State Dual Enrollment Policies: Recently, Education Commission of the States compiled dual enrollment policies across all 50 states to create a comprehensive resource that lets users explore and compare states’ policies. Included in the resource is information on student access, eligibility requirements, course offerings, funding and program quality. The following outline broad-level findings:

• About 48 states and D.C. have state-level dual enrollment policies and 28 states have created multiple dual enrollment programs through state policy.
• Approximately 27 states require secondary and/or postsecondary institutions to notify students and their families of at least one of their state-level dual enrollment programs.
• Among 41 states that have student eligibility criteria, the most common types were students’ grade level, meeting the postsecondary institution’s entrance requirements and having a recommendation from a school official.
• Of 42 states that have instructor qualification requirements, the most common were meeting the postsecondary institution’s faculty requirements, meeting institutional accreditor requirements and having a graduate degree.

P-TECH 9-14 & Dual Enrollment: New York City’s P-TECH Grades 9-14 model prepares high school students for STEM careers through dual credit courses at the City University of New York (CUNY), which allows them to earn an applied associate degree within six years. To qualify for dual enrollment in New York, students must pass the New York State Regents exams. In a report by MDRC, researchers compared P-TECH students with students from other New York City high schools and found the following differences:

• About 42% of P-TECH students passed the Regents English language arts exam with a qualifying score compared to 25% of students from other high schools.
• By grade 10, the dual enrollment rate for P-TECH students was significantly higher than for other high school students, with the gap growing larger each consecutive year of high school.
• P-TECH students attempted and earned more dual enrollment credits than other high school students. By graduation, on average, P-TECH students had earned 6.4 more college credits.
• In both P-TECH and other high schools, female students took dual enrollment courses at higher rates than their male counterparts.

Dual Enrollment Access for English Learners: A blog post by the Community College Research Center describes how Anne Arundel Public Schools and Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) in Maryland are pursuing efforts to grow the number of English learners in dual enrollment courses, which has led to the pairing of a noncredit Capstone Grammar and Editing course with a one-credit Student Success Seminar for dual credit EL students. Recently, 19 ELs from Anne Arundel Public Schools applied to AACC and registered for the two classes, almost matching the total number of ELs statewide (23) who were dual enrolled in 2017-2018.

High School Students’ Perspectives on CTE: Between February 2020 and January 2022, ECMC Group conducted five national surveys of more than 5,000 high school students to understand their perspectives on their education and career plans. The following detail findings from the surveys that are particularly relevant to CTE:

• Almost half of students believe that postsecondary education should last less than four years, and skills should be taught by hands-on or on-the-job experiences.
• Roughly 22% of students stated they are more likely to attend a postsecondary CTE institution because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 10-percentage point increase from May 2020.
• Many careers that students are thinking of pursuing are aligned with CTE pathways; however, only 20% believe that CTE can lead to the career they want. This could be attributed to the fact that more than half of students surveyed don’t understand what CTE is.
• About 74% of students say it’s important to have a career in mind before graduating and 55% of students state that they have already begun exploring their career options during high school.

On July 13, the White House held an event titled, “White House Summit on the American Rescue Plan and the Workforce” to highlight how American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding has been used to support pandemic recovery and workforce-related initiatives, particularly in the public health and infrastructure fields. The event featured Vice President Kamala Harris, Gene Sperling, head of the White House American Rescue Plan Implementation Team and National Skills Coalition CEO Andy Van Kleunen. 

WRTP/Big Step, a Milwaukee workforce development organization, and Employ Milwaukee, the City of Milwaukee’s workforce development board, also attended the event and discussed their efforts to train Milwaukee residents to enter careers in infrastructure. The organizations noted a need to extend Pell Grants to short-term postsecondary training programs, a top priority for ACTE. 

Additionally, the Department of Education recently announced the release of the final allocation of ARP funding to support students at high-need institutions. The grants were awarded to HBCUs, Minority-serving Institutions, community colleges, rural institutions and institutions serving large populations of low-income students. 

You can read more about the Department of Education’s release of ARP funding here.

On June 30, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by a vote of 32-24 its Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. In addition to other education and workforce-related investments, the House legislation proposes a $45 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program, a year-over-year increase equal to what was enacted in the FY22 spending bill. 

Now, the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee are set to begin crafting their version of the FY23 spending bill, and we need your help to promote an even greater increase for Perkins that is more reflective of the needs of the CTE community. We are requesting an increase of $200 million for the Perkins Basic State Grant in FY23 to ensure that CTE can continue to serve as a critical part of our nation’s economic development and meet urgent workforce needs. 

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to ask your senator to support robust funding for high-quality CTE programs in the Senate’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

You can send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. Additionally, if you have a direct contact in your senator's office, such as from a meeting with a staff member during NPS or at another time, we urge you to call or email directly. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, and an operator will connect you to your requested Senate office. Please contact your senators today!

Last week in Washington was quiet, with Congress in recess for the July 4 holiday and policymakers in their states and districts for a planned work period. Congressional leadership in the Senate focused on crafting a potential budget reconciliation package, as more uncertainty surrounding the future of the bipartisan, bicameral America COMPETES/USICA legislative package swirls. Both chambers will return this week, where there will be action on several appropriations packages for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). ACTE is continuing to monitor the Labor-HHS-Education FY23 spending bill as it moves to the Senate and will provide updates as they come. As we await Congress’s return, here are some news and notes:

• America COMPETES/USICA Update: Recently, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) declared that the Senate would immediately halt bipartisan negotiations on the America COMPETES Act/USICA, which contains several top ACTE priorities, if Senate Democrats continued ahead with plans to negotiate and pass a budget reconciliation package with drug pricing and climate provisions before the November midterm elections. The House of Representatives may look to pass the Senate-approved version of the bill, known as USICA, in order to bypass the conference negotiation process, but the Senate version of the bill does not include short-term Pell. ACTE will provide any updates as they come.

• Department of Education Releases Proposed Regulations on Student Loan Debt Relief: The Department of Education has released proposed regulations that would expand student loan discharge programs for borrowers whose schools closed or were untruthful with borrowers, for those who are totally and permanently disabled and for public service workers who have fulfilled requirements of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. View the proposed regulations here and a fact sheet here.

• Department of Labor Awards Apprenticeship Building America Grants: The Department of Labor has awarded $121 million in Apprenticeship Building America grants, which are designed to strengthen and modernize registered apprenticeship programs. Read more about the grant recipients and funding categories above.

Last week in Washington was a fairly light one for CTE. Congress focused on additional January 6 committee hearings, responding to Supreme Court rulings, negotiating a potential budget reconciliation package and marking up additional appropriations bills, including the spending package that provides funding for the Departments of Education and Labor. Congress is now in recess until the week of July 11, where they will continue work on the appropriations packages and potentially continue conference committee negotiations on the bipartisan, bicameral America COMPETES Act/USICA. In the meantime, here are some news and notes:

• House Appropriations Committee Marks Up FY23 Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill: On June 30, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by a vote of 32-24 the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. The legislation proposes a $45 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program, a year-over-year increase equal to what was enacted in FY22.

• Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor the RAISE Act: ACTE has officially endorsed the RAISE Act, legislation designed to boost teacher pay for early childhood and K-12 teachers. Now, we need your assistance to help retain teachers in the profession and attract more high-quality professionals to the teacher workforce. Contact your Members of Congress to ask them to cosponsor and support the RAISE Act!

• Swiss Embassy Hosts Apprenticeship Training Panel: On June 28, the Swiss Embassy in the United States held a reception at the residence of Ambassador of Switzerland Jacques Pitteloud to highlight the Swiss, Austrian and German apprenticeship models, and discuss lessons that can be applied to the U.S. apprenticeship system. Read more about the event here.

• Department of Labor Awards Grants to Provide Pre-release Job Training and Services to Incarcerated People: The Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has awarded Pathway Home grants to provide training and employment services to incarcerated people who are scheduled for release within 20 to 270 days from the time they enroll in the project. Read more about the grants here.

On June 30, the House Appropriations Committee marked up and approved by a vote of 32-24 the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.

The legislation proposes a $45 million increase to the Perkins Basic State Grant program, a year-over-year increase equal to what was enacted in FY22. In addition, $50 million is allocated to a new competitive grant program as proposed by the Administration in their Career Connected Learning proposal. Overall, the bill provides a 15% increase to the Department of Education and a 12% increase to the Department of Labor.

The bill maintained the investments put forth in the draft text of the legislation.

An amendment was offered by Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) to prevent the Department of Labor from proposing any regulation after the date of enactment of the bill that is not estimated to support the “quality and availability” of CTE. The amendment was defeated by voice vote. An amendment to continue funding industry-recognized apprenticeship programs (in addition to registered apprenticeship programs) was offered by Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA), but was also defeated by voice vote. 

The next steps are for the full House to approve the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, and for the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee to draft and mark up a FY23 spending bill in the Senate. The previously agreed upon timeline for this was July, but an injury to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) could extend that timeline. ACTE will continue to push for robust funding in the FY23 appropriations cycle. If you have any questions, you can reach out to ACTE Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org) or Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, Jori Houck (jhouck@acteonline.org).

Trends in Financial Aid: Recently, the National Center for Education Statistics published a report covering trends in student financial aid during the 2017-18 academic year. After examining financial aid data by type and source across 1,900 Title-IV-eligible institutions, researchers shared the following findings:

• Roughly 55% of students at community colleges received some type of financial aid, with the most common form being grants or loans, and were awarded $5,300, on average.
• Among community college students that received financial aid, 47% received federal aid, 24% received state aid and 6% received institutional aid.
• For students at public less-than-two-year institutions, 41% received some form of financial aid and they were awarded $5,500, on average.
• About 42% of community college students received Pell grants and 28% of students at public less-than-two-year institutions received Pell grants. ACTE supports the expansion of Pell grants to cover high-quality short-term programs so that more students at these institutions can access education and training for careers.

Analyzing Equity in Postsecondary Education: The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education and the University of Pennsylvania collaborated to publish a report on equity trends in the postsecondary education system. The report reviews national and state data on equity as well as historical data on Federal TRIO programs, which are outreach and support services programs targeted at individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, with the goal of identifying policies and practices that improve overall postsecondary education attainment and equity in postsecondary outcomes.

Prospective and Current Students’ Perspectives: As postsecondary institutions seek ways to enroll and retain students, a report by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation provides helpful insights from prospective and current students. In 2021, researchers surveyed adults enrolled in an associate or bachelor’s degree program, adults with some postsecondary education who stopped out, and adults who never enrolled in postsecondary education. Some of their key findings are detailed below:

• Among adults who have never enrolled in postsecondary education, 40% have considered enrolling. In addition, 85% of those who stopped out in the past few years have considered reenrolling. For these adults, associate degrees and certificates were the top credentials of interest.
• Most enrolled students report that they are pursuing postsecondary education to obtain knowledge and skills, pursue a more fulfilling career and obtain a higher paying job.
• About 41% of associate degree students said they considered stopping out in the past six months with many citing emotional stress as a cause. However, about half report that financial aid and the value of their degree were important factors in helping them remain enrolled.

Postsecondary Education in Southern States: This May, the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) published a factbook that provides a comprehensive overview of postsecondary education in the 16 SREB states. The book addresses statistics on the population and economy, enrollment, completion, affordability, faculty and administrators, and revenue and expenditures. In addition, the book includes over 100 tables of data related to these topics.

Financing Postsecondary Education: Recently, the State Higher Education Executive Officers association (SHEEO) released this year’s State Higher Education Finance Report, which gives a detailed analysis of state and local postsecondary education funding, tuition revenue and student enrollment during the 2021 fiscal year. The following are selected statistics about public two-year institutions from the report:

• Total state and local support for public institutions was $9,347 at two-year institutions, 88.6% of the amount at four-year institutions ($10,555).
• About 29 states increased state financial aid for full-time students at public two-year institutions. State aid for these students grew by 4.6%, reaching $510 per full-time student.
• Total education revenue for public two-year institutions averaged $11,928 per full-time student, which is an 8% increase from 2020.