Measuring Secondary Program Quality: A December 2022 report by the U.S. Department of Education describes outcomes of the Department’s Quality Indicator Project, an initiative to assist states in refining the validity, reliability and accuracy of their new quality indicators under Perkins V – recognized postsecondary credential attainment, postsecondary credit attainment and work-based learning participation. This toolkit features suggestions, examples and guiding questions to help state leaders develop and refine these measures. It also describes how states have operationalized their secondary concentrator definitions, recommends business rules for CTE data reporting, and provides tips for setting state-determined performance levels for program quality indicators. ACTE’s Senior Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop provided content expertise to the project.

Counting Credentials: In late 2022, Credential Engine released its fourth secondary and postsecondary education credential counting report, which identified a total of 1,076,358 unique credentials in the United States. The report looked at 18 detailed credential categories across postsecondary educational institutions, massive open online course (MOOC) providers, non-academic providers and secondary schools. Researchers concluded that a total of $2.1 trillion is expended annually in the United States for the delivery and attainment of the over one million available credentials, which are offered by over 59,000 providers. The analysts also describe the lack of transparency in the credential landscape and the need for standardization to ensure credentials promote economic development and individual mobility.

Relatedly, a recent report by 1EdTech that sought to find the number of digital badges and badging platforms available in the United States identified a total of 53 platforms and 430,272 available badges; at a worldwide level, the survey reported that over 74 million badges had been issued to date.

The Value of Badges and Microcredentials: Despite their widespread use, badges and microcredentials face a problem of legitimacy since there is no widespread system in place to recognize them across state or national lines or evaluate their quality. In a recently released brief by Higher ED Dive, employers were surveyed by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association and Collegis Education on the value of microcredentials. The surveyed employers expressed that even though they value microcredentials and alternative credentials, assessing their quality can be difficult. However, despite their concerns, 23% of respondents said they believe that alternative credentials give workers real-world experience while 16% of respondents said that they help employees develop specialized skills. Finally, 13% of employers said that microcredentials and badges help improve employee performance.

Employability Skill Badges: One type of credential, employability skill credentials, enable students to demonstrate crucial workforce skills like time management, communication, problem solving and more. In Indiana, a growing number of high schools are rethinking the way they prepare students for life after graduation with the launch of a soft skill credentials badge program in certain areas of the state. The statewide program began in 2018 and has since seen more than 3,400 young people earn at least one badge. As reported in The 74, Yorktown High School, an hour northeast of Indianapolis, is launching such a program for its 800-student population.

On March 9, the Biden-Harris Administration released its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2024, which will serve as an initial starting point for congressional negotiations around federal funding. The budget proposes a $43 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant, representing a 3% increase over the current FY 2023 funding level. While this is a larger increase than proposed by the Administration in recent years, more resources are needed given that the Perkins Basic State Grant program is currently funded at least $320M below its inflation-adjusted level from twenty years ago. ACTE and Advance CTE had formally requested a $400 million increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant and will be working with Congress to continue advocating for a larger increase.  

Further, the budget proposes a $200M competitive grant program for “Career-Connected High Schools”, which would award funding for dual enrollment, industry-recognized credential attainment, career counseling and work-based learning. It is important to note that competitive grant programs only reach a limited number of students at schools that may be more equipped to apply for and manage the grants, whereas formula grant programs, such as the Perkins Basic State Grant, reach all students.  

In total, the President’s budget request proposes a 13.6% increase for the Department of Education, including the following programs: 

Secondary

• 12% increase, or $2.2 billion, for ESSA Title I grants to local education agencies 
• $2.1 billion increase for IDEA state grants 
• $2 million in Program Administration funding to support a Commission on the Future of the Teaching Profession 
• $25 million increase for Title IV of ESSA, the Student Support and Academic Enhancement Grants 

Postsecondary and Adult Education

• $500 million for a new grant program that would assist institutions in providing free community college for students enrolled in postsecondary programs that lead to either a four-year degree or a good-paying job. 
• $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award. 
• $165 million for the Postsecondary Student Success Grant program for competitive grants that improve retention and completion  
• Level funding for Adult Education state grants; $30 million increase for adult education national programs including a focus on incarcerated individuals, a College Bridge Initiative and disconnected youth. 

For the Department of Labor, the budget proposes $15.2 billion, a $1.5 billion increase over FY 23 levels. Specific funding proposals include: 

• $200 million for a new Sectoral Employment through Career Training for Occupational Readiness (SECTOR) program to support partnerships between educators, employers and other stakeholders 
• $50 million increase to expand Registered Apprenticeships 
• $35 million increase for the Strengthening Community Colleges program 
    

ACTE has analyzed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in December 2022 and identified more than 260 projects in which funding was awarded to education institutions for initiatives related to CTE and career development, equaling over $290 million. These earmarks or congressionally directed spending opportunities allow Members of Congress to guarantee a specific amount for grantees for the direct benefit of their state or district.

ACTE’s analysis of CTE-related earmarks in FY 2023 concluded the following:

• K-12 CTE projects accumulated over 45 earmarks equaling over $39 million; postsecondary projects accumulated over 150 earmarks equaling over $198 million; and projects through the Employment and Training Administration received more than 60 earmarks equaling over $54 million.
• The bill funded projects across several CTE program areas, including more than 60 health science CTE and workforce development projects; about 30 STEM initiatives; and more than 20 transportation, distribution and logistics projects.
• The state with the highest number of earmarks and highest total community project funding was California, with projects equaling over $37 million in funding.

The following list includes the individual projects that received the highest amounts of funding:

• $6.5 million for Saint Michael's College in Vermont for an environmental industry workforce training program.
• $4 million for the University of Georgia for poultry science workforce development activities.
• $3.8 million for San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, for nursing programs, including equipment and technology for simulation labs.
• $3.2 million for Henry Ford College in Michigan for clean energy programs.

In addition to these projects funded at educational institutions, many CTE-related projects were also funded through organizations outside the education system, so we encourage you to check out the FY 2023 appropriations bill to see more earmarks in your state that may of relevance to CTE. 

For FY 2024, constituents can now submit funding requests to their Members of Congress:

• The Senate Appropriations Committee recently released a guidelines document for FY 2024 requests. Requests from Senators for funding under Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies – the most likely avenue for addressing CTE-related projects – are due April 13, 2023.
• The House Appropriations Committee has also shared guidance for this process on the House side. The deadline for Representatives to make requests for funding under Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies is March 24, 2023.

However, Member offices usually have earlier, individual deadlines, so interested parties should reach out to their Members of Congress for more information as soon as possible. Visit ACTE’s Action Center to find contact information for your legislators.

Neither branch will consider proposals that include funding for for-profit entities and those in which the Member of Congress or their family members have a financial interest.

If you need any assistance with requests, please contact Alisha Hyslop, ACTE Senior Director of Public Policy, at ahyslop@acteonline.org. 

Following a series of announcements, Congress has officially confirmed the assignments for committee leaders and members across education and appropriations. Now that these rosters are complete, you can utilize this blog post as a resource to help you schedule meetings with the Members of Congress who will have the most direct impact on CTE-related funding and policies during the 118th Congress!

House Appropriations Committee

House Education and Workforce Committee

Senate Appropriations Committee

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee

On February 28, ACTE, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) hosted a school visit in celebration of CTE Month 2023 at Jackson-Reed High School in Northwest Washington, DC.

Representatives from the Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE), DC State Superintendent of Education, DCPS leadership, local and national organizations, media, and congressional staff joined the event. At the beginning of the morning, attendees were welcomed with remarks from Jackson-Reed Principal Sah Brown, DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, DC State Superintendent of Education Christina Grant, OCTAE Deputy Assistant Secretary Luke Rhine and ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Curry after breakfast served by the hospitality and tourism academy. The student-led academy fair hosted above the main room featured students from each of Jackson-Reed’s seven CTE academies.

Jackson-Reed CTE students then participated in a panel discussion, where they shared their reasons for choosing CTE courses and how their CTE programs were preparing them for their future careers. Several of the students said that the availability of work-based learning opportunities has been instrumental in preparing them for their chosen career pathways and postsecondary education. Students took questions from the gathered attendees, and many of them expressed that they would make the decision to pursue CTE programs over again if they were given the choice.

Attendees were also able to get a closer look at several of the NAF Academy programs at Jackson-Reed, including tours of the graphic design, finance, engineering and biomedical science academies. In the finance academy, teacher Dee Ward shared that she planned to continue earning certifications to better serve her students, including a few upcoming Saturdays that she plans to spend learning Quickbooks software. Biomedical science students were honing in on the various flavor receptors of the body, while engineering students soldered and programmed circuits. Graphic design students demonstrated examples of the mixed mediums they were using in their productions.

You can view several Tweets and videos from the event here.

In Washington this week, both chambers were in session. Congress was focused on passing resolutions, negotiations on domestic spending programs and advancing nominees. Coming up next week, the Biden Administration is preparing to release its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal on March 9, followed by specific budget justifications on March 13. ACTE’s Public Policy team is preparing to respond to the budget request and conduct additional follow-up to ensure that the funding needs of the CTE community are addressed appropriately. Activity with the Congressional CTE Caucus is also ramping up, with staff briefings and Capitol Hill receptions soon to come. For those joining us at the 2023 National Policy Seminar (NPS), you will have the opportunity to attend in-person meetings with your legislators in Washington to advocate for CTE priorities. Here are some news and notes from the week:

• Department of Education Launches Raise the Bar Website: In support of Secretary of Education Cardona’s “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” address on January 24, the Department has launched a new landing page and posted a one-pager in English and Spanish. Visit the website here.

• Department of Labor Announces Funding for Pre-Release Job Training for Incarcerated Individuals: The Department of Labor has announced funding to provide training and employment services to incarcerated individuals before their release from state correctional facilities, county or local jails. Read more about the funding here.

• Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su to be Nominated as Next Secretary of Labor: President Biden has announced his intent to nominate Julie Su as the next U.S. Secretary of Labor. Read the full statement from the Department of Labor here.

• Senate Appropriations Committee Leaders Discuss FY24 Proposals: Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) are working to set a topline funding level for fiscal year 2024 appropriations. Sen. Collins noted that lawmakers may try to move several “minibus” packages containing more than one spending bill at a time, but that they would try to avoid a large omnibus funding package.

• House Eliminates Education Earmarks: The House Appropriations Committee announced its Member request for fiscal year 2024 and will not be allowing earmarks in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill this year. This means any education or workforce development projects will need to be submitted in the Senate.

• ACTE Hosts 2023 CTE Month School Visit at Jackson-Reed High School: On February 28, ACTE, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) hosted a school visit in celebration of CTE Month 2023 at Jackson-Reed High School in Northwest Washington, DC. Read more about the visit here.

This week in Washington, Congress was in recess and there was limited activity in DC. Congressional leaders were focused on addressing national security concerns and the anniversary of the war in Ukraine. Both chambers of Congress will return on February 27. ACTE’s Public Policy team is also focusing on the 2023 CTE Month school visit in Washington, DC, our response to President Biden’s upcoming budget request for fiscal year 2024 (scheduled to be released March 9), the 2023 National Policy Seminar (NPS) and Congressional CTE Caucus activities, such as putting together membership recruitment drives and congressional staff briefings. This work is continuing, and we will keep you posted on how you can get involved. Here are the newest headlines to share:

• ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Co-sponsor the JOBS Act of 2023: Earlier this month, the Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2023 (H.R. 793/S. 161), or the JOBS Act, was reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mike Braun (R-IN), and in the House by Reps. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Michael Turner (R-OH). This legislation would expand federal Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term job training programs, which has been a top priority of the CTE community for the past few years. ACTE has endorsed this bipartisan bill. Click here to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this legislation.

• Department of Energy Announces Buildings Upgrade Prize: The Department of Energy has announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar prize competition that will provide funding to 60 teams of organizations working to decarbonize existing buildings in their communities. Learn more about the opportunity here.

• Senate Releases Earmark Guidelines: The Senate Appropriations Committee has released its deadlines and additional instructions for Senate offices to submit requests for “Congressionally Directed Spending.” Education and workforce development related funding requests must be submitted to the Committee by April 13, so individual Senate offices will likely have much earlier deadlines to ensure time to compile requests.