On Feb. 23, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced on Feb. 23 that it will be implementing two new interagency agreements with the Departments of State and Health and Human Services. These agreements, similar to previous ones last year, will transfer the management of certain programs and grants to these new agencies. Specifically, the Department of State will become responsible for tracking foreign gift reporting for public and private higher education institutions, and Health and Human Services will become responsible for administering certain family engagement and school support programs, including the School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV), School Safety National Activities, Ready to Learn Programming, Full-Service Community Schools, Promise Neighborhoods, and Statewide Family Engagement Centers. Visit this new landing page on ED’s website to read about all the interagency agreements announced so far. Read more policy updates below.  

• Resolution Recognizing CTE Month Passes Senate: The Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Ted Budd (R-NC) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, recognizing February 2026 as CTE Month. 
• Resolution Introduced by Sens. Blunt Rochester and Tuberville to Celebrate CTE Teachers Adopted by Senate Unanimously: On Feb. 26, Sens. Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Tuberville (R-AL) introduced a resolution celebrating the impact of CTE educators and work-based learning coordinators, which was adopted by the Senate unanimously.  

• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Announces $81M to Support Training & Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals: DOL announced on Feb. 25 that approximately $81 million in grant funding is available to assist people reentering their communities after being incarcerated by helping them gain experience and secure employment in skilled trades and high-demand industries. Read more about grant eligibility and how to apply here.     

• House Committee on Small Business Holds Hearing to Highlight CTE Programs: On Feb. 24, the House Committee on Small Business held a hearing titled “Career and Technical Education: Developing the Future of Main Street Success” to examine how CTE programs are a viable pathway to the workforce and how more skilled workers could reduce the labor shortage hurting small businesses. Read more on the blog.  

• ED Releases Plan for Next Steps for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES): The Trump Administration enacted significant grant and staffing cuts to IES early last year, but has now released a report for the future of the agency. In one recommendation, it calls for more concentrated grant-making on a few high-priority areas, including CTE specifically.  

• State of the Union Includes Few Mentions of Education: On Feb. 24, President Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address. This year’s address did not include any significant focus or new initiatives in the education or workforce development areas – just a brief reference to the Presidential AI Challenge. That likely means there will be no big new proposals in the Administration’s budget request, which is expected later this spring.  

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Another AI Hearing: On Feb. 24, the House held yet another hearing in its ongoing series on AI’s impact on education and the workforce. This week’s hearing focused on the impact on educators. Read more on the blog.  

• Senate Democrats Ask GAO to Investigate Interagency Agreements (IAAs): Senate Democrats requested a comprehensive investigation from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) about the impacts of the first IAA between ED and DOL concerning CTE and adult education and subsequent IAAs.  

• Judge Rejects ED’s Request to Delay Student Loan Forgiveness Processing: On Feb. 24, a judge rejected ED’s second request to delay student loan forgiveness processing for post-class applicants under Sweet v. McMahon. This could lead to tens of thousands of borrowers receiving automatic discharges of their federal student loans in the next few months.