New Congressional CTE Caucus Formed in House
House Dear Colleague Letter on Perkins Funding Circulated
Competitiveness Bills Move Forward in the House and Senate
NCLB Hearings Continue
New Congressional CTE Caucus Formed in House
ACTE is very pleased to announce that Reps. Brian Baird (D-WA) and Phil English (R-PA) are forming a CTE Caucus in the House of Representatives. The caucus will be bipartisan and will work to highlight the importance of CTE in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce in America. Caucus members will also become aware of how CTE affects their district specifically, and they will seek out ways to continue to grow CTE courses throughout the country. Please check here to see if your Representative has become a member of the Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus. There is no deadline for joining the caucus, so continue to encourage your House Members to get involved in this exciting new activity.
House Dear Colleague Letter on Perkins Funding Circulated
Rep. Brian Baird’s (D-WA) office and Rep. Phil English’s (R-PA) office drafted a “Dear Colleague” sign-on letter focusing on rejecting the President’s proposed cuts to Perkins and suggesting an increase in funding. The “Dear Colleague” letter has been circulating to congressional Members' offices for about a week, and the deadline for sign-ons is the end of the day on April 25. The letter will be delivered to Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and Rep. James Walsh (R-NY), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. “Dear Colleague” letters are often distributed to show support for a particular legislative initiative or funding request by a number of Members of Congress. A copy of the letter and additional information can be found at http://www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/funding.cfm, and ACTE will provide a complete list of Members of Congress that signed the letter as soon as it has been finalized.
Competitiveness Bills Move Forward in the House and Senate
Two bills, H.R. 362 and S. 761, focused on STEM and American competitiveness, are moving forward in the House and Senate. The companion bills incorporate parts of President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative and seek to bolster basic scientific research and the number of students majoring in math, science, engineering and foreign languages.
H.R. 362, the "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act," was passed by the House 389-22 on April 24. It authorizes $1.5 billion through fiscal 2012 to provide for teacher training and scholarships, including $10,000 annual scholarships for math and science majors who commit to teaching STEM subjects in “high-need” schools for a period of time.
The Senate is currently debating the companion legislation, S. 761, and may vote on final passage as early as April 25. S. 761, the “America COMPETES Act” would double the National Science Foundation budget, and also boost funding for the Energy Department’s Office of Science. It authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) develop and implement programs to provide courses of study in mathematics, science, engineering, or critical foreign languages with concurrent teacher certification or to enhance teacher knowledge and teaching skills; (2) increase the number of teachers and students teaching or enrolled in advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses in mathematics, science, or critical foreign languages; (3) help low-income students performing below grade level in mathematics; (4) establish programs of study in critical foreign languages; (5) promote content knowledge requirements for secondary school graduation and establish or improve a statewide P-16 education data system.
NCLB Hearings Continue
Both the House and Senate held key hearings on NCLB during the week of April 23, covering the topics of dropout prevention and middle and high school reform.
In the House, the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on “NCLB: Preventing Dropouts and Enhancing School Safety.” Witnesses included Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel, executive director of the Intercultural Development Research Association; Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services; Kenneth Smith, president of Jobs for America’s Graduates; Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education; and Jane Norwood, vice-chair of the North Carolina State Board of Education. While numerous programs to help lower the dropout rate were highlighted, almost all the witnesses mentioned student engagement as a key to success, and several panelists alluded to CTE providing this engagement. Rep. Biggert (R-IL) specifically asked about Perkins and the role of CTE in reducing dropouts. The hearing testimony and a complete Webcast can be viewed at http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/fc042307.shtml.
In the Senate, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on “NCLB Reauthorization: Modernizing Middle and High Schools for the 21st Century.” Witnesses included Robert Balfanz, associate director of the Talent Development Middle School Project; Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education; Tony Habit, president of the New Schools Project; Edna Varner, senior program consultant with Hamilton County Public Education Foundation and Public Schools; and John Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress. The hearing focused on topics such as teacher quality, dropout prevention, competitiveness, and differences between high and low performing schools. The hearing testimony and a complete Webcast can be viewed at http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2007_04_24/2007_04_24.html.
The hearing was held a day after key Senate leaders introduced new high school reform legislation – the “Graduation Promise Act.” This proposed legislation would authorize a $2.4 billion High School Improvement and Dropout Reduction Fund to support states in their efforts to turn around high schools with low graduation rates; $60 million in competitive grants for the development and implementation of successful models geared toward students who are struggling in conventional education settings; and $40 million in competitive grants to states to identify statewide barriers holding students back from graduating, and create new policies that improve graduation rates. A press release on the new bill can be found at http://help.senate.gov/Maj_press/2007_04_24.pdf.
