This is Brad Hull checking back in on the blog after a very long but invigorating day on the Hill.  As a second-timer here at the ACTE National Policy Seminar I attended the Capital Hill 101 session for a second time. Having been involved in other associations that work with the Hill and facilitate constituent feedback to members of Congress, ACTE does a great job of explaining and preparing their members for efficient and effective visits. As with last year, I really enjoyed the student presentation about how to do a high quality Hill visit. Of course, any time we can involve young adults in understanding how our democracy works in reality is time very well spent. 

Having worked for a lobbying association on K street for a number of years, I'm always impressed with the great work of the ACTE policy division in advancing the organization's initiatives and in preparing us to participate in the democratic process on the national level.

On Tuesday, I spent the majority of the day walking the Hill. Senator Leahy has a regularly scheduled Green Mountain Coffee hour and so I was able to meet with him and chat briefly about the work of CTE in Vermont. VT of course has 2 senators (Leahy and Sanders) but because it is such a small state we only have one representative (Welch). It is always empowering to have conversations with staffers who listen and contribute to the discussion. In addition to having some great conversations with folks from back home, one of the interns in Senator Leahy’s office introduced herself. She was a graduate of my school and her sister was currently taking a forestry class offered through the CTE center. Overall, it’s a great experience to share your understanding of the issues with national lawmakers.

Mike Brode with HOSA checking in on day two of the National Policy Seminar. Today started off with a fantastic breakfast provided by the US Army Recruiting Command. Following a healthy start to the morning Col. Ken Sullivan, Deputy Commander of the US Army 1st Recruiting Brigade, was able to share great opening comments about the importance of education for our soldiers who often act as ambassadors during their normal duties abroad.  It is really amazing to think we all are ambassadors for all we are involved in, and here in D.C. we are the ambassadors for career and technical education.  Following Col. Sullivan’s remarks we were lucky to have Jane Oates, the Assistant Secretary for the US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, speak of the link between students learning “soft skills” and educators working with local One Stop facilities to assist with the education of “soft skills.”  Secretary Oates was also kind enough to open the floor to questions and comments from those in attendance.  It seems to be a rare opportunity to have an important government official listen to the request of all educators and it is very much appreciated when this happens.

Following the Opening Session it was off to the Hill.  Meetings with Senators, Representatives, and their staff members continued to be positive and seemed to make progress.  The meetings continued with a special meeting with the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.  Secretary Duncan was very receptive to the importance of educating students with the skills and knowledge to be able to easily find a position in the workplace upon graduation of secondary or postsecondary program.

Over the past two days it has been a great opportunity to share the message of career and technical education with government officials and the message has been very well received, so it looks like lots of progress ahead!

Mike Brode with HOSA checking in from Washington at the end of the first full day of the ACTE National Policy Seminar.  What an action packed day full of growth for students, educators and career and technical education!  There was an excellent start to the day with student leaders from across the country gathering together during the first student leadership strand session to network and “Make the Connection!”

Following the leadership session it was off to Capitol Hill to meet some of the most influential men and women in the country in the Senate Office Buildings.  It was a terrific opportunity to share how vital career and technical education is to the success of students in postsecondary education and the workplace with the government leaders and I was very pleased to see how receptive the Senators and their staff members were.  How have your visits with Senators and Representatives grown the relationships between your government officials and your school and its programs?  Are there any best practices you would share with someone planning to meet with their Senator or Representative?

In the evening the student leaders were thrilled to have Lt. Col. Brad Letner with the US Army present the US Army’s Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). It was really beneficial to be introduced to a systematic approach to making decisions for the organizations we lead, and it didn’t hurt to have a little pizza, too!  More to come tomorrow as we continue to share the importance of CTE with leaders in the Nation’s Capital.

This is my second time here at the ACTE National Policy Seminar. Overall, I think it’s a great opportunity to network with other CTE professionals and advance our initiatives in CTE. And hence I am back for the second time.

My name is Brad Hull and I’m the director of a CTE center in rural Vermont. Although most people think of Vermont as rural overall—which it is—the center that I direct is in the most rural part of the state. Prior to that I worked for the VT Department of Education and engaged with all the CTE centers across the state. I’m happy to be back and hear of CTE across the country and how Washington is currently thinking about this vital component of the education system.

One of the most important things this seminar does for me is it allows me to take a bigger picture. As a school administrator, often I can get caught up in the workings of my own building, or district, or state. This seminar helps me to focus on national priorities and understand what great work other professionals across the country are doing every day. What are other people’s thoughts about one important thing this seminar helps you do or understand?

During the 2010 National Policy Seminar, two attendees will bring their unique perspectives as guest bloggers to the CTE Policy Watch Blog.

Dr. Bradley Hull (l) will share his thoughts on sessions, speakers and visiting with legislators from his viewpoint as director of career and technical education at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont and a former CTE consultant for the Vermont Department of Education.

From the student strand, Mike Brode, president of National HOSA and a sophomore at the University of South Carolina majoring in exercise science, will talk about his experiences at the National Policy Seminar as a student attendee.

Stay tuned to the blog for NPS updates from Mike and Brad. You can view an up-to-date version of the agenda on the ACTE Web site.

By: Sabrina

Yesterday, the Education Department released the names of 15 states and the District of Columbia as finalists for the Race to the Top (RTTT) grant. Finalists will send representatives to D.C. during the week of March 15, and they will interview with the panel that reviewed their applications. Winners will be announced in April.

Here are the finalists for the RTTT Grants:

• Colorado
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvannia
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• DC

One interesting note about the finalist is they all signed onto the Common Core Standards Initiative, which is led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Seven of the states either removed barriers preventing the expanison of public charter schools (Illinois, Louisiana and Tennessee) or advanced policies to stregthen and preserve charters (Massachusetts, Ohio and Rhode Island).

According to a Washington Post article, analysts are surprised about New York, Ohio and Kentucky being finalists and California missing the cut. The Department of Education has said it will award no more than half the funding available for RTTT in the first round (about $2 billion), and the funds will be divided among a few winners. States that applied in the first round but aren't ultimately chosen can reapply for the second round. These applications are due in June.

By: Jamie

On March 4, the House passed a revised version of the Senate’s first jobs package. By a 217-201 vote, the House approved a $17.6 billion bill that focuses on tax breaks for companies hiring new employees, allocations for highway renovations, an expansion of the Build America Bonds program, and a provision that allows companies to write off equipment purchases as a business expense. The vote was close due to opposition from fiscally conservative members who thought the legislation was too costly and liberal legislators who believe that the proposal did not go far enough to spur job creation.

The Senate had passed a $15 billion jobs package on February 24, and then the legislation moved to the House where amendments were added which increased the overall allocations in the bill to $17.6 billion. The legislation will now move back to the Senate for final passage, unless more amendments are added then it will return to the House to be voted on once again.

This legislation is significantly smaller than the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 that the House passed in December. That $154 billion bill focused on many additional issues including education and workforce training. The Senate lacked the votes to pass that large of a bill, so its strategy is to do a series of bills. The $17.6 billion bill is the first in this series.

By: Alisha

Earlier today, the House Science and Technology Committee held a hearing titled, “Reform in K-12 STEM Education.” Committee Chair Bart Gordon opened the hearing by linking STEM education to the country’s economic success. He said, “Our Committee has repeatedly heard that we need more STEM educated graduates and teachers if we want to continue to be leaders in the global economy and maintain a high standard of living for all Americans.”

This idea was repeated numerous times by panelists as they provided the Committee input into the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act of 2007, which focused on increasing STEM-related capacity in education, research and development, and innovation.

The thing I found most interesting about the hearing, however, was the fact that witnesses and Members of Congress alike used so many words and phrases that I identify directly with CTE:

• “motivating and inspiring students”
• “project-based learning”
• “do school differently”
• “community colleges are the front door to the American dream
• “STEM competency for all students”
• “partnerships”
• “pathways”

Several witnesses also talked about the pressing need to show students the application of STEM disciplines to real-world problems in order to stimulate their interests in the subjects and motivate them to pursue related careers. Another witness also cited the "lack of technically trained young people" (although he identified being "technically trained" with getting a bachelor’s degree in a STEM subject).

All these comments reinforced my belief in the critical role CTE has to play in advancing STEM education, (you can read more in ACTE's Issue Brief on this topic) although I was disappointed none of the witnesses seemed to make that connection. This is an area ACTE will continue to work on over the coming months.

By: Steve

On Wednesday, March 3, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing entitled “Building a Stronger Economy: Spurring Reform and Innovation in American Education.” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the sole witness, focused on the Obama Administration’s proposed education budget and plans related to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. He also answered questions about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) and a few other topics.

Most committee members provided positive commentary in response to the Administration’s intent; however, there were a number of specific concerns related to individual program consolidations. Secretary Duncan defended the Administration’s consolidation plan on several occasions during the hearing. In a response to a question asked by Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI) regarding consolidation of after school programs, the Secretary said, “What we are trying to do is fewer things, and do them well.” He explained that the Administration’s plan focuses funding to six big buckets which are built around key issues, and emphasized that the budget continues many formula programs but that the new performance-based funding activities are intended to drive innovation.

There was some skepticism voiced by a few members. Representative Mark Souder (R-IN), while agreeing with the focus of the Administration’s proposals, worried that the Obama education plan amounts to a top-down approach best left to school districts. He also noted serious concern of adding to the federal deficit.

Several Committee members asked about the SAFRA program and the government’s ability to administer the direct student loan program effectively. Secretary Duncan commented that the Department is already working with postsecondary institutions to prepare them for the changes and noted the importance of the new $10 billion is funding that would support community colleges.

By: Steve

The America’s Promise Alliance launched a major new “GradNation” initiative this week, a 10-year campaign to mobilize the nation to address the dropout crisis to enable students to be prepared for success in college, work and life. ACTE is part of the America’s Promise Alliance and joined over 300 other organizations who are part of the Alliance to make the announcement. ACTE Executive Jan Bray attended an event which included an address from President Barack Obama.

The goals of GradNation include ensuring that 90 percent of today’s fourth-graders graduate high school on time and helping to fulfill the goal of being the world’s leader in the proportion of college graduates by 2020. The campaign will especially focus on providing support to the 2,000 high schools with the greatest dropout problems.

Also occurring this week, Achieve, a nonprofit education reform organization created ten years ago by governors and corporate leaders, released its fifth annual "Closing the Expectations Gap" report. The report examines the progress states have made on aligning high school policies with the demands of college and careers. Achieve launched the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network at the National Education Summit on High Schools in February 2005 and their focus on college and career readiness is about aligning state standards, graduation requirements, assessments and accountability systems with the expectations of colleges and employers.

The report says that states have made progress. The findings show that the number of states which have aligned their high school standards in English and mathematics with postsecondary and workplace expectations has moved from five to 31 since 2005, and eight of those states have implemented their reforms in the past year. The findings also indicate progress with respect to accountability, assessments and P-20 data systems.
 

By: Sabrina

In Time/CNN online this week, Ramesh Ponnuru wrote an article entitled, “College Education, Good Jobs: Why Degrees Are Overrated.” His article contends that not everyone is well-suited to go to college and implies it’s unwise that employers use a college degree to judge if a person has the appropriate skills for employment. Society tells students that everyone needs to get a liberal arts degree, but statistics show that the number of people that enter college and graduate is less than 25%. Near the end of his column, Ponnuru mentions that not everyone needs to go to college and provides alternatives like online learning, certification tests and expanding career and technical education.

The column does a great job highlighting other options to college. Research shows that most of the high-demand, high-wage jobs need a postsecondary degree. Although the column highlights the importance of CTE, it starts to revert back to the old way of thinking that CTE is for students not going to college, but the exact opposite is true. Many students in CTE are scoring higher than “other” students and graduating high school with rigorous and relevant CTE courses. An article I read on Friday describes how CTE students in Clarksville- Montgomery County School System in Tennessee outscored the state in academic attainment in reading, language arts, math, technical skills and graduation rate.

Articles like these can be very powerful advocacy tools! It’s critical that CTE educators not only collect data on CTE, but use it to educate the press and your state and national policymakers. Meet with the education reporter and make the connection between graduation rates and test scores to CTE. Educate parents with these statistics and illustrate how CTE has changed! Think about the impact you could make if you showed statistics like those in Tennessee, and help policymakers understand that this is why CTE programs need more money.

By: Alisha

With only one week remaining before ACTE's 2010 National Policy Seminar, we are busy making the final preparations. The agenda is close to being complete, with just a few remaining tweaks to be made this week. Speakers recently confirmed include:

• Teresa Frison, Executive Assistant/Legislative Assistant, Rep. Jerry McNerney’s Office
• Patricia Brennan-Gac, Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to the CEO, Learning Point Associates
• Jennifer McGee, Senior Public Affairs Advisor, Holland and Knight
• Neil Ridley; Senior Policy Analyst, Workforce Development; Center for Law and Social Policy
• Mala Thakur, Executive Director, National Youth Employment Coalition
• David Johns; Senior Education Advisor; Senator Tom Harkin; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Maria Worthen; Education Policy Advisor (Majority); Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
• Sonja H. Trainor, Senior Staff Attorney, Office of General Counsel, National School Boards Association
• Betsy Brand, Executive Director, American Youth Policy Forum
• Gregg Betheil, Senior Executive for Career and Technical Education, New York City Department of Education
• David Wakelyn, Program Director, National Governors Association

This new group of speakers includes several Capitol Hill staff to provide insights into their work, a legal expert to talk about issues related to engaging students in advocacy activities, and an expert on congressional earmarks that can provide insight into helping you secure this funding.  

In recent days, we've gotten several questions about whether the Administration's proposal to combine the Perkins Tech Prep and Basic State Grant programs will be covered at the meeting. We will definitely be addressing this issue during our Issues Briefing and there will be materials in the NPS Legislative Handbook that attendees will receive. In addition, we have alerted OVAE Assistant Secretary Dann-Messier that this is an issue our membership is very interested in.

If you registered for NPS before February 22, you should have received a reminder e-mail from ACTE last week that discussed making appointments with you Members of Congress. If you did not recieve that message or have additional questions, please e-mail ACTE's Advocacy Manager Jamie Baxter and she'll be happy to assist you. We look forward to seeing many of you in a few days!

By: Steve

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, February 24 to discuss how to build a stronger workforce investment system through reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) noted during his opening remarks that current high unemployment statistics combined with businesses’ inability to attract enough qualified workers to fill openings is an indication that there is a disconnect and a lack of access to the type of training and education that many individuals need. Democrats and Republicans on the HELP Committee, who have worked well together, agreed on the need to revamp the WIA system and voiced some frustration over the House of Representative’s inability to make WIA progress to date.

Witnesses testifying before the committee provided a variety of suggestions on how to improve the law. Anthony Carnevale with Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce was encouraged by the Obama Administration’s inclusion of $261 million in the president’s budget to link and break down silos between education and labor departments, which many on the panel agreed was a problem. Several panelists encouraged allowing more flexibility in how WIA funds are spent, noting that federal funding streams and rules are often too rigid. Alignment of WIA programs to encourage more postsecondary degree, certification and apprenticeship completion, and incentives to encourage more Workforce Investment Board collaboration, were also offered as suggestions.

Several senators voiced support for the community college system. Robert Templin with Northern Virginia Community College agreed and communicated that community colleges are often underutilized and need to have a place at the table related to WIA Boards.

View the ACTE-NASDCTEc WIA recommendations on the ACTE Web site.

By: Jamie

On Wednesday, February 24, the Senate passed the first portion of its “jobs bill” package with a bi-partisan vote of 70-28. The legislation now moves back to the House, which passed a much larger piece of legislation, the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010, in December. The Senate’s $15 billion bill includes a range of tax credits for hiring new employees and allocations for highway renovations. The $154 billion bill that the House passed focused on many additional issues including education and workforce training. The Senate’s strategy was to break the Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 into a few individual bills to increase chances of gaining bi-partisan support and reduce opposition.

Currently, some Representatives are concerned about the legislation because of its impact on the federal deficit while others believe that the bill does not go far enough to address the current economic crisis. Despite these concerns, the legislation is scheduled to be voted on the House floor on Monday, March 1.

ACTE is currently tracking this legislation and will provide updates to the CTE Policy Watch Blog as soon as the legislation moves.

By: Jamie

Earlier today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan testified before the House Budget Committee about the Administration’s FY 2011 budget proposal. During this hearing a few members of the committee expressed concern about the proposed increase in the Department of Education’s budget during a time while the budget deficit is continuing to grow. Secretary Duncan responded to this by saying, “I think we need to educate ourselves to a better economy.” He continued by saying that the best investment the American people can make is investing in education and holding the Department of Education accountable.

In addition to the deficit, a few committee members expressed their concern with the department moving toward a block grant structure and proposing to expand competitive grants for key education programs. These members of the committee feel that this structure would provide “winners and losers” and not provide for every child that is in need. Secretary Duncan assured the committee that the department is committed to helping every child become career and college ready.

In regards to higher education, Secretary Duncan addressed the struggle in the Senate to finalize the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which would move all student loans to the Department of Education and includes a substantial influx of money for community colleges. The secretary stressed that they are working with the Senate to get this legislation passed. He also discussed the need to increase capacity for community colleges and labeled job training in community colleges as a “hidden gem” that needs to continue to flourish and train students for high-wage, high-demand jobs like sustainability, health care, technology, etc.

For more information regarding the president’s budget proposal for FY 2011 please see the ACTE’s Web site.

By: Steve

Following up on an earlier commitment to work in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on February 24 to expand access to quality charter schools. Chairman George Miller (D-CA) opened the hearing with a statement supporting charter schools and noted the Obama Administration’s prioritization of charter schools in the Race to the Top initiative. As a result of this prioritization, Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee and California have already changed their laws to become eligible.

The hearing included introduction and discussion about H.R. 4330, the “All Students Achieving Through Reform (All-STAR) Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO). Rep. Polis, who was newly elected to the 111th Congress in the last election, is a former charter school administrator and helped initiate two charter schools in his home state of Colorado. The All-STAR bill seeks to expand and replicate charter schools.

While the All-STAR legislation received support from charter school advocates who say that current limits on the number of charter schools are either arbitrary or a tactic to protect other public schools from student attrition, panelist Greg Richmond of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers was critical of the measure because of what he characterized as a lack of focus on maintaining high standards and ensuring charter schools are accountable to those standards.

A significant portion of the hearing also dealt with the complex issue of ensuring that special populations such as students with disabilities and English language learners are included as part of the charter school population. Rep. Polis noted that 365,000 students are on waiting lists to be accepted into charters.

By: Sabrina

Today, ACTE, DECA, FCCLA and Education Daily toured CTE programs and academies at Falls Church High School in Arlington, Virginia. It was a great visit! Students and teachers discussed the importance of CTE and its impact in their life. All of the students loved the hands-on learning and experience they received in and outside the classroom. We toured a number of programs including marketing, auto tech, business, technology, culinary arts, dental careers, EMS, practical nursing, pharmacy tech, criminal justice and exploring health careers.

During the marketing class, four students talked about their experience with learning how to write business plans, developing their communication and creativity skills, and gaining experience in the real world. Students in the marketing class worked with culinary students to create their own coffee, which they have marketed to the community and along the east coast. In three years, the students have made more than $10,000 selling coffee with the profits going into their technology fund and other projects at the school. The students showed passion about marketing, and they said the skills they are learning in the classroom can be translated into any career.

The teachers talked about how these courses are providing students with the knowledge and skills to be competitive in the job market, but also how they give students a leg up when they enter their postsecondary education. Becky Trkula, the practical nursing teacher, told us that students have written her letters letting her know that they have more knowledge about nursing than some of their counterparts in college because of their experience with CTE.

Each year ACTE enjoys visiting a local school to gain a better perspective of how students are learning in the classroom. It helps us advocate for CTE on Capitol Hill and provide media with great stories! During February or any time of year, invite policymakers, media, members of your local chamber of commerce, and other organizations to take a tour of your CTE program. It will provide a great opportunity to showcase how CTE is a great investment!

By: Steve

Earlier this week the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) which represents public officials who lead state education departments, released a new report entitled "Performance Counts: Assessment Systems That Support High-Quality Learning." The paper is intended to add to the conversation about comprehensive systems of student assessment and was written by Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor of education at Stanford University.

Ms. Darling-Hammond was a key education policy advisor to President Obama prior to his election, so it's not surprising that the release of the report came on the same day that the president announced his plans to re-craft the federal Title I ESEA program at a National Governor's Association (NGA) meeting into a competitive initiative focused on college and career ready standards. CCSSO and NGA have been working together on state-developed Common Core standards and the president highlighted the need for quality assessments during his address at NGA.

CCSSO says the report is not an official organization position. At the same time, it likely contains some hints about the Administration's view of how assessments should be addressed in the new ESEA law. The report draws from successful international assessment systems and advocates that an internationally benchmarked standards and assessment system be developed in the United States.

The report commends the focus of "fewer, higher and deeper" standards that are being incorporated into the Common Core state standards, and suggests that performance-based assessments embedded in the curriculum will improve student learning. It also stresses the importance of research-based curriculum development and the integral involvement of teachers with respect to curriculum and assessment scoring development. Read the full report for additional information.

By: Sabrina

Last week the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) released information about a new plan that will allow sophomores in high school to graduate early and immediately enroll in community college courses if they pass a number of tests called board exams. These exams will show if a student has mastered information in courses like math, English, science and history. NCEE hopes this will help reduce the number of high school graduates that need remedial courses when they enroll in college.

The program is modeled after countries like England, Denmark, Finland and Singapore. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided NCEE with a $1.5 million planning grant that will allow NCEE the opportunity to work with eight states to begin the pilot project with coursework starting in 2011. The eight states are Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Each state will have 10-20 schools participating in the program.

A NY Times article discusses how this new plan will help reduce the number of remedial courses at community colleges because it will provide an early warning system to help students understand the skills they need to improve before enrolling in college. Do you think this will provide an accurate assessment to show how prepared students are for the postsecondary level?

By: Sabrina

This year ACTE has developed a contest for members to share their CTE Month stories! You can submit stories about your activities and how you are celebrating CTE Month. ACTE members that send in stories will be entered into a drawing for prizes. There are three categories:

• Best Use of Theme and Logo
• Best Attendance from Government and Community Leaders
• Best Outreach Efforts
  

CTE Month is a great way to educate your community, policymakers and the media about how CTE is an investment in your students and community. Is your school reaching out to your local or national policymaker to visit your CTE program? If so, submit an entry for the Best Attendance category. Right now, states are trying to decide which programs to keep, reduce or eliminate. This is a great time to highlight the impact CTE has with your local and state government officials. For example, Arizona is facing budget cuts in CTE. On Wednesday’s opinion page in the Wilcox Range News, there was an opinion editorial  that described how Arizona’s rural areas will be affected if CTE is cut from the budget. Activities like this can be part of your CTE Month story entry.

There is still time to enter the CTE Month contest! The deadline is March 3. Send a description of your event and you will receive one entry into the contest. You can add an additional entry by providing photos (one entry) and video (one entry) of your event. Members can submit one description, one photo or set of photos, and one video per category. E-mail entries to me and put in the subject line “CTE Month Story” and the appropriate category. ACTE will announce the winners during the second week of March.