Before jumping into our regular roundup of research and data resources relevant to CTE, ACTE would like to share our concern about the recent U.S. Department of Education cancellation of research contracts as well as the reduction in force that appears to essentially eliminate all functions at the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics, halting critical research and data collection. Read more in our joint statement with Advance CTE. 

*** 

Credentials of Value: The Lumina Foundation recently launched a new national goal they aim to achieve: By 2040, 75% of adults in America will have a credential of value that leads to economic prosperity. Lumina defines a credential of value as a post-high school credential that leads to a career paying 15% more than the national median salary for a high school graduate.

As part of this new goal, Lumina published a data dashboard monitoring the progress of the nation and states in reaching the 75% threshold. As of 2023, 44.1% of adults aged 25-64 in the workforce have a credential of value, including bachelor’s degrees (18%), graduate degrees (13.2%), short-term credentials (7.7%) and associate degrees (5.2%). States and territories have varying percentages of adults with a credential of value, ranging from 22.5% in Puerto Rico’s to 70.4% in Washington, DC. 

The findings, which can be disaggregated by age as well as by race/ethnicity, highlight the benefits of adults earning a post-high school credential while also underscoring disparities. 

Transfer Enrollment and Pathways: The National Student Clearinghouse recently released data on transfer enrollment for the fall 2024 semester: 

• Returning transfer students made up the majority of transfer enrollment (52%), driven by higher growth rates among those transferring after temporarily exiting postsecondary education.
• Although community college enrollment is still below pre-pandemic levels, this sector has gained the most transfer enrollment since fall 2020 (+13.5%). 
• Students from two-year schools with a high vocational focus made up a larger share of two-to-four-year transfers in fall 2024 than the year prior (+6.5%). 
• Two-thirds of transfer students changed their major. 
• Increasing numbers of students transferred into business and health majors compared to fall 2023 (+5.8% and +12.6%, respectively).  
• Black (+8.3%) and Hispanic (+4.4%) students saw the largest increase in transfers since fall 2023; white students were the only racial/ethnic group with decreasing transfer rates (-1.3%). 

Beyond Transfer: Insights from a Survey of American Adults: Public Agenda has released the results of a survey they conducted to better understand Americans’ experiences with transferring postsecondary credits between schools and their perceptions of obstacles toward earning a degree. The survey was completed by 3,077 adult Americans across the country. 

The survey yielded several important findings: 

• A quarter of respondents who attempted to transfer credits report that they were able to transfer only a few or none of their credits.  
• Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported the credit transfer process to be difficult. 
• Twenty percent of respondents had to retake a course they had already completed. 
• A higher percentage of white respondents compared to Black or Latino respondents say they successfully transferred all or most of their credits, and more white respondents found the transfer process easy than students from other racial/ethnic groups.  

Mapping a Path from High School to Success: A report by Education Strategy Group examines various nursing, cybersecurity and mechatronics pathways to identify trends and best practices. 

Across all three pathways, researchers found that most maps included clear outcomes and stackable credentials. The pathway maps also rely heavily on local contexts, such as taking transportation into consideration. Messaging varied from easily understandable maps to complex maps that were confusing. Finally, the researchers noted potential implications for accessibility as some maps impose GPA restrictions, age cut-offs and other requirements that may hinder a student’s access to a pathway. 

The researchers also shared findings and recommendations by pathway: 

• Nursing: Most course maps follow very similar course sequences even while considering local contexts, meaning that programs may be able to build off other programs’ maps.  
• Cybersecurity: Researchers found that the maps were often narrowly focused on obtaining credentials in cybersecurity, not branching out into how cybersecurity can be paired with other IT-related career paths. 
• Mechatronics: Maps should explain in plain language what mechatronics is, how it differs from past manufacturing jobs, and what careers it can lead to today. 

This week, the U.S. Department of Education initiated a reduction in force (RIF) reducing the agency’s workforce from 4,133 employees to approximately 2,183 workers.

This includes nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation opportunities through the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment. The other roughly 1,400 employees impacted by the RIF were placed on administrative leave beginning Friday, March 21. Staffing cuts particularly affected the Department’s civil rights, financial aid and education research teams, although the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education lost staff as well. 

ACTE and Advance CTE are extremely concerned that staffing and funding cuts at ED are likely to hinder the distribution of Perkins grants, disrupt data collection on CTE participation and outcomes, reduce essential guidance, and jeopardize access for vulnerable learners. These recent actions also appear to essentially eliminate all functions at the Institute of Education Sciences and National Center for Education Statistics, halting critical research and data collection. Read more in our joint statement.

This week the primary focus on the Hill was President Trump’s address to Congress, with concerns also growing about some proposed policy shifts and DOGE-related cuts. Several congressional committees did focus on education and workforce issues though, discussing potential funding and legislative opportunities to promote career development and education. The Senate also confirmed Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. Meanwhile, as the deadline looms closer, Congressional leaders are working to agree on a plan to fund the government after March 14. Read more for details! 

• Republican Leaders Prepare Year-long Continuing Resolution: With federal funding set to expire on March 14, Congress has been working on plans to finish work on FY 2025 appropriations bills. Republican leaders in the House and Senate are currently working on a continuing resolution that would maintain federal funding at current levels for the rest of the fiscal year with a few adjustments. The text of this bill hasn’t been released yet, however, and it is unclear if there is enough support for it to pass.  

• Linda McMahon Confirmed as Secretary of Education: On March 3, Linda McMahon was confirmed as Secretary of Education by the Senate. McMahon has expressed interest in CTE, specifically apprenticeship opportunities, and voiced support for expanding Pell Grants for short-term training programs. Learn more about her policies and background on the blog! 

• Secretary McMahon Letter to the Department of Education: To kick off her term as Secretary, McMahon published a memo, “Our Department’s Final Mission,” to outline her policy goals for her tenure. Specifically, she pledged to review programs and initiatives and evaluate whether they should remain funded and functional, dependent on how they align with the Administration’s goals. McMahon’s intention to overhaul the agency is in line with President Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the Department, which is rumored to be the focus of an upcoming Executive Order (EO).  

• Education Department Releases New FAQs on DEI Issues: On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a Dear Colleague Letter suggesting a broad interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and directing educational institutions to comply with instructions outlined in the letter related to civil rights and anti-discrimination. To address questions on the letter, ED released an additional set of Frequently Asked Questions on March 1. Check out the blog for more details. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds WIOA Reauthorization Hearing: On March 7, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing focused on reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Lawmakers from both parties highlighted their interest in reauthorizing the legislation. Read more on the blog! 

• Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Holds Member Day: On March 5, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education held a Member Day. Member Days are an opportunity for Members of Congress who are not part of the Subcommittee to voice their interests and let the appropriators know what funding they want for their districts and communities. Witnesses included House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), both of whom advocated for continued investment in education, specifically CTE. Read more on the blog.  

• President Trump Signs EO on English as National Language: President Trump signed an EO to designate English as the national language of the United States. This may have long-term implications for accommodating multilingual students. This also revokes previous mandates on translation services for federal agencies and the resources they provide.  

Yesterday, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing focused on reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  

The witnesses for the hearing were:  

• Dr. Stephen Moret, President and CEO of the Strada Education Foundation 

• Molly Dodge, Senior Vice President of Workforce and Careers at Ivy Tech Community College 

• Robert Sainz, Chair of the National Youth Employment Coalition 

• Nicholas Moore, Director of the Office of Education and Workforce Transformation for Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) 

Lawmakers on both sides highlighted their interest in reauthorizing WIOA this Congress and noted various aspects of A Stronger Workforce for America Act (ASWA), which almost passed Congress in December. ASWA was a bipartisan agreement that would have reauthorized WIOA that was originally included in the continuing resolution being considered at the end of the year, but was removed at the last minute. 

Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-PA), co-chair of the House CTE Caucus, used his time to ask the witnesses about how WIOA and Perkins could be better aligned. He noted that WIOA planning guides should include states’ wider strategic vision for CTE as outlined in Perkins V. In response to this, Nicholas Moore added that Alabama added “Perkins CTE to our combined plan in 2020” and did so again in 2024.  

Witnesses also addressed the need for better data to improve alignment between training programs and good-paying jobs. Dr. Moret said that one way to do this would be to codify and expand the Workforce Data Quality Initiative grants, as included in ASWA. 

A recording of the hearing can be found here. 

On March 5, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education held a Member Day. Member Days are an opportunity for Members of Congress who are not part of the Subcommittee to voice their interests and let the appropriators know what funding they want for their districts and communities. Witnesses included House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), both of whom advocated for continued investment in education, specifically CTE.  

Rep. Thompson began the hearing by emphasizing his strong support for CTE programs, noting how they provide learners with career-ready skills and work to develop America’s most valuable resource – its people. He highlighted the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act that reauthorized Perkins in 2018, citing the success that CTE programs have had in subsequent years. Rep. Thompson also expressed gratitude for the recent increase in Perkins funding secured in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and urged the Subcommittee to support Perkins in FY 2026. 

Rep. Magaziner also expressed support and interest for CTE. He reminded the Subcommittee of a previous letter he issued with several other Members of Congress asking for increased funding for CTE Modernization and Innovation grants and emphasized the need for bipartisan support. Rep. Magaziner also urged the Subcommittee to invest more funding into Pell grant expansion and expressed concerns over education and workforce cuts proposed in the most recent House budget bill. 

On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a Dear Colleague Letter suggesting a broad interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and directing educational institutions to comply with instructions outlined in the letter related to civil rights and anti-discrimination. However, many educational institutions had questions about the broad interpretations and directives provided in the Dear Colleague letter.

To address some of those questions, ED released an additional set of Frequently Asked Questions on March 1. Notably, the FAQs largely only focus on race, and not other student characteristics. The questions addressed include:

• Can schools separate students by race if they treat all students equally?
• Are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs unlawful under Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard? 
• How will OCR investigate allegations of covert discrimination? 
• How will OCR proceed with schools that it determines are out of compliance with Title VI? 

The FAQs do suggest that some DEI programs would not be found in violation of the civil rights law, assuming programs do not “engage in racial exclusion or discrimination” and “are open to all students regardless of race.”

It is important to note that the Dear Colleague Letter and related FAQs are merely guidance and do not have the force and effect of law and do not create new legal standards. The issues addressed in both are already facing legal challenges however, which are likely to continue.

ACTE has released a set of briefs that describe the components of Perkins V legislation in an easy-to-understand manner. These short publications can serve as an introduction for teachers, administrators, policymakers, journalists, partners and others who are new to the purpose, importance and impact of this federal law.

• Perkins 101: Introduction to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Federal Funding (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Accountability (February 2025)
• Perkins 101: Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (February 2025)

Please read and share these resources with individuals who would benefit from understanding the role that Perkins plays in CTE program offerings and student outcomes.