship programs.

The report also offered policy options to expand registered apprenticeship programs in construction, including growing construction programs in high school and community colleges; educating school staff about apprenticeships; providing supports such as counselors, mentors and access to childcare to improve racial and gender diversity; linking apprenticeships to clean energy production; and reinstituting a prevailing wage law.

High School-Sponsored Apprenticeships: High schools can be effective sponsors for registered apprenticeships due to their ability to forge employer partnerships, align curricula to apprenticeship requirements and provide counseling about career pathways. The Urban Institute released a guide outlining steps high schools can take to establish successful apprenticeship programs that meet the goals of employers and students:

• Study the local labor market to identify employers’ skills gaps and use this information to expand CTE courses and work-based learning that matches employers’ needs.
• Build employer partnerships by contacting employers about job openings, educating them about registered youth apprenticeships, and identifying their recruitment and retention challenges.
• Choose occupations for an apprenticeship program based on student and employer needs while also utilizing resources such as O*Net Online and the Approved Occupations for Registered Apprenticeship.
• While designing a program, consider on-the-job training plans, dual-enrollment opportunities, defining a wage scale, equitable recruitment strategies, graduation requirements and providing mentors.

Improving Employer and Industry Engagement: Industry and employer engagement are vital to creating high-quality youth apprenticeships. Recently, the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship and the National Governors Association released a guide to help youth apprenticeship leaders assess their program’s industry and employer engagement. The assessment asks leaders to rate their programs based on indicators that are aligned with high-quality apprenticeship principles (career-oriented, equitable, portable, adaptable and accountable). The assessment is followed by specific examples to strengthen employer and industry engagement, questions to consider, next steps and additional resources.

Integrating Efforts: There any many approaches to improving postsecondary and career readiness on the high school level. The College in High School Alliance has released a series of fact sheets discussing how some of these approaches – including CTE pathways, personalized, competency-based learning and youth apprenticeship programs – can be integrated into dual enrollment and early college initiatives. Each fact sheet discusses shared values between these programs and early college programs, common design elements, and examples of institutions that integrate both approaches. The goal of combining initiatives is to create streamlined funding models, develop targeted supports and setting student expectations across education and workforce systems.

DC Digest: November 1-7

This week in Washington, both the House and Senate were in session. Most of the week was dominated by debate within the Democratic party on the Build Back Better Act budget reconciliation bill and scheduling a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Finally, late Friday, an agreement was reached to vote on the infrastructure bill and set up the Build Back Better Act for a vote in a couple of weeks. The infrastructure bill was then passed by a vote of 228-206 and sent to President Biden for his signature. You can read more in this blog post about the recent activity and next steps. As we await further action by Congress, here is the most important news from Washington this week:  

• House Small Business Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the Community College Pipeline to Small Businesses: On November 4, the House Committee on Small Business convened a hearing to discuss the role of community colleges and other postsecondary CTE centers in the COVID-19 recovery effort and in addressing labor shortages. The hearing was held by the Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce. Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) and Ranking Member Young Kim (R-CA), along with the witnesses, all shared the sentiment that CTE is a key part of the economic recovery effort from the pandemic, as well as a key factor in addressing ongoing labor shortages. You can watch the full hearing here and read our blog with more details here. 

• House Committee Holds Hearing on Economic Effects of Technological Innovation, Automation and the Future of Work: On November 3, the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth held a hearing titled, “Our Changing Economy: The Economic Effects of Technological Innovation, Automation and the Future of Work.” You can watch the full hearing here.

• CTE Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Langevin Introduces Career Development Measure: On November 1, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) introduced a resolution in the House expressing support for designating November 2021 as “National Career Development Month.” The resolution highlights the importance of career development activities and their impact on learners. It also elevates a recent Harris Interactive Poll which found that only 13% of those surveyed had received career development support from a school, counselor or other career specialist.

• Department of Education Approves Additional ARP-ESSER Funds: The Department of Education announced that it has approved ARP-ESSER plans for California and Colorado. ARP-ESSER funds are used to support schools and students as they reopen for in-person learning, and to help sustain the safe operation of schools. 

• Department of Education Launches COVID-19 Data Dashboard: The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has launched a new COVID-19 data dashboard to help the public keep track of the impact of COVID-19 on K-12 schools. Data will be updated each week, and where available, the dashboard will include geographic data to measure the community impact of COVID-19.