On February 8, the newly renamed House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing focused on U.S. education reform.  Dr. Monty Sullivan of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, a key witness in the hearing, provided testimony focused on the need for more opportunity in postsecondary CTE, including the expansion of the Pell Grant to cover short-term workforce credentialing programs and the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).  

Two other witnesses, Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Scott Pulsipher of Western Governors University, also emphasized the importance of better alignment between workforce and higher education, the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities, and ensuring career readiness in in college. The witnesses fielded several questions from Members of both parties regarding their experiences related to workforce development, adult education, work-based learning, the growing skills gap and low teacher pay.  

On February 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee also held a hearing outlining its priorities for the 118th Congress. Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) outlined his key focuses, which included boosting low teacher pay, increased funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), apprenticeship programs for skilled trades, and navigating the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce. Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called attention to the need for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and WIOA and the high cost of childcare and postsecondary education.   

Given early committee activity often strikes the tone for the remainder of the year, the committees’ focus on issues related to CTE is promising.

Today, ACTE and Advance CTE released their tenth annual report, State Policies Impacting CTE: 2022 Year in Review. In 2022, 36 states enacted 123 CTE-related policy actions across five categories:

• Industry partnerships and work-based learning
• Funding
• Access and equity
• Data, reporting and/or accountability
• Industry-recognized credentials

The Year in Review publication highlights major trends in CTE and career readiness policies, including legislative, budget and executive actions. The report does not describe every policy enacted within each state but instead focuses on policy trends across the nation. Readers looking for specific state policies can visit the companion online state policy tracker and filter by state; system level; and/or analysis tags such as funding, industry-recognized credentials or work-based learning.

2022 caps a decade of reviews by Advance CTE and ACTE of key state policy trends impacting CTE and career readiness. During this time, at least 1,470 policies connected to CTE have been enacted across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Since 2019, access and equity has consistently replaced dual/concurrent enrollment, articulation and early college as one of the top five policy categories, representing an increased focus among states on how CTE-related policies can more equitably serve learners.

Register for an accompanying webinar on Thursday, February 16, at 3pm ET.

My name is Vilmer Alvarado, and I recently joined the ACTE Public Policy Department as the newest Research and Policy Associate. In this role, my core responsibility is to support and advance the Association’s policy, advocacy and professional development goals by collecting and using research, data and best practices to help inform members, the media, policymakers and the public about CTE. In this initial blog post, I would like to introduce myself and explain why I decided to join ACTE. Education has always been an important value for me. When I was a kid, I dreamed of going to college, but I was aware of the notoriously expensive costs of higher education in America. So, I worked hard, got good grades and did everything in my reach to try to make my dream happen. One day, I was walking home from a long day at school and upon reaching my house, I was excitedly greeted by my mother who was holding an envelope. She let me know that I was accepted into a full-ride scholarship program for college. I went on to attend the University of Kansas where I majored in Political Science, Public Administration and Strategic Communications.

Being accepted into that scholarship program changed my life forever but I remained aware of the postsecondary education affordability problem in the United States, especially for students of underprivileged communities of color like the one where I came from. I witnessed many students decide not to pursue any form of postsecondary education due to financial barriers, which disappointed me and made me passionate about creating change.

However, I also witnessed many of my peers go on to successfully pursue their dream careers, despite the difficulties faced by our community, after being inspired by the CTE programs offered by our school district. I personally value CTE because it helped me in my career journey as well. When I was a junior in high school, I had an interest in potentially pursuing a health career. After completing a CNA program, however, I realized that working in health care was not for me but I am grateful for that experience and the opportunity for career exploration.

I strongly believe in fair and equitable access to postsecondary education and career opportunities. At ACTE I hope to help the Association’s members in advocating for CTE and education policy in general at the local, state and federal levels so that more and more students can find their paths in life without money being an impediment.

Before ACTE I interned at numerous nonprofit organizations and member associations doing policy and advocacy work. I also have experience in journalism and communications, having worked for C-SPAN and in the media agency landscape.

Outside of work, I like playing and watching Soccer and video games, going out with friends and exploring new restaurants. I also enjoy reading and listening to the occasional podcast. Additionally, I am an amateur barista, as I have my own espresso machine at home, but sometimes you can find me enjoying a nice cup of coffee at a local coffee shop here in Kansas City, which is where I am from and from where I will be working remotely for the Association.

I look forward to working with ACTE’s public policy team to advance CTE research and policy efforts on behalf of our members. Please do not hesitate to reach out at valvarado@acteonline.org and I would be happy to serve as a resource or answer any questions.

Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Biden highlighted several initiatives relevant to CTE, including the necessity of recruiting and retaining workers to fill many of the jobs created by legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the importance of increasing teacher salaries.

Most notably, President Biden called out the importance of connecting students to career opportunities. “Let’s finish the job, connect students to career opportunities starting in high school and provide two years of community college, some of the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a four-year degree.”

Giving the GOP response, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a plan to increase Arkansas teacher pay, stating that the plan “improves career readiness and helps put a good teacher in every classroom by increasing their starting salary from one of the lowest to one of the highest in the nation.”

Spotlighting CTE even further, Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-WA) hosted CTE teacher Cory Torppa as her guest at the speech. He is a construction, engineering design and manufacturing teacher at Kalama High School in Washington and a 2022 grand prize winner of the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence.

Kate Foley, a 10th grade computer-integrated manufacturing student at Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois High School District 214, also attended the speech as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden. Rolling Meadows is a public high school that prepares students for future careers through partnerships with the local community college, work-based learning opportunities with employers and career advising programs.

You can read the full State of the Union speech here.

February 1 began CTE Month 2023, kicking off the annual celebration of CTE nationwide. ACTE’s CTE Month social media toolkit will help you share your celebrations online and in your communities! The Department of Education also joined the CTE Month celebration with a blog post on some of its Perkins grantees. Both chambers of Congress are currently circulating CTE Month resolutions to recruit cosponsors throughout the next several weeks, so be sure to reach out to your Members of Congress and urge them to cosponsor these CTE Month resolutions! You can do so via ACTE’s Action Center. Beyond CTE Month, Congress spent most of the week working on additional committee organizing activities. Both chambers will be in session next week. In the meantime, here are some notes from Washington:

• Ask Your Representative: Cosponsor the 2023 House CTE Month Resolution: The co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) are leading the House’s annual CTE Month resolution marking February as CTE Month. These House members are currently circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter asking their colleagues to cosponsor the resolution, which is set to be introduced on February 8.  CLICK HERE to ask your representative to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution.
• JOBS Act Reintroduced in Senate and House: The Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2023 (S. 161/H.R. 793) or the “JOBS Act of 2023” has been 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), Mike Turner (R-OH) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). This bipartisan legislation would extend federal Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term workforce training programs between 150-600 clock hours. This is a longtime priority of the CTE community, and ACTE has endorsed the bill. View bill text for the JOBS Act of 2023 here for the House and here for the Senate. Read the accompanying press release here.
• Additional Committee Assignments Announced: Additional Senate and House committee announcements were made this week, leaving only the Senate Appropriations Committee to complete their full subcommittee assignments for the 118th Congress. Democratic Members named to the House Appropriations Committee can be found here; senators named to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee have not been publicly listed on the committee’s website. ACTE will provide a full recap of the committee assignments for CTE-related committees once these members have been named!

• Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) Introduces Bill to Support Youth Apprenticeship: On February 1, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) introduced the Strengthening Youth Apprenticeships Act. This legislation would create an interagency agreement between the Secretaries of Labor and Education to provide publicly available guidance and best practices to support youth apprenticeship programs in secondary and postsecondary education programs. You can read the press release here.

• House Education and the Workforce Committee Holds Organizational Meeting: The Committee met for the first time on January 31 to adopt rules for the year as well as an oversight plan. In her opening statement, Chair Virginia Foxx emphasized workforce development, “We will also strengthen our workforce development programs. We must close our nation’s skills gap and prepare the next generation of workers for our evolving economy.”

• President's Budget Release Announced: The Administration has announced that the President's Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal will be released on March 9 – about a month later than originally expected. 

• Energy CLASS Prize Available: The Department of Energy has launched a competition for $4.5 million in funding to support energy management professional-in-training programs in local school districts. The deadlines is February 28 and more information is available here. 

• Administration Releases Data on Impact of Postsecondary COVID-19 Relief Funds: On February 1, the Administration released a new fact sheet and report on the impact of the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The aid provided by HEERF impacted an estimated 18 million students directly, including 6 million community college students, helping them stay enrolled. 

• New Senate HELP Committee Chair Sanders Participates in EdWeek Interview: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the new Chair of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, recently participated in an interview with Education Week, where he highlighted his concerns about the teacher pipeline, among other priorities. 

The co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) are leading the House’s annual CTE Month resolution marking February as CTE Month. These House members are currently circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter asking their colleagues to cosponsor the resolution, which is set to be introduced on February 8. 

CLICK HERE to ask your representative to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution. 

The resolution raises awareness about the many benefits associated with high-quality CTE programs. By requesting support for the resolution, you are continuing to elevate the benefits of CTE to policymakers at a critical time for CTE advocacy. Please contact your House representative today! If you have a direct contact in your Member of Congress’s office, we urge you to call or email them directly. The deadline for original House cosponsors to sign on is February 8, 2023, but cosponsors may join at any time throughout February – the House attempts to pass the resolution at the end of February through unanimous consent.

This week in Washington included a lot of CTE-related news items, which you can read about below! Beyond happenings in CTE, Washington was focused on debt limit conversations, negotiating on potential immigration changes, debating and passing a bill on oil and gas reserves and assigning more Members of Congress to committees. The Senate left Washington yesterday without formalizing its committee assignments, so we will continue to monitor the key players on relevant committees as they are named. Next week, both the House and Senate will be in town. It is soon to be a busy time for CTE as CTE Month arrives on February 1! Here are the biggest updates of the week:

• ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Senators to Cosponsor the 2023 Senate CTE Month Resolution: The co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), are once again leading the Senate’s annual CTE Month resolution marking February as CTE Month. These senators are currently circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter asking their colleagues to cosponsor the resolution. CLICK HERE to ask your senators to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution.

• ACTE Launches 118th Congress Freshmen Advocacy Guide: Every two years, a new crop of federal policymakers enters Congress for the beginning of the next congressional session. ACTE has developed this resource to help you effectively develop relationships with new Members of Congress and urge them to support policies that will help advance high-quality CTE for all learners. Read the guide here.

• PELL Act Introduced by Education and Workforce Committee Leaders: On January 25, House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), along with Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), introduced H.R. 496, the Promoting Employment and Lifelong Learning (PELL) Act. Specifically, the bill would create a Workforce Pell Grant to expand Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term programs, require detailed return-on-investment outlooks for these programs and increase reporting requirements for the Department of Education. This bill is a competitor to the JOBS Act, which has yet to be re-introduced in the 118th Congress and is an ACTE priority.

• Education Secretary Cardona Prioritizes CTE in Major Policy Speech: On January 24, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced a new Education Department initiative called “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” in what was called a “major address” at the Department’s headquarters. Read more about the speech here.

• Secretary of Education Tours CTE Programs at Francis Tuttle Technology Center: Following the announcement of the new “Raise the Bar: Lead the World” initiative, on January 27, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona toured programs and spoke with Information Technology, Broadcast Production and 3D Design students at Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City, OK. The Secretary spoke in a roundtable session with the students about the ways in which Francis Tuttle is preparing students for successful careers through CTE. Read more about the visit here.

• Election Watch: Key House Freshmen of the 118th Congress: As the 118th Congress gets underway, ACTE has created a list of some of the freshmen members in the House of Representatives with established connections to education or education policy, based on publicly available information. Several of these new Members of Congress have discussed CTE-related issues and priorities in their campaigns. Read more about these new Members of Congress here.

• House Education and Workforce, Appropriations Committees Begin Member Assignments: Throughout the last two weeks, the respective House Republican and Democratic Steering Committees have named some of their choices to serve on the House Education and Workforce and Appropriations Committees. House members who have been named to the Education and Workforce Committee can be found here and here. House Appropriations Republican Subcommittee members can be found here. More decisions coming soon!