With the House and Senate both in session this week, it was still a quiet week for CTE-related measures in Washington. Most of the focus in Congress was on voting rights legislation before adjourning for the week. Both chambers will be in recess the week of January 24, but could return to the debate on the Build Back Better Act when they return. In the meantime, here is the most important news from Washington this week: 

• Department of Education Announces Resources to Support Student Needs at Colleges and Universities: The Department of Education has announced more resources for students and postsecondary institutions to help reduce barriers to success address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional $198 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funds was announced to help support community colleges and other institutions with the greatest needs, while new guidance on how colleges can use these new and existing federal funds to meet students’ basic needs such as housing and food security was released. In addition, guidance on how colleges can use existing data to connect students to other federal benefits was provided. First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary Cardona visited Bergen Community College in New Jersey to spotlight these new resources. 

• Federal Agencies Announce Working Group on Telecommunications Workforce: The Departments of Labor and Education, along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a cross-agency working group that will collaborate to identify current and future needs of the telecommunications industry workforce. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the FCC Chair to work in partnership with the Secretary of Labor to establish an interagency working group that will ultimately prepare a report to Congress on its recommendations to address the needs of the telecommunications industry by January 2023.  
   
• House CTE Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Announces Retirement: Rep. Langevin announced he will not be running for reelection in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District. Langevin has served as co-chair of the House CTE Caucus since 2011. 
   
• ACTE Launches Key Legislation Blog Series: The first in a series of blog posts highlighting key pieces of legislation that will be the focus of ACTE’s 2022 federal advocacy efforts has been posted on the CTE Policy Watch blog. The first blog covers the JOBS Act. 
   
• Secretary Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) Highlight Connecticut CTE Programs: On January 14, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) visited Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School and Thames River Magnet Elementary School in Groton, Connecticut, to highlight each school’s manufacturing programs. You can read a full recap of the visit on the CTE Policy Watch blog. 
   
• FAA Aviation Careers Task Force Holds Public Meeting: On January 20, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force held a public meeting to discuss expanding CTE pathways in aviation, as well as developing strategies that will lead to more students entering aviation careers. You can watch the full meeting here.

• Department of Labor Launches New Grants Page: Visit https://www.dol.gov/grants to access all available grant funding from the Department of Labor in one convenient location! 
   
• U.S. Presidential CTE Scholar Candidates Announced: The U.S. Department of Education has released the list of candidates submitted by states for the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Visit https://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/2022/candidates.pdf to see the students nominated from your state! 
   
• Administration Announces "Good Jobs" Initiative: On January 21, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the Good Jobs Initiative to help empower workers and improve job quality. More details can be found on the Department of Labor website and more details on various projects will be forthcoming.

This second blog post in our CLNA series digs into one of the key challenges that CTE leaders shared with us for Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE – the authentic engagement of a full range of stakeholders during the first CLNAs.

Stakeholder engagement was noted by both state and local CTE leaders as an area for improvement in the first CLNAs. Several of the states interviewed could not speak with certainty about whether all stakeholders were substantively engaged, particularly learners and families. Local CTE leaders similarly shared that stakeholder engagement was not always as robust as desired, in part because COVID 19 required some local recipients to switch their engagement plans mid-stream.

Where local recipients were able to engage in intensive stakeholder engagement for the first CLNA, positive transformation was possible. In Mitchell County, North Carolina, a small rural district, CTE educators hosted 14 focus groups in fall 2019, each with cross-stakeholder participation that included learners, and followed each focus group with leadership team meetings, during which they reviewed and discussed the feedback received. This robust engagement led the district to develop several new courses and new professional development opportunities.

For this 2021-22 CLNA process, states are acting to help local leaders improve stakeholder engagement and local leaders are working to diversify consultation methods and do more in-depth engagement. For instance, the College of DuPage in Illinois planned to survey learners to find out if they identify as a member of a special population, what they know about existing supports and what other supports they need, as well as conduct focus groups for more of a deep dive.

Stay tuned for the next entry in this series, which will look at the role of data in the first CLNAs, and revisit our first post.

Key Legislation 

In March 2021, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), and Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) reintroduced S. 864/H.R. 2037, known as the Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2021, or the JOBS Act, to expand federal Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term job training programs at public postsecondary institutions. This bill is one of ACTE’s top legislative priorities, and it will be a key focus of our federal advocacy efforts in 2022. 

Background 

Currently, Federal Pell Grants are not available to postsecondary CTE students in short-term certificate programs that provide industry-based credentials and ultimately employment in high-wage, high-skill industry sectors or careers. As a result, many students across the country do not have access to high-quality, short-term CTE programs that culminate in credentials that are proven to increase earning potentials and employment opportunities, especially in several high-need careers within health care, manufacturing and construction. This bipartisan bill aims to amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to make high-quality programs that are at least 150 clock hours and 8 weeks in length Pell-eligible. ACTE, along with other education organizations and employers, has been actively promoting a solution for short-term Pell for a number of years, including in this Congress. For example, we sent a letter to congressional leadership in 2021 expressing strong support for the JOBS Act and asking for its immediate passage.  

In June 2021, a version of the JOBS Act was close to passing as Sens. Kaine and Portman introduced an amendment to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), S. 1260, that would expand Pell Grants to short-term CTE programs. This amendment was accepted into a larger package of amendments that was closely negotiated between party leadership. Unfortunately, the package that included the short-term Pell amendment was not included when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made procedural objections to the amendment package and the bill moved on to final passage. The JOBS Act was also briefly considered as a potential amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law by President Biden this past November, but ultimately was not included there either.  

Next Steps 

Currently, there are 48 cosponsors in the Senate and 34 in the House of Representatives for the JOBS Act. ACTE’s public policy team is actively recruiting new cosponsors of the JOBS Act and urging Members of Congress to champion the bill. While a full reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which would provide a prime opportunity to debate Pell grants for shorter-term programs, is unlikely to move forward, there are other avenues for the JOBS Act. It is still possible that the JOBS Act could be passed as part of a different large legislative package, or it could gain traction as a standalone bill. For example, during the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and FY 2023 appropriations processes, there may be opportunities to advocate for the JOBS Act to be included in appropriations packages. There is also a chance that the USICA, which has yet to be passed by the House, could be amended in that chamber to include the JOBS Act, or that other “must pass” legislation emerges to provide a vehicle for a short-term Pell solution.  

Momentum and support for the policy change continue to grow, and ACTE will continue to advocate for the JOBS Act, whether it is passed as a standalone bill or included as part of a separate legislative package. Please continue to monitor ACTE’s Policy Watch blog for more information as this proposal continues to make its way through Congress!

On January 14, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) visited Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School and Thames River Magnet Elementary School in Groton, Connecticut, to highlight each school’s manufacturing programs. The programs are helping to meet workforce needs in eastern Connecticut and develop the next generation of highly-skilled workers across the state. In addition, the two policymakers reiterated the need for federal CTE and workforce development funding to train workers to do the in-demand jobs of the future. 

“Career [and] technical education is a priority for this administration. It's a priority for me,” Cardona told New London, CT’s The Day newspaper. 

At Grasso High School, 50% of students attending the manufacturing program have jobs lined up after they graduate, including one student who recalled being able to help their family replace a water heater on their own, saving time and money. Groton has expanded access to STEM courses across its public schools, as the district was recently awarded a Defense Education Activity grant from the Department of Defense to expand career pathways in STEM fields and health care. The school is also launching a co-op with nearby Fitch High School to send Fitch students to Grasso for after-school classes to earn credit. 

During the visit to Grasso, Rep. Courtney added to the conversation by explaining to students that their career paths and fields of study align with current and future workforce needs being seen across the country. Courtney cited the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law in November as just one example of a bill that will create jobs to be filled with skilled workers in in-demand fields, including electric vehicle technology, building technology and climate change. 

Grasso also hosts the Three Rivers Community College Manufacturing Apprenticeship Center, which provides training for secondary and adult learners. Students may take courses in machining, welding, electrical, mechanical, shipfitting, pipefitting, maintenance, design engineering, or in any customizable program that is designed to fit a local employer’s needs. 

Sec. Cardona and Rep. Courtney also noted that American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds are supporting programs like those at Grasso and at Thames River, helping Connecticut to serve as a model for the nation. Connecticut plans to spend $70 million in ARP funds on workforce development programs across the state.

The House and Senate were both in session this week, with congressional action on voting rights holding most of the focus in Washington. Action on CTE-related measures was rather minimal. The Senate has canceled a planned recess scheduled for next week, citing weather challenges and additional work on voting rights. After voting rights discussion, the Senate could return to debate on the Build Back Better Act, where there is still no agreement between Democratic congressional leaders, President Biden and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). You can still contact your senators – especially Democratic senators – and ask them to maintain the $700 million investment in Perkins, $5 billion for community college and industry partnership grants and the overall $40 billion allocation for workforce development included in the House-passed version of the bill. In the meantime, here is the most important news from Washington: 

• Secretary of Education Visits Connecticut Technical High School: On January 14, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) visited Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School to tour the school’s manufacturing programs and discuss how CTE can help meet workforce needs in Connecticut, as well as the importance of federal workforce development funding.  
   
• Congressional Appropriations Leaders Meet to Discuss FY 2022 Appropriations: On January 12, the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees – Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Kay Granger (R-TX) – met for the first time since November about the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations process. While these members have not yet scheduled another time to meet, reports indicated the meeting was constructive. Government funding will expire on February 18 without final bills being passed or an extension through another continuing resolution (CR). 
   
• Department of Education Adds CTE to Three Department Discretionary Grant Priorities: As a result of comments submitted to the Federal Register on the Department of Education’s competitive grant priorities for this year, the Department has added career and technical education programs to additional parts of the document. These priorities include Priority 2—Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources, Opportunities, and Welcoming Environments; Priority 3—Supporting a Diverse Educator Workforce and Professional Growth to Strengthen Student Learning; and Priority 4—Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs. These final priorities and definitions may be used across the Department of Education discretionary grant programs.

• State of the Union Scheduled: The White House and Congress have scheduled President Biden's first official State of the Union address on March 1. It is also likely that the President's FY 2023 budget request to Congress will not be submitted until after this date, or even later, depending on when Congress is able to complete work on FY 2022 bills.  
   
• Administration Announces New Developments in COVID-19 Testing for Schools: On January 12, the Administration released a fact sheet outlining new initiatives to increase the availability of COVID-19 tests for schools, including new test distribution. More details will be sent to school leaders directly from the Department of Education.

Dual Enrollment in California: The Public Policy Institute of California released a report examining access, equity and success in dual enrollment programs in California. Researchers studied 3,000 high schools and nearly 440,000 dual enrollment students. The following summarizes a few key findings from the report:

• The percentage of high schools that offered dual enrollment increased from 10% in 2016-17 year to 36% in 2018-19. Participation in dual enrollment also increased from about 72,000 participants in the 2015-16 graduating class to 112,000 in the 2019-20 class.
• While participation for all major racial/ethnic groups increased over time, Black and Latino students were still underrepresented, had lower dual enrollment GPAs, and earned fewer units than Asian and white students.
• Approximately 81% of all dual enrollment students enrolled in a postsecondary institution within one year of graduation, 19 percentage points higher than the statewide rate for all graduates. College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) participants were more likely to enroll in two-year institutions.
• Roughly 20% of all dual enrollment courses and 29% of CCAP courses focused on career and technical education.

Benefits of Early College Programs: A report by JFF shows how early college programs are improving student outcomes at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The early college program was introduced at the high school in 2017, allowing students who apply and meet assessment standards to complete courses in high-demand career fields for credit at local community and four-year colleges. By 2020, the school’s overall graduation rate improved from 71% to 80% and recent early college student cohorts were twice as likely to enroll in a postsecondary institution after graduation. The high school plans to expand the program to all students within five years.

Equity Gaps in Dual Enrollment: While dual enrollment has proven benefits for student outcomes, according to a data tool by the Community College Research Center, not all learners have equitable access to these programs. Using the 2017-18 Civil Rights Data Collection, the tool identifies nationwide representation and accessibility gaps in dual enrollment and AP coursework for different student demographic groups. The following are a few key findings on dual enrollment:

• The biggest representation gap existed for students with disabilities, who make up 13% of the overall school population, but accounted for 4% of dual enrollment students.
• English language learners and Black and Hispanic students, especially males within these groups, were underrepresented while white students were overrepresented in dual enrollment courses.
• Many schools that offer dual enrollment opportunities have no underrepresented students participating. For instance, 27% of schools attended by Black students offer dual enrollment courses but did not enroll any Black students in these courses.

In response to equity gaps in dual enrollment programs, the College in High School Alliance released a guide designed to help states collect, report and use dual enrollment access and success data to improve equity. The resource highlights examples of states engaging in this work and outlines a framework for state policymakers to utilize when developing dual enrollment data reporting systems.

Improving Pathways Data: As states develop policies to improve the school-to-workforce pipeline, K-12 leaders need access to data on the postsecondary and workforce outcomes of former students. In response, Chiefs for Change created a brief discussing obstacles and steps to improving pathways data. Informed by interviews with state education and local agency leaders, the following are four strategies the brief outlines that state leaders can use to increase access to pathways data:

• Build a cross-agency data governance body that is aligned with K-12 leaders’ needs and follows privacy and security best practices.
• Ensure data systems are modernized and updated regularly by advocating the value of pathways data, securing state funding support and creating interstate data-sharing compacts.
• Create user-friendly data by identifying local leaders’ needs, ensuring existing linked data is accessible to districts and schools, and utilizing federal funding to build and modernize tools.
• Increase capacity for pathways data analysis and use by disseminating best practices among districts and coordinating statewide data conferences.

The comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) was an exciting and innovative change under Perkins V introduced to support data-driven decision-making and more closely align planning, spending and accountability activities. As the second CLNA process ramps up, Advance CTE and ACTE interviewed state and local CTE leaders to identify what worked during the first CLNAs and what can be improved. Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment describes state perspectives on CLNA successes – including stronger alignment between local needs and funding decisions, more collaboration among local recipients, improved data capacity and literacy, and better informed state-level programs and processes – as well as state perspectives on areas for improvement and examples of CLNAs driving transformation on the local and regional levels.

Local CTE leaders that we interviewed reported similar benefits from the first CLNAs as state leaders: increased collaboration, enhanced use and understanding of data, and improved alignment and prioritization of needs and budgets. For instance, CTE leaders at Adams 12 Five Star Schools in Colorado shared how CLNA encouraged more collaboration and sharing of best practices; helped level the playing field across larger and smaller entities within regional CTE consortia; and led the district to take a more strategic approach to Perkins investments and aligning those investments with state and local CTE goals and funding.

This improved alignment of CTE programs to learner and labor market needs — including the development of new programs and the closure of programs that do not prepare students for high-skill, high-wage or in-demand careers — is one of the major ways in which the CLNA effects change. In Rhode Island at the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School, input from stakeholders and data analysis led the school to develop its own education program to encourage its largely minority learner population to enter the field of teaching. The program began in January 2022 and takes place in a converted building on campus, part of which hosts a satellite YMCA preschool and part of which has classrooms for the high school education and training program. The goal is for learners to experience teaching across the PK-12 spectrum, so they will not only observe and do clinicals with preschool staff but also shadow Davies CTE and academic high school instructors to learn about different subjects they could teach.

Stay tuned for more blog posts unpacking lessons learned from the first CLNA and explore how you can use ACTE’s high-quality CTE framework to support CLNA.