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Earlier this week I went to the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE) Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting at the Department of Education - or for short – the NACTE IAP at the DOE. The NACTE (formerly the National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE)) is legislatively mandated report that looks at evidence of the implementation and outcomes of CTE and the Perkins Act of 2006. The last NAVE took place in 2004 and looked at the Perkins Act of 1998.

The IAP is made up of education and workforce policy experts, education researchers from universities and associations, state directors of CTE, and representatives of business and industry.  The IAP has three responsibilities for the NACTE: identify the key policy and research questions that the NACTE will address; review research designs and projects being considered for funding and use in the final NACTE report; and receive and help analyze the results of the selected research studies. The actual NACTE report will be written by Department of Education staff. The IAP has the option to release its own report and will be doing so.

The final NACTE report is scheduled to be delivered to Congress in July 2011. Currently the NACTE and the IAP are still in the first stage, identifying the key policy and research questions.

What I found most interesting about these meetings is hearing about the research that is being looked at by the IAP. There were four presentations on various outcomes of CTE at the city (Philadelphia & San Diego), state (Florida) and national level. Being a research geek, I was in heaven as the presenters talked about various methodologies used, case studies and randomized selection processes, and explained their results. I was in awe of how quickly the panel digested the information and found areas that the researchers had not looked at that would make the results from the studies more accurate. I will spare you the details, which were many. There was also a discussion on the proposed implementation study of the Perkins Act of 2006. The plan is to look at how well the new accountability systems promote program improvement, how states and local agencies are creating Programs of Study, and how the new Perkins Act requirements are changing how states fund CTE. I talked to Steve Klein of MPR about how the ACTE State Profiles project could help during the early stages of the implementation study.

The NACTE report could have a significant impact on CTE as it is the official position of the Department of Education on the effectiveness of the Perkins Act and CTE. There are still plenty of IAP meetings yet to come and more information to analyze. ACTE will have at least one person at all the meetings, which are open to the public, to keep an eye on how things are going.

Today I attended a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) “listening session” hosted by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The session lasted half a day and presented an opportunity to offer written and verbal commentary regarding how organizations would like to see WIA reauthorized. The HELP Committee Democrats, led by Chairman Edward Kennedy, and Republicans, led by Ranking Minority Member Michael Enzi, have historically worked well together. This session included both Democrat and Republican staff who voiced their intent to continue to work together on WIA as one of their first points of business in the new Congress.

Groups from the education, workforce, union and business sectors presented. There were a number of areas of agreement. Most groups voiced that the reauthorization is long overdue and that Congress should work steadily to pass a new law. Reauthorization work has stalled over the past few years despite its importance. Several groups noted that the reauthorization will start from a different place this year due to a new president-elect, and the financial crisis and faltering economy which will impact funding and workforce needs. Many agreed that it is important that the new WIA increase training to prepare job seekers for career employment providing a living wage, rather than for “dead end” jobs that only meet immediate workforce needs. 

There were also points of disagreement. Many of the differences in opinion related to the way that Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) operate. Some groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers called for greater business input related to the WIBs. The AFL-CIO called for a top-to-bottom examination of WIA activities and indicated that the free-market ideology and push of WIA decisions to the local level needed reevaluation, while the U.S. Conference of Mayors said WIA should be guided by local control. Other recommendations included a greater state flexibility in combining their WIA funding streams designated in the law, and more focus related to disadvantaged populations.

It was a long morning. Let’s be honest…how much can you take in when you hear 20-30 formal presentations one after another. However, this was only the beginning. The Committee promised futher opportunity to provide input and feedback and this first important meeting will help staff as they begin to craft new WIA proposals. ACTE has WIA information and positions on our Web site that were reflected in our written comments presented to the Committee.

Have you ever wondered where the tote bags you get at registration come from? We stuff them. Over a three day period, the ACTE staff stuffs 5000 tote bags. This year each bag had 14 items, for a grand total of 70,000 (!) items stuffed. The staff breaks up into teams for two separate competitions to see how fast each team can stuff 500 bags. While this is a friendly competition, there have been some incidents of foul play…Pete, I am looking at you… Every ACTE staff member is involved in stuffing. For at least one hour every morning, Jan is up there stuffing bags and telling stories. Pete usually comes up with something to wear that is good for a laugh. If you get a chance at convention, ask him what he wore this year for stuffing. And periodically, dance contests break out when good songs come on the Ipod.

And then there is packing. Right now there are no fewer than seven staff members packing boxes for shipping. Jamie Baxter is hurrying to finish packing the auction items for the Networking Reception and putting the final touches on the CTE Support Fund board. Stop by the table and see all her hard work. Jamie Bennett is packing what looks to be her entire office for convention. Seriously, she is a true pro at getting all the needed materials packed.  Kudos also need to go to Cara DiMattina for being the point person on creating and maintaining the inventory list for all of ACTE. The technical term for her job this week is “Herding Cats.”

I hope this gives a little humorous insight to what the ACTE staff is going through in preparation for convention. We hope you come to Charlotte and join us.

Jason

Lots of our advocacy work here in Washington involves meeting with other organizations. Washington seems to have more meetings per capita than most places and unfortunately, many of these events involve speaking with like-minded people who work in the same “silos.” In this era of change, I have to wonder how much we are accomplishing if we only continue to “preach to the choir.”

I attended a “Multiple Education Pathways Learning Exchange” meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor this week that breaks this mold. The event brought together labor, education, workforce and other practitioners from different sectors to communicate with each other about what is working in their communities to help educate disadvantaged students. “Multiple pathways” in this meeting meant different routes to get these students through the education pipeline and into good jobs. There were folks from mayors’ offices, school districts, Chambers of Commerce, labor and education agencies, community based organizations and other fields. The great thing about the meeting is that it brought groups together that don’t normally work together, or which do not always work well together in a seamless capacity.

You will be happy to hear that career and technical education was prominently featured at the meeting and that there was lots of interest on how to leverage CTE to support these populations. The CTE breakout session room was “bursting at the seams” (I’m sure we violated fire code!) and there was lots of energy and interest from attendees. Many asked good questions related to applied learning research, career pathways and early college programs. Later in a luncheon session featuring business leaders, Martin Bean with Microsoft Corporation was asked to give his “elevator speech” to convey what is needed to improve education today. A key part of his message focused on the importance of incorporating CTE in all of education, presumably so that more students are engaged in learning and better prepared for the workforce.

I met lots of good contacts at this conference and connected with some education colleagues that I see at all of the other meetings I regularly attend (okay…so I guess connecting with others in the education “silo” isn’t all bad.) I spoke to a lot of local practitioners in workforce, youth and labor programs concerning the value of CTE and noticed that ACTE’s issue briefs which I had left on the “give away” table were all gone after the first day. There is a lot of interest in CTE – that is for sure. I hope this meeting concept of working outside of the normal silos will be replicated and supported at the state and local levels. It helped give me some good contacts and ideas related to ACTE’s work.

All week, Education Sector, an independent education “think tank,” will be hosting an online discussion on defining and measuring 21st century skills. The discussion is part of the release of the organization’s new report Measuring Skills for the 21st Century. Policy analysts and other experts will be on hand to answer questions and post opinions, and the public is invited to participate.

This is a great opportunity to share more about CTE and to help influence this important discussion. It is also an example of how the national education reform conversation is shifting and becoming more inclusive of a broad range of skills needed by students for success in postsecondary education and work.

For example, consider this comment from Paul Curtis of the New Technology Foundation:

“I think internships are an important piece of a well rounded education experience because it gets students thinking about next steps and allows them to see why these skills are important to their future. However, I think it is more important, and more difficult, to change the teaching practices in our core content classes so that math, science, history and language arts ask students to apply what they have learned.”

The challenge mentioned by Curtis is one CTE faces on a regular basis. We at ACTE are hoping to address the better integration of applied learning into traditional academic courses through the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

We encourage you to take part in the discussion! It is a great opportunity to share how CTE is preparing students with 21st century skills and to ask questions about how CTE could play a bigger role in this national effort.

Finally, we can see a change on its way to Washington! I must say, I am happy that this election is over. Regardless of who was elected President last night, I am very happy that the Bush Administration will not have a chance to introduce another budget proposal that zeroes out Perkins! Going into yesterday’s election both candidates have seemed somewhat supportive of CTE, although there is more work to be done on that front. Senator McCain’s platform addressed CTE as a key component in the economy, and Senator Obama has continually showed his support by signing “Dear Colleague” letters which asked the Appropriations Committee to increase Perkins funds. I knew that no matter who won the election, we would have a better chance of having an ally in the White House.

I think Senator Obama will bring a lot of energy and a positive change to Washington. This election was truly historic. Not only will Senator Obama be the first African American elected President, but he changed the landscape of how political campaigns are run. The Obama campaign raised a record high amount and used most of the resources to open regional offices across the country and successfully run large voter registration campaigns throughout the country, especially in swing states (i.e. Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Florida, etc…). Recently I met with the lead staff member who heads the Republican Senatorial Campaigns, he said, “whether or not Senator Obama wins, he has forever changed the way campaigns are run.”

Am I happy Obama won? Yes. Would I have been happy if McCain won? Yes. Why? Because CTE deserves better than the Bush Administration… and with numerous attempts to zero out Perkins, anyone would have been better!

On a sad note, two of our biggest supporters saw their time in Congress come to an end last night. As we’ve known for most of the year, Representative John Peterson (R-PA) will retire at the end of the year, and his seat was filled last night by Republican Glenn Thompson. More unexpectedly, Rep. Phil English, co-chair of the Congressional CTE Caucus, was defeated in his race for re-election. Both of these Members have been real leaders for CTE and we will miss them!

Hi all! I am one of those crazy people that got up early this morning to vote. In Virginia, they open the polls at 6 a.m., and I got there around 5:50 a.m. I had about 150 to 200 people in front of me, and I was able to get through and vote within an hour! My polling place had a great system, and the line moved smoothly.

As I waited in line, I talked to people and asked if the line was longer than in years past, and they said yes. A few of them are voting for the first time, and they wanted to vote early. In the 2004 Presidential Election, I waited 2.5 hours in South Carolina to vote, and I got there at 7 a.m. I love seeing people getting out and exercising their right to vote!

Another incentive for you to vote today is Starbucks is giving people a free tall coffee or in some places a free upgrade (e.g. in Florida a grande to a venti). Be sure to ask for it when you go! After I voted this morning, I called my brother in Florida. He was waiting in line to vote (polls open at 7 a.m.), and he said that he had 30 people in front of him. I then went to Starbucks and got some coffee! Yumm… Although the lines may be long today, please go out and vote, and then share your experiences with us!

There are only two full days left until the election – and every media outlet reminds me of that constantly. I had heard reports on the news about huge turnouts in all the states with early voting, including mine (Florida) but really hadn’t thought too much about it. That was until I tried to vote today – twice.

My husband and I loaded up our daughter and headed to the nearby public library to vote this afternoon. As we approached the building, there were cars parked all along the side of the road – not a good sign. We stopped some people walking back to their cars with “I Voted” stickers and asked how long they waited. The answer was a whopping 2.5 hours, and they reported that the line was still just as long. We reluctantly headed home, vowing to try again later. While we each were willing to wait that long to vote if it became necessary, our one-year-old certainly wasn’t!

We drove back by tonight and found the same line, so are now resigned to voting on Tuesday with most of the rest of the country. And you know what, even if I have to stand in line longer than 2.5 hours, I’ll be there – because I truly believe that voting is my civic duty and a privilege, and because I know firsthand that every vote counts.

See, I was also a Florida voter during the 2000 Presidential elections (remember those hanging chads?), and as a college student living away from home, cast one of the absentee ballots that got so much attention during that contested race. My vote actually got counted a number of times in that election! Regardless of what you thought, or think now, about the outcome of the 2000 election, it was one of the greatest civic lessons of all time.

I worked a seasonal job in the Florida House of Representatives during college, so was in a prime location to witness the ordeal. The images from that time will be permanently seared in my mind. There were rows and rows of media satellite trucks surrounding the Capitol building, bouquet after bouquet of flowers being delivered to Katherine Harris’ office in sympathy for her situation, and CNN seemingly broadcasting live around-the-clock from our Capitol steps. It was quite a surreal experience.

Until that time, I had been interested in politics and the political process, but had never really believed that my one vote could make a difference. I certainly changed my mind after that election. So, I urge you to head out and vote on Tuesday (if you haven’t already – perhaps your attempts at early voting were more successful than mine). Take time to research the candidates and issues, and make your voice heard! We’ll be posting more about our voting experiences on Tuesday, and please come to the blog and share yours as well.

I always hated when people said that they “couldn’t afford to go to college.”  Surely, if I made it, I with a single Mom, tons of loans, work study, a Pell Grant and a part-time job, others could figure out a way to do it too. However, after the meeting I attended this morning sponsored by the Committee for Education Funding, I am learning that today people just simply cannot afford a postsecondary education. It isn’t that they don’t want to attend, it is that they just simply can’t. And…what makes this even more depressing? It is just simply going to get worse.

Apparently, the economy is having a rough time. I must admit, not having any money in stocks, barely having anything in a 401K, no mortgage, and no assets (now I’m getting depressed), the crash of the markets did not directly affect me, and all of the terminology is way over my head. What I realized today is that although the market decline of the last few weeks did not directly affect me, the aftermath will.

In the next few years, millions of workers will be laid off and will have to receive some sort of worker retraining. The catch - most won’t be able to afford to go to a school to get retrained. Student loan companies are not loaning money as freely (or at all) as they once did. Now, to qualify for a student loan you have to fit a list of requirements and in some cases have a credited co-signer. I would like to know how you are supposed to have a credited co-signer when you are the bread winner of your family and you just got laid off. Or, how a student’s parents can be credited co-signers when they are struggling themselves and just want their kids to have a good future. Tuition will continue to rise, especially because with all of the students unable to afford school potentially dropping out, enrollment will go down. There will be fewer skilled workers and higher levels of untrained workers without a job to go to. 

The next President will inherit over a trillion dollar debt, the largest debt in history. Programs are going to have to fight for existance. Today someone asked, “what do we tell schools, when they ask what they can expect in 4 years?” The answer? “less… less of everything.” I think that sums up the next few years for all us, expect less. Now that is some scary stuff.