Although the Senate returned to Washington last week, action on CTE-related items was again minimal, with much of the focus on confirming pending nominees and holding hearings. Both chambers will be in session this week, and it is expected that appropriations negotiators will continue work on an “omnibus” agreement to extend government funding beyond September 30 as work continues on Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bills. As we await more from Congress, here are some key news and notes:

• House Small Business Committee to Hold Hearing Featuring ACTE Member: On September 15, at 10:00am ET, the House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing titled “Back to School, Back to Startups: Supporting Youth Apprenticeship, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development.” ACTE Board of Directors member Shani Watkins will be serving as a witness at the hearing. ACTE will have more coverage later this week of her appearance before the committee.

• OCTAE Assistant Secretary Talks CTE at Advance CTE Fireside Chat: On September 6, the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) Assistant Secretary Amy Loyd spoke with Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green as a part of Advance CTE’s Fall Fireside Chat series. You can view a recording of the webinar here.

• House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Juvenile Justice: On September 8, the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on investments in juvenile justice programs. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) mentioned the Community Healing Initiative, which is a partnership between Latino Network, Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center and other organizations that offers culturally appropriate interventions and workforce development opportunities to youth of color in the juvenile justice system. Naomi Evans of Coalition for Juvenile Justice said that job training with holistic supports is also critical. Witness Father Steven Boes mentioned that his faith-based program, Boys Town, has a workforce development partnership with Union Pacific and trains welders. You can watch the full hearing here.

• Secretary Cardona Announces Back to School Bus Tour: On September 12, First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary Cardona will kick off the bus tour in Tennessee with a visit highlighting ways states and districts are recruiting and preparing qualified educators into the classroom. Read more about the tour here.

• Department of Labor Awards Trade Adjustment Assistance Funding: The Department of Labor has announced funding to provide training and employment services in 45 states and Puerto Rico to eligible workers. The awards are the department’s final distribution of FY 2022 funds to states through the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers Program. The program supports training, employment and case management services, job search and relocation allowances and income support during training.

• Department of Labor Awards Funding Expand Access to Jobs: The Department of Labor has announced the award of $45 million in grant funding to 13 colleges in 12 states to help expand CTE education programs. The grants will enable institutions to focus on specific industry sectors and career pathways training for skill development, rapid reskilling and employment in in-demand jobs. Read more about the grants here.

Interest In & Exposure to Careers: YouScience released results from their aptitude-based career guidance assessments taken by high school students nationwide in 2021. The analysis found that students have higher aptitude than interest in many career areas, especially those with significant predicted job growth. For example, students had more than three times the aptitude for advanced manufacturing careers than interest and more than two times the aptitude for computer technology careers than interest. The report also revealed the effect of gender stereotypes on interest in careers. For instance, females had a much greater difference between aptitude and interest for advanced manufacturing careers than males. The authors conclude that students need more exposure to a variety of careers to find a match between their talents, interests and goals.

Impacts of Industry-recognized Credentials: A recent study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examined how completing industry-recognized credentials (IRCs) in high school impacted students’ short-term postsecondary education and employment outcomes. Researchers utilized data from Texas high school students who graduated between 2017 and 2019 to uncover the following:

• IRC completion was weakly associated with a higher likelihood of employment in the short term.
• IRC completion was associated with a 9% increase in annual earnings in the short term, with the largest benefits to students not enrolled in a postsecondary institution and those who completed an IRC in education, cosmetology or transportation.
• IRC completion is positively correlated with postsecondary enrollment and persistence. In fact, students who completed an IRC were 3 percentage points more likely to remain in postsecondary education for a second year.
• The majority of students who completed an IRC were not pursuing education or employment in their IRC field of study.
• While CTE concentrators as well as Hispanic, Asian and higher-achieving students were most likely to earn IRCs, the high school one attended is the most important predictor of earning an IRC.

Labor Market Experiences of Recent Graduates: In May 2022, Cengage Group conducted a survey of respondents who completed a degree or non-degree postsecondary education program within the past 12 months to better understand recent graduates’ perspectives on the labor market. The following are some of the report’s key findings:

• Half of recent graduates had second thoughts about the program they were studying, but felt it was too late to switch, with non-degree graduates experiencing less of this regret.
• Nearly half of recent graduates didn’t apply for entry-level jobs because they felt underqualified, with degree graduates slightly more likely to report this. About 60% of graduates found a job within 12 months in 2022, which is 19 percentage points higher compared to 2021, and degree graduates found jobs quicker than non-degree graduates.
• Almost all graduates said they would pursue online training if their employer covered the cost.
• Roughly 61% of graduates think that employers should stop requiring a two- or four-year degree for many occupations.

Employer Policies & Economic Mobility: Recently, WorkRise released a report that summarizes research on employer policies and how these affect economic security and mobility for individuals who have faced historical exclusion in the labor market. Researchers specifically studied pay, scheduling, leave, hiring, retention, work systems, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) employer policies. Overall, the report found that promising practices for increasing economic mobility exist in compensation, hiring, promotion, scheduling, work systems and DEI policies, without negatively impacting a firm’s performance. However, researchers emphasized that there are gaps and exceptions to these promising practices in research that must be studied further.

On September 6, the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) Assistant Secretary Amy Loyd spoke with Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green as a part of Advance CTE’s Fall Fireside Chat series. This is one of Assistant Secretary Loyd’s first public appearances to discuss CTE since her Senate confirmation in June. OCTAE oversees the Perkins Act and other federal CTE-related initiatives, including community colleges, adult education and literacy, and correctional education.

Assistant Secretary Loyd was asked to discuss the experiences that led her to her current role. She pointed to her Native heritage and her parents’ careers as education professionals as defining factors in her career path. She attended Santa Fe Community College, Northern New Mexico Community College, St. John’s College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned her doctorate in educational leadership. Among her professional degrees, she has also earned an EMT certification.

Across her work with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council in Alaska, Loyd has focused on K-12 education, community colleges, adult education, workforce development, economic development and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Loyd expressed that she hoped to ensure that CTE programs closely reflect the communities that they serve. Further, she also emphasized the need for culturally responsive education and a need to support students through training and wraparound services, especially Alaska Native and Native American communities. Loyd also pointed to her observations of the Swiss apprenticeship model, in which 70% of secondary-school-aged children participate in a hands-on apprenticeship program that culminates in an industry-recognized credential.

When asked what she hoped to achieve by the end of her appointment at the Department of Education, Loyd expressed a desire to align CTE programs and practices with the Biden Administration’s priorities for CTE. ACTE looks forward to continuing our close partnership and work with OCTAE under Assistant Secretary’s Loyd’s leadership.

You can view a recording of the webinar here.

CTE-related action in Washington was minimal last week. This week, Congress is set to return and their to-do list will include starting negotiations on an “omnibus” government funding package that may also contain supplemental funding for Ukraine, COVID-19 preventative measures and more that was requested by the White House. Congress must pass appropriations bills or a continuing resolution to extend government funding by September 30 in order to avoid a government shutdown. Here are some other news and notes to catch you up as we Congress returns:

• White House Announces Plan to Address Educator Shortages: On August 31, the White House announced its strategy to help K-12 schools address staffing shortages in teaching and other critical school professions. The Biden Administration plans to work with the private sector, nonprofit organizations and state and local education and workforce leaders to better highlight open positions and expand teacher apprenticeship opportunities. These efforts will be overseen jointly by the Department of Education and Department of Labor. Read more about the White House plan here.

• First Lady, Secretary Walsh, Secretary Raimondo Highlight First Group of Apprenticeship Ambassadors: First Lady Dr. Jill Biden celebrated a milestone at the White House for the Apprenticeship Ambassador Initiative, where members of the initial cohort of Apprenticeship Ambassadors discussed steps being taken to expand apprenticeship programs throughout the nation and promote the benefits of registered apprenticeships in numerous industries. Read more about the initiative here.

• Department of Education Awards Funding to Alaska Native Education Programs: The Department of Education has awarded 28 three-year grants totaling $35.3 million through the Alaska Native Education (ANE) program to Alaska Native organizations and entities in Alaska governed predominately by Alaska Natives. Eligible activities include training and professional development for educators, early childhood and parent outreach and enrichment programs. Read more about the awards here.

In an August 31 fact sheet, the White House announced its strategy to help K-12 schools address staffing shortages in teaching and other critical school professionals. The Administration plans to work with the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and state and local education and workforce leaders to better highlight open positions and expand teacher apprenticeship opportunities. These efforts will be overseen jointly by the Department of Education and Department of Labor.  

The White House has worked with several hiring technology companies to ensure that schools are better able to identify talent and advertise open positions. These efforts will include:  

• ZipRecruiter, which provides an employment marketplace for millions of job seekers and hiring tools for employers, has launched a new online portal specifically for jobs at K-12 public schools. Posting jobs on this platform is free for schools, school districts and states.  
• Handshake, a leading platform connecting postsecondary learners and recent graduates to careers, will hold a free national virtual event this October focused on career exploration in education. Further, they will publish a list of all schools and districts that are hiring this school year.
• Indeed, a job site serving millions of employers and job seekers, will facilitate hiring fairs for educators across the country. Participating institutions will gain free access to Indeed’s suite of hiring tools.  

Secretary Miguel Cardona of the Department of Education and Secretary Marty Walsh of the Department of Labor also issued a joint letter to state and local education and workforce leaders encouraging actions to improve educator recruitment and retention. Specifically, they recommended that states and localities utilize remaining American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, such as ESSER and SLFR, to increase teacher pay. Further, they promoted the expansion of high-quality programs to prepare and support teachers, particularly registered apprenticeships. The Department of Labor is committed to supporting these programs in its next round of apprenticeship expansion grants. Once registered with the Department of Labor, apprenticeship programs are eligible to be supported by WIOA Title I funds. They highlighted Tennessee’s Grow Your Own program, which prepares teaching assistants, career-changers, and high school students to enter the teaching profession.  

The Administration is also working with state and national nonprofits, including teachers’ unions, to promote and expand pathways for teachers. These organizations have partnered together to support their members in pursuing registered apprenticeships and other available high-quality pathways into education professions. The Pathways Alliance, which is comprised of public and private organizations concerned with developing a robust and diverse teacher pipeline, will also create national guidelines for high-quality registered teacher apprenticeship programs.  

ACTE will continue to monitor these developments and work with government officials to lift up the needs of CTE programs. Should you have questions about these efforts or need assistance in taking advantage of one of these programs, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org).

Back to school season is in full swing! With many students returning to school, this week also marks the next to last week of the August congressional recess, as Congress will not return to Washington until after Labor Day. The biggest news in Washington last week was the announcement of executive actions on student debt by President Biden, which you can read more about below. It is not yet clear how this administrative action will impact congressional activity once they return in September. In the meantime, here are some news and notes:

• Biden Administration Announces Executive Actions on Student Debt: Last week, President Biden announced his Administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of federal student loan debt for individual borrowers making less than $125,000 per year who previously received a Pell grant, and up to $10,000 of federal loan debt for other borrowers making less than $125,000 a year. He also announced a final extension of the student loan repayment, interest and collections pause that was first put into place in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about the plan here.

• Department of Education Releases 2022 Back-to-School Checklist: The Department of Education has released a back-to-school checklist for parents, highlighting uses of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for student support, school improvement and more.

• Department of Labor Announces Grants to Expand Job Opportunities for Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations: The Department of Labor has announced the award of $3.4 million in funding to help recruit, train and retain more women in quality pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs and nontraditional occupations. Administered by the department’s Women’s Bureau and Employment and Training Administration, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants will support organizations in Arizona, Illinois, New York, Virginia and Washington. Learn more about the grants here.

• Department of Labor Awards Grants to Fund Registered Apprenticeship Hubs: The Department of Labor has announced the award of $50 million in Apprenticeship Building America grant funding for registered apprenticeship hubs, which are organizations that help employers design, develop and deliver programs in new and fast-growing industries and occupations. The department is awarding the grants to nine organizations in California, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. Read more about the apprenticeship hub grants here. 

Alternative Teacher Certification: The Center for American Progress recently published an analysis of alternative teacher certification programs sponsored by organizations other than institutions of higher education (IHEs). Researchers examined the types of sponsors, states in which these programs operate and how enrollment varies by demographics to reveal the following findings:

• Regional education service agencies (50%), non-profit organizations (23%) and for-profit programs (14%) were the largest operators in the non-IHE alternative sector in 2018-19.
• Despite only being 14% of the non-IHE alternative sector, for-profit programs enrolled 70% of students in non-IHE alternative programs, a nearly 280% increase since 2010.
• Between 2010-11 and 2018-19, enrollment in non-IHE alternative certification programs grew by 76%, while IHE-based programs experienced an overall decline. Despite enrollment increases in the non-IHE sector, completion rates dropped by 19%.
• From 2010-11 to 2018-19, non-IHE alternative programs enrolled a higher percentage of students of color than IHE-based programs.

Teacher Shortages: Recently, Brown University released a report and an accompanying interactive map that provides national- and state-level estimates from 2014-22 on the K-12 teacher shortage. Researchers examined news reports, U.S. Department of Education data and publicly available information on teacher vacancies and certifications to uncover the following:

• An estimated 36,504 full-time teacher positions are unfilled; however, this number may be as high as 52,800. Overall, vacancies amount to almost 2% of positions nationwide.
• About 163,650 positions are filled by teachers who are teaching a subject different than their area of preparation or have an alternative, temporary or emergency certification.
• Mississippi had the highest relative vacancies with 68 vacancies per 10,000 students while Missouri had the lowest with less than one vacancy per 10,000 students. (Thirteen states did not have credible data related to teacher shortages).

General Education Data: In May, the National Center for Education Statistics released its annual Condition of Education report, which summarizes the latest data available on P-12 and postsecondary education in the United States. The following are some of the report’s main findings:

• P-12 public school enrollment decreased from 50.8 million in fall 2019 to 49.4 million in fall 2020, a 3% drop, which is the largest single-year decline since 1943.
• In 2017-18, there were 3.5 million full-time and part-time public school teachers. About 8% of these teachers held a provisional, probationary or emergency teaching certificate, and 2% held no certification.
• Between fall 2009 to fall 2020, postsecondary undergraduate enrollment declined by 9%, which was driven by a 35% drop at two-year institutions. In fall 2020, 31% of undergraduate students (4.9 million) were enrolled in a two-year institution.
• The number of associate degrees earned increased by 20% from 2010 to 2020. The most popular fields of study included business, health professions and STEM.

State Report Cards: The Data Quality Campaign released its annual analysis of state school report cards for the 2020-21 school year to identify what school data is accessible, or may be missing, for students and their families. At the time of the study, 43 states had submitted their 2020-21 report cards. The following are some of the analysis’ key findings:

• Twenty-eight states disaggregated data by all federally required student groups.
• Many states did not include data on the 2020-21 school year. For instance, 16 states did not include 2021 assessment data, 25 states did not include 2021 graduation rates and 26 states did not include 2021 chronic absenteeism data.
• About 25 states included some form of language translation for their state report card; however, only seven states had high-quality translations.