March 2022
National Summit for Educational Equity
Public Policy Day is April 27!

This day will feature (1) three panels filled with inside-the-beltway policy experts giving you their perspective on the current status of federal education and workforce development legislation and funding and (2) eight workshops where you can dig into special topics with the experts.

Here are some panel and workshop examples

  • The Status of CTE and Workforce Development Legislation in the 117th Congress: The Advocates Perspective, with Alisha Hyslop, Senior Director of Public Policy, Association of Career Technical Education; Steve Voytek, Federal Policy Advisor, Advance CTE; Katie Spiker, Managing Director of Government Affairs, National Skills Coalition
  • No Dead Ends: How Career and Technical Education Can Provide Today’s Youth with Pathways to College and Career Success, with Taylor Maag, Associate Director, Jobs for the Future
  • Title IX and Sexual Harassment: Changes Under the Trump and Biden Administrations, with Elizabeth Tang, Senior Counsel, National Women’s Law Center

Fiscal year 2022 appropriations update
On March 9, the House passed an omnibus bill in a two-step vote, and the Senate approved the measure in a 68-31 vote on March 10. The bill appropriates $782 billion for defense spending and $730 billion for nondefense spending, as well as $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine. Within the omnibus, the Department of Education was funded at $76.4 billion overall—an 4% increase over FY 2021. This includes many important investments across K-12, postsecondary, and adult education. Other key programs were re-authorized in the omnibus bill, including National Flood Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Violence Against Women Act. President Biden signed the bill on March 15. Learn more from ACTE >>

Administration
President Biden Delivers State of the Union
Advance CTE
On March 1, President Biden delivered his annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. While a significant portion of the speech was devoted to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the President emphasized the importance of education and investments in workforce development. The address also emphasized the important role the American Rescue Plan (ARP) continues to play in helping states, schools, and postsecondary institutions recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, he called for greater investments in community colleges, encouraging lawmakers to, in part, “Invest in America. Educate Americans. Grow the workforce. Build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down.” Read the transcript >>

President Biden Nominates Dr. Nasser Paydar as Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education
Dr. Nasser H. Paydar is chancellor emeritus of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and executive vice president of Indiana University (IU). Throughout his more than 35 years of experience as a higher education leader, Dr. Paydar has championed equitable and affordable access to postsecondary education. He also has placed an important focus on diversifying the higher education workforce. Learn more >>

American Rescue Plan Supports Student Reengagement through CTE 
The Department of Education recently released a new fact sheet highlighting how states and school districts are using American Rescue Plan funds to reengage students and enhance academic learning by expanding career and technical education (CTE) opportunities. As schools help students address lost instructional time, high-quality CTE programs can be a powerful tool to boost school engagement and on-time graduation. Learn more >>

US Department of Labor Announces Apprenticeship Building America Program
On February 23, the Secretary of Labor announced a $113 million federal investment in apprenticeships including pre-apprenticeships and youth apprenticeships: The Apprenticeship Building America Grant Opportunity. This investment expands and diversifies Registered Apprenticeship programs through awards to states and local partnerships, and includes up to $50 million to support equity partnerships and pre-apprenticeship activities. Learn more >>

Frequently Asked Questions about Work-Based Learning Guidelines for Youth
During a February 2, 2022, webinar the Departments of Labor and Education discussed frequently asked questions about laws and regulations when engaging youth in work-based learning (WBL) and work experience activities!

Department of Defense Notice of Funding Opportunity for Community Colleges in STEM
The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) is seeking to strategically fund STEM education at 2-year institutions and Community Colleges (2YI/CCs) through a consortium approach to develop and encourage STEM ecosystems.
Congress
What's Next for Short-Term Pell
National Skills Coalition
Congress has dropped a version of the JOBS Act language (which would expand Pell Grants to people taking high-quality, short-term education and training programs) in bipartisan “competitiveness” legislation that they’re debating right now! Go behind the scenes with NSC's Rachel Unruh and Jennifer Stiddard in the latest Skills on the Hill to find out just how close we are to passing this critical legislation that we've been fighting for for a decade.

US House Passes Bill to Make Pell Grants Available for Retraining Programs
Kathryn Moody, HR Drive
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sprawling omnibus bill Friday with amendments that would make Pell grants available for rapid retraining programs and provide "workers and students accurate, timely, high-quality information to help make decisions about which programs are best for them," according to a statement from the National Skills Coalition. Learn more >>

House Holds Hearing on MSIs’ Role in Ensuring Economic Mobility
On Wednesday, March 2, the House Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment held a hearing focused on how these institutions are effectively serving learners and providing ladders of opportunity for career and economic advancement. In particular, lawmakers focused on strategies these institutions are employing to provide learners with labor market experiences, provide high-quality credentialing opportunities, and partner with employers to make postsecondary-to-career transitions more seamless. View archived webcast of the hearing >>

House Holds Hearing on the Neglected Epidemic of Missing BIPOC Women and Girls
On Thursday, March 3, the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing to examine the disproportionate rates by which BIPOC—Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—women and girls go missing, the disparate treatment their cases receive by law enforcement and the media, and potential solutions to address this crisis. Learn more and watch recording >>

U.S. Senators Introduced the Strengthening STEM Ecosystems Act
The bill, introduced by Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), would establish a grant program within the National Science Foundation to provide funding to STEM Ecosystems and their partners to better connect communities, share knowledge and create pathways for students to enter STEM careers. Read more >>

Congress Passes Emmett Till Bill to Make Lynching a Hate Crime
AP News
On March 7, Congress gave final approval to legislation that for the first time would make lynching a federal hate crime in the U.S., sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law. Read more >>
Supreme Court
What to Know About Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Historic Nomination to the Supreme Court
Smithsonian Magazine
On February 25, 2022, President Biden announced his nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court and will sit alongside the Court's second Black justice, Clarence Thomas. Read more >>
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