CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

National Analysis of Area Technical Centers

Advance CTE has released a new report Building Better Futures for Learners: A 50-State Analysis of Area Technical Centers, which performs a national analysis of Area Technical Centers (ATC). In this report, an ATC is defined as a CTE-focused institution that serves learners from across multiple geographies, such as school districts, educational service areas, and workforce development areas or regions. These institutions offer secondary and sub-baccalaureate-level education and training and can serve secondary learners, postsecondary learners or both. 

This extensive analysis found 1,481 ATCs and affiliated campuses across 39 states from a scan performed on all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. 

The report is housed within Advance CTE’s microsite for ATCs, which contains the full report, an interactive map of ATCs nationally that provides information about each center, five state profiles of effective ATC models, a fact sheet on ATCs and a short informational video explaining ATCs. 

The report provides guidance on how to effectively utilize ATCs to ensure learners can access and attain postsecondary education and related credentials of value. It includes a brief history of ATCs, how they are operated and the different structures that are used, learner populations served, the location of the centers, programs and credentials offered, accreditation and articulation, and recommendations for policymakers. Throughout the report, state and local spotlights are provided to highlight different ways states are utilizing ATCs. Some of the key findings from the report include:

• The history of CTE and ATC are closely linked. 
• ATC governance and funding structures vary depending on the state/territory.
• Twenty-seven states have ATCs that serve some postsecondary learners, however, most ATCs primarily serve secondary learners.
• ATCs serving postsecondary learners mainly utilize open admissions.
• ATCs offer programs for every CTE Career Cluster and programs that span the entire economy.
• Accreditation is not a limiting factor for programs offered for postsecondary learners, however, the type of accreditation or other related issues can cause some issues to ATCs integration into the wider postsecondary system, and can make transferring credits more difficult.

In addition to the report, there are five state profiles that exemplify leveraging ATCs to meet postsecondary attainment goals and learners needs. The five state profiles are Delaware, Florida, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah. Each state profile provides an overview of an aspect of ATCs that other states can use when reviewing or creating their own ATCs. For example, Delaware created a model which uses ATCs to connect postsecondary and employers to further develop the state’s workforce.

A Deep Dive into Postsecondary Education COVID-19 Relief Funds

In December, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) was signed into law to provide an additional $900 billion in COVID-19 relief. From this total, the Department of Education (ED) received approximately $82 billion for the Educational Stabilization Fund, significantly more than the $31 billion included in the CARES Act last March. These funds are in the process of being distributed to state education agencies for K-12 education, to governors for a second Governor's Emergency Education Relief fund, and to institutions of higher education for postsecondary programs. Because the postsecondary funding is the most complex, and provided directly to institutions, we are going to take a deep dive here into the details of that funding.

To date, ED has made available $20.5 billion from this legislation to public and non-profit institutions of higher education through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The funds are divided into two portions, much like initial CARES Act funding – money for student aid and money for institutional support. However, the allocation formula in the new law is more beneficial to the institutions that traditionally offer the most CTE programs, who also serve more students on a part-time basis. Instead of being based solely on FTE counts, the formula weighting is now split between total number of students and FTE. The total amount allocated to each institution, as well as the amount in each portion, can be found on the ED website at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/314a1allocationtableheerfii.pdf.

Institutions that already have approved CARES Act HEERF awards for student aid and institutional support are not required to submit new or revised applications to receive additional funding, but rather the additional funding will automatically be added as a supplement to existing grant awards. Institutions that did not apply for both portions of CARES Act funding originally will have to submit a new application through Grants.gov.

As mentioned earlier, a minimum amount of an institution's total grant must be set aside for emergency financial aid grants to students. These financial aid grants may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance or for emergency costs that arise due to coronavirus, such as tuition, food, housing, health care (including mental health care) or childcare. Institutions must have a process to prioritize students with "exceptional need," although this term is not defined in the law or guidance. In two changes to CARES Act processes, students may give consent for their grants to be applied directly to their institutional accounts for charges such as tuition, and CARES Act rules that stated students had to be eligible for financial aid to receive funding do not apply.

The second portion of the funding can be used broadly by the institution to defray expenses associated with coronavirus (including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll) and carry out student support activities, or to make additional financial aid grants to students.

More details about the grant process, uses of funds and other frequently asked questions are available on the ED website. In addition, you can submit questions to ED through their Customer Care Form.

CTE Creates the Energy Workforce

ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the energy workforce with the latest on labor market demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs.  

The energy industry employs 7 million workers who help power our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, cars and more. The need for more efficient, diverse energy sources is fueling demand for occupations such as electricians, technicians, plant/field operators, lineworkers and engineers. In addition, clean energy jobs are some of the highest-paying occupations for people with less than a bachelor’s degree. However, 80% of clean energy employers report they are having trouble filling job openings with qualified candidates.

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

DC Digest: January 25-31

Last week, most of the attention in DC was  on conversations around  a new COVID-19 relief package. On the executive level, President Biden focused on singular issues each day last week, and subsequently released several executive orders which addressed issues such as climate change, health care and equity. Here are some other notes from the week:

• New CDC Research and Guidance for Schools During COVID-19: A new article authored by three of the CDC’s scientists was released on Tuesday, arguing that schools reopening for in-person learning with significant safety precautions did not significantly contribute to the spread of COVID-19. The CDC also released updated guidance in the form of a COVID-19 Mitigation Toolkit for K-12 schools. The toolkit provides school officials and administrators ways to assess challenges brought on by COVID-19 and strategies to reduce the spread of the virus in schools.
• Department of Education Letter to Help Students Pursue Higher Education During COVID-19: The Department of Education released a letter on Friday announcing a special effort to help Americans pursue higher education. This effort highlights some ways that postsecondary institutions can help students during this time, such as making it easier for those who are unemployed or have received unemployment assistance to get federal aid for postsecondary education. 
• Secretary of Education and Labor Confirmation Hearings Announced: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced the hearings scheduled on the nominations of Dr. Miguel Cardona to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education for Wednesday, February 3, and Mayor Marty Walsh to serve as U.S. Secretary of Labor for Thursday, February 4. 
• Education Bills Introduced: House Democrats introduced several bills for education which focused on schools, students and educators’ issues due to the pandemic. Three bills that were introduced were Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2021, Save Education Jobs Act of 2021 and Learning Recovery Act of 2021. In addition, you can read more details on the blog about the reintroduction of the National Apprenticeship Act Reauthorization and the Relaunching Tomorrow’s Workforce Act. 
• Senate CTE Caucus Co-Chair Portman Retires: Senator Rob Portman (OH-R) has announced he will not run for re-election in 2022, citing the deep polarization of politics as one reason. Portman was the co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, and it is uncertain at this time who will replace him upon his retirement from the Senate.
• Interview with House CTE Caucus Chair: Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), the co-chair of the House CTE Caucus, was interviewed in a podcast by Pinkerton Academy, a regional CTE center in New Hampshire. Rep. Thompson discussed his role in the reauthorization of the Perkins Act and other CTE legislation.

Education Committee Chairmen Reintroduce Relaunching America’s Workforce Act

Last week, House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and incoming Senate HELP Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) reintroduced the Relaunching America’s Workforce Act (RAWA).

The bill, originally introduced last Congress, aims to invest $15 billion in America’s workforce training infrastructure, including CTE, in order to help workers quickly re-enter the workforce as the economy emerges from the deep decline due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the press release, Chairman Scott stated that, “Millions of Americans remain unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and roughly 7 million of the jobs lost are not expected to come back. We must provide these workers the support and skills they need to get back on their feet. The Relaunching America’s Workforce Act will make smart investments to help dislocated and vulnerable workers transition to new careers. By passing this legislation, we will take long-overdue steps to strengthen our workforce development system and help both employers and workers benefit from our economic recovery.” 

The Relaunching America’s Workforce Act provides over $10 billion to the state and local public workforce system by supporting dislocated workers, employers, and youth and adults seeking jobs. These funds will support workforce training activities, including career navigation services, access to online skills training and employment services, while prioritizing short-term training to health care and essential frontline workers. Further, it invests $2 billion to restart the community college career training grant program initiated during the last recession to help build partnerships between educators and employers and provide individuals pathways to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand employment opportunities. 

The bill also includes a section dedicated solely to providing relief for CTE programs. It includes several important provisions that ACTE has been tirelessly advocating for, such as providing additional funds to expand and modernize digital and physical infrastructure to deliver in-person and virtual educational and work-based learning activities. More specifically, the bill authorizes $1 billion in funding to support Perkins CTE programs and activities, including the ones mentioned above. The funding may also be used to restock supplies that have been donated to COVID-19 response activities (medical equipment, etc). 

Our goal is for this bill and its provisions to be included in an upcoming comprehensive COVID relief package, but your advocacy remains critical to help with this effort! ACTE will continue to work with Chairman Scott and Chairwoman Murray to ensure that our CTE programs, students, and communities receive much needed relief during the pandemic.

Below are links to various documents related to the legislation:

Bill Text

Fact Sheet

Section by Section Summary

Press Release

Please continue to contact Congress about the needs of CTE related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is vital to make sure this legislation garners broad support to show congressional leaders why it is important to include our workforce and CTE systems in any upcoming relief package and ensure that they have the necessary resources to get Americans back to work.

House Education and Appropriations Committee Membership Changes

As we continue to settle into the 117th Congress, committees have been announcing changes to the rosters, including the addition of new Freshman members. Over the last few days, three House committees important to CTE – the Appropriations Committee, Budget Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee – have announced changes which we summarize below. 

Appropriations Committee 

As we mentioned in a previous blog, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) replaced Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) as the full committee chairwoman upon Rep. Lowey’s retirement last congress. In the minority, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) will remain as the top Republican, in the role of ranking member. New members to the committee are as follows: 

• Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) 
• Rep. Josh Harder (D-CA) 
• Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) 
• Rep. David Trone (D-MD) 
• Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) 
• Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) 
• Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) 
• Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) 
• Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) 
• Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) 
• Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) 
• Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) 

As for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees CTE funding, Rep. DeLauro is retaining her chairmanship, and Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) is returning as the ranking member. All the Democratic members of the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee are returning, and two new Democrats are joining: Reps. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) and Josh Harder (D-CA).  The Republicans haven’t announced their subcommittee assignments yet, but continue to check the CTE Policy Watch Blog for updates!  

Budget Committee 

The two top leaders of the Budget Committee, Chairman John Yarmuth (D-KY) and Ranking Member Jason Smith (R-MO) remain the same as last Congress. The full Democratic roster is here, and the Republican roster is here.  New members are listed below: 

• Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) 
• Judy Chu (D-CA) 
• Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) 
• Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) 
• Lauren Boebert (R-CO) 
• Ben Cline (R-VA) 
• Byron Donalds (R-FL) 
• Randy Feenstra (R-IA) 
• Bob Good (R-VA) 
• Ashley Hinson (R-IA) 
• Jay Obernolte (R-CA) 

Education and Labor Committee 

Just like the Budget Committee, the two top leaders for the Education and Labor Committee, Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) remain the same. It is still unknown as to who will replace the retired Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) as the chair for the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee, which oversees postsecondary CTE proposals. Once an announcement is made, we will update the blog. An updated full committee membership list has not been posted on the committee website yet, but below are the new members to the committee: 

• Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY)  
• Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM)  
• Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC)  
• Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN)  
• Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) 
• Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) (returning) 
• Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)  
• Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)   
• Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) 
• Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) 
• Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) 
• Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) 
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) 
• Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) 
• Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) 
• Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) 
• Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) 
• Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) 
• Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) 

Chairman Scott Introduces National Apprenticeship Act Reauthorization

Earlier this week, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott introduced H.R. 447, the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021, which would reauthorize and update the existing 1937 law. The bill mirrors similar legislation introduced last Congress.  

The bipartisan National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 (H.R. 447) would amend the existing national apprenticeship program to include both pre-apprenticeships and youth apprenticeships, while also defining guidelines for registered apprenticeship programs. Additionally, it would codify the Office of Apprenticeship within the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor, specifies that it is to be headed by an Administrator, and outlines the responsibilities of the Office. It would also create a National Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships. To fund the provisions under the proposal, it authorizes over $3 billion between fiscal years 2022 and 2026. It is estimated that this proposal would lead to the creation of one million new apprenticeship opportunities, while yielding over $10 billion in net benefits to the American taxpayer. 

In the press release, Chairman Scott states, “Congress must use every tool we have to address the widespread unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Apprenticeship Act is an important part of our renewed effort to help workers get back on their feet and build back a better economy.”   

ACTE has endorsed the National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 and Is actively advocating for its passage. 

DC Digest: January 18-24

Last week, most of the activity in DC was focused on the inauguration of President Biden  as the 46th president of the United States. In his inauguration speech, the biggest nod to education was when President Biden spoke about getting students safely back to schools for in-person instruction. He also signed several Executive Orders related to education, which you can read more about here. In Congress last week, cabinet confirmation hearings began, with the first confirmed cabinet member being Avril Haines as the director of national intelligence. More cabinet member hearings will take place in the coming days and weeks, although no schedule has been released for the confirmation of the secretary of education or labor. Here are a few other notes from last week:

• Webinar on Access and Equity in CTE: The Hunt Institute hosted a webinar titled,  “Engaging Historically-Underserved Students Through Career and Technical Education.” The panelists, who included the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, the Chief Executive Officer of Baltimore schools and the executive director at Advance CTE, discussed key issues in Maryland and ideas and strategies that strengthen CTE by providing students access to and equity in high-quality CTE programs.
• Deputy Secretary of Education Announced: The Biden Administration has selected Cindy Marten as the next deputy secretary of education. Martin was a teacher for 17 years before she was a vice principal, principal, literacy specialist and then ultimately the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Her confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled, but will likely not occur until after cabinet-level positions have been confirmed. 
• Department of Education Announces Additional Political Appointees: In addition to the deputy secretary, the Department of Education announced several more senior political appointees within the department. These 13 appointees will lead various aspects of the Department during the duration of President Biden’s term. No appointees to the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education have been announced. 
• Recipients of Workforce Grants Announced: The Department of Labor announced the recipients of $145 million for workforce training for key economic sectors. The grants provide funding for upskilling workers and training for workers entering the workforce in key industries such as IT, advanced manufacturing and transportation. 
• Grant Applications Available for Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Programs: The Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) announced  the availability of applications for new awards to be granted to Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Programs for FY 2021. The deadline for applications is March 22, 2021, and OCTAE will be hosting an informational webinar for prospective applicants tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at 2:00 pm EST.

Biden Administration's Education-related Executive Orders & Actions

Since taking office on January 20th, President Joe Biden has already signed 30 executive orders and taken various other actions aimed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, rejoin the Paris Climate Accord,  and deal with the ongoing economic crisis. There were also a number that dealt with education and workforce training. Below is a list, with short explanations, of those actions most relevant to CTE.

• Student Loan Payments – On his first day, President Biden requested that ED extend the pause on federal student loan repayments and collections and to also keep the interest rate at 0%.
• School Re-opening – This executive order focuses on the Administration’s role increating the conditions for safe, in-person learning as quickly as possible and ensuring high-quality instruction and the delivery of essential services to students and young children at school, institutions of higher education, childcare providers and Head Start programs. Specifically, it directs the Secretary of Education to work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop evidence-based guidance to help schools and postsecondary institutions decide whether and how to reopen and how to safely conduct in-person instruction, among a number of other provisision.
• Ensuring a Sustainable Health Care Workforce – This executive order includes a provision that focuses on understanding the challenges the health care industry faces in pandemic response efforts, including challenges recruiting and training sufficient personnel to ensure adequate and equitable community-based testing.
• Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government – This executive order revoked former President Trump's Executive Order 13950 on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, which restricted the types of equity-related training and professional development federal agencies, contractors and grant recipients (including Perkins recipients) could provide, potentially impacting the work of CTE educators to close equity gaps. 

Additional orders are expected this week with a series of themed days covering racial equity, climate, health care and immigration. We will continue to update the CTE Policy Watch Blog to ensure that you remain aware of actions taken as they relate to education and CTE.

DC Digest: January 11-17

News in Washington this week continued to be dominated by the fallout from the attack on the Capitol. On Wednesday, the House voted to impeach President Trump for a second time for incitement of insurrection. It was a 232-197 vote with 10 House Republicans joining Democrats voting in favor of impeachment. The impeachment articles will now be sent to the Senate where Senators would need 67 votes to convict the president. In the meantime, the Presidential Inauguration will take place this Wednesday, January 20, with extremely heightened security throughout DC. Here are some other happenings from last week:

• President-elect Biden Reveals COVID-19 Relief Plan: On Thursday evening, President-elect Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion economic COVID-19 relief package proposal. Included in this relief package is $170 billion for K-12 schools and higher education, including $130 billion for schools to safely reopen. Also included is funding for a national vaccine program, increasing vaccine distribution and expanding COVID-19 testing, as well as funding for small businesses, state local governments and $1,400 individual stimulus checks. 
• Additional College Scorecard Updates: The Department of Education announced additional updates to the College Scorecard. These updates include information on how well borrowers from postsecondary institutions are progressing in repaying their federal student loans, as well as how well student cohort borrowers are doing at certain intervals in the student loan repayment process. 
• New COVID-19 Funding for Postsecondary Institutions: On Thursday, the Department of Education announced that more than $21.2 billion for COVID-19-related emergency relief funding is now available to support postsecondary institutions during COVID-19. These funds were initially provided by Congress in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, signed into law in late December. More details and in-depth analysis of the application process will be coming soon!
• New Strengthening Community College Training Grants: The Department of Labor announced the winners of $40 million in Strengthening Community College Training Grants, which are designed to help Community Colleges address the needs of the workforce. These grants aim to help displaced workers to gain skills to transition to new employment, thus also benefiting local employers. The grants will also help community colleges build capacity to address challenges due to the pandemic, such as online learning.