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 

This week, the Department of Labor shared some new resources for youth engagement and Apprenticeships, while the Department of Education encountered a setback from the Supreme Court. Congress is still on recess; they plan to return to Washington, D.C. in two weeks. Remember to take advantage of this time and connect with your Members of Congress locally and advocate for CTE!  

• ACTE Submits Comments on Regulations: In partnership with Advance CTE, ACTE submitted comments on proposed regulatory changes to the definition of “distance education.”  These comments reflected ACTE’s interest in preserving access to postsecondary CTE programs offered through asynchronous distance education at clock hour institutions like area CTE centers. We urged the Department to retain existing flexibilities in the federal regulatory definition for distance education. 

• Department of Labor Announces Webinar to Explore Youth Engagement in Workforce Development: The Department of Labor’s Division of Youth Services announced a webinar on August 28 exploring the different frameworks of youth engagement in the decision-making process of workforce development.  

• Department of Labor Shares New Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) In Apprenticeship Resource: The Department of Labor shared some resources to ensure that good jobs and career pathways are available through Registered Apprenticeship to all workers. These resources include toolkits and outlines to systemic approaches to advance DEIA in Apprenticeship. 

• Department of Labor Shares Resources on Entrepreneurial Skills Training for Youth: The Department of Labor shared new resources on teaching youth entrepreneurial skills including webcasts, webinars, guides for program development and curriculum. As one of the 14 program elements for the WIOA Youth program, entrepreneurial skills training is designed to help youth develop skills such as initiative, creativity and communication.  

• Department of Agriculture Announces Grants with Heartland Regional Food Business Center: The Department of Agriculture and Heartland Regional Food Business Center have announced $3.7 million in grants to support small, mid-sized and diverse food and farm businesses in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and northwest Arkansas. The grants are designed to help build these businesses and create jobs. 

• Supreme Court Upholds Block on Title IX Rule: Last week, the Supreme Court denied a request from the Biden Administration to prevent some of the injunctions that have been placed blocking the Administration’s new Title IX regulations that took effect in some states on August 1. To learn about the new regulations, check out the CTE Policy Watch Blog. 

The Administration was busy this week, sharing new resources and opportunities including several upcoming virtual events. Meanwhile, Capitol Hill was quiet as Congress continues its August recess. To prepare for their return, make your voice heard and contact your Members of Congress! Urge them to support the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education funding bill, which includes a $35 million increase for Perkins and overall higher funding levels. Read more on other activities below! 

• Department of Education Launches CTE Momentum “Power Your Future” Challenge: Last week, the Department of Education launched their CTE Momentum “Power Your Future” challenge, encouraging high school students to submit innovation action plans to advance the use of clean energy in school and in their communities.  

• Department of Education Announces “Path(way) Forward” Webinar: The Department of Education will host a webinar on August 19 on recent initiatives and programs to improve educational attainment and opportunities for all students. 

• Department of Education Congratulates Career Z Challenge Finalists: The Department of Education announced the 10 finalists of the Career Z Challenge, a multi-phase federal prize competition to expand high school students’ access to high-quality work-based learning. 

• Department of Education Announces 2024 Virtual Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals: The Department of Education announced a conference for financial aid professionals that will include keynote addresses from Department leadership, general and breakout sessions as well as seven Virtual Exhibit Hall stations. 

• Department of Labor Shared New Resource for WIOA Grant Recipients: The Department of Labor shared a new central resource for organizations receiving Community Project/Congressionally-Directed grant funds (earmarks). The resources include best practices and guidance on grant administration and program implementation. 

• Bipartisan Bill Proposes National Center for Advanced Development in Education: Senators Bennet and Cornyn introduced the New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act last week. This legislation would establish a fifth center of the Institute of Education Sciences to reverse pandemic learning losses and prepare students for a tech-focused workforce.  

Prior to August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee considered and approved its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill on a bipartisan basis, which contains a $35 million increase over FY 2024 for the Perkins Basic State Grant program, and an overall increase of $1 billion for education programs. These  increases will provide significantly more resources for education and workforce development programs than the House version of the bill released earlier this summer  

The appropriations process will resume in September when both chambers return from the August recess. We want to let Members of Congress know that we support the higher funding levels in the Senate bill! Congress still has significant work to do to complete the FY 2025 appropriations process, and your advocacy is critical in emphasizing that the Senate bill is preferable. 

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to urge your Members of Congress to support the Senate’s $35 million increase for Perkins and overall higher funding levels!    

Send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. You can also call or email directly any personal contacts that you have in your Members’ offices, such as from a meeting at NPS, or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your Member of Congress.