My name is Jesus Galvan, and I recently joined ACTE as its new Research and Policy Coordinator. In this role, I will support ACTE with various research, data and policy activities, including creating fact sheets and writing blog posts.

I was born and raised in Southeast Texas, near the Louisiana border and the Gulf of Mexico. I grew up in an area plagued by poverty and attended poor-performing schools – despite this, I remained oblivious to my living situation until I reached high school. Only then did I begin to realize how access to a good K-12 education, college and a stable career often depended on where one was born, their socioeconomic status and their racial/ethnic background. Once I enrolled for college at Rice University, I took my lived experiences and began to focus on attaining a career where I could work in education in some capacity.

At Rice, I engaged in numerous research and internship experiences to expand my knowledge in education research and policy. This includes interning at the Educational Testing Service, the U.S. Department of Education and Latinos for Education and conducting research with the Houston Education Research Consortium and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. After graduating from Rice, I enrolled in the Master of Arts program in Educational Policy Studies at Boston University, where I interned with the Wheelock Educational Policy Center and worked alongside the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy on a project analyzing STEM-based work experiences for high school students in Massachusetts. I have many different interests in education research, but CTE began to bloom as a particular standout because of its push to secure stabilized futures and career paths for all students, an issue that I particularly care about. 

In this new role with ACTE, I hope to contribute significantly to the expanding opportunities that CTE can bring about, particularly for vulnerable student populations in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also hope to see flourishing economic opportunities for these students because of expanded CTE offerings – in an increasingly expensive era, building wealth for the most vulnerable student populations is urgent. 

Outside of work, I enjoy collecting New York Times newspapers, listening to music (shoutout to the band Beach House), visiting museums and cooking with my parents. 

If I can be of any help or assistance to you, please do not hesitate to reach me at jgalvan@acteonline.org. I would be more than happy to speak with you. 

This week, Congress returned to Washington and is working behind the scenes to prevent a government shutdown from taking place on September 30, the end of the fiscal year. Education committees in both the House and Senate were active as well. Meanwhile, the Department of Education has been working to develop further resources and information for its work on Title IX and FAFSA and released proposed changes to Perkins state plans and data reporting. Keep reading for more information! 

• Department of Education Releases Proposed Perkins Changes: Earlier this week, the Department of Education released a set of proposed changes to Perkins state plans and data reporting through the Federal Register. The changes are open for public comment through November 12. Read more on the blog. 

• White House Launches Cybersecurity Hiring Sprint: The White House Office of the National Cyber Director launched a program to help fill the gap of 50,000 available cybersecurity jobs across the country. The program aims to reach candidates without traditional qualifications, such as computer science or engineering backgrounds. 

• Adam Gamoran Nominated to Serve as Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES): The White House announced their intent to nominate Adam Gamoran, President of the William T. Grant Foundation and former John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and Education Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to fill the role of Director of IES. 

• New Title IX Resources: The Department of Education released two new resources to help schools comply with the 2024 amendments to the Title IX regulations that took effect in many schools across the country on August 1. These resources examine prohibitions on sex discrimination based on pregnancy or related conditions and parental, family or marital status. 

• Department of Education Releases Additional FAFSA Information: The Department of Education announced details regarding the beta testing period ahead of the 2025-26 FAFSA’s release to all students and contributors. High schools, community-based organizations, institutions of higher education and state entities can submit interest forms to participate in the next stages of the testing period. 

• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Republicans Discuss Career Preparation During Round Table on K-12 Education: On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee held a roundtable on K-12 education that included discussion on the importance of career learning and preparing students for the workforce. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Mark Up: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup of several bills on student safety and employer-sponsored health care.  

• House Science Committee Passes Nine Bills to Support the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI): The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology passed nine bipartisan bills in support of AI advancement and leadership, including the NSF AI Education Act of 2024. This bill would support new Centers of AI Excellence at community and technical colleges or area CTE centers and invest in scholarships, grants and professional development around AI.  

Earlier this week, the Department of Education released a set of proposed changes to Perkins state plans and data reporting through the Federal Register. The changes are open for public comment through November 12.

The proposal, packaged as revised “Information Collection Requests,” would amend both the State Plan Guide that dictates what must be included in each state’s Perkins V plan and the Consolidated Annual Report that states submit each year to the Department of Education. While some of the proposed changes are relatively minor, others are more significant. Combined, these proposals are likely to require every state to submit a new Perkins V plan by the spring of 2026 and make changes to the structure of measures within their Perkins accountability system.

We are working with states and other CTE leaders to determine the full implication of these changes and will be sharing concerns with the Department as the comment period unfolds. As we analyze the details of the proposal and gather feedback, we will follow up with additional information and resources so that the entire CTE field can weigh in during the public comment process.

Next week, National Voter Registration Day will be celebrated on September 17! National Voter Registration Day encourages eligible adults to register to vote as deadlines in several states approach. National Voter Registration Day is recognized in a bipartisan resolution introduced by Sens. Klobuchar (D-MN) and Fischer (R-NE). You can find out more and get involved at https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/.  

This year, a new nonpartisan voting initiative is also working to register voters throughout community college campuses. The initiative was developed by private companies such as Levi Strauss and Lyft in junction with nonprofits like the American Association of Community Colleges. The initiative, aptly titled “The Community College Commitment” launched in April to turn up voter engagement around the primaries.  

Community college student voting rates are almost 10 percentage points lower than students at four-year institutions. The Community College Commitment aims to close that gap within the next two election cycles and turn out 500,000 new community college voters. This National Voter Registration Day, they’re working to encourage community college students to get to the polls! 

These organizations are also holding special events and giveaways, including a concert competition series. Community colleges can enter to win a concert (equipped with security, permits, ticketing and stages) by completing actions and participating in challenges to encourage voter turnout at their school. Participants can also win stickers and posters, pizza from Pizza to the Polls and Lyft codes to get to the polls during early voting and Election Day.  

ACTE will continue to share voting information and resources as the general election draws near as part of our Election Watch series on the CTE Policy Watch Blog and our policy-focused X account @ACTEpolicy, so stay tuned! 

Additional Voting Resources: 

Register to Vote 

Voter Registration Deadlines, By State 

Request an Absentee Ballot   

The Department of Education has been busy this week as they wrap up Secretary Cardona’s Back-to-School Bus Tour and review their Administration’s investments in education. Next week, Congress will be back in D.C. and will start to focus on passing legislation to extend government funding past September 30, the end of the fiscal year. Keep reading for more details! 

• Senator Cassidy to Host Roundtable on Innovation in K-12 Education, Enhancing Student Achievement: On Tuesday, Senator Cassidy will host a roundtable to discuss ways to innovate within K-12 education to improve student success. 

• The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Announced New Awards for the CTE Research Network: IES will fund six new awards in the Extending the Reach of CTE Research Network. These projects will examine the availability and quality of career development opportunities, and will assess the impact of a subset of these career development opportunities on secondary student outcomes. 

• Department of Education Announces $28 Million in Grants to Create Diverse Educator Workforce: The Department of Education announced over $29 million in grants in the Teacher Quality Partnership program to recruit, prepare, develop and retain a strong and effective educator workforce.  

• Secretary Cardona’s Back-to-School Bus Tour: Secretary Cardona visited Ivy Tech, a community college in Indiana, as part of the Back-to-School Bus Tour. Secretary Cardona also participated in a roundtable discussion with students, Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann and Representative Frank Mrvan to discuss how Ivy Tech prepares students for careers. 

• Department of Labor Shares Resources on Apprenticeship Expansion: The Department of Labor shared resources on the return on investment of apprenticeships and reporting resources for State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula (SAEF) Grants and State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity and Innovation Grants. 

This week, it was a relatively quiet week in Washington, but the Administration was busy with workforce development initiatives and efforts to welcome students back to school and prepare for the upcoming year. There is only one week left of August recess, so stay tuned for updates on Congress as Members wrap up their time in states and districts and make their way back to the Capitol. Keep reading for more! 

• Acting Secretary Su Discuss Workforce Development and Visits Apprentice School in Virginia: Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro visited the Apprentice School in Newport News to highlight its contributions to aircraft carrier construction. They each delivered remarks on the quality of jobs and on workforce development. 

• National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program: The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program opened their application period. This program supports curriculum development, professional development for secondary and postsecondary educators and career pathways development. 

• Department of Education Releases 2025-26 FAFSA Testing Framework: The Department of Education released the framework for the testing period it will use starting October 1 ahead of making the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available to all students and contributors on December 1.  

• Secretary Cardona to Begin Back to School Bus Tour Next Week: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is launching the Department’s 2024 Back to School Bus Tour, which will visit multiple states and showcase the work of schools, families and communities. Stay tuned for more updates. 

With approximately two months to go before the November 5 general election, we are kicking off our Election Watch 2024 coverage! We’ll be sharing information and resources over the next few months to help you prepare for the election, and then coverage of the implications of election results on CTE policy moving forward.  

Below are some important initial resources to help you participate in the upcoming elections! Remember that this election will provide you with a say in who serves in local offices, state offices, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Oval office. All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election, in addition to 34 U.S. Senate seats and 13 state gubernatorial seats, as well as many state legislative seats and local policymaker offices. We will share more resources over the next two months, so be on the lookout. Every election, regardless of the office, has the potential to influence policy that impacts our daily lives. These resources will help you create a plan to vote and make your voice heard! 

Remember, ACTE is a 501(c)(3) organization. That means that as an organization, we are prohibited from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Because of this, all information shared leading up to the election will be strictly nonpartisan. For help accessing or utilizing any of these resources, don’t hesitate to reach out! Follow ACTE’s policy-focused X (formerly Twitter) for updates on voter registration, early voting and more! 

Resources: 

Find your state’s voter registration deadline 

Register to vote 

Request an absentee ballot 

Find your state’s early voting schedule 

Find your local election office