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Beltway News
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Congress returned to Washington the week of November 17 to debate an overarching stimulus package for the economy as well as possible aid to the auto industry. However, the only accomplishment of the session was the passage of an extension of unemployment benefits. After a public hearing, the leaders of the auto industry were asked to develop restructuring plans so that Congress can better consider ideas on whether to provide billions of dollars of support for that industry. Depending on the outcome of that effort Congress may return again after Thanksgiving for a vote, but no commitments have been made.
Whatever the progress made on the stimulus or auto industry bills, significant work will be occurring in December out of the glare of the public spotlight. Discussions will begin in earnest after Thanksgiving on FY 09 appropriations legislation with the goal of creating an omnibus package of all appropriations bills not yet passed by Congress. This includes the funding bill for the Department of Education. The new Congress (to be sworn in the first week of January) will approve this package in time for it to be ready for Barack Obama's signature after he is sworn in on January 20. This will allow Congress and the White House to begin deliberations on the FY 2010 budget almost immediately after the new president is sworn in without the unfinished work of FY 09 hanging over their heads.
NASDCTEc is continuing to advocate that discussions about Perkins and Tech Prep funding begin at the level stipulated in the Chairman's Amendments to the Labor, HHS, and Education Bill as discussed by the House Appropriations Committee last June. This calls for a $20 million increase for Perkins Basic State Grants, and funding for Tech Prep of $105 million. |
Our address is:
8484 Georgia Avenue,
Suite 320
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
The Mission of NASDCTEc is to provide leadership for career technical education's role in education, workforce preparation and economic development. |
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Upcoming Conferences
2009 Spring Meeting April 6-10, 2009 Lodging at the Hilton Washington, with meetings to be held at the adjacent AED Conference Center
2009 Career Cluster Institute
June 15-17, 2009 Omni Hotel, currently under construction Ft. Worth, TX
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State Director/Member News
Pradeep Kotamraju will be leaving the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to take up the position of the Deputy Director, National Research Center of Career and Technical Education at the University of Louisville, starting in the new position at the Center on January 5, 2009. |
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Publications
Greener Pathways: Jobs and Workforce Development in the Clean Energy Economy, by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, reports on the kinds of jobs needed in the clean energy economy, and the skills needed in the industries of energy efficiency, wind, and biofuels. This report encourages building green career pathways that support the green initiative.
- Assist in student placement decisions
- Accommodate students according to their Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Assess the IEP's quality and accommodation requirements as applied to the CTE instructor's implementation
- Advocate on behalf of special needs students
Developing and Operating School Based Enterprises that Empower Special Education Students to Learn and Connect Classroom, Community, and Career-Related Skills is a guide that provides tools and strategies that enable students to learn a range of academic and career-oriented skills, and apply them to a variety of settings.
Learning to Work, Working to Learn by the National Association of State Boards of Education, charged a Study Group with the task of developing recommendations for state boards of education to consider as they incorporate the role of CTE into their state's vision and plans for education. Recommendations include:
- Provide students with a focus on a career pathway that is rigorous and relevant
- Engage community leaders and industry in effective partnerships
- Integrate CTE and academic coursework and standards, measuring skill and attainment with multiple assessments
- Ensure seamless transitions from high school to postsecondary education for students
- Address recruitment and retention issues for CTE instructors
- Educate stakeholders that CTE is a viable option for students who can prepare for both college and careers
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Facts, Figures and...
Other Good Stuff
The Math Works Toolkit From Achieve provides resources for policymakers and educational stakeholders that makes the case that rigorous math course taking improves workplace and career readiness. Toolkit materials include: Forum Announcement: National Forum for Technology Centers That Work, an initiative of the Southern Regional Education Board. This forum is the first ever conference dedicated to the shared-time centers that serve high school career-tech students. It will be held at the St. Charles Hilton in New Orleans, January 14-15, 2009. For more information contact Deborah Fite at deborah.fite@sreb.org or Ann Benson at gben@brightok.net.
Programs of Study Roundtable Webcast was recently hosted by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, a NASDCTEc partner. It featured moderator Kim Green, with panelists Scott Hess (US Department of Education), Gene Benson (Benson Education Associates), Libby Livings-Eassa (Executive Board member of the National Association for Tech-Prep Leadership), and Mary Gardner (Anne Arundel Community College, MD) who shared their experiences, knowledge and advice on programs of study. A pdf transcript is also available on the website. A Forum on Education in America: Bill Gates spoke about the Foundation's outcomes in working with partners to build models of high-achieving schools, citing overall disappointment amid a few encouraging results. Gates realized that "The disappointing results showed how hard it can be to convert large, low-performing high schools into smaller, more autonomous schools. To be successful, a redesign requires changing the roles and responsibilities of adults, and changes to the school's culture. In some districts, we got tacit agreement to move forward, but then the schools weren't willing to do the hard things-like removing ineffective staff or significantly increasing the rigor of the curriculum."
Melinda Gates also spoke at the Forum, saying "In the next several years, our work will focus on two-year colleges." She also stressed that a focus will be given to incentivizing financial aid on the back end to encourage students to finish school, and to encourage schools to retain students. The Gates Foundation's goal is to double the number of low-income young adults who earn postsecondary degrees by the age of 26. |
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