CTE in the High School Transcript Study: Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released results from the 2019 High School Transcript Study. Researchers examined a nationally representative sample of 2019 high school graduates and the courses they took, how many credits they earned, their GPAs and their performance on NAEP Grade 12 assessments. The following are key findings relevant to CTE:

• In 2019, graduates earned 3.3 CTE credits compared to 3.8 credits in 1990. The biggest declines in CTE credits earned were among Black and female graduates.
• Graduates had higher average GPAs in CTE courses (3.33) than in 1990 (2.87). Female and Asian/Pacific Islander students had the highest CTE GPAs, and Black students had the lowest.
• Of the 28% of graduates who took a dual enrollment course, about 13% were enrolled in CTE dual enrollment courses, the highest percentage among all types of dual enrollment courses.
• Since 1990, the percentage of graduates earning at least one CTE credit increased the most in fields such as health science, IT, and hospitality and tourism. In contrast, fields like business and marketing, architecture and construction, and manufacturing faced the largest declines.

Career Readiness Benchmarks: In 2021, MajorClarity released a career & college readiness (CCR) benchmark self-assessment tool for K-12 leaders to score their districts on five key areas of CCR: postsecondary options, data, supports, stakeholder engagement and resources. MajorClarity analyzed responses from over 140 self-assessments in a recent report. Overall, the median score on the benchmark was 68.5%, with the highest average score in postsecondary options and the lowest in stakeholder engagement.

Postsecondary Completion Rates: This winter, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released its tenth report in the Completing College Series, tracking postsecondary enrollment and six-year completion outcomes. The following are key findings from the cohort that began postsecondary education in fall 2015:

• The completion rate reached 62.2%, an increase of over one percentage point compared to the fall 2014 cohort, with the largest increases (+1.5 percentage points) among public community colleges.
• Completion rates increased for two-thirds of states (32 out of 46) examined, and in 26 states, completion rates grew by at least one percentage point for students who started at community colleges.
• Among all racial/ethnic groups, Black students experienced the largest increases in completion rates (+1.9 percentage points) and had the greatest growth in students enrolling in community college (+1.6 percentage points).
• Completion rates for adult learners increased by 2.5 percentage points compared to traditional college-age students, whose completion rates declined. For adult learners who started at community colleges, their completion rate increased by 2.3 percentage points for a total rate of 37.9%.

Employment and Earnings Outcomes: Recently, the American Enterprise Institute compiled a collection of 9 reports that address the history, arguments and data resources regarding postsecondary outcomes and earnings. The featured reports include those of New America, the Higher Education Advisory Group and the Urban Institute and discuss the effect that accountability policies, college advising programs, intermediaries and student demographics have on earnings and employment outcomes. Read the full collection here.

Last week, action in Congress was relatively limited after President Biden signed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations package early last week. With FY 2022 appropriations now complete, Congress now turns its focus to the FY 2023 appropriations process. The first step is the release of the president’s budget, which is now expected to arrive on Monday, March 28. ACTE will continue to work with its partners on Capitol Hill and within the Biden Administration to advocate for more robust federal investments in CTE, so stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks! Only the Senate will be in session next week, as House members are back in their districts for a district work period. Our focus at ACTE will be on the National Policy Seminar! As we await more congressional action, here are a few notes:

• ACTE Publishes New “CTE Works!” Fact Sheet: ACTE published a new “CTE Works!” fact sheet that provides an evidence-based overview of CTE’s impact on student achievement, education and employment outcomes, and the skills gap and economy. We encourage CTE supporters to share this fact sheet with students and families; federal, state and local education and workforce leaders; policymakers; and the media to convey the value of CTE. It can be used along with our “What is CTE?” infographic that introduces people new to CTE to its scope and benefits. A Spanish-language translation of this new fact sheet will be coming soon!

• President Biden Signs Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bill: On March 15, President Biden signed the omnibus bill to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2022, providing over $1.5 trillion across the entire federal government. Overall investments in education were lower than what the President had originally proposed, but the Perkins Basic State Grant was given a much needed $45 million increase! While this represents a steady increase in CTE funding since 2017, ACTE will advocate for larger investments in the FY 2023 budget. Read more about FY 2022 appropriations here.

• President Nominates Nasser Paydar as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education: On March 18, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Dr. Nasser Paydar, Chancellor Emeritus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Executive Vice President Emeritus of Indiana University (IU) as the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education in the U.S. Department of Education. You can read more about Dr. Paydar's qualifications here.

• Northern Virginia Community College Visit: If you are attending NPS or located in the northern Virginia area, you can participate in a school tour of Northern Virginia Community College on Wednesday afternoon, March 23^rd, from 1:30pm – 3:30pm. Be sure to check out ACTE's NPS website for the latest information on the school visit and the RSVP!

Today, ACTE published a new “CTE Works!” fact sheet that provides an evidence-based overview of CTE’s impact on student achievement; education and employment outcomes; and the skills gap and economy.

Research shows that CTE students excel in high school and postsecondary education. The average high school graduation rate of CTE concentrators is 94% – 9 percentage points higher than the overall U.S. graduation rate – and CTE concentrators are just as likely as non-concentrators to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate.

The benefits of CTE extend into employment. For instance, associate degree holders in CTE fields like engineering, IT, health care and skilled trade occupations can earn up to $2.8 million over their lifetimes – the same as the median lifetime earnings for workers with bachelor’s degrees.

Additionally, filling roles in CTE fields is critical to supporting the economy. Over the next decade, the United States faces a projected shortage of 6.5 million skilled workers.

We encourage CTE supporters to share this fact sheet with students and families; federal, state and local education and workforce leaders; policymakers; and the media to convey the value of CTE along with our “What is CTE?” infographic that introduces people new to CTE to its scope and benefits.

Last week, the biggest items Congress focused on were negotiating and passing a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations package, as well as responding to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. In great news for CTE, the Perkins Basic State Grant program received a $45 million increase in the FY 2022 spending package! You can read our full recap of the bill in the linked blog article below. With FY 2022 appropriations now complete, Congress now turns its focus to the FY 2023 appropriations process. The first step is the release of the president’s budget, which is expected to arrive by the end of March. ACTE will continue to work with its partners on Capitol Hill and within the Biden Administration to advocate for more robust federal investments in CTE, so stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks! Both chambers of Congress will be in session during this upcoming week, although activity is expected to be light. As we await more congressional action, here are the key headlines of the week:

• Congress Passes Negotiated Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bill: On March 8, congressional leaders released the negotiated text of the long-overdue Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations omnibus package. The bill was then passed by the House and Senate. The omnibus bill includes a $45 million increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant. While larger investments in CTE are still needed, this bill offers more than what the President requested and continues the steady increase in Perkins funding since 2017. Overall, the omnibus proposes $1.5 trillion in spending, including a 5.6% increase over FY 2021 in defense-related spending and a 6.7% increase for non-defense spending. You can read more about the bill here. 
   
• Departments of Labor and Transportation Announce Effort to Advance Infrastructure Jobs for Underrepresented Populations: Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have announced a partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to promote the creation of infrastructure and transportation jobs with a focus on equitable workforce development using funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The partnership will include registered apprenticeships to connect workers in underserved communities to modern day infrastructure and transportation jobs. You can read more about the initiative here.

• NPS Agenda Taking Shape: With one week to go before ACTE's Annual National Policy Seminar, the agenda is being finalized and several new events have been added. In particular, NPS attendees can participate in a tour and reception hosted at the site of Amazon's new second headquarters, and a school tour of Northern Virginia Community College. The school tour is open to any CTE stakeholder – you do not have to be planning to attend NPS! Be sure to check out information about the hybrid NPS conference on ACTE's website for the latest information.

On Tuesday, March 15, President Biden signed the omnibus bill to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2022, providing over $1.5 trillion across the entire federal government. Today was the last day to do so to avert either another continuing resolution or a government shutdown. While overall investments in education were lower than what the President had originally proposed, the Perkins Basic State Grant was given a much needed $45 million increase! While this represents a steady increase in CTE funding since 2017, ACTE will advocate for larger investments that are needed in the FY 2023 budget.  

Within the omnibus, the Department of Education was funded at $76.4 billion overall – an 4% increase over FY 2021. This includes many important investments across K-12, postsecondary and adult education that are important to the CTE community, such as:  

Secondary Education 

• 6% increase for Title I grants to local education agencies 
• $27 million increase to Title II of ESEA for effective instruction
• $448.4 million increase for special education 
• $7.5 million increase for education for homeless children & youth 
• $60 million increase for Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants 

Postsecondary & Adult Education 

• $15.5 million increase for Adult Education 
• $20 million increase for federal work-study 
• $400 increase to the maximum Pell grant 

Further, FY 2022 was the first spending bill in a decade to include earmarks. Earmarks are used by Members of Congress to guarantee funding for specific projects or grantees that would benefit their state or district. This bill earmarks $2.3 million for vocational rehabilitation projects, $140 million for K-12 projects, and $249 million for higher education projects. We will be reporting back with a full analysis of the earmarked projects pertaining to CTE in the near future.  

The Department of Labor (DOL) was funded at $13.2 billion, a 5% increase over FY 2021. Included in the $653 million increase for DOL are numerous investments in programs that are critical to ensuring connections between education and the workforce. For example, registered apprenticeships were given an additional $50 million – a 27% increase over FY 2021! Strengthening Community College Grants received a $5 million, or over 10%, increase, and WIOA state grants received a $34 million increase.   

With FY 2022 appropriations now complete, Congress now turns its focus to the FY 2023 appropriations process. The first step is the release of the President’s budget, which is expected to arrive by the end of March. ACTE will continue to work with its partners on Capitol Hill and within the Administration to advocate for more robust federal investments in CTE – stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks.

Benefits of CTE Dual Enrollment: North Carolina’s Career & College Promise (CCP) is a statewide dual enrollment initiative that offers three pathways to high school students, including a CTE pathway. Recently, the CTE Research Network compared 2012-19 data on CCP CTE students in grades 11 and 12 to non-CCP students to reveal that CCP CTE students earned six times more college credits in high school, were two percentage points more likely to graduate and were 9 percentage points more likely to pursue postsecondary education than non-CCP participants. The benefits were even higher for students from economically disadvantaged households and learners from racial and ethnic groups that are historically underrepresented in postsecondary education.

Dual Credit Funding Policy: In 2016 Idaho adopted the Advanced Opportunities policy, which dedicates $4,125 of state funding to each high school student to pay for dual credit courses. To determine the impact of the policy, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education analyzed payments, dual credit participation and postsecondary outcomes data from 2016 to 2020 and uncovered the following:

• Since the introduction of Advanced Opportunities, postsecondary credits earned by graduating public high school students increased by 51%.
• Student savings outweigh the policy’s costs to Idaho. For instance, Idaho’s 2019-20 dual credit graduates saved $20.8 million compared to a $12.8 million state investment.
• Postsecondary enrollment and retention rates were 27 percentage points and 7 percentage points higher, respectively, for dual credit participants than non-participants.
• About 63% of dual credit participants who enrolled in a postsecondary institution had first-semester GPAs above 3.0, compared to only 37% of non-participants.

Landscape of CTE Early Postsecondary Opportunities: Currently, CTE courses make up one-third of all enrollments in early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs). Recently, Advance CTE, in partnership with the College in High School Alliance, surveyed state CTE directors to better understand how EPSOs are serving CTE learners. The following are key findings from the survey:

• While 87% of states said expanding access to EPSOs is a top or their highest priority, less than 30% find EPSOs to be “very” or “mostly” equitable. Many states indicated that the decentralized nature of EPSOs is a barrier to implementing statewide equitable supports.
• Most states collect CTE EPSO enrollment and outcomes data, but fewer than half disaggregate outcomes by learner group or special population status and only 20% make data publicly available.
• While 71% of states reported having statewide articulation agreements for CTE EPSO credits, these credits may not be accepted by individual institutions.
• Credential requirements can be a barrier for recruiting CTE EPSO teachers. About 42% of states report that CTE EPSO teachers need the same qualifications as both high school and postsecondary CTE instructors.

Similar challenges were raised in a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) report examining dual enrollment programs across 16 southern states. Both the Advance CTE and SREB reports highlight innovative practices states are using to tackle these issues.

Recruiting Dual Credit Teachers: The College in High School Alliance has published a report about strengthening the dual credit teacher pipeline. The publication discusses the recent growth in dual enrollment programs, how instructor credential requirements limit student access and participation in dual enrollment, and strategies to address the dual credit teacher shortage.

On March 8, congressional leaders released the negotiated text of the long-overdue Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations omnibus package. In great news for CTE, the omnibus bill includes a $45 million increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant! While larger investments in CTE are still needed, this bill offers more than what the President requested and continues the steady increase in Perkins funding since 2017. Overall, the omnibus proposes $1.5 trillion in spending, including a 5.6% increase over FY 2021 in defense-related spending and a 6.7% increase for non-defense spending.

At this point, there are only three days before the current continuing resolution (CR), which extended current funding levels to give Congress more time to negotiate without shutting down the government, is set to expire. It is expected that the House will vote on the omnibus bill on March 9, which would give the Senate just two days to pass it. Because of the short timeline, the House also plans to pass another CR, through March 15, to buy the Senate a little more time to hold their final vote on the bill. We will have more information on other education and workforce funding levels in the bill over the next few days and will continue to post updates as Congress tries to finalize the process.