On January 17th, the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Government Innovation held a hearing entitled “Toward an AI Ready Workforce.” Witnesses included Dr. William L. Scherlis, Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University; Timi Hadra, Client Partner and Sr. Executive for West Virginia at IBM; and Costis Toregas, Director of the GWU Cybersecurity and Privacy Research Institute. 

Chairwoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) and Ranking Member Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11) opened the hearing with statements on AI both in the United States and abroad, noting the importance of strengthening the use of AI in the workforce and the benefits that could come of this. Specifically, Connolly noted that now is not the time to replace the workforce with AI, rather it is the time to prepare current and future generations of the workforce on how to best work with AI.  

Almost immediately, Mace raised the question of AI-related education options and affective alternatives to undergraduate and graduate degrees, in order to prepare the workforce to be AI ready. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) also asked the witnesses how they can help private industries understand the curriculum needed for career preparedness, to which they provided examples of programs their respective schools and organizations provide. Scherlis shared that what he knew to be most effective was a direct working partnership with the workforce and education systems, pointing out that when the education system is aware of workforce needs in relation to AI, they can tailor the education they provide to those needs. Scherlis concluded his response on a strong point, noting that, “We collaborate with industry so that these programs can be tailored to local needs of local employers.” 

Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) pressed further on the issue of alternative AI education opportunities for those who don’t want four-year degrees. Scherlis emphasized again that in working with employers, employees and community colleges, workforce needs can be met through various educational pathways. Langworthy and the witnesses also discussed how to best “tear the paper ceiling,” which Langworthy explained as the “invisible barrier that comes at every turn for the 70 million workers who are STARs.” STARs (skilled through alternative routes) are often screened out in hiring processes because they do not possess four-year degrees. The witnesses pressed once again on the importance of outreach to students on alternative pathways, and Hadra shared one solution IBM is working on in this area, which is to provide opportunities for apprenticeships in the field that are registered with the Department of Labor, and therefore become industry standard. 

Another pressing issue, raised by Rep. Steven Lynch (D-MA) is the shortage of STEM qualified teachers who are ready to work with and teach AI programs. This was addressed by Toregas, who touched on what interests him as an educator as well as the importance of building a network of educators, corroborated by Hadra who informed the committee of IBM’s investments in teachers and adult learners, providing another space for them to grow and network together.  

This morning, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing entitled “Preparing Students for Success in the Skills-Based Economy.” The witnesses included Danny Corwin, the Executive Director of Harbor Freight Tools for Schools; Kelly Mosley, Career and Technical Education Supervisor for Clay County District Schools; Richard Kincaid, Senior Executive Director of College and Career Pathways at the Maryland Department of Education; and Brandon Mabile, Strategic Development Manager at Performance Contractors, Inc. 

The hearing covered a range of topics related to the benefits of CTE in K-12 education, and the resources required to implement the various CTE programs discussed. Overall, this is a strong bipartisan issue that garners support from leaders on both sides of the aisle, specifically the CTE Caucus Chairs, Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) and Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15).  

 Chairman Aaron Bean (FL-4) opened the hearing, arguing the value of CTE and noting the baselessness in the stigma surrounding a more diverse set of career pathways, as well as the skills gap born from this stigma. Bean shared that, “If we plan on closing the skills gap, collaboration between educational institutions and industry partners will be key.”  

In their opening statements, the witnesses pressed upon the need for funding and the importance of CTE programs. Several witnesses shared that one of the most significant hurdles to overcome in the expansion and development of CTE programs and resources is the national shortage of CTE teachers. They addressed other obstacles facing the widespread access to this pathway as well, including a college-for-all mentality and shortage in resources for CTE and career-oriented learning. They shared practical solutions to these issues, including the integration of skilled trades into "traditional” academic coursework and expanding opportunities for younger students to allow them to explore opportunities each high school has to offer. The witnesses concluded with a unified request: more funding for CTE programs, and an expansion of CTE resources across the country. 

Most notably, Ranking Member Bonamici raised the issue of Perkins V funding, noting the decline in Perkins funding over the last four decades and questioning Richard Kincaid on how additional Perkins funding could be applied. Kincaid explained that, “Using Perkins as a lever to reinvest additional funding into these programs would be a game changer for places, like Maryland, that rely not only on federal funds to move this agenda forward, but also to ensure that we are well aligned with business and industry.” This notion of funding was referenced many times throughout the hearing, with several witnesses agreeing that financial obstacles are the most difficult to overcome in CTE. Kelly Mosely also emphasized that many incredible CTE programs are made possible by Perkins funding, but that to improve those programs and create new ones, additional funding is necessary. 

Ranking Member Bonamici redirected the conversation back to Perkins once again in her closing statement noting that, “That Perkins funding really makes a difference because we have a lot of schools and districts across the country. And with the value of this investment, I hope that is something we can accomplish, to update that funding.”  

This week, Congress returned to session and hit the ground running with a new appropriations deal, and we at ACTE are continuing our advocacy to ensure the highest possible levels of funding for CTE within this deal. There is still plenty of work to be done before the stopgap spending bill, passed last November to avert a government shutdown, allows funding to expire for some programs on Jan. 19 and others on Feb. 2. Congress hopes to pass a new, short-term funding bill next week as final work on the appropriations bills is completed. The House also announced a hearing next week focused on CTE integration with K-12 education. 

• Congressional Leaders Announce Topline Deal on Appropriations: Last weekend, the House and Senate reached an agreement on spending levels for fiscal year (FY) 2024. This predominantly maintains the budget caps agreement from earlier this year. Read more about the deal on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Announces Plans to Hold Hearing on CTE: This week, the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education announced a hearing titled, “Preparing Students for Success in the Skills-Based Economy,” to explore how CTE programs can be better integrated into K-12 education to equip students with necessary tools for postsecondary and career success. The hearing will take place on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 10:15am. 

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Publishes New Data: NCES recently published multiple data sets on secondary staffing vacancies and learning recovery. New data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) was also released on recent undergraduate admissions and outcomes trends. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog.
   
• ACTE Joins over 1,000 Other Organizations in Letter to Congressional Leadership on NDD Program Spending On Monday, ACTE joined over 1,000 organizations in a letter urging Congressional leadership to ensure proper funding for educational and skills-based programs as part of “non-defense discretionary spending.”
   
• Department of Education Announces over 1 Million 2024-2025 FAFSA Forms Submitted the Department of Education announced on Monday that the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available 24/7 and can be used to apply for federal financial aid to attend college between July 2024 and June 2025. The Department has also announced over 1 million FAFSA forms have been successfully submitted.
   
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Identifies $28,000,000 for the “Future Manufacturing” Initiative: This week, the NSF announced a $28,000,000 investment for its “Future Manufacturing Initiative.” The initiative will work to equip the workforce with the skills and training necessary to overcome barriers and develop new manufacturing capabilities. A webinar with more information will be held on Feb., 2024, and applications are due April 11, 2024.
   
• NSF Invests $40,000,000 in “Future of Semiconductors” Account: Last Week, the NSF announced a $40 million investment under its “Future of Semiconductors” account, which will allow up to 20 awards. The goal of the program is to create co-designed approaches to research and workforce education and training to foster quick progress in new semiconductor technologies. Proposals are due March 14, 2024.  

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) recently published multiple data sets looking at undergraduate admissions and learner outcomes, teacher turnover, staffing vacancies and post-pandemic learning recovery.

Data on Secondary Staffing Vacancies and Learning Recovery: NCES published a set of data from the School Pulse Panel (SPP) from October 2023 featuring more than 1,400 schools across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The findings focused on public school staffing vacancies, learning recovery and tutoring programs.

CTE was among the subject areas with the highest percentage of vacancies, at 5%, along with ESL or bilingual education (5%) and special education (6%). In addition, schools reported needing to have non-teaching staff take on other duties (42%), needing to have teaching staff take on other duties (40%), increased class sizes (28%) and sharing staff and/or teachers with other schools (24%).

When investigating post-pandemic learning, researchers found that 44% of students did not begin the 2023-24 school year at grade level in at least one academic subject, showing improvement from the 49% reported at the start of the prior school year.

Data on Undergraduate Students: The Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) has released a collection of data sets on recent admissions and outcomes trends.

• Admissions:
  • In fall 2022 institutions reported receiving more than 13.1 million first-time applicants, up from 12.1 million in fall 2021.
  • Institutions admitted almost 60% of the first-time postsecondary applicants they received in fall 2022.
  • Only 26 institutions indicated that work experience is required for admission.
• Outcomes:
  • 23% of full-time, first-time enrolled in two-year institutions in 2018 graduated within two years, up to 41% within four years.
  • 31% of students in the 2014-15 cohort had earned a degree or certificate within eight years.

Data on Teacher Turnover: NCES recently published a set of selected findings from the National Teacher and Principal Survey Teacher Follow-up Survey, which included over 8,500 public school teachers and looked at teacher turnover between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. Analysts found that 84% remained at the same school, 8% moved to a different school and 8% left the profession all together.

In addition, among former teachers who voluntarily left the profession, 16% retired, 15% left for personal reasons, 13% left to pursue another position outside of K-12 teaching and 9% left for salary reasons.

Over the weekend, lawmakers in the House and Senate announced that they reached an agreement on spending levels for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The deal comes only 12 days before the stopgap spending bill passed in November to avert a government shutdown is set to expire on Jan. 19.  

The deal will allow for the total level of spending previously agreed to in the Fiscal Responsibility Act last May, which suspended the limit on federal debt through January 1, 2025. The deal will set spending levels at $886.3 billion for defense programs and $772.7 billion for nondefense programs. 

The deal also includes several cuts to spending, including $6.1 billion in unspent COVID relief funding as well as $10 billion in IRS funding that was previously agreed to in the Inflation Reduction Act.  

In a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said, “The bipartisan topline appropriations agreement clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks in order to maintain important funding priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown. The framework agreement to proceed will enable the appropriators to address many of the major challenges America faces at home and abroad.” 

Next, Congress still needs to set the allocations for each of the 12 government funding bills, set levels for each program, agree on whether there will be policy riders, and then pass the bills, either individually or, more likely, in one or two packages of bills. 

While Congress works on the final package, ACTE will continue for the highest possible funding levels for CTE! 

Over the last few weeks, the Department of Education has been rolling out new policies and grants and working through some struggles with their new Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) after encountering technical difficulties with the platform. The House and Senate return from recess the week of January 8, and will face a long list of overdue items. More news and notes below: 

• Administration Awards $44.5 Million to Improve Postsecondary Education Access and Completion for Students in Rural Communities: The Administration announced winners of the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) grant program, awarding $44.6 million in grants to 22 higher education institutions, including a number of community and technical colleges. This program hopes to improve the rates of postsecondary enrollment and completion in rural communities and promote career development and access to good-paying jobs. Read more from the Department of Education. 
• The Department of Education has Released the New FAFSA: On Dec. 30, the Department of Education released an updated version of FAFSA that is significantly shorter than previous versions of the form. They continue to work through site maintenance and other access issues, resulting in lawmakers calling on the department for clarity and support to those trying to use the application. Despite these initial struggles, more than 17 million students are expected to complete the application this year. Read more on the new FAFSA on Inside Higher Ed. 
• New Resource: Maximizing Access & Success for Special Populations and Underrepresented Learners in CTE: In mid-December, ACTE and Advance CTE released the first pieces in a new series of publications addressing how to support the nine Perkins V special populations and underserved learner groups. The series will highlight strategies, reflection questions and case studies for supporting each population. A second set of briefs will be released in January.  
• Administration Prepares to Launch Negotiated Rulemaking on Institutional Quality and Program Integrity: The Department of Education released six issue papers across a range of categories that will be considered in a new negotiated rulemaking session beginning in January. ACTE will be following several of the issues under consideration carefully, particularly related to new rules on distance education. Learn more about these efforts here. 

ACTE and Advance CTE have released the first set in a new series of joint publications that address how to support each of the nine Perkins V special populations and other underserved learner groups.

The Maximizing Access & Success for Special Populations in CTE series features strategies, reflection questions and case studies for supporting each special population as well as other key populations that have been a focus of state and local support.

Part I, released last week, includes an introduction to the series and briefs on supporting the following special populations:

• Nontraditional learners
• Foster youth
• Out-of-workforce individuals

A second set of briefs describing how to support additional populations will be released in February.