This week in Washington, most activity revolved around the appropriations process. The expiration of the current continuing resolution that is keeping the government open is steadily approaching on November 17. To keep Government operations in full-swing, Congress will have to enact another continuing resolution before the deadline or enact full-year 2024 funding bills, which is not likely at this point. The Senate has currently passed three bills while the House has passed 7 of the 12 bills. Only Military Construction-VA has been passed by both chambers. Read more news and updates below:

• Department of Commerce Releases Progress Report on Building the Semiconductor Workforce: DOC has released a brief on the implementation of the Chips and Science Act signed into law by President Biden in August of 2022. The brief outlines the Administration’s vision for CHIPS, which includes goals such as doubling the semiconductor workforce, tripling the number of graduates in semiconductor-related fields and training 100,000 new technicians. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog.

• Department of Education Announces Initiatives for Elevating the Teaching Profession: ED has announced the launch of a campaign that is aimed at elevating the teaching profession and promoting educator diversity by inspiring young people—especially those from underrepresented communities—to become teachers..

• Department of Education Convenes Postsecondary Leaders to Address Student Transfer and Degree Completion: This week, ED hosted “Raise the Bar: Tackling Transfer to Increase Access, Improve Completion, and Prepare Today’s Workforce National Summit,” an event that focused on helping students transfer from two-to four-year postsecondary institutions . The agency also released new data that shows the most productive transfer partnerships between community colleges and four-year institutions.  

• White House Holds Workforce Hub Convenings in Augusta and Pittsburgh, Announces Commitments to Expand Pathways into Good-Paying Jobs: The Biden-Harris Administration held a series of workforce hub convenings across Augusta, Georgia, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that focused on enhancing equitable workforce development. Augusta focused on developments in its new registered apprenticeship program and the over $1 million in employer investments for workforce pipelines. Pittsburgh outlined its goal to create over 1,000 new jobs and expand apprenticeship programs throughout industries spurred by legislation from the Investing in America Agenda.

• Department of Education Announces Increase of Borrowers Enrolled in SAVE Plan: ED has announced that approximately 5.5 million borrowers are now enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, the Department’s new income-based student loan repayment plan.

• Office of Civil Rights Releases New Dear Colleague Letter: On November 7, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter outlining schools’ legal obligation to protect all students from discrimination in light of recent increases in hate crimes and harassment.

A Profile of CTE Teachers in the 21st Century: The Annenberg Institute at Brown University recently published a report that examines nationally representative data from 2004 to 2018 on the CTE teacher workforce. Researchers discovered that CTE teachers are increasingly more prepared and qualified to teach in the field, with aspiring professionals being 16 percentage points more likely to be qualified specifically for CTE – defined as holding a state certification in a CTE subject or having their first or second major be in a CTE field.

The following list presents more findings and insights from the observed period of 2004 to 2018. For more recent data on the CTE teacher workforce, see ACTE’s analysis here:

• Average CTE teacher salaries and CTE teacher demographics remained stable over time.
• There was a higher concentration of CTE teachers in rural schools than in urban settings.
• CTE teachers had slightly higher year-over-year retention rates in comparison to non-CTE teachers (87.3% vs. 86.3%).
• By 2018, CTE teachers became significantly more likely (+10%) to teach in majority-minority schools than their non-CTE counterparts.

The report closes by recommending that policymakers and school leaders continue to strive towards increased diversity by targeting induction programs and mentorship initiatives for novice CTE teachers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Conditions That Teachers of Color Perceive as Contributing to a Sense of Belonging at School: The RAND Corporation recently published a report that examines the conditions that teachers of color describe as contributing to a sense of belonging in schools. Researchers focused on school climate, demographics, relationships with colleagues and school efforts to educate about race and culture. The analysis found that a majority of teachers of color (almost 60%) surveyed described school celebration and recognition of race and culture as a key action by administrators to cultivate a sense of belonging.

More insights and findings from the report below:

• About one-third of survey respondents noted that factors such as demographic composition, teacher camaraderie and a general sense of inclusivity contributed toward an increased sense of belonging.
• Seeing their identify represented in the workplace, especially in school administration, was reported by respondents as a crucial factor for contributing to a sense of belonging, especially for instructors who identified as Black/African American.
• 89% of all teachers described positive relationships with colleagues as contributing to a sense of belonging. Opportunities for social gatherings, teacher recognition and collaboration were reported as crucial actions.

Researchers also recommend that school administrators establish teacher diversity support groups since previous data indicates that thoughtfully implemented networks or equity teams can lead to increased diversity.

How Do Teachers Spend Professional Learning Time?: In another report recently published by the RAND Corporation, researchers analyzed data from the American Instructional Resources Survey given to K-12 teachers across multiple subjects to describe their usage of professional learning (PL) time. Researchers discovered that the most frequent PL was collaborative learning, with a majority of instructors considering this the most beneficial use of their time.

The following list describes more findings and insights from the analysis:

• Less than 15% of teachers indicated having access to expertise on subject-area materials or content through their PL.
• Teachers who frequently participated in PL reported higher levels of standard-aligned classroom practices than their counterparts who did not.
• About 75% of teachers who serve a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students reported being frequent participants in collaborative learning.

Building Effective Teaching Apprenticeship Models: The Pathways Alliance Coalition recently published a resource that aims to provide evidence and examples from across the nation on building and supporting effective teacher apprenticeship models. For instance, at Ball State University in Indiana, students can earn multiple education-related certifications and gain hands-on experience through a five-year course of study based on the Grow Your Own model. Students can enroll in this program as early as junior year through dual-enrollment coursework. And at Brazosport Independent School District in Texas, an apprenticeship program offers aspiring teachers the opportunity to earn a salary while working towards their bachelor’s degree at Brazosport College. Apprentices work under the guidance of a certified teacher while completing requirements to be an accredited teacher with INSPIRE TEXAS.

The Department of Commerce recently released a brief on progress in implementing the CHIPS and Science Act. This legislation, signed into law by President Biden in August of 2022, aims to support domestic manufacturing and research within the semiconductor industry. 

The brief builds on the Administration’s vision for CHIPS, which includes doubling the semiconductor workforce, tripling the number of graduates in semiconductor-related fields, training 100,000 new technicians, and launching semiconductor industry careers for underserved or underrepresented populations. 

To achieve this vision, CHIPS for America, which encompasses two federal offices responsible for implementing the law, has partnered with industry leaders, education providers, and labor unions to engage in key strategies:

1. Catalyzing employer investment in the workforce
2. Encouraging high-quality jobs
3. Promoting state and local participation
4. Engaging community organizations, labor unions, industry and academia 
5. Leveraging research and development investments for workforce needs 
6. Expanding the workforce pipeline 

Through these strategies, CHIPS for America expects total public and private workforce investments for CHIPS-funded facilities to surpass $500 million. Additionally, since the signing of the legislation, over 50 community colleges across 19 states have announced new or expanded semiconductor programming and 7 states have dedicated new funding to support semiconductor workforce training. 

The brief also emphasized a commitment to a research and development approach for determining the most effective training models. The National Semiconductor Technology Center, composed of stakeholders ranging from industry leaders to educational leaders, would facilitate this approach through a variety of research initiatives. 

To continue defining and pursuing its goals within the coming year, CHIPS for America will conduct community forums starting this month to gather constructive input. Be on the lookout for more information and opportunities to collaborate on these initiatives in your communities.

Congress returned to considering regular legislation this week in Washington as Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) began his first full week in charge as the new Speaker of the House. Activity mostly centered around support for Israel and the appropriations process (read more below). Reminder to continue letting your Members of Congress know about the importance of Perkins funding to CTE for programs across the nation as this process resumes in full swing. Read more news and notes below:

• Congress Makes Progress on FY 24 Appropriations Bills: In an 82-15 vote, the Senate successfully passed three of its FY 2024 appropriations bills this week: Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The House also cleared the Legislative Branch and Interior and Environment bills, as well as a supplemental bill with emergency funding for Israel. Neither chamber has considered the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.
• Biden Administration Releases Executive Order on AI: On October 30, the White House issued an Executive Order titled, “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).” The Executive Order contains several relevant sections, including on supporting worker and students as well as attracting AI talent.
• Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on AI: Following the release of the Executive Order, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Employment and Workforce Safety held a hearing to discuss relevant issues. The hearing was titled “AI and the Future of Work: Moving Forward Together.” While it primarily focused on the impact of AI on jobs, Sen. Kaine was able to promote the JOBS Act and the need for high-quality short-term CTE programs during the conversation.

• National Student Clearinghouse Releases Updated Postsecondary Enrollment Data: The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has published a preliminary update sharing an early look at fall 2023 postsecondary enrollment numbers. The release includes insights on student diversity gains and enrollment increases for community colleges and four-year universities. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog.

• Department of Education Announces Efforts to Provide Debt Relief for More Student Loan Borrowers: Ed has announced the release of new draft regulatory text that would provide relief for specific categories of student borrowers. This new draft would serve four groups of borrowers including those experiencing economic hardship, those that currently have outstanding federal student loan balances that exceed the originally borrowed amount, students that took out loans to attend training programs that created unreasonable debt loads or provided insufficient earnings upon graduation, and individuals involved in programs like the Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center recently published ­­a preliminary update sharing an early look at fall 2023 postsecondary enrollment numbers. Researchers discovered that community college enrollment rose by approximately 4.4%, which accounted for most of the total undergraduate enrollment increase in fall 2023. In addition, undergraduate certificate programs are booming with 9.9% growth, compared to 3.6% for associate degrees and 0.9% for bachelor’s degrees.

A companion article in Inside Higher Ed noted that 40% of total community college enrollment growth came from learners in dual enrollment programs, continuing a trend from fall 2022. Here are more statistics and insights:

• Health care program enrollment is beginning to rebound after large declines from the pandemic, specifically among those seeking undergraduate certificates (+5.7%) and associate degrees (+4.4%).
• Trade-related programs of study such as mechanic and repair technology (+10.3%), precision production (+14.2%) and construction trades (+10.4%) saw continued growth in students enrolling in undergraduate certificate programs.
• Computer and information sciences enrollment grew by 11.9% for undergraduate certificate programs and 10.4% for associate degree programs.
• Black, Hispanic/Latino and Asian students drove most of the undergraduate enrollment growth this year, with these populations seeing enrollment increases of 2.1%, 4.2% and 4.0% respectively.
• Community colleges experienced an enrollment surge of for students from the lowest-income areas.

The NSC Research Center will release more fall 2023 postsecondary data in January.

Today ACTE has released CTE: Developing the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Workforce, the sixth in our revamped series of Sector Sheets describing CTE’s role in growing the workforce for vital industry sectors. The Sector Sheet series is published with support from ACTE’s long-time partner Pearson.

These revised Sector Sheets describe career opportunities and share how CTE prepares learners for the workforce in each sector, all in a new format featuring streamlined text and additional graphics to make these advocacy tools even more effective.

This Sector Sheet describes how CTE supports the agriculture, food and natural resources workforce, which employs more than 3.5 million people nationwide. It shares information on occupations, earnings and credentials that enable individuals to enter and progress within fields such as animal systems, plant systems and environmental and natural resources. Finally, the Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Sector Sheet demonstrates the importance of CTE in developing this workforce by describing how CTE prepares learners through courses, industry credentials, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations and more.

As we move forward with these revamped Sector Sheets, both the newer and older Sector Sheets will be available on the ACTE Sector Sheet webpage for download and use. We encourage you to share these tools with students, counselors, policymakers and others to spread the message about CTE and its benefits for students and the workforce.

Our partners at Advance CTE are requesting your help to complete the National Career Clusters Framework National Implementation Survey.

The National Career Clusters® Framework is undergoing a modernization effort to ensure it remains responsive and relevant to the work and learner needs for decades to come. An updated framework will be unveiled in Fall 2024, but your voice is needed now!

How do you currently use the Framework, and how do you want to use the Framework in the future? Share your perspective in the The National Career Clusters® Framework National Implementation Survey.

The project team is committed to soliciting and considering input from all Framework partners, and this survey serves as the next step of a multi-year input-gathering process from all groups impacted by the Framework prior to the creation and validation of a new Framework in 2024.

WHO:
Professionals of all experience levels who design, implement, teach or support secondary or postsecondary programs aligned to The Nation Career Clusters Framework are invited to respond.

WHAT:
A 10-minute survey to share how practitioners currently use the Framework, how they hope to use it in the future, and what tools would be useful in implementing a modernized Framework. Please note this survey is only about the use of the Framework and its implementation, and will not provide additional information about future content changes to the Framework itself. Such input will be solicited as part of the validation process in spring 2024.

WHEN:
The survey is open NOW until December 1, 2023. In January 2024, Advance CTE will share topline findings from the survey.

WHY:
Your feedback on how you currently use the Framework and hope to use it in the future will inform the Framework design and associated guidance, implementation, and communications tools released alongside the framework.

HOW: 
Complete the survey and use our promotional materials to share this opportunity with your colleagues.

Watch the explainer video below to get started and respond by December 1.