5 Reasons Perkins Should be Reauthorized this Year

I was most interested to read in Education Week that Reps. Katherine Clark and Glenn Thompson introduced a bill to strengthen the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which is up for reauthorization this year (last reauthorized in 2006). This is good news and Congress should reauthorize the Act this year. Here's why:

1. There's broad, bi-partisan support for career and technical education. 'Nuff said.
2. Recent studies have shown that CTE dual enrollment programming may be a particularly effective high school and college completion strategy.
3. Now that ESSA is in play (requiring States to ensure that their challenging State academic standards are aligned with relevant career and technical education standards), CTE can be better supported and integrated with academic coursework and dual enrollment programs.
4. Greater stakeholder collaboration can be encouraged at the State and Local level, including with industry and business to ensure CTE's relevance to student's postsecondary success.
5. Supporting the incorporation of skilled trade experts into the classroom by investing in building CTE educator effectiveness, recruitment, and compensation, can address some of the specific challenges facing many States and school districts.

Given its many advantages, Congress should commit to ensuring more students have access to high quality CTE opportunities and reauthorize the Perkins Act this year.
- - - - -
Select Resources:
NASBE's Career Readiness and CTE in a Post-NCLB World

Career/Vocational Technical Education on DESE's website, includes frameworks and other interesting info about C/VTE.

Video from a few years back is relevant still: https://vimeo.com/26926766

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education released its report on The Degree Gap June 8, 2016.

NASBE maintains an online State Policy Database of College, Career, & Civic Readiness Regulations Governing Education Systems in the US