Career Technical Education (CTE) Month is now underway and there’s lots of attention on CTE in Washington, DC. Read below to learn more about how to contact your Representative to support the resolution recognizing CTE Month, an update on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, how to promote equity in college in high school programs and the Administration’s recent mention of CTE.
Contact your Representative to Co-Sponsor the CTE Month Resolution by 2/8
Representatives Langevin (D-RI) and Thompson (R-PA), co-chairs of the Congressional CTE Caucus, recently introduced a resolution to recognize CTE month (last year’s resolution had 47 co-sponsors)! Please contact your Representative to encourage them to co-sponsor the CTE Month resolution by visiting the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) CTE Action Center here. You can also find your representative, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to their office and then ask about the Representative’s interest in co-sponsoring the Resolution. Interested Representatives can contact the offices of Representatives Langevin (D-RI) or Thompson (R-PA) to co-sponsor the resolution. The deadline for additional co-sponsors is 5pm Eastern Time on Friday, February 8.
Senator Alexander’s Vision for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act
On Monday, February 4, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), spoke about reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) at the American Enterprise Institute. He announced three key concepts for updating HEA in a way that responds to some of the pressing challenges facing prospective, current and former college students: 1) Simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), 2) Streamline the options to repay student loans and 3) Create a new accountability system for colleges to report whether borrowers are able to repay loans. There have been multiple proposals in the Senate that touch upon these three ideas and Senator Alexander plans to work with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee, to introduce one piece of legislation this spring that encompasses each.You can find Senator Alexander’s remarks here and be sure to keep an eye on Advance CTE’s blog for additional updates on HEA reauthorization.
How Can ESSA be Used to Advance Equity in College in High School Programs?
The Education Trust and the College in High School Alliance recently released a fact sheet, Advancing Equity in College in High School Programs: Opportunities Under ESSA, that includes key questions and considerations for those thinking about how to advance equity in college in high school access and success, and how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) can be leveraged to accomplish it. Related videos on dual-enrollment can be found here.
Administration Releases Fact Sheet on Revitalizing American Manufacturing, Includes Perkins Reauthorization
On January 31, the Administration released a fact sheet, President Donald J. Trump is Following Through on His Promise to Revitalize American Manufacturing, which included the passage of the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) as an example of how President Trump is investing in workforce development. Advance CTE will continue to provide updates on the Administration’s coverage of CTE, including if it is mentioned during the State of the Union address on February 5 at 9:00pm Eastern Time.
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate, Federal Policy & Meredith Hills, Policy Associate