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Q and A

produce the highly trained employees that our country needs. Effective, high-quality CTE programs should also be aligned with college- and career-ready standards. Some of the best programs we have seen provide students with a curriculum that combines integrated academic and technical content with strong employability skills. And they provide work-based learning opportunities that enable students to connect what they are learning to real-life career scenarios and choices. The students participating in these CTE programs graduate with industry certifications, licenses and/or postsecondary certificates or degrees that prepare them to be hired in positions within high-growth industry sectors. ACTE: While recognizing that students often do not access education in a linear pattern, there are significant alignment issues that exist between secondary and postsecondary. How do we address this challenge to ensure education is more seamless and manageable for the student? MJK: The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 introduced important changes in federal support for CTE. These changes helped to improve the learning experiences of students, but they did not go far enough to improve quality and incentivize better student and institutional outcomes. Under the alignment principle of our reauthorization blueprint, we are asking states to work more closely with their workforce and economic development agencies to ensure that CTE programs prepare students for in-demand occupations that are based on actual labor-market needs. ACTE: We know that postsecondary education opens the door of opportunity for many students and adults. How do we ensure that more individuals have access to quality affordable postsecondary education, given that it appears to be out of reach for many?
www.acteonline.org

MJK: In this year’s State of the Union address, the President pointed out that it’s more expensive than ever to attend college today. Over the past 20 years, net tuition and fees have skyrocketed at many colleges, universities and career-training programs. We are working to address this problem. For starters, we simplified the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). That helped fuel an increase in the number of aid applicants. We have also invested more than $40 billion in Pell Grants, extending student aid to nearly four million more college students (close to 10 million total) and raising the maximum award to $5,635 for the 2013–2014 academic year—a $905 increase since 2008. What’s more, we have increased by 100 percent the college enrollment of students whose families earn $10,000/year or less. Further, our Administration has also proposed a “Race to the Top” that is focused on college affordability and quality to encourage states to restore their investments in postsecondary education. We also proposed a “First in the World” competitive fund to support the research and innovation we need to identify, replicate and scale high-impact practices and incentivize institutions to hold down costs. And for the first time in history, we have proposed that federal campus-based aid to colleges and universities be aligned with responsible tuition policies, with more funds going to the schools that do a good job of holding down costs, while providing a quality education and increasing their commitment to serve high-need students from traditionally underserved, low-income populations. Overall, the historic investments we have made in federal student aid have helped to keep down the price that families actually pay for college—the net price—over the last few years, especially at community colleges. But the federal government cannot single-handedly solve these challenges. The Administration, Congress, institutions, states, and students and families must all work together to

make college more affordable. ACTE: ACTE has hosted many international delegations over the past few years who have come to learn and replicate our CTE system. Despite this interest and recognition, it does not appear that Americans have the same level of appreciation for CTE. Why do you think this difference of appreciation exists? MJK: A variety of delegations are coming to the U.S. to learn firsthand about successful CTE programs. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) 2010 study noted that CTE has been neglected in many developed nations. This is largely due to the emphasis on general academic education and the role of secondary schools in preparing students for university education, although countries like Germany and Switzerland have had longstanding CTE programs that have received international acclaim. The OECD also noted that CTE has often been accorded lower status because many programs do not lead to or promote the attainment of postsecondary credentials. Nonetheless, many countries are increasingly recognizing the contributions that CTE can make to economic competitiveness. Many of the unskilled jobs which existed in OECD countries a generation ago are disappearing. Instead, countries must now compete on the quality of goods and services they provide, which requires a labor force with a range of trade, technical and professional skills. Often, these skills are best developed through high-quality CTE programs such as those that are being promoted in our Administration’s Blueprint for Perkins Reauthorization.

You can learn more about CTE policy and ACTE’s policy work at www.acteonline.org/policy.

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Techniques October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Techniques October 2012

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