DC Shuttle …
NEBHE, NEC Leaders Pen Talent Pipeline Op-Ed. New England Council President Jim Brett joined New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) President Michael K. Thomas to author an op-ed on developing a regional talent pipeline. Brett is a member of NEBHE’s Commission on Higher Education & Employability. The commission recently released an 18-point strategy to increase the career readiness of graduates of New England colleges and universities and improve their transitions to work.
Perkins CTE Reauthorization Signed into Law. President Trump signed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2353), a reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. It’s the first time the law has been reauthorized since 2006. The law will provide $1 billion annually in support to states for secondary and postsecondary skill training. The House passed the reauthorization (H.R. 2353) in late July, just days after the Senate passed its legislation (S. 250) unanimously. It is the first significant piece of education legislation to be signed into law during this presidency. The full text of the bill can be found here. Among many changes and updates, the bill eliminates a negotiation process between states crafting goals for their career and technical education programs and the education secretary. Instead, states would set their goals and the secretary would approve them. The president celebrated the signing during an event at Tampa Bay Tech high school with U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Ivanka Trump, who had pushed Congress to pass the bill.
Department of Education Official Details Deregulation Agenda. Diane Auer Jones, the Education Department’s principal deputy under secretary and assistant secretary for postsecondary education, said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed that the department plans to increase innovation through deregulation and accreditation reform
Bill to Address teacher Shortages Introduced in Senate. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act, which would amend the Higher Education Act to address teacher and principal shortages in rural communities, special education, English language education and STEM. The bill would expand the Teacher Quality Partnership grant by increasing the number of eligible districts and boost support for teacher-prep programs at minority-serving higher education institutions. The bill would also require colleges and universities with teacher-prep programs to compile yearly reports on the number of licensed teachers they’re producing. States would use that data to come up with quantifiable goals to address teacher shortages. The bill would also require that the Education Department place that data in an annual report on the state of teacher preparation. View a section-by-section of the bill here. Edweek has more.
School Safety Commission Holds Discussion, Plans Listening Session. The administration’s Federal Commission on School Safety held a discussion in Pearcy, Arkansas on “Proactively Protecting Our Schools.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the only commission member in attendance. Secretary Mick Zais represented Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who chairs the commission The event focused on the relationships between schools and law enforcement. The commission announced that it will hold its third “listening session” in Cheyenne, Wyo. Federal officials will hear from representatives of state and local governments during the daylong event, in addition to members of the public. Previous listening sessions have been held in Washington, D.C., and Lexington, Ky. The Education Department announced last week that it is accepting applications for competitive grants to states that want to better help school districts develop plans in the event of an emergency.
New Vermont Secretary of Education Appointed. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott appointed Dan French as the state’s next secretary of education. French is a school superintendent and former high school social studies teacher, and previously was president of the Vermont Superintendents Association. French will replace Rebecca Holcombe, who resigned suddenly earlier this year, reportedly over disagreements with Scott’s education policies. The Burlington Free Press reports.
We publish the DC Shuttle each week featuring higher ed news from Washington collected by the New England Council, of which NEBHE is a member. This edition is drawn from the Higher Education Update in the Council’s Weekly Washington Report of Aug. 6, 2018. For more information, please visit: www.newenglandcouncil.com.
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