ACTE is launching a revamp of our popular Sector Sheet series that describes CTE’s role in growing the workforce for vital industry sectors. Today, we’ve published the first of these updates, CTE: Developing the Energy Workforce. The revised Sector Sheets will include job opportunities in each sector and descriptions of... Continue reading

This week, the U.S. Department of Education launched the Career Z Challenge, a multi-phase prize competition to expand high school student access to high-quality work-based learning (WBL). Perkins-eligible schools, districts and consortiums are invited to share their ideas for creating or enhancing WBL opportunities in CTE programs. Eligible entrants will... Continue reading

Today, ACTE and Advance CTE released their tenth annual report, State Policies Impacting CTE: 2022 Year in Review. In 2022, 36 states enacted 123 CTE-related policy actions across five categories: Industry partnerships and work-based learning Funding Access and equity Data, reporting and/or accountability Industry-recognized credentials The Year in Review publication... Continue reading

ACTE has updated its fact sheet about the economic benefits that CTE programs have for learners and communities across the country. The Investing in CTE map shows just a sampling of CTE's financial impacts across different states and localities: Five years after earning a CTE credential in Ohio, on average,... Continue reading

Today, the U.S. Department of Education released data from states’ Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) submissions for program year 2020-2021 – the first year that states reported performance data under Perkins V. Today’s release includes CTE participant numbers, CTE concentrator numbers and CTE concentrator performance on the Perkins accountability indicators, including... Continue reading

Much of the data we have about the experiences and outcomes of high school students taking part in CTE come from the National Center for Education Statistics’ high school longitudinal studies. Now, NCES is launching a new version of these studies, the High School & Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2022... Continue reading

Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE, concludes with six recommendations for state CTE leaders to consider as they support the second round of CLNAs: Put equity at the center of the CLNA. Continue to... Continue reading

This fourth blog post in our CLNA series based on Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE, explores the role of equity in the first CLNAs. Many states went above and beyond minimum federal requirements... Continue reading

This third blog post in our CLNA series based on Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE, explores data benefits and challenges of the first CLNAs. Several state and local CTE leaders shared with us... Continue reading

This second blog post in our CLNA series digs into one of the key challenges that CTE leaders shared with us for Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, our new report co-published with Advance CTE – the authentic engagement of a... Continue reading

The comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) was an exciting and innovative change under Perkins V introduced to support data-driven decision-making and more closely align planning, spending and accountability activities. As the second CLNA process ramps up, Advance CTE and ACTE interviewed state and local CTE leaders to identify what worked... Continue reading

Perkins V requires that school districts and institutions receiving federal funds conduct a comprehensive local needs assessment (CLNA) at least every two years to gauge how well aligned their CTE programs are to the needs of students, employers and communities. The first CLNA was conducted in fall 2019 and winter... Continue reading

This fall, ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce for the finance sector with current labor market information, descriptions of how CTE prepares individuals for careers in financial services, and examples of exemplary programs in finance. The U.S. economy is rapidly evolving and employers... Continue reading

ACTE has recently updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce for the law, public safety, corrections and security (LPSCS) sector with up-to-date labor market information, descriptions of how CTE prepares the workforce for this sector, and examples of exemplary programs in LPSCS. The LPSCS Career Cluster®... Continue reading

ACTE recently updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the biosciences workforce with current labor market projections, information about how CTE prepares the workforce for this sector, and examples of exemplary programs in the biosciences. The biosciences field has been absolutely critical to combatting COVID-19, and a continued... Continue reading

ACTE’s latest publication, Engaging Families and Communities to Support Special and Underserved Populations in CTE, describes strategies for communicating with, collaborating with and supporting CTE learners’ families and communities, particularly for learners and communities who have been historically underserved. Research has demonstrated that family and community engagement in education has... Continue reading

This August, ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing future service members for the U.S. military and helping veterans succeed in the civilian workforce. This Sector Sheet features details about military occupations and earnings, information about how CTE prepares people with the skills needed in the... Continue reading

Advance CTE and ACTE recently collaborated with a working group of CTE learners, educators and advocates to develop With Learners, Not for Learners: A Toolkit for Elevating Learner Voice in CTE. This toolkit provides state and local CTE leaders with actionable resources, guidance and tools to ensure CTE learner voices... Continue reading

Recently, ACTE updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the aerospace and defense workforce for 2021 with current labor market projections, information about how CTE prepares the workforce for this sector, and examples of exemplary programs in aerospace and defense. The U.S. aerospace and defense industry is a... Continue reading

Satisfaction High for Nondegree Credentials: New survey results from Strada Center for Education Consumer Insights show that people find value in nondegree credentials such as postsecondary certificates, industry certifications and/or licenses, particularly nondegree credentials awarded by community colleges. Survey results demonstrate that: 78% of respondents with a nondegree credential from... Continue reading

ACTE has released an updated Sector Sheet for 2021 on CTE’s role in developing the workforce for agriculture, food and natural resources (AFNR) with the latest labor market projections, descriptions of how CTE prepares the workforce for this sector, and examples of exemplary programs in AFNR. The AFNR sector is... Continue reading

Supporting Transition Through Aligned Advising: Education Strategy Group recently released a new microsite – Making the Connection: Aligning Advising to Improve Postsecondary Access and Success – that makes the case for prioritizing alignment of advising across K-12 and postsecondary education. It shares action steps and resources for different stakeholders, including... Continue reading

Recently, ACTE updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce for transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) with the latest details on occupational demand, the role CTE plays in preparing the workforce for this sector, and descriptions of exemplary programs in TDL. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of... Continue reading

ACTE recently updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce in advanced manufacturing with the latest information on labor market demand, the role CTE plays in preparing the workforce for this sector, and profiles of exemplary programs. Currently, manufacturing is facing a growing skills gap as employers... Continue reading

While COVID-19 has led to many challenges for CTE, the pandemic has also created opportunities for innovation in CTE program delivery. ACTE’s latest publication, High-quality CTE During COVID-19: Challenges and Innovations, generously sponsored by MajorClarity, describes these challenges, shares examples of innovative practices, and provides recommendations for how CTE leaders can better prepare the post-COVID-19 workforce and embrace lessons learned during the pandemic. Continue reading