After 43 days, the federal government reopened this week after Congress passed a continuing resolution that will fund most federal programs at their current level until January 30 next year. The deal also included funding for several agencies for FY 26, but lawmakers are still negotiating FY 26 funding for the Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL). Read more on the blog here. In other news, ED made several postsecondary-related announcements, and the House will host a CTE hearing next week. Read more updates below. 

• ED Announces New Postsecondary Grant Opportunities: On Nov. 10, ED announced seven new priorities under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) for the FY 2025 grant competition. Two of the priorities relate to short-term programs: one will support developing new programs that align with Workforce Pell requirements, and one will support expanding current short-term programs. The other priorities will focus on accreditation, AI and civil discourse. The deadline for postsecondary institutions to submit applications for these grants is Dec. 3. 

• ED Shutdown RIFs Reversed as Government Reopens: As part of the deal Congress made to reopen the federal government, all ED employees who were fired during the shutdown must now be reinstated. ED is also prohibited from conducting additional reduction-in-forces (RIFs) through January 30 when the CR expires. 

• 2023-24 Perkins Data Released: ED’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education recently released 2023-24 Perkins enrollment and performance data. Readers can view the data through the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network’s Data Explorers. ACTE will analyze this new data and release a blog post soon on our findings.  

• House to Host Hearing on CTE: Next week on Wednesday, Nov. 19, the House Education and Workforce Committee will host a hearing on CTE: “From Classroom to Career: Strengthening Skills Pathways through CTE.” ACTE will be attending the hearing and reporting back on the blog. 

• ED Invites Comments on IPEDS Changes: On Nov. 13, ED posted a notice in the Federal Register inviting comments regarding proposed changes to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The changes, which were originally announced in August, would require postsecondary institutions to submit applicant race and sex information to ED. This new notice would exempt two-year and open-enrollment colleges who only award aid based on financial need from having to submit this information. Comments are due on Dec. 15. 

• National Postsecondary Enrollment Data Released: On Nov. 11, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released preliminary postsecondary enrollment trends for the fall 2025 semester. The data reveals that enrollment in two-year colleges and undergraduate certificate programs rose the most, particularly in trades-related fields. See the data here.  

• Deadline for “Your AI Horizons Challenge” Approaching: The deadline for teams to participate in ED’s “Your AI Horizons Challenge” (the third challenge in ED’s #CTEMomentum challenge series) is on Wednesday, Nov. 19. You can learn more about the challenge here. 

• Trump Admin Appeals PRWORA Ruling: On Nov. 7, the Trump Administration appealed a federal judge’s ruling that halted implementation of new interpretations of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) provisions in 21 states. The new interpretations would prohibit Perkins V funds from supporting undocumented immigrants in postsecondary CTE programs. ACTE and a group of education organizations sent questions to ED on these changes earlier this year, but responses have been delayed due to court activity.