National Education Policy and
Activity Update
Janet Bray
Executive Director
Association for Career and Technical Education
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National Challenges
• Concern about U.S. student performance, and
particularly performance of minorities and
disenfranchised populations
-high dropout rates;
-Insufficient communications, math and science skills;
-high postsecondary remediation rates; and
-large achievement gaps
• United States global competition
• Improved transitions between secondary and
postsecondary education
• 21st Century Skills
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Global Competition
 The 25% of the population in China with the
highest IQ’s is greater than the total population
of North America
 In India, it’s the top 28%
 In 2002, 59% of all degrees awarded in China
were in engineering and physical science
 In the United States it was 32%
 China has more honors kids than we have kids
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2007 – World Economic Leaders
1. United States
2. Japan
3. England
4. Germany
Source: Goldman Sacks
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2040 – World Economic Leaders
1.
2.
3.
4.
China
India
United States
Mexico
5. Russia
6. Brazil
7. Germany
8. England
Source: Goldman Sacks
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Emerging Labor Market
 The top 10 in-demand jobs predicted for
2010 didn’t exist in 2004
 90% of the fastest-growing jobs will require
an education beyond high school
 49 of 50 highest paying occupations require
a college degree or higher
 Over the past 10 years, jobs requiring
science and engineering skills increased 51%
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U.S. Workforce Challenges
 In a survey of US manufacturers, 90% of
employers reported moderate to severe shortages
of skilled workers
 Over 300,000 skilled IT jobs have gone unfilled
over the last decade because of no qualified
applicants
 52% of teens have little or no interest in
manufacturing career – 21% ambivalent
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U.S. Demographics
 Between 2010 and 2025, up to 95 million Baby
Boomers will leave the U.S. workforce or change
work focus
 Only 40 million Gen X’ers and Y’ers will be
available to replace them
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Workforce Readiness
 Over 400 employers surveyed rated the
workforce readiness of new workforce
entrants as deficient
– 42% of high school grad & GED
– 11% of two-yr college grads
– 9% of four-yr college grads
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U.S. Education Challenge
 The U.S. high school graduation rate is 17th
internationally – with a 73% graduation rate
 One third of all high school students don’t
graduate on time
 The U.S. college graduation rate is 14th
internationally – with a 66% graduation rate
 Among people 18-24, the U.S. ranks 5th
internationally in college enrollment with 35%
of people attending college
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U.S. Education Challenge
 In urban school districts 50-60% of students
drop out of high school
 Up to 55% of college freshmen must enroll in
remedial courses in reading, writing and
mathematics
 One in four freshman at 4-year colleges fail to
return to school for a sophomore year
 One in two freshman in community colleges
fail to return
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The Internet has created
the greatest generation
gap since the advent of
rock and roll.
This Generation
 93% US teens 12-17 used Internet in
2006
 64% created content on Internet – up
from 57% in 2004
 Social networking sites
 Students disengaged
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This Generation…
Teenagers surveyed…
 Use MySpace and Facebook
 Use texting instead of e-mail (parents)
 Nearly 60% would rather use e-mail than
a telephone
 Are likely to have 6 applications running
at once on their PC
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This Generation…
 The “killer application” for today’s
students isn’t You Tube, Facebook,
MySpace, Google, Moodle, Pod-casting or
some Wiki-site
 For digital teens, the one and only “killer
app” is… speed
 Consider this …
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This Generation…
The fastest growing segment of
computer-users today in the U.S.
is 5 to 7 year olds
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This Generation
 Students will expect information to be
delivered through electronic media –
instant messaging
 Technology will challenge the applied
classroom - learning to occur beyond
the traditional classroom environment
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Political Environment
 Economy taking center stage in every discussion
 Calls for bi-partisanship, but in many ways
more partisan than ever
 Short Congressional Calendar
 Only scheduled to be in session 114 days
 Election year
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Obama Administration
 Highest proportion of college graduates by
2020
 All Americans enroll in at least one year of
higher education or job training
 Programs of Study - alignment of
secondary/postsecondary
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American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act
 $787.2 billion enacted 2/17/09
 Approximately 35% tax cuts and 65% spending
 74.2% of spending and tax breaks would go out
by the end of FY 2010
 Was expected to create/save 3-4 million jobs
 Major focuses on energy, science and technology,
infrastructure, healthcare, and education
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ARRA Education
Implementation Principles
 Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs
 Improve student achievement through school
improvement and reform
 Ensure transparency and accountability and
report publicly on the use of funds
 Invest one-time ARRA funds thoughtfully to
minimize the “funding cliff”
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ED Four Priorities
 Adopting internationally benchmarked standards
and assessments that prepare students for success
in college and the workplace
 Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining
effective teachers and principals
 Building data systems that measure student
success and inform teachers and principals how
they can improve their practices
 Turning around the lowest-performing schools
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ED Race to the Top timeline
 July 24 – announcement made
 Aug 28 – comments due in response to draft
criteria
(CTE and NASDCTEc submitted joint comments)
 Fall 2009 – applications accepted
 January 2010 – 1st round applications due
 April 2010 – 1st round of awards made
 June 2010 – 2nd round of applications due
 Sept 2010 – 2nd round of awards made
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Department of Labor
 Total funding of $3.95 billion including:
– $500 million - adult employment and training
activities
– $1.2 billion - youth activities, including summer
employment programs for youth
– $1.25 - dislocated worker employment and training
activities
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Department of Labor
– $200 million - dislocated workers assistance
national reserve
– $50 million - YouthBuild activities
– $750 million - competitive grants for worker
training and placement in high growth and
emerging industry sectors
• $500 million set aside for training in careers in energy
efficiency and renewable energy
• Priority for remaining funds is health care sector
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Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (NCLB)
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Largest federal elementary/secondary bill
Originally due to be reauthorized in 2007
Work stalled in the 110th Congress
New regulations issued from U.S. Education
Department in late 2008
 Secretary Duncan has called for action and
Congress likely to respond but upcoming elections
likely to stall progress
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FY 2011 Budget Outlook
 One word: Grim
 Increases in education funding will be very
difficult
 Budget experts believe that Congress needs
to adopt a timeline to balance the budget
through both revenue increases and
spending reductions
 Debt may continue to grow
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FY 2010 Appropriations
 FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services and
Education bills signed into law in December, 2009
 Total Labor, Health and Human Services and
Education Appropriations increased by $8.5
billion over FY 2009
 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act funded at FY 2009 levels- $1.3 billion
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FY 2010 Appropriations
 New initiatives were proposed in the Department of
Education and the Department of Labor that could
benefit CTE
– $40 million for Green Jobs Innovation Fund
– $45 million for a transitional jobs program
– $50 million for High School Graduation Initiative
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FY 2011 President’s Budget
 President Obama released his proposed
budget on Monday, February 1, 2010
 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Act was
funded at FY 2010 levels - $1.3 billion
 The president proposes to consolidate Tech
Prep with Basic State Grants.
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FY 2011 President’s BudgetDept. of Education Allocations
 Programs in the Department of Education saw increases
and changes
– 38 programs were proposed for consolidation and six
programs were eliminated
– ESEA received a $3 billion increase, including an
expansion of Race to the Top
– Additional $1 billion for ESEA would be available by a
budget amendment if Congress reauthorizes ESEA
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FY 2011 President’s BudgetDept. of Education Allocations
 Maximum Pell Grant award proposed at $5,710 for
low-income students
 $10.6 billion proposed for pending Student Aid and
Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA)
 $3.5 billion over five years proposed for the College
Access and Completion Fund
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FY 2011 President’s BudgetDept. of Education Allocations
 Additional Programs in the Department of Education
budget that could have an impact on CTE:
– 500 million to continue the Investing in Innovation program
– $25 million for a new STEM initiative in the Fund for the
Improvement of Postsecondary Education
– Consolidated College Pathways and Accelerated Learning
program (not new funding; composed of existing programs)
– $612.3 million for Adult Basic and Literacy Education State
Grants
– $2.3 million for the Women’s Educational Equity program to
recruit women and girls to STEM
– $30 million for the Workforce Innovation Fund
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FY 2011 President’s Budget
 In the Department of Labor theme is “Good
Jobs for Everyone”
– $14 billion in discretionary spending, down from
$14.3 in FY 2010
– $10.9 billion for the Employment and Training
Administration
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FY 2011 President’s BudgetDept. of Labor Allocations
 Programs that benefit CTE highlights:
– $85 million for Green Jobs Innovation Fund
– $40 million for transitional jobs
– $13.75 million for the department's data quality
initiative
– Funding for the Career Pathways Innovation Fund
(formerly Community-based Job Training Grants) are
eliminated and funds are moved to the American
Graduation Initiative in the SAFRA legislation
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Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010
 House passed Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010
(H.R. 2847) on December 16
 This $154 billion legislation is crafted to create
jobs and address the needs of the unemployed
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Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010
 Highlights of the House bill that could impact CTE:
– $4.1 billion for school renovation grants
– $500 million for summer youth employment in the Workforce
Investment Act
– $300 million for college work study
– $750 million for job training in “high growth fields”; specifically
green and health care industries
– $23 billion for an education jobs fund—this money will be
funneled through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s
State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to help states save and create
250,000 new education jobs over two years
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Jobs on Main Street Act of 2010Speculation
 President encouraged Senate to pass similar legislation to
the House in his State of the Union Address
 Senate will have to break the legislation into pieces due to
lack of bi-partisan support and will focus on:
– Tax credits for businesses to hire new employees
– Unemployment benefits
– Investing in America’s infrastructure, including highway
and school construction
– Providing aid to states to hire and retain teachers,
firefighters, and police officers
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Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
 Over 10 years since the bill was reauthorized
 Bill died in 109th Congress and little action in the
110th Congress
 Senate held listening sessions in late 2008 and
spring 2009
 House held hearings last year
 Momentum has stalled (at least for the time being)
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Administration WIA Priorities
 Goals for WIA Reauthorization:
–
–
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–
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Streamlining service delivery
One-stop shopping for high-quality services
Engaging with employers on a regional and/or sectoral basis
Improving accountability
Promoting innovation and identifying and replicating best
practices.
– Funding will increase for WIA’s Adult, Youth and Dislocated
Worker grants, however, will be set aside for “Workforce
Innovation Fund” grants.
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Energy Sustainability Priorities
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Develop and fund programs which address
need for high-wage, high demand careers
Train educators about new
sustainable/“green” technologies
Modernize and upgrade CTE facilities and
equipment
Support infusion of energy sustainability
concepts throughout curriculum
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GREEN Act
 H.R. 1775 introduced March 30
 Sponsored by Rep. Jerry McNerney
 Grants to develop CTE programs of study and
facilities in areas of renewable energy
 Two components:
– Curriculum grants to partnerships
– Facilities grants
 Curriculum portions included in broader energy
legislation passed by House
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Student Aid and
Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA)
 Supports community colleges, technical colleges and
CTE via American Graduation Initiative
 Funds secondary and postsecondary educational
facilities
 Changes federal student loans to Direct Loan program
in 2010 to pay for new programs
 House passed H.R.3221 on 09/17/09 on a 253-171 vote
 Senate bill pending
 Reconciliation process and health care a factor
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Action Needed
 Link CTE to critical issues:
– Dropout prevention and school improvement
– Economic recovery
– Postsecondary access and completion
 Highlight data and stories that exemplify CTE
relevancy
 Use ACTE Issue Briefs & research
 Stay informed, build relationships and be ready to
act!
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ACTE Resources
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Institute for 21st Century Leadership
Issue Briefs/Position Papers
CTE Policy Watch Blog
Research Clearinghouse Web page
Action Alerts
State Profiles
National Policy Seminar
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Association for Career and Technical Education
1410 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(800) 826-9972
Web: www.acteonline.org
jbray@acteonline.org
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