CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

ED Officials Visit CTE Programs on National Tour

Recently, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos embarked on a “Rethink School” tour through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The tour was intended to highlight innovative local practices in education, and included a stop at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where DeVos visited the college’s CTE programs and learned more about its business and industry partnerships. "I think that partnership with business and industry really drives the future in terms of workers' needs and opportunities for them," DeVos said. "Having business integrally involved with helping form and shape programs and curriculums is an imperative for connecting students with the possibilities."

In addition, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education Scott Stump undertook his own tour of promising CTE programs around the country. Stump traveled to the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) at Wichita Area Technical College in Wichita, Kansas, which offers a range of degree and certificate programs in aviation career fields. He spotlighted NCAT’s partnerships for developing aviation career pathways that includes local employers, postsecondary institutions and secondary CTE programs. “The most exciting part of the tour was learning more about the seamless secondary to postsecondary transition that NCAT offers to local high school students,” said Stump. “Students in the Wichita area are able to take classes at NCAT in 9th-12th grade and jumpstart their training and education for a career in aviation.” Assistant Secretary Stump also stopped by an apprenticeship program in Kentucky, high school CTE classrooms in Tennessee, and Francis Tuttle Technology Center (an ACTE Educational Institution Member) in Oklahoma.

Election 2018: State Superintendents

Come November 6, voters in more than half of the 13 states that still elect state superintendents will determine their state's next top education official. Democratic and Republican candidates will face off in Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina. In California the election is nonpartisan, and the race features two candidates both running with Democratic support. In Wyoming, Republican incumbent Jillian Balow is running unopposed

As Education Week documents, state superintendents play an interesting and important role in a state's education system. Oftentimes, these elected state officers clash with the governor's office, particularly when they are of different political parties. Issues for state superintendents in recent years have largely centered on state standards, accountability, educator recruitment/retention and state education funding.

In addition to electing a state superintendent, as we reported on the CTE Policy Watch Blog last week, South Carolina voters face a unique choice. A ballot measure in the state would transform the elected state superintendent position into one appointed by the governor. This would follow a similar trend over the last century, as the number of states that elect state superintendents has dwindled from 33 at one point.

Along with critical U.S. Senate and House elections, many gubernatorial offices, state legislative seats and ballot initiatives will be decided in the 2018 elections. Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, November 6, 2018!

ACTE is a nonpartisan organization that does not—and will not—support or oppose any candidate for public office. For more nonpartisan information on elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit Nonprofit VOTE.

STEM Big Winner in Innovation Grants

The Department of Education recently announced 18 winners for its Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants. Of the winners, Education Week reports that 11 have some sort of STEM element, and a number of those are linked to CTE. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, EIR was a $120 million program with the aim of spurring innovation in states and districts. Of the $120 million allocated, Congress required at least $50 million be allocated to STEM grantees. This follows a similar pattern of the Trump Administration's prioritization of STEM within the broader education system.

Among the grantees, Jobs for the Future was awarded funds to assist computer science secondary students in Texas. Additionally, ExpandED schools in New York City will receive funding for a STEM-focused internship and apprenticeship program, and Knox County Schools in Tennessee will receive a grant to support a STEM-based workforce preparation program. In California, Sonoma State University was awarded funds to expand STEM work-based learning opportunities for rural students and to improve curriculum and instruction, and in Menlo Park, SRI International will receive funding for math work-based learning for middle school students.

Eligible grant applicants can include LEAs, state educational agencies, nonprofits and more. EIR grants will continue in FY 2019, where at least $60 million must be allocated for STEM-related programs. Visit the Department of Education's website to learn more about EIR, how to apply and eligibility.

Election 2018: Offices and State Ballot Measures

On Tuesday, November 6, voters all across the country will head to the polls for Election Day. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be on the ballot. Additionally, 35 U.S. Senate seats will be up for election. There will be at least one Senate race in every state except: AK, AL, AR, CO, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, NC, NH, OK, OR, SC and SD. To fill vacancies, Minnesota and Mississippi will have both Senate seats on the ballot. Additionally, there will be gubernatorial races in 36 states. The following states will not hold a governor's election: DE, IN, KY, LA, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NJ, UT, VA, WA and WV. Most states will hold elections for their state legislatures, and many will also have local elections.

In addition to voting for individual candidates, many states will have various ballot measures for voters to consider. The list of ballot measures outlined below, along with their summaries, are largely drawn from a list maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures. They are not meant to be exhaustive, and only discuss relevant education-related issues.

• Colorado: Taxes incomes over $150,000 and increase corporate taxes to fund public schools
• Georgia: Allows school districts to call for a sales tax referendum
• Hawaii: Allows state legislature to impose a surcharge on residential investment properties and would use the revenue for public education
• Maine: $15 million in bond funding for Maine's community colleges
• Maryland: Dedicates an increasing amount of gambling revenue to public education, including for CTE and college credit for high school students. The percentage of gambling revenue dedicated to public education would increase for the next several years, up to 100 percent in fiscal year 2023 and thereafter.
• Montana: Continues a property tax to fund the Montana University System for ten years
• New Jersey: Authorizes $500 million in bonds for, among other things, CTE schools and technical colleges
• New Mexico: Authorizes a $128.4 million bond for higher education, special schools, and tribal bonds
• Oklahoma: Allows local property taxes to be used to fund public school operations and constructions
• Rhode Islands: Two bond authorizations both higher education facilities and public schools
• South Carolina: Changes the state superintendent of education into a position appointed by the governor
• Utah: Nonbinding measure to ask voters if they would support raising the state's motor and special fuel tax by 10 cents per gallon to fund education and local roads

The 2018 midterm elections are important and could flip control of one or both chambers of Congress. State and local elections are also critical, as governors, state legislatures and municipalities are often tasked with implementing federal legislation. State and local officeholders also set education funding levels and pass education- and workforce-related legislation. Lastly, as demonstrated above, state ballot measures can have significant impacts on education and CTE programs.

ACTE will continue to monitor the 2018 elections as part of our coverage on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. For more nonpartisan information on elections in your state and how to register to vote, visit Nonprofit VOTE.

Big Win for CTE in FY 2019 Funding Bill

This week, Congress approved a final Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that will increase funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant by $70 million--bringing the total to nearly $1.263 billion for next school year (2019-20)! Both the House and Senate approved the funding measure with overwhelming bipartisan support, and it was signed into law before the official beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1. This is the first time in many years that the appropriations bill covering education programs has been signed into law before the beginning of the fiscal year without the need for a continuing resolution.

We are very pleased that Congress has provided, for the second year in a row, a significant increase in the federal investment in CTE, and we will work to build on these funding gains going forward. Other highlights for the FY 2019 funding bill include:

• ESSA Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants – Increase of $70 million, to $1.17 billion. This program can provide funding to CTE programs, particularly in the areas of college and career guidance services, education technology and STEM education.
• Pell Grants – Increases the maximum Pell grant by $100 to $6,195 for the 2018-19 academic year, with continued support for Year-round Pell.
• Apprenticeship Opportunities – $160 million, an increase of $15 million.
• Adult Education – State grant program increase of $25 million.

Additionally, the bill included language critical of the Department of Education’s proposal to consolidate the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) with the Office of Postsecondary Education into a new Office of Postsecondary and Lifelong Learning. Lawmakers expressed their concerns that the elimination of OCTAE would “undermine the ability of the Department to fulfill not only its mission, but also congressional directives to implement relevant programs and purposes.” ACTE strongly opposes the consolidation plan, and we are working closely with Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-chairs of the House CTE caucus, to push back on the proposal and highlight the important role of OCTAE in supporting state CTE systems.

Perkins V Implementation Conferences for State Leaders

Advance CTE, in partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education, American Association of Community Colleges and the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, is hosting a series of four regional meetings to help state leaders best leverage the newly reauthorized Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) to advance learner access to and success through high-quality CTE programs and programs of study.

Participants will:

• Gain a deep understanding of the benefits and challenges of Perkins V by learning from national experts about the law and the leadership levers within it
• Engage with peers from within and across states to share promising practices and brainstorm strategies around data and accountability, programs of study, state-to-local implementation, and advancing equity in CTE
• Leave with a clear data-driven strategy, timeline and process for developing a new Perkins V state plan that advances their statewide vision for CTE

Meeting dates and locations:

1. Sheraton Atlanta Hotel – October 29 – 31
   Assigned states: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN, VA, WV
   
   
2. Embassy Suites by Hilton, Phoenix/Scottsdale – November 5 – 7
   Assigned states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, GU, ID, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY
   
   
3. Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport, Mall of America – November 15-17
   Assigned states: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, OH, OK, SD, WI
   
   
4. Embassy Suites by Hilton, Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel – December 5 – 7
   Assigned states: CT, DC, DE, HI, MA, MD, ME, HN, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VI, VT

Who Can Participate:

If you would like to attend this meeting as part of your state team, please contact your State CTE Director. A comprehensive list of State Directors may be found here: https://careertech.org/state-director-list. States are encouraged to bring a diverse team of leaders who will write, guide or impact your state plan. Each team will be chosen and led by the State CTE Director. There are no individual registrations for this meeting – only one team per state. It is important to begin this planning process by having the right perspectives and leaders at the table, so we encourage states to ensure you have representation from secondary and postsecondary CTE state agencies, special populations and equity, data analysts, local leaders (or leadership organizations), and other state-specific influencers (e.g. GEPAs, state board leaders, etc.). 

Chicago-Area Media Tour: Reporting Back on the Windy City's CTE Success

Last week, ACTE and the Illinois ACTE (IACTE) co-hosted a three-day media tour in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. The three-day tour took IACTE executive director Cindy Stover, IACTE president Alice Slager, and me to seven schools. The visits highlighted the type of high-quality CTE taking place in a variety of settings, from comprehensive high schools to area CTE centers and community colleges. Below is a list of the schools visited, and following it is a more detailed description chronicling each visit.

• Ridgewood High School (Norridge, IL)
• Carl Schurz High School (Chicago, IL)
• Stephen T. Mather High School (Chicago, IL)
• Technology Center of DuPage (Addison, IL)
• College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL)
• Lockport Township High School East (Lockport, IL)
• Shepard High School (Palos Heights, IL)

Ridgewood High School
First on our stop was Ridgewood High School, located in Norridge, IL. The stop began with a meeting of school administrators, including the district's superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Kelsall, whose support for high-quality CTE quickly became apparent. Also present on the tour were representatives from QCC, a local manufacturer, and TMA, the Technology Manufacturing Association. In a unique partnership, Ridgewood pays for some students to earn TMA credentials, and then the students go on to an internship—and oftentimes high-paying careers—at QCC. The key to this partnership, said the QCC representative, is buy-in from school leaders, which Ridgewood has in spades. The school is also currently working to create new internships in health sciences career pathways.

Perhaps the sweetest part of the morning—no pun intended—was when a former student who had started a baking business through one of her classes came to talk about her experience and provide attendees with cake pops. After the meeting, we toured several classes, including a Geometry in Construction class (pictured) and an Algebra in Business course. In these classes, students are outperforming the "regular" geometry and algebra classes. Students at Ridgewood have tremendous CTE opportunities, and the district should be proud of its many accomplishments and continued efforts. Learn more about Ridgewood High School here.

Carl Schurz High School
After Ridgewood, we visited Carl Schurz High School, part of the Chicago Public School system. Sarah Rudofsky, CPS's manager of curriculum and instruction for CTE, joined us on the tour, along with other school and district administrators. The school, which proudly boasts that 100 percent of its CTE students participate in industry-based opportunities, offers a variety of opportunities. We first visited a digital media class where students produced 30-second video clips promoting local businesses. These clips, which could easily pass as being professional, are then used by the businesses in their promotional materials.

We also visited exciting pre-engineering and auto-tech programs. However, most impressive was probably Schurz's makerspace (pictured). The makerspace was the result of winning a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the "CTE Makeover Challenge." Schurz was one of ten winners who beat out more than 640 schools for the award. A variety of programs use the makerspace, including the entrepreneurship program. In a particularly innovative model, the school hires the entrepreneurship students to use the makerspace to produce the school's gym uniforms, which have cut costs in half. The students also exercise their collaboration skills by working with digital media students to design the uniforms. Other items for sale at the school are also manufactured in the makerspace. Schurz has used its resources wisely and pursued new and innovative opportunities for student growth. You can learn more about Schurz High School here.

Stephen T. Mather High School
After visiting Schurz, we rounded out the first day of the tour at Stephen T. Mather High School, a diverse school with students from more than 140 countries which is part of the Chicago Public School system. At Mather, we first met with a variety of stakeholders, including principal Peter Auffant, who are all heavily invested in CTE's success. Indeed, as the school continues to embrace CTE its enrollment has increased. At Mather, the CTE programs are built around rigorous courseloads and students work toward an internship during their senior year.

The programs at Mather really embody "21st century CTE," including through game programming and web design classes. In its web design class, every student earned an Adobe photoshop certification, and some students worked in a summer internship at school to help with IT needs. The pre-law program includes courses like criminology, which students were quick to identify as one of their favorites. Additionally, the school is developing an aeronautical engineering program which will be the first of its kind in Chicago. Chalkbeat Chicago wrote about the visit to Mather, which you can read here. You can also learn more about Mather here.

Technology Center of DuPage
We kicked off Thursday morning with a very impressive visit to the Technology Center of DuPage. Serving more than a dozen member school districts, the massive facility enrolls roughly 1,000 students in pathways ranging from television production to health care and criminal justice. In a presentation before touring the program, TCD director Mike Zimmerman explained that many students are able to earn a credential or college credit(s) at the center while still in high school.

First up, we toured the cosmetology program, which can accommodate dozens of students simultaneously. Upper level students serve clients from the community, who can make appointments or simply walk-in. We also toured the fire science and EMT programs, which occupy a huge space, complete with two fire engines and an ambulance. We observed EMT students responding to a call using headsets and a realistic manikin that the instructor could control (pictured). Other impressive programs included an auto service program, which on the day we visited had various company representatives presenting to students; a nurse aide training program; and welding. You can learn more about the Technology Center of DuPage here.

College of DuPage
Our visit to the College of DuPage was organized by Bob Clark, who runs the HVACR Business & Technology program. We began in his lab, a huge facility that is entirely built by students. As Bob explained, having students build the lab, students not only engaged in real-world learning, but COD was able to ensure the lab was built exactly to its specifications. They also saved money doing it. Indeed, by purchasing equipment that students would assemble themselves, rather than paying for pre-assembled equipment, COD is able to stretch their Perkins dollars to the limit and achieve a world-class facility. We also toured manufacturing and welding programs, and saw a greenhouse and landscaped courtyard maintained by the horticulture program. Across campus, we observed the culinary arts program, which runs a top-notch restaurant available to the public. Also open to the public is a six-room hotel managed and operated by the hospitality program.

Joining us on the media tour stop at COD was Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), whose congressional district encompasses COD and who was the Democratic co-sponsor of the Perkins reauthorization bill. Rep. Krishnamoorthi spoke passionately about the importance of CTE in developing a skilled workforce, and praised COD for its high-quality program offerings. You can read more about the visit in a blog posted by COD here. You can also learn more about COD in general here.

Lockport Township High School East
To begin our first visit on our final day, we toured Lockport Township High School East. Along with LTHS Superintendent Dr. Todd Wernet and other administrators, State Sen. Pat McGuire (D-43) and State Rep. John Connor (D-85) attended the tour. Also attending the tour were representatives from Citgo Petroleum, Habitat for Humanity, Oak Lawn Children's Museum and others. After an informative presentation, where we learned that freshman students have a required CTE course and that at any one time more than half of LTHS students are enrolled in CTE, we began our tour.

On the tour we visited a variety of programs, including auto tech, autoCAD, culinary, preschool, building trades, and entrepreneurship. The school also has a welding facility, giving students the opportunity to pick up this in-demand skill within a comprehensive high school setting (pictured). Through the building trades class, 38 homes have been built in the local area for Habitat for Humanity. In the entrepreneurship class, only a few weeks in to school and students had already developed various business and marketing plans, and had successfully implemented one already at the school's football games. You can learn more about Lockport Township High School District 205 here.

Shepard High School
On a personal note, besides visiting outstanding CTE programs, I was excited to travel to the Chicago area to sample my first slice of true Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It was tasty, but little did I know that the best meal I would have over the course of the trip would be at our final stop at Shepard High School. When we arrived at Shepard, CTE Curriculum Director Frank LaMantia began with a presentation, followed by lunch prepared by the school's culinary arts students. Feasting on a hearty salad, two types of pasta, and a steak and asparagus risotto meant the tour couldn't have started on a higher note.

At Shepard, we toured a number of different programs, ranging from IT and autoCAD to auto tech (pictured) and culinary. Shepard is one of three high schools in District 218, and one novel aspect of the district is the way it's managed to ensure that nearly every CTE program it offers is offered in each school. In other words, students are able to participate in high-quality CTE programs, oftentimes with the same instructors who travel from school-to-school, regardless of which school they actually attend. The district offers 14 CTE courses for dual credit, earning over 10,000 students dual credit since the program began. Students also have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications. In fact, in the 2017-18 school year, more than 1,500 of the district's students earned such certifications. You can learn more about Shepard High School here and District 218 here.

Final Note
Each program we toured offered students the opportunity to engage in high-quality CTE and obtain the skills needed for college and career success. The programs at the seven schools we visited, along with CTE programs at other schools all across Illinois and the country, are evidence of CTE's critical role in ensuring a skilled 21st century workforce.

High-quality CTE Tools Library Launched

In this fourth year of our High-quality CTE Initiative, ACTE is concluding a pilot test of our comprehensive, research-based quality CTE program of study framework. We will be releasing a finalized framework and evaluation rubric this fall, and we have already begun integrating the 12 elements of high-quality CTE into our recognition and professional development activities.

For instance, this summer ACTE has built a High-quality CTE Tools section on our website. This online library features resources that support success in each of the 12 elements. The emphasis is on practitioner strategies, case studies and toolkits to help educators and administrators implement high-quality CTE programs of study. In the future, this online library will be linked to an online version of the rubric, so that programs completing the assessment can access resources for areas identified as needing improvement.

Learn more at www.acteonline.org/high-quality-CTE-tools.

Opinions Wanted: Future of CTE, High-Stakes Testing

In a recent letter published in Education Week, Tony Bennett, the former state superintendent for Indiana and Florida who also served as the principal of Prosser School of Technology (IN), posed "four hard questions that will dictate the future of career and technical education."

Some of Mr. Bennett's questions raise important points, and we want to know what you think. We have re-posted one of the questions below, and hope you will respond with your thoughts either in the comments section or via Twitter. We'll post some of the other questions in the coming days and give people the opportunity to respond.

Will we accept CTE's bedrock reliance on high-stakes testing? In many of these high skill/high wage programs, students must pass a national, state, or industry-based assessment to be certified in their chosen career paths. Students need to pass exams to become ASE certified in auto technology, or AWS certified in welding, and so on. Sound familiar? So, to all those practitioners and policymakers who have grabbed onto CTE as part of a move away from testing and accountability in schooling, why is testing okay for CTE—but not for reading, math, or an academic diploma? Do they envision CTE as some kind of feel-good group exercise and not realize that serious CTE includes obtaining certifications? (And I won't even point out that many of these certifications are based on "national" standards and tests.)

Some things to consider in your response: Do you see "high-stakes testing" as an inevitable measurement of a CTE student's performance? What other types of metrics can be used? What type of testing standards should be used (e.g., industry standard, state developed standard, etc.)?

Conference Committee Agrees to Perkins Funding Increase

Today, the congressional conference committee that was tasked with negotiating a final Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill announced that it had reached an agreement to increase funding the Perkins Basic State Grant by $70 million--bringing the total to nearly $1.263 billion for next school year!

As we have reported, the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill that was passed by the Senate in August proposed to maintain the current funding level for the Perkins Basic State Grant. It significantly differed from the FY 2019 funding measure in the House, which would have increased the Perkins Basic State Grant by $102 million above the current level. It was the job of the conference committee members to reconcile the differences between the two versions and produce a consensus bill. The full House and Senate will likely begin consideration of the compromise measure, and hold votes on its final passage, starting next week. The hope is that Congress can pass the bill and send it to the president to be signed into law before the official beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.

The conferees also weighed in on the Department of Education’s proposal to consolidate the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education with the Office of Postsecondary Education into a new Office of Postsecondary and Lifelong Learning. They expressed concerns that the elimination of OCTAE would “undermine the ability of the Department to fulfill not only its mission, but also congressional directives to implement relevant programs and purposes.” The conferees also noted that “OCTAE is authorized expressly in statute and cannot be consolidated or reorganized except by specific authority granted by Congress.” ACTE strongly opposes the consolidation plan, and we are working closely with Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-chairs of the House CTE caucus, to push back on the proposal and highlight the important role of OCTAE in supporting state CTE systems. 

While we had hoped to secure the higher funding level included in the initial House bill, we are very pleased that Congress has provided, for the second year in a row, a significant increase in the federal investment in CTE and we will work to build on these funding gains going forward. This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of CTE advocates nationwide!

UPDATE: On Tuesday, September 19, the Senate voted 97-3 to approve the funding bill. The House is expected to vote on final passage before the end of the month.