There’s news this week from the Administration, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and Congress related to Career Technical Education (CTE). Read below to find out more about these updates and where to find recently released resources from Advance CTE.
Administration Releases Priorities for Research and Development 
On July 31, Mick Mulvaney, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies on the Administration’s Research and Development Budget Priorities for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020). The memorandum notes that it “provides guidance to agencies as they formulate their FY2020 budget submissions.” It includes eight research and development priority areas and five priority practices, one of which is “Educating and Training a Workforce for the 21st Century Economy.”
U.S. Department of Labor Posts Notice on Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs
As we reported, the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion (which was called for by President Trump’s June 2017 Executive Order on Expanding Apprenticeships in America) wrapped up its work and submitted its final report in May, which included recommendations around industry-recognized apprenticeship programs. On July 27, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a Training and Employment Notice that includes a framework for industry-recognized apprenticeship programs. The notice describes such programs and notes that they must be “certified as a high-quality program by a third-party certifier that has received a favorable determination from DOL.” The notice includes high-level descriptions of the “policies and procedures that certifiers will be expected to have in place to establish standards, establish certification intervals determined by those industries, evaluate and certify programs focused on outcomes and process, report results, and maintain records.”
U.S. Department of Education Intends to Create Negotiated Rulemaking Committee on Regulations for Federal Student Aid
On July 30, the U.S. Department of Education (USED) announced its plans for establishing regulations for Federal Student Aid programs (which are authorized through Title IV of the Higher Education Act). The Federal Register Notice outlines USED’s intent to create a negotiated rulemaking committee to craft such regulations and that this committee would be divided into two subcommittees: one on “direct assessment programs/competency-based education” and another on: “the eligibility of faith-based entities to participate in the title IV, HEA programs.” The topics on which these committees could create regulations includes, accreditation of postsecondary institutions, definitions for job placement rates and credit hours, distance education requirements, Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grants and more. The notice also announced that USED will collect suggestions for other topics on which the negotiated rulemaking committee could take action through written comments and three public hearings.
Senator Kaine (D-VA) Introduces Legislation to Address Teacher Shortages 
On July 31, Senator Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act (S. 3308) to help address teacher shortages facing the country. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) and the press release for the bill notes that it would:

• “Expand the definition of “high need” districts under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to include those experiencing teacher shortages in rural communities and in areas such as special education, English language, science, technology, engineering, math, and CTE, to allow for access to additional support and improvement;
• Encourage school districts to create partnerships, including Grow Your Own programs, with local community colleges and universities to ensure their programs are educating future teachers in areas where there is a shortage of educators;
• Increase access to teacher and school leader residency programs and preparation training;
• Require states to identify areas of teacher or school leader shortages by subject across public schools and use that data to target their efforts;
• Increase support for teacher preparation programs at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to support a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce.”

You can find the text of the PREP Act and a section-by-section summary online. Advance CTE is proud to support this bill.
In Case You Missed It: Perkins V Resources from Advance CTE
Looking for resources related to the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) that was signed into law last week? Check out  Advance CTE’s Perkins webpage for a summary and analysis of the new law and more.
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate, Federal Policy