By: Jamie

On February 5, I attended the event "America’s Rural High Schools: Challenges and Opportunities for Success" hosted by the Alliance for Excellent Education. This briefing discussed rural schools and the particular challenges and successes that these schools encounter. The event also paid particular attention to a new publication sponsored by the Alliance, Current Challenges and Opportunities in Preparing Rural High School Students for Success in College and Careers.

Besides the availability and usage of technology, the panelists emphasized that a key aspect that sets successful and low-performing school apart is an expansion of high-quality CTE programs, and then partnering those with core academic programs. Of course, this is no surprise to CTE instructors, but it is reassuring to hear panelists giving credit to CTE programs that couple hands-on learning with core academics. The panelists said that where you see successful rural schools, you see CTE centers, and partnerships between schools and businesses and community colleges. They also said that in low-performing areas, CTE centers are outdated or not present. One panelist followed this by saying that in some places the CTE centers are based on needs from the 1970s and that more areas need to revamp their programs. My question to you is, do you think this is true? In your experience do you think some CTE programs are outdated? I have to say that in the schools I’ve visited, I haven't seen this, but none of my visits have been in rural areas. If you are from a rural area how does your CTE program meet the needs of today’s economy?

By: Alisha

Earlier this week, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis testified for the first time on Capitol Hill before the House Education and Labor Committee. The hearing was titled, “Strengthening the Economy and Improving the Lives of American Workers,” and provided Secretary Solis and committee members the opportunity to review the overall agenda and priorities of the Department of Labor.

One of the top five goals for the department in 2010, as outlined in the secretary’s written testimony, is to “increase opportunities for America’s workers to acquire the skills and knowledge to succeed in a knowledge-based economy.” Unfortunately, there was very little discussion of job training during the hearing, with the exception of some comments about grants issued by the Department of Labor in high-growth areas like heath care and energy.

Most of the discussion was about how to create jobs. In his opening statement, Committee Chairman Miller said, “We will not rest until the millions of Americans still out of work find a job.” There were numerous questions about how more jobs can be created, the effect of the stimulus, and employee protections and wage rules. Secretary Solis emphasized the number of jobs created by the stimulus and the Administration’s desire for passage of a new jobs bill.

There was some useful insight on the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) during the hearing. Secretary Solis mentioned that the Department of Labor is already working with the Senate on a bi-partisan bill, and that she hopes to also work with the House in this manner to pass a WIA bill this year. This affirms earlier rumors we had heard that the Senate might be ready to introduce a bill soon and was further ahead in the process than the House.

By: Jamie

In conjunction with the president releasing his proposed budget for FY 2011, Congress has begun a series of hearings to question Administration officials about the details of the plan. On Tuesday, February 2, Dr. Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, testified before House and Senate Budget Committees and answered questions to defend the president’s proposals.

Dr. Orszag answered many tough questions from Democrats and Republicans. In the House hearing, many Members of Congress focused on addressing the budget deficit, for which Dr. Oszag said that the president’s budget is a good step, but it does not go far enough. He suggested that a budget commission is needed to address the issue more fully. Senators questioning about the same issue appeared to agree with Dr. Orszag’s suggested. Both chambers voiced concern about funding cliffs caused by the end of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and acknowledged that addressing rising health care costs and creating jobs are two areas that need particular focus.

Reactions to the president’s budget in Congress are varied. Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey (D-WI) has pledged not to fund programs that go over the president’s request and has stated that “American Jobs have been and will continue to be the number one focus of our committee.” Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, has called the president’s proposal “dead on arrival.” In the following weeks more hearings and reactions to the budget will be made public. ACTE will continue to keep you informed as we advocate for CTE.

By: Sabrina

Last week the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on solar energy technology and clean-energy jobs. The committee examined ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs by expanding the use of solar energy. During the two-hour hearing, witnesses provided ideas on how to move solar energy into the mainstream and make it more competitive. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, three solar energy company executives and a researcher discussed the current trends in solar energy and how to create thousands of jobs.

Sen. Sanders (I-VT) discussed a new bill that he is going to introduce that will install 10 million solar rooftops across the country. He said the bill could create up to 100,000 jobs in the clean-energy economy. Secretary Salazar discussed how his department is currently working with a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will help build more sustainability programs and facilities. Currently, they have 13 community solar energy projects, which will create 40,000 jobs, including in construction and engineering, and for technicians.

In order to fill the growing need of the clean-energy workforce, CTE programs across the country are developing programs to build a pipeline of workers. For example, Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin has a wind energy program, and it has partnered with Snap-on Tools to train workers to build and maintain wind turbines. If you have a great sustainability program, including in solar energy, please share your story with ACTE!

By: Jamie

On Monday, February 1, President Obama released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. Funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act remains frozen at FY 2010 levels and the Tech Prep program would be consolidated into the Perkins Basic State Grants under the proposal.

Tech Prep was not the only program to be consolidated; the Administration proposed 38 programs to be consolidated into 11 funding streams and eliminated six other programs in the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Along with the consolidation, the Administration proposes to increase funding for ESEA by $3 billion, which includes expansion of the Race to the Top, $500 million for the Investing in Innovation Fund, and an increase in funds for charter schools. The budget also reserves an additional $1 billion for Congress to use if ESEA is reauthorized this year.

In regard to higher education programs, in addition to many changes to the student aid program, the president proposes to increase the Pell Grant maximum by $160 to $5,710. In the pending Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) the president proposes $10.6 billion over 10 years for the American Graduation Initiative and $3.5 billion over five years for the College Access and Completion Fund.

Additional programs and initiatives of interest to the CTE community include:

• $500 million to continue the Investing in Innovation program
• $25 million for a new STEM initiative in the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
• $100 million for College Pathways and Accelerated Learning, a new program to increase graduation rates
• $612.3 million for Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants
• $2.3 million for the Women’s Educational Equity program to recruit women and girls to STEM
• $30 million for the Workforce Innovation Fund

Read the ACTE Policy Watch blog for more details throughout the week.

By: Alisha

The theme of the Department of Labor budget proposal released earlier today was “Good Jobs for Everyone.” The budget request included $14 billion in discretionary spending, down from $14.3 billion in FY 2010. Approximately $10.9 billion of the discretionary spending is designated for the Employment and Training Administration, which administers the Workforce Investment Act. Below are a few highlights:

• The Workforce Investment Act’s Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker grants all receive increases. However, the new funding will be set aside for “Workforce Innovation Fund” grants ($154 million of this funding will be for Youth Innovation Grants and $108 million for adult and dislocated worker grants.) These new competitive grants for states and localities are designed to identify best practices that can be replicated across the country and will be administered in partnership with the Department of Education.
• Other competitive grants receive focus as well. The Administration requested an increase for the Green Jobs Innovation Fund, for a total of $85 million, as well as $40 million to continue the transitional jobs program and $13.75 million for the department’s data quality initiative.
• Funding for the Career Pathways Innovation Fund (formerly Community-based Job Training Grants) is eliminated. Budget documnets present the following rationale: “Instead of requesting money for the Career Pathways Innovation Fund, the Administration strongly supports enactment of the American Graduation Initiative (AGI), which is part of student aid legislation passed by the House and pending in the Senate. The AGI would provide significant resources for competitive grants to community colleges that could support career pathways and other innovative training and education programs.
• Within the budget proposal documents, the Administration presents five new objectives for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, which has been pending since 2003. They are:
• Streamlining service delivery
• Truly one-stop shopping for high-quality services
• Engaging with employers on a regional and/or sectoral basis
• Improving accountability
• Promoting innovation and identifying and replicating best practices

By: Steve

States have made great progress over the past few years to develop their longitudinal data systems that measure student progress over time, but more effort is needed to move these systems from database warehouses to usability. This was the overriding sentiment conveyed at a Data Quality Campaign (DQC) briefing on Capitol Hill. The DQC event marked the launch of an inaugural report that measures 10 State Actions to Ensure Effective Data Use, and recognized two states (Illinois and Oregon) and one locality (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) which are leading the field with respect to aspects of data-quality action.

DQC’s Action #1 is “Link state K-12 data systems with early learning, postsecondary education, workforce, social services and other critical state agency data systems.” Panelists noted the difficulty of linking education data to other sources such as workforce data. Both states indicated that student privacy issues are a primary challenge, “but it is something we must do and we are making headway,” indicated a representative from Oregon. Another panelist noted that linking to workforce data is the only true way to measure school success.

Illinois representatives indicated that their state is doing a lot of work to connect students to middle-skills jobs, which in Illinois will account for roughly half of the future jobs that will be available in the state. Charlotte-Mecklenburg conducted a massive overhaul of its technology and data infrastructure and the work is paying off. Last year a representative from the Gates Foundation commended the district for the way it was collecting and using data. Charlotte-Mecklenburg shares data with teachers via very user-friendly technology so they can improve instruction, something DQC commends and supports.

ACTE is an endorsing partner of DQC.

By Jamie

During the president’s State of the Union address, he called on the Senate to pass a comprehensive jobs bill that could create jobs and get America working. He also applauded the House of Representatives for passing the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 in December. Earlier today, key Senate staff discussed the Senate’s plan to get its version of the legislation moving and passed.

Due to a lack of bi-partisan support for this bill, it is unlikely that the Senate will have enough votes to pass a complete bill like the House did. Instead, the Senate plans to break the legislation into parts and attempt to pass each section individually. It will have similar provisions to the House’s bill, including money in a state fiscal stabilization fund for saving and creating jobs for teachers, youth and fire fighters; investing in America’s infrastructure, including money for school rehabilitation; job training for careers in green industries; and extending unemployment benefits. However, the Senate does not plan at this time to include money to increase the Federal Work Study program. The Senate is not sure at what levels the items listed above will be funded. Although timing for this package is unclear, the Senate hopes to begin moving pieces of the legislation when health care reform is completed.

ACTE is following the jobs package closely and will alert the CTE community if action is needed to ensure funds benefit CTE instructors and classrooms.

By: Steve

President Obama’s first State of the Union speech focused on increasing jobs, helping the middle class and small business, and decreasing the federal deficit. But education advocates should be relieved to hear that the speech also included a promise to increase the education budget despite his plan to freeze domestic spending.

Specifics included mention of a national competition to improve schools, undoubtedly a nod to the Race to the Top fund that focuses on improving education through innovation. The president vowed last week to increase the program by $1.35 billion. The speech also included a request that the Senate follow the House’s lead in passing a bill to revitalize community colleges through the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA). ACTE strongly supported the House-passed SAFRA bill and is eager to see the Senate adopt similar legislation.

Although there was a mention of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization in the context of school reform, few details were proposed in the speech. Rumors are that there will be an increase for the program and that many smaller education programs will be proposed for consolidation in the president’s upcoming budget proposal to Congress. For additional budget speculation please see the CTE Policy Watch blog.

The president noted that the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act stimulus funds saved jobs including 300,000 teachers and other construction and energy workers. He also said that more work needs to be done to save additional jobs and encouraged the Senate to pass a jobs bill, similar to the legislation the House passed in December. In addition to job creation, the president made reference to the importance of emerging industries such as sustainable energy.

Overall, the speech included few specifics that were not already known. ACTE is closely monitoring details of the president’s plan and will share all information related to the president’s budget release on February 1.

By: Jamie

On February 1, President Obama will release his budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. This budget will outline his spending priorities for the upcoming year and serve as a blueprint to guide Congress as it begins the budget and appropriations process.

Earlier this month the president announced his intention to expand the Race to the Top program by providing $1.35 billion in his budget proposal to provide an additional round of funding for states and localities. In addition to this expansion, the education community can expect a few other changes in this year’s presidential budget. A rumor is circulating on Capitol Hill that many individual programs will be consolidated into larger programs. It is unclear how this change would look, but it is possible that smaller programs will be combined with other programs that share similar goals in an attempt to reduce duplication and reach the same goals with less money.

Another item you can expect in the president’s budget is a freezing of domestic discretionary spending for the next three years. Discretionary programs are programs that are not entitlements (Medicare, Social Security, etc.), but instead go through the appropriations process every year. There has been a great deal of speculation about what this might actually mean and what agencies will be included. The Administration has said that defense, homeland security, veterans’ and intelligence programs will be excluded, and that although this will freeze overall spending, it will not be across the board and essential programs, like education and job creation, could see increases.

It is unclear at this time how all of these budget proposals might affect CTE programs, including Perkins. More details should be available after the president’s State of the Union speech on Wednesday, January 27, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

ACTE will continue to follow the budget process and will alert the CTE community to action that is needed to ensure that CTE funding is protected.

By: Alisha

Yet another report was released yesterday that links increases in educational achievement with increases in economic growth. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (OECD) report, “The High Cost of Low Educational Performance: The Long-Run Economic Impact of Improving Pisa Outcomes,” uses economic modeling to relate cognitive skills, measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international instruments, to economic growth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The results of the modeling showed that even small increases in achievement could have dramatic economic effects for the United States and other countries.

Three scenarios are laid out in the report. First, increasing average PISA scores by 25 points over 20 years (very modest improvement) would result in an aggregate gain of OECD GDP of $115 trillion over the lifetime of individuals born in 2010. For the United States, this gain would be $40 trillion. Bringing all countries up to the level of Finland, the highest scoring country (about 50 points above the current U.S. level), would result in an aggregate OECD GDP increase of 260 trillion, with $100 trillion of that occurring in the United States. Finally, improving the scores of the lowest performing students to the level of minimal proficiency would increase the aggregate OECD GDP by almost $200 trillion, and the U.S. GDP by $72 trillion.

The report emphasizes the importance of focusing on educational attainment despite the fact that education is generally considered a long-term investment without an immediate payoff. The report states, “Because the benefits of educational investments are seen only in the future, it is possible to underestimate the value and the importance of improvements.” This is an important message to emphasize with policymakers in these tight budgetary times.

By: Steve

Although New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein and (New York City) United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew do not always see eye to eye, they both agree that national education standards are needed in order to hold all states accountable to the same benchmarks. New York City (NYC) has been praised for its school improvement plan which has resulted in a steady increase in the number of high school graduates since 2002.

Chancellor Klein said that NYC was able to dramatically improve schools because the city had the political will and committed to spending resources effectively—issues he says the nation must face if it wants to improve schools. Some of the controversial strategies the city implemented included: executing a top down strategy, closing poorly performing schools, providing what Klein terms as “real” high school choice, removing social promotion and employing teacher performance strategies (in combination with raising salaries by 45 percent over the course of reform).

Klein and most other panelists appearing at an Alliance for Excellent Education (the Alliance) briefing, “Informing Federal Education Policy Through Lessons from New York City,” praised the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top program and its focus on identifying effective reform strategies to replicate. Klein also commended the president for requesting $1.35 billion more for Race to the Top to extend the program, which he says is an indication that it will also be included in the newly reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The event included a paper, “New York City’s Strategy for Improving High Schools.” The Alliance plans to further explore the NYC school improvement issues, make recommendations about what can be learned and identify recommendations that can inform federal policy as a result of the experience. CTE has been a significant part of the work in New York City, with 30 CTE-designated high schools and over 300 more high schools offering CTE programs, so these reports should provide interesting insights into how CTE can be included in districtwide high school reform initiatives.

By: Alisha

Late last week, we got confirmation that OVAE Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier will provide the closing keynote address at NPS. Her speech, which will be Wednesday morning during the 8:00 session, will be followed by a panel of speakers discussing the future of CTE and efforts already underway to better connect CTE to other education and workforce development priorities. We hope this session will provide a great deal of “food for thought” as attendees head up to the Hill and then back to their communities and schools.

We’ve also invited Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates for a keynote during Tuesday morning’s session on connecting to workforce development and hope to hear back from her soon. Other notable invites have gone out to Congressional CTE Caucus Chair Brian Baird (D-WA), representatives of leading education and workforce groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Governors Association, and staff on key congressional committees. Stay tuned for more confirmations and view the latest version of the NPS agenda online!

By: Alisha

Two new surveys, each released with a slightly different purpose, provide interesting insights into the skills students need to be prepared for postsecondary education and careers.

First, the “ACT National Curriculum Survey” presents data about what entering college students should know and be able to do to be ready for college-level coursework in English, math, reading and science. This survey is given every three to five years to middle school, high school and postsecondary level instructors in those core subject areas. One of the most significant findings of this survey is that high school teachers rate their students considerably more ready for college than the college instructors do. This was especially true in reading, echoing concerns in CTE programs that students are not prepared for demanding content-area reading.

The second survey, “Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn,” from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, asked over 300 employers about the skills students need to gain in college. It is clear from this survey that employers’ expectations of workers are increasing—“Only one in four employers thinks that two-year and four-year colleges are doing a good job in preparing students for the challenges of the global economy.” The survey also found that “Employers believe that colleges can best prepare graduates for long-term career success by helping them develop both a broad range of skills and knowledge and in-depth skills and knowledge in a specific field or major.” Employers’ were also interested in students’ ability to apply their college learning in real-world settings, an emphasis of CTE.

Both of these surveys highlight the need to align expectations and content between high schools, postsecondary institutions and the workplace—an effort that clearly has not made as much progress as needed!

By: Alisha

Education Week recently released its “Quality Counts 2010: Fresh Course, Swift Current—Momentum and Challenges in the New Surge Toward Common Standards”report. In addition to its annual state report cards, “Quality Counts 2010” provides an in-depth look at the issue of common standards.

The report’s special focus includes background on the history of the standards movement, information on the challenges facing the implementation of today’s initiatives, and the promise common standards hold for the nation’s schools.

The report also provides commentaries and articles that look at the political, educational and philosophical debates surrounding the common standards movement—everything from local control discussions to the curriculum and assessment decisions that might accompany common standards. It is important to note that only 18 states have detailed (course or grade-specific) standards in math, English, science and social studies at this time, so the idea of actually implementing common grade-level standards is quite ambitious. At the same time, many states are already looking to outside sources to help develop their standards, including national organizations and other states, so in many ways the movement has already moved forward.

College and work readiness standards are at the forefront of the discussion, and ACTE Senior Director of Public Policy Steve DeWitt was quoted in one of the commentaries titled, “College and the Workforce: What 'Readiness' Means.” “College and career skills are not necessarily interchangeable,” he says. “Everyone needs a baseline of core academic and employability skills, but the technical skills might be different.”

What do you think?

By: Steve

Expanding access to federal student loan funding for some "less than half-time" students and creating a $500 million emergency fund to help two-year postsecondary institutions cope with the crush of recent enrollments are two ideas begin promoted by Third Way, a moderate think-tank of the progressive movement.

I attended an event hosted by the organization earlier today that focused on priorities for the middle class and small businesses as a way to build back the American economy. It is clear that this organization and the four Democratic Members of Congress who were panelists during the event are concerned about their recent loss of the Massachusetts Senate seat and what it means for the Democratic majority and moving their agenda forward.

Also appearing at the event was House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) who said he believes that job creation and fiscal responsibility are the two main concerns of Americans. Hoyer also stated that he thinks that additional spending will be needed to pull America out of the economic funk. He criticized Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) for his "no cost" job plan which Hoyer said is unrealistic.

The moderate progressives' focus on jobs creation could be good news for CTE if the agenda moves. Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH) noted the work of Stark State College of Technology in his district as an example of the type of activities he believes will move the country forward. Rep. Boccieri said Stark State has molded its curriculum to fit the local economy, which has helped to convince foreign business to move to the area, thus increasing revenues. 

By: Jamie

On January 19, President Obama announced that he is planning on expanding the Race to the Top competition in his proposed budget for FY 2011. During a speech at an elementary school in Fairfax, VA, President Obama pledged to include an additional $1.35 billion to encourage not only states, but individual school districts, to apply and receive funds for innovative programs as part of the Race to the Top program. The president’s budget for FY 2011 is scheduled to be released on Monday, February 1. This proposed budget will outline the president’s priorities and the funding levels that he hopes Congress will enact. At this time it is unclear how much of the $1.35 billion, if enacted by Congress, would go to school districts and how much would be intended for states.

The announcement to expand Race to the Top coincided with the deadline for states to submit applications for the first phase of the program. In this first round, 40 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications. Race to the Top was funded at $4.35 billion as part of the stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which became law in February 2009. This program was designed to revamp the education system by incentivizing excellence, spurring reform and promoting the adoption and use of effective policies and practices.

For more information on ARRA, including Race to the Top, please see the ACTE’s Web site, and stay tuned for more information regarding the president’s FY 2011 budget.

By: Alisha

The January 2010 edition of Career Tech Talk, ACTE’s podcast series featuring conversations with leaders and innovators in the field of CTE, features Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) in the U.S. Department of Education, and Sharon Miller, director of OVAE’s Division of Academic and Technical Education.

The interview was recorded during their visit to ACTE’s Annual Convention in November, just recently after the assistant secretary was confirmed and joined the department. This interview is a great introduction to Dann-Messier’s background and priorities—she discusses in depth her work in adult education, which has helped to lead to her very student/participant-centered approach to her work.

One of Dann-Messier’s top priorities is to integrate and align adult education, CTE and the broader world of postsecondary opportunities. She emphasized sharing best practices, reducing silos within OVAE and then throughout the Department of Education, and making sure CTE is front and center as a big part of the Administration’s agenda.

I personally enjoyed meeting the assistant secretary at Convention and look forward to getting to know her more, and to continuing our long-standing relationship with Sharon Miller, who leads the department’s work on Perkins. It is wonderful to have such thoughtful, dedicated individuals at OVAE (and there are many more like them)!

By: Alisha

I don’t think many people would argue that our best CTE asset is our students. This fundamental idea is important to remember as we consider policy implications and advocate on behalf of our programs. Members of Congress particularly like to know how federal initiatives are affecting the real people that they represent. It was with this in mind that ACTE launched the student leadership strand during the National Policy Seminar last year, and plans to continue growing the idea in 2010.

Our goal is to encourage each state to bring at least one student as part of its NPS delegation. These students will benefit from the specific sessions and networking planned just for them, and can also talk to policymakers about their programs and the challenges being faced by CTE and broader education and workforce development programs at the local level.

This year, we have three sessions planned just for students, as well as a breakout session for all attendees on how students can get more involved in advocacy activities at the local level. This session was recommended after last year’s NPS and we hope it provides attendees with some useful take-home ideas.

For the students specifically, we’ll be repeating a popular session from last year that brought back former CTE students and CTSO members that live and work in the DC area to talk about their career paths into policy-related professions and how their CTE experiences benefitted them. We’ll also be providing students with information and ideas for activities they can share once they return home. We hope you’ll make plans to attend NPS and bring a student leader along with you!

By: Sabrina

Yesterday, the Bismarck Tribune ran a great story that included ACTE because of an editorial board meeting that took place in August. For the past three years, I’ve been meeting with reporters to discuss issues and trends in career and technical education (CTE). This year I started working with senior staff in providing advice on how to conduct these meetings, and it has paid off! ACTE Deputy Executive Director Pete Magnuson and ACTE North Dakota President Kraig Steinhoff met with Tribune reporter Sara Kincaid about CTE. Although Sara didn’t write a story immediately after the meeting, she called us in December for a story about soft skills.

Pete and I gave the reporter background and examples of how businesses are searching for employees with soft skills, and how CTE programs are providing these skills. I talked with her about the important role career and technical student organizations play in providing these skills, including important competitions.

Due to the volatile economy, an issue being covered by the press today is having a prepared workforce. Right now is a great opportunity for CTE educators to reach out and educate the media about the great programs that are providing soft skills for the high-demand and high-wage jobs.

As newsrooms are shrinking in size, education coverage is too! It’s critical that you build quality relationships with your local media, and educate reporters and editors about the exciting programs you have to offer. If you have any questions, please e-mail me anytime.