CTE Credential Attainment in Virginia: In Virginia, Standard diploma high school graduates have historically been less likely to enroll in postsecondary education than Advanced Studies diploma graduates. Aiming to improve postsecondary and career outcomes for these students, the state added a CTE credential requirement to the Standard diploma for learners starting grade 9 in 2013 or later. The CTE credential options include earning an industry credential, completing state licensure, passing a Workplace Readiness Skills assessment, or passing a NOCTI assessment.

The Institute of Education Sciences studied Standard diploma graduates in Virginia from 2011 to 2017 to determine the policy’s impact on postsecondary enrollment and CTE credential attainment and found the following:

• Standard diploma graduates earning at least one CTE credential increased from 23% to 91%, with a similar increase for Advanced Studies diploma graduates, even though the CTE credential requirement did not apply to the Advanced Studies diploma. Additionally, Standard diploma graduates earning multiple CTE credentials increased from 6% to 17%.
• CTE credential attainment increased for Standard diploma graduates across all learner groups. Black and Hispanic graduates and graduates not proficient in writing experienced the largest increases.
• While postsecondary enrollment for Standard diploma graduates overall decreased from 46% to 42%, the rate decreased more gradually for those who were CTE credential earners.

The researchers propose that future studies examine workforce outcomes for Standard diploma graduates to fully understand whether this policy is meeting its intended goals.

COVID-19 and Post-High School Supports: Using 2020 and 2021 survey results from high school teachers and principals, RAND Corporation released a study on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted student access to career and postsecondary supports. Researchers found that while 84% of principals stated that almost all students received supports, this percentage decreased sharply when asked specifically about underachieving students and students who didn’t expressly ask for supports. Both teachers and principals identified more school counselors as one of the most-needed resources to ensure students are better prepared for their future careers.

Strengthening Pathways: A recently released brief by JFF discusses the importance of ensuring that high-quality CTE programs not only provide pathways to postsecondary education and high-wage careers for young adults, but also flexibility to pursue a variety of education and career options at any given point. Formulated with feedback from postsecondary and K-12 practitioners, the brief outlines overarching commitments for strong pathways policies and recommended policy changes and describes four states with CTE programs that provide strong connections between education and the workforce.

CTE and Employer Attitudes: In 2020, Advance CTE conducted a national survey of more than 300 employers from in-demand industries to examine top skills employers are seeking, their attitudes toward CTE and their current involvement with CTE. A few of the survey’s key findings are outlined below:

• Roughly 79% of employers in in-demand industries were aware of CTE and 96% of those aware of CTE had a favorable view of it. In fact, 77% of employers surveyed reported hiring an employee in part because of their CTE experiences.
• Over 50% of employers reported seeking entry-level candidates through CTE channels, including high school and college CTE programs and career and technical student organizations.
• Of employers not engaged with CTE, 75% indicated they were very or somewhat interested in promoting CTE, providing program input, offering mentorship and participating in CTSO events.
• About 92% of employers favored increasing funding for CTE, specifically for expanding high school CTE programs, increasing employer engagement and improving program quality.

Today, Advance CTE and ACTE released the ninth annual State Policies Impacting CTE: Year in Review report and 2021 State Policy Tracker, examining 2021 state legislation, executive orders and budget provisions that significantly impact CTE and career readiness. This year’s report provides an analysis that spans across 41 states that enacted 138 policies relevant to CTE.

The policy areas that states focused on in 2021 were similar to previous years:

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

Readers looking for specific state policies can visit the online state policy tracker.

In addition to the report and state policy tracker, on Tuesday, February 15, 1:00-2:00PM EST Advance CTE and ACTE invite you to a webinar to hear an overview of the trends and highlights of 2021 state policies. Speakers will share in-depth examples of policies enacted in their states, including insights as to why and how these policies came to life and what their thoughts are on implementation strategies.

Register for this webinar here.

Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE, concludes with six recommendations for state CTE leaders to consider as they support the second round of CLNAs:

• Put equity at the center of the CLNA.
• Continue to invest in data capacity.
• Support stakeholder engagement.
• Plan ahead to ease capacity and timing burdens.
• Balance a focus on process with a focus on progress.
• Frame the CLNA as an opportunity.

Many of the recommendations provided in the report for state leaders are also relevant for local leaders. More specifically, through our conversations with local Perkins representatives about the first CLNA, we recommend that local CTE leaders approach this second CLNA with the following strategies in mind:

• Engage staff in professional development on understanding and using data.
• Leverage staff with data expertise from local workforce or economic development agencies or college institutional research departments to provide data support.
• Diversify consultation methods for different stakeholder groups, including conducting focus groups with learners and families to gather more nuanced feedback.
• Use stakeholder engagement to dig into root causes of why inequities exist and how they can be addressed.
• Build feedback loops with stakeholders as part of a continuous consultation, evaluation and improvement process.
• Try, as much as possible, to align CLNA with other goals and needs assessments on the federal, state and local levels.
• Track alignment with needs longitudinally by analyzing needs, budgets and actual expenditures.

Thanks for joining us for this blog series on CLNA! Please explore additional resources that support CLNA from ACTE and Advance CTE:

• ACTE’s Quality CTE Program of Study Framework Self-evaluation: A Tool for the Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (ACTE, November 2019)
• A Guide for Local Leaders: Maximizing Perkins V’s Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment & Local Application to Drive CTE Program Quality and Equity (ACTE, March 2019)
• A Guide for State Leaders: Maximizing Perkins V’s Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment & Local Application to Drive CTE Program Quality and Equity (Advance CTE, March 2019)
• Investing in Quality: Funding the Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (Advance CTE, August 2019)
• Promoting a Regional Approach to the Perkins V Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (Advance CTE, August 2019)
• Driving Quality & Equity in CTE: A State Guide to Developing the Perkins V CLNA Template (Advance CTE, June 2019)

This was a busy week in Washington for CTE-related measures, as the House passed the America COMPETES Act, H.R. 4521, containing language similar to the JOBS Act and the College Transparency Act. This bill is the companion legislation to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, S. 1260, that was passed over the summer without these provisions included. Next, the bill will go to conference with the Senate. You can read more about the implications for CTE below, and stay tuned to the CTE Policy Watch blog for the latest updates and advocacy opportunities as the conference negotiations unfold! Both chambers will be in town for votes next week, and focus is likely to shift to the expiration of government funding on February 18. In the meantime, here are more headlines from Washington: 

• Amendment Containing JOBS Act and College Transparency Act Adopted in America COMPETES Act: On February 4, Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Bryan Steil (R-WI) introduced an amendment to the America COMPETES Act of 2022 (H.R. 4521) being debated by the House containing language similar to the JOBS Act and College Transparency Act (CTA), two of ACTE’s top legislative priorities. The House approved the amendment by a vote of 238-193, and the entire America COMPETES Act then passed on a largely party-line 222-210 vote. You can read more about these developments here.

• Ask Your Members of Congress: Cosponsor the House and Senate CTE Month Resolutions: The co-chairs of the House and Senate CTE Caucus, Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Todd Young (R-IN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) have introduced resolutions in both chambers honoring February as CTE Month! CLICK HERE to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolutions!

• ACTE Released Updated “What is CTE?” Infographic: As CTE Month 2022 kicks off, ACTE released a new “What is CTE?” infographic to help CTE supporters inform about and advocate for CTE. This resource provides an overview of CTE and highlights the benefits that CTE can provide for students, businesses and communities.

• ACTE Key Legislation Blog Series: College Transparency Act: In March 2021, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Steve Stivers (R-OH), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Bryan Steil (R-WI) reintroduced S. 839/H.R. 2030, known as the College Transparency Act (CTA). The CTA, which had also been introduced in previous years, would establish a national postsecondary data reporting system to provide information on student outcomes, such as enrollment, completion and earnings, across postsecondary institutions and career fields. This bill is one of ACTE’s top legislative priorities (and may have new potential for passing in America COMPETES!).

• Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Appropriations Process Update: The bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees continued negotiations on Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations this week, expressing confidence that they can stave off a government shutdown and pass an extension of government funding via a short-term continuing resolution (CR) prior to expiration of the current CR. The latest reports are that another CR may be needed through early March before a final agreement can be reached.

• Applications Now Open for Supplemental ARP Act Higher Education Funding: On February 3, the Department of Education opened applications for new awards and supplemental support for some higher education institutions (including community colleges) under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund through the American Rescue Plan Act. Additional information is available in the Federal Register.

• OCTAE Holds Career-Connected Education Summit: On February 2, The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) hosted the 2022 Advancing Equity in Career-Connected Education Summit. The Advancing Equity Summit is designed to further the goals of OCTAE for all youth and adults to be ready for and have meaningful access to quality college and career pathways.

On Friday morning, Reps. Andy Levin (D-MI), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL and Bryan Steil (R-WI) introduced an amendment to the America COMPETES Act of 2022 (H.R. 4521) being debated by the House containing language similar to the JOBS Act and College Transparency Act (CTA), two of ACTE’s top legislative priorities. The House approved the amendment by a vote of 238-193, and the entire America COMPETES Act then passed on a largely party-line 222-210 vote.

The JOBS Act would expand learner access to Pell grants to enroll in high-quality, short-term job training programs as little as 150 clock hours and 8 weeks long. These programs benefit both employers and workers by responding to immediate employer demands and creating new pathways or career ladders for workers and students to foster upward mobility. 

The CTA would establish a national postsecondary data reporting system to provide information on student outcomes, such as enrollment, completion and earnings, across postsecondary institutions and career fields. These data are essential to understanding how our postsecondary systems are serving students and businesses, and would significantly increase policymakers’ ability to make improvements to the nation's postsecondary education and training system.  

With the adoption of the amendment and House passage of the America COMPETES Act, this will bring us the closest we have been to expanding Pell Grants to short-term, high-quality training programs and establishing a national postsecondary data reporting system in quite some time! 

The bill will now go to conference with the Senate. The Senate passed its version of the legislation, known as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), S.1260, last summer, but did not include these provisions. Stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for the latest updates and advocacy opportunities as the conference negotiations unfold!

A report published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University examines how CTE concentration in high school can affect postsecondary enrollment, earnings, poverty and education/labor force engagement for different learner groups and across different CTE program areas. Using the Massachusetts state longitudinal data system, researchers studied nine cohorts of high school students, of which 20% were CTE concentrators, for one to seven years after their expected graduation dates. Overall, the researchers found positive impacts of CTE concentration on postsecondary attendance, earnings, poverty avoidance and engagement in education and the labor market.

Postsecondary Attendance: Although CTE concentration predicted a small decrease in overall postsecondary attendance, much of this can be attributed to lower attendance at four-year institutions. In fact, CTE concentration is associated with an increase in attendance at two-year institutions. Within particular student populations, Black and Latino CTE concentrators and concentrators who were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch are much more likely to attend college than their non-CTE peers.

Among program areas, health, IT and education clusters are most likely to lead to postsecondary enrollment, while transportation and construction clusters are least associated with college attendance.

Earnings: Compared to non-CTE students, CTE concentrators, on average, saw $1,792 more in annual earnings during the first year after high school and $3,359 more in annual earnings by seven years post-high school. Among students who never attended a postsecondary institution, CTE concentrators made over $6,000 more annually than non-CTE concentrators by the seventh year. Focusing on particular student groups, CTE concentration is most strongly associated with increased earnings for male learners and historically marginalized students, particularly students with disabilities.

When considering program clusters, the strongest increase in earnings is associated with construction; transportation, manufacturing and technology; and health care. While the positive association with earnings begins to subside in later years as college-going individuals enter the workforce, CTE concentrators’ earnings advantages continue in some fields, particularly in health care and construction.

Poverty and Disengagement: CTE concentrators are 8.4 percentage points more likely to avoid poverty and are significantly more likely to earn above the poverty threshold seven years after high school. Additionally, CTE concentrators are 7.8 percentage points less likely to be disengaged (neither employed nor participating in education or training).

School Setting: The report also studied the differences in post-high school outcomes for CTE concentrators at comprehensive high schools as compared to CTE-dedicated high schools in Massachusetts. Researchers concluded that while both types of institutions are associated with earnings advantages for CTE concentrators, CTE-dedicated schools are likely to lead to significantly larger earnings increases.

This fourth blog post in our CLNA series based on Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE, explores the role of equity in the first CLNAs.

Many states went above and beyond minimum federal requirements to help local recipients take an equity lens during the first CLNAs, and local CTE leaders have shared how the CLNA made them more aware of inequities. For instance, the need for improved access to CTE programs and more inclusivity within programs were two themes that emerged from the CLNA conducted by the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) in Ohio. What educators learned from their data analysis and stakeholder feedback led the center to change its admissions process from a grade-point-average ranking to a lottery system. DACC also started a learner-led, non-traditional equity group; created a social media campaign focused on non-traditional learners; and revised promotional materials to be more inclusive.

In another example, the College of DuPage in Illinois leveraged the Illinois Community College Board’s equity-focused CLNA template and its own stakeholder engagement process to learn more about barriers and challenges faced by learners. The findings led the college to implement additional financial supports for CTE learners and to make full time a workforce specialist position that had been part time, with additional responsibilities for helping students navigate available resources and supports.

Stay tuned for the final entry in this series, which will summarize recommendations gleaned from our interviews with CTE leaders, and revisit our last post on data in the CLNA.