Earlier today, 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 forgiveness 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.  

Specifically, the Biden Administration’s plan calls for:

• Borrowers with annual income during the pandemic of $125,000 (for individuals) or under $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households) will be eligible for up to $10,000 in relief. 
• Borrowers with annual income during the pandemic of under $125,000 (for individuals) or under $250,000 (for married couples or heads of households) who received a Pell Grant in college will be eligible for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. 
• The pause on student loan repayment, interest and collections will be extended through December 31, 2022, with all student loan payments resuming in January 2023.

Additionally, the Department of Education will propose new regulations that will:

• Create a new income-driven repayment plan that will reduce future monthly payments from 10% to 5% of discretionary income. 
• Raise the amount of income that is considered nondiscretionary income and protected from repayment. 
• Forgive loan balances after 10 years of payments, instead of the current 20 years under most income-driven repayment plans, for borrowers with original loan balances of $12,000 or less.
• Cover the borrower’s unpaid monthly interest, so that a borrower’s loan balance will not grow so long as they are making their required monthly payment.

The proposed regulations will be published in the coming days on the Federal Register, and the public will be invited to comment on the draft rule for 30 days. The Department of Education plans to release more details in the coming days on how borrowers can obtain the relief outlined above. You can read more about the plan from the White House and the Department of Education.

Recently, ACTE published a new series of High-Quality CTE Element Fact Sheets. Each fact sheet describes one of the 12 elements and their criteria from the ACTE Quality CTE Program of Study Framework^TM, which is an evidence-based framework that defines high-quality CTE through more than 90 criteria organized under 12 elements.

Since Framework criteria are designed to be mutually exclusive across all elements to ensure that programs are not doubly rewarded or punished for criteria that they have not implemented, each fact sheet in this series also outlines how criteria from one element can add relevance to an assessment of progress on other elements.

You can find the High-Quality CTE Element Fact Sheets under the “Publications” tab here and other helpful tools and publications related to the Framework here.

Congress is still adjourned for the August recess and will not return to Washington until after Labor Day. Washington is very quiet, but early last week President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislation that contains climate change, tax and health care provisions. Many Members of Congress are still holding constituent events during the next few weeks, and you can visit this blog post to learn more about capitalizing on those opportunities. In the meantime, here are some news and notes:

• Department of Education Announces $8 Million in New Grants to Help Colleges Strengthen and Diversify the Teacher Workforce: The Department of Education has announced $8 million in grant funding through the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) program, which supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The Hawkins Program will focus on key aspects of a high-quality teacher preparation pipeline, including evidence-based, comprehensive teacher preparation programs that provide extensive clinical experience. Read more about the grant funding here.

• Department of Labor Announces Programs that will Support Justice40 Initiative: The Department of Labor has announced the addition of four programs administered by the Department’s Employment and Training Administration to the Justice40 Initiative: Reentry Employment Opportunities, YouthBuild, Job Corps and the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities program. The Justice40 initiative aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, training and workforce development, and other federal investments to disadvantaged communities. Read more about the Justice40 initiative here.

• Department of Labor Announces ApprenticeshipUSA Branding Effort and Public Conversations: The Department’s Office of Apprenticeship has created the “ApprenticeshipUSA” brand to establish an identity and shared understanding of the national registered apprenticeship system. In addition, the Department has begun a national online public dialogue on registered apprenticeships, which will remain open through September 5, 2022.

• Department of Education Announces Application Opportunity for CTE Research Network Grant Lead: The CTE Research Network, authorized under Perkins National Programs and operated through the National Center for Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), conducts research on CTE through projects funded by other IES grant competitions. This competition is for a new network lead beginning in FY2023.  Applications are due February 23, 2023.

Last week in Washington, lawmakers departed for the annual August congressional recess, but the House briefly returned on Friday, August 12, to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains primarily health care and climate change provisions. After House passage of the bill, both chambers will remain in recess until after the Labor Day holiday. Many Members of Congress will be holding constituent events during the next few weeks, check out this blog post to learn more about capitalizing on those opportunities! In the meantime, here are some news and notes:

• August Recess Legislative Wrap-Up: There was a flurry of activity as Congress prepared to adjourn for it the annual August congressional recess. Read more about key federal legislation from the last several weeks here.

• Department of Education Announces College Completion Grants: The Department of Education has announced $5 million in grant funds to support a new College Completion Fund for Postsecondary Student Success. The funding will support grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to encourage postsecondary retention, transfer and completion. Read more about the grants here.

• Department of Education Hosts Raise the B.A.R. Summit: On August 11, the Department of Education held the “Raise the B.A.R.: Bold + Action + Results in College Excellence & Equity Summit.” The event featured higher education leaders from colleges, systems and organizations across the country. CTE was briefly mentioned as a solution to the national educator shortage – Secretary Miguel Cardona noted Tennessee’s Grow-Your-Own teacher apprenticeship model as an example of an effective solution.

• CDC Releases Updated COVID-19 Recommendations for Schools: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidance for schools to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as the 2022-23 school year arrives. Read the full guidance here.

• Members of Congress Introduce Student Apprenticeship Act of 2022: Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced H.R. 8567 and S. 4658, respectively, legislation that would establish and support postsecondary student apprenticeship programs.
• Tina Smith (D-MN) Introduces Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2022: Sen. Smith introduced S. 4694, legislation that would establish an “Addressing Teacher Shortages Program,” through which the Secretary of Education shall award competitive grants to support teacher recruitment and retention efforts and schools in underserved communities. Read the full text of the bill here.

Traditionally, the August congressional recess period is a time when Members of Congress return to their states and districts to hold events and visit with constituents. These events provide an opportunity to get acquainted with your federal representatives, learn what policies and proposals they support and advocate for CTE. ACTE has compiled this guide to attending events with your policymakers during the August recess. 

Upcoming events with your policymakers can be found in several locations. Websites such as Town Hall Project provide lists of congressional events, meetings and town halls as they are scheduled and publicized. Alternatively, you can contact your federal policymakers’ offices via phone and ask when the next scheduled town hall meeting – either in-person, virtual, or telephone town hall – will be held. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been easier for policymakers to hold telephone town halls and virtual events. If the response is “none,” or something similar, express your disappointment and your hope that the policymaker will soon hold events to hear from their constituents and members of the CTE community. 

If your policymaker has not scheduled any upcoming constituent events or meetings, you can create your own event, invite the policymaker to attend and keep up pressure on them to act in ways that support CTE. A site visit to your school and a tour of your programs will provide a first-hand look for policymakers at the positive impacts of CTE on their states, districts and local communities. You can also use the recess time to schedule a meeting with your policymaker while they are back home in their district or state office. 

For more CTE advocacy resources, please visit ACTE's advocacy resources page. If you have any questions about advocating for CTE with federal policymakers, please contact Jori Houck, ACTE Media Relations and Advocacy Associate, at jhouck@acteonline.org.

Analyzing Pathways Data: The Strategic Data Project at Harvard University published a CTE Diagnostic toolkit which provides guidance and examples to postsecondary leaders about analyzing student progress and success in various CTE pathways. The toolkit offers proposed questions, sample data visualizations and summaries of analyses to conduct. It is structured around four topics: student completion, student progress, “gateway” courses (courses that prevent students from completing pathways), and credit accumulation. Additionally, it is accompanied by a technical guide that provides more detailed information about how to execute the examples featured in the toolkit.

Improving Pathways Programs: According to research featured in a brief by MDRC, community college career pathways programs can significantly increase credential completion and employment in targeted industries but may not improve earnings. Taking these findings into account, the brief offers several evidence-based strategies, as well as examples, that community colleges can employ to boost student success and economic mobility in career pathways programs. Some highlighted practices include integrating private sector training approaches, targeting family-supporting careers, providing comprehensive supports, and connecting students with employers and work-based learning experiences.

Measuring Beyond Completion: Recently, Strada Education Network released a report that integrates postsecondary student completion data with earnings and personal fulfillment data to provide insight into how postsecondary completion impacts students beyond graduation. Researchers used public data and data from Strada’s own surveys of postsecondary completers to reveal the following:

• About 58% of adults with an associate degree or higher earn at least 20% more than the median for a high school graduate and reported higher personal fulfillment through their education and training.
• Occupation is a strong predictor of earnings and personal fulfillment outcomes. For instance, completers employed in STEM, business and health care experience better outcomes compared to completers in service occupations.
• Higher levels of postsecondary attainment are associated with better economic and personal fulfillment outcomes; however, these results vary by race and gender.

Pell Grant Access and Completion: The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) released an analysis that provides information about Pell Grant recipient enrollments and completion rates at community colleges. Researchers gathered data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and Pell Grant Volume reports and shared the following findings:

• About 2 million Pell Grant recipients attend community colleges, representing one third of all Pell Grant recipients.
• In 2020-21, 25% of all community college students received a Pell Grant. This statistic has been declining since the Great Recession, especially in recent years, largely due to decreased enrollment among low-income students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In 2020-21, the three-year Pell completion rate was 25%, which is more than double the rate from the early 2000s.

Wraparound Supports: A brief by the Hunt Institute describes how wraparound supports are critical to ensuring that an increasingly diverse postsecondary population has the necessary resources to complete a postsecondary education. The brief outlines common barriers students may face when navigating, financing and prioritizing postsecondary education and accessing socioemotional health services. Additionally, the brief provides examples of innovative state- and local-level practices to address each barrier.

There was a flurry of activity as Congress prepared to adjourn for it the annual August congressional recess. On August 7, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark piece of legislation focused on health care, the environment and tax policy. After a deal was struck between Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), the bill was passed through a complex procedure called budget reconciliation, which only requires a simple majority of the Senate to pass. It passed along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie, 51-50. It is expected that the House will pass the bill without changes on August 12, sending it to President Biden for his signature in time for Members of Congress to depart Washington D.C. until September.  

While this bill was greatly scaled down from the earlier proposals of the Build Back Better Act, it represents the largest investment combating climate change in U. S. history and the most significant changes to health care since the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Unfortunately, the workforce and education provisions of Build Back Better were stripped from the Inflation Reduction Act in order to receive the support of all 50 Democrats in the Senate. Instead, the bill will use taxes on corporations and the wealthy to target spending to improving domestic energy security, provide rebates for the purchase of electric vehicles, extend ACA subsidies, allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and more. The bill will also use this new revenue to reduce the federal deficit by an estimated $306 billion.  

On August 9, President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at providing substantial investments for domestic microchip production and innovation, cybersecurity and other science-related provisions. The bill attempts to boost competitiveness with China in key emerging technology sectors while improving national security. Many of the education and workforce provisions contained in this bill’s predecessors, the America COMPETES Act and United States Innovation and Competition Act, were not included in the final bill. However, the bill did authorize funding for some programs that could be relevant to CTE through the National Science Foundation. ACTE will provide further updates as new information is revealed about these funding opportunities.  

Lastly, House Republicans introduced a proposal to reform federal student loan programs, called the Responsible Education Assistance through Loan (REAL) Reforms Act. Importantly, the bill proposes an alternative short-term Pell expansion to the JOBS Act. Among several differences, this version would require programs to prove that graduates attain a growth in earnings exceeding the total cost of the program within two years. It is not expected move this calendar year; however, this may be a critical starting point for negotiations should Republicans control the House next year.  

Looking forward to the remainder of the year, Congress will be fairly preoccupied with midterm elections until early November, when the fate of the control of the 118th Congress is determined. In September, it is expected that they will pass a continuing resolution, or an extension of the current federal budget, to give them more time to negotiate fiscal year (FY) 2023 appropriations bills without risking a government shutdown. While the House and Senate respectively proposed $45million and $60 million increases to the Perkins Basic State Grant, it is unlikely that they will release any updated or negotiated bills until at least mid-November.  

While this will likely be the last congressional update until elected officials return to Washington D.C. after Labor Day, ACTE will be monitoring other developments from the White House and federal agencies to keep you abreast of anything impacting the CTE community. Should you have any questions, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Zach Curtis (zcurtis@acteonline.org).