Career Technical Education (CTE) Month wrapped up this week, but there was no shortage of exciting CTE activity to round out the month. In February, the U.S. Department of Education released a new strategic plan, the U.S. Senate CTE Caucus held a briefing and Advance CTE launched a redesigned federal policy webpage. Read below to learn more about each of these updates!Senate CTE Caucus Holds Briefing on HEA and CTE On February 28, the U.S. Senate CTE Caucus held a briefing, “How Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) Can Better Reflect Today’s CTE Landscape.” Advance CTE’s Executive Director, Kimberly Green, moderated the panel discussion between James Brown (Executive Director, STEM Education Coalition), Steven Partridge (Vice President of Workforce Development, Northern Virginia Community College) and Mitch Coppes (Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Association for Career and Technical Education). The briefing touched on how a reauthorized HEA could help address the nation’s shortage of CTE educators, how community and technical colleges and other two-year programs are preparing learners for today’s in-demand jobs and other intersections between HEA and CTE. Senator Kaine (D-VA) also provided remarks about the power of CTE and the importance of sharing best practices in the field going into HEA reauthorization.U.S. Department of Education Releases Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018 – 2022On February 12, the U.S. Department of Education released a Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018 – 2022. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) is identified on page 18 of the plan as one of the implementation strategies associated with the Strategic Objective 2.3 to “Support agencies and educational institutions as they create or expand innovative and affordable paths to relevant careers by providing postsecondary credentials or job-ready skills.” This objective is part of the plan’s second strategic goal (of four total), which is to “Expand postsecondary educational opportunities, improve outcomes to foster economic opportunity and promote an informed, thoughtful and productive citizenry.”Advance CTE Launches Redesigned Federal Policy Webpage, New ResourcesTo find all of the latest resources related to Advance CTE’s federal policy agenda, check out our redesigned Federal Policy webpage on Advance CTE’s website! The webpage features a new “become a CTE advocate” section. Additionally, check out our new and updated fact sheets, Understanding the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 and Funding CTE: An American Imperative on the Perkins page. Advance CTE members can also access additional federal policy resources on the members-only webpage.Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy