From:                              National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity [nape@napequity.org]

Sent:                               Wednesday, June 26, 2013 8:25 PM

To:                                   Nancy Tuvesson

Subject:                          NAPE Public Policy Update for June 2013

 

National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

Public Policy Update
June 2013

 

Congress

 

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has scheduled a markup of the Senate Labor-HHS-ED appropriations bill on July 9 in subcommittee and on July 11 in full committee.

On June 20, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a full committee hearing on reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Testimonies from Alan N. Rosenberg, Vice President, Chief of Staff, and Chief Administrative Officer of the Temple University Health System (Temple Health) in Philadelphia; Steve Partridge, President and CEO of CharlotteWorks in Charlotte, North Carolina; David Mitchell, Administrator for Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; and Beverly E. Smith, Assistant Commissioner of Adult Education for the State of Georgia were present.

On June 19, the House Republicans on the Education and the Workforce Committee introduced their ESEA reauthorization proposal, the Student Success Act (H.R.5). A markup of the bill occurred on June 19, 2013. On June 11, the Senate HELP Committee approved the Democrats' ESEA reauthorization bill, the Strengthening America's Schools Act, on a party-line vote of 12-10. HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) plans to move the bill to a floor vote this year. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), whose ESEA reauthorization proposal substitute was voted down by the committee, stated that he plans to amend Senator Harkin's bill significantly when it reaches the floor. Education Week has released a side-by-side comparison of the bills. Additionally, ACTE has released a letter regarding concerns with the Student Success Act (H.R.5).

On June 4, the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology held a STEM Consolidation Hearing to discuss the Administration's STEM consolidation report. Representatives from the Administration included, John Holdren, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Executive Office of the President; Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Assistant Director, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation (NSF); and Leland D. Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education, NASA. The meeting was chaired by Lamar Smith and Eddie Bernice Johnson.

In an op-ed article, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), co-chair of the Congressional CTE Caucus, discussed the importance of CTE programs as an effective method to "educate and train a workforce capable of filling 21st century jobs." He noted the erosion of funding for the Perkins Act, which has lost more than $140 million since 2010. He explained his bipartisan effort with Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), co-chair of the Congressional CTE Caucus, to restore funding for the Perkins Act and announced new legislation to boost comprehensive counseling services for students. The new legislation is co-sponsored with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and authorizes funding for comprehensive career counseling services. The Counseling for Career Choice Act, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), would authorize grants to successful applicants that are prepared to implement comprehensive school counseling programs that align to a statewide counseling framework. The legislation is a companion bill to a bill introduced earlier this year by Sen. Begich.  

Both the House and Senate have targeted the Displaced Homemaker Program for elimination. The program provides workforce development services to a population with significant barriers to self-sufficiency.

The Senate is current debating its bill, S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, in which there are some implications for CTE. The bill provides new resources for STEM education by establishing a STEM Education and Training Account funded by fees related to immigrant employment visas. The new account would provide funding to STEM-related education programs, including in the CTE areas of engineering and IT. A large portion of the available funding (70%) would be directed to general activities in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary STEM programs, with an additional 5% for statewide workforce development programs in STEM areas.

 

Administration

On June 25, 2013, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that the Department of Education has issued a Dear Colleague letter and accompanying pamphlet on supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students under Title IX. This pamphlet updates and expands upon the pamphlet on this topic issued in 1991.

 

NAPE Partners
 

The National Skills Coalition re-released principles for WIA signed by partners, including NAPE. Additionally, the Coalition is holding a webinar on June 25  with a panel of experts to discuss workforce development issues.

On June 20, in honor of the 41st Anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Senator Tom Udall and the National Coalition for Women & Girls in Education (of which NAPE is a partner) held a briefing titled, Title IX, Pregnant and Parenting Students, and ESEA: Supporting Young Parents to Achieve Their Educational Goals.

NDD United released a video designed to highlight the impact that the sequestration and budget cuts have on programs in the non-defense discretionary budget. The video explains the sequestration in easy to understand language.

Publications

  

The Workforce Stakeholders Group, which includes a range of organizations (including NAPE) that are engaged in efforts aimed at people served by the workforce system and programs that support the workforce system, released a Statement on Reforming Job Training Programs in America. The Group recommends that Congress develop a blueprint that would create a comprehensive workforce system that leverages the unique strengths and expertise of its systemic components.  

The Center for American Progress released a report, 300 Million Engines of Growth A Middle-Out Plan for Jobs, Business, and a Growing Economy

 

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About NAPE

  

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) is a national, nonprofit consortium of state and local agencies, corporations, and national organizations that collaborate to create equitable and diverse classrooms and workplaces where there are no barriers to opportunities. Through its Education Foundation, NAPE has been involved in a number of initiatives to increase diversity in America's workforce and to increase opportunities in high-skill, high-wage, high-demand careers. Among these is the National Science Foundation-funded  STEM Equity Pipeline Project, which works with educational systems to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM education.

 

 

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