    [House Hearing, 113 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                     PREPARING TODAY'S STUDENTS FOR TOMOR-
                     ROW'S JOBS: A DISCUSSION ON CAREER AND
                   TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   before the

                        SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD,
                      ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

                             COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                               AND THE WORKFORCE

                         U.S. House of Representatives

                        ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

               HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 113-34

                                   __________

      Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce

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                    COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE

                        JOHN KLINE, Minnesota, Chairman

    Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin           George Miller, California,
    Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon,             Senior Democratic Member
        California                       Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey
    Joe Wilson, South Carolina           Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott,
    Virginia Foxx, North Carolina            Virginia
    Tom Price, Georgia                   Ruben Hinojosa, Texas
    Kenny Marchant, Texas                Carolyn McCarthy, New York
    Duncan Hunter, California            John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
    David P. Roe, Tennessee              Rush Holt, New Jersey
    Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania         Susan A. Davis, California
    Tim Walberg, Michigan                Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
    Matt Salmon, Arizona                 Timothy H. Bishop, New York
    Brett Guthrie, Kentucky              David Loebsack, Iowa
    Scott DesJarlais, Tennessee          Joe Courtney, Connecticut
    Todd Rokita, Indiana                 Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio
    Larry Bucshon, Indiana               Jared Polis, Colorado
    Trey Gowdy, South Carolina           Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
    Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania             Northern Mariana Islands
    Martha Roby, Alabama                 John A. Yarmuth, Kentucky
    Joseph J. Heck, Nevada               Frederica S. Wilson, Florida
    Susan W. Brooks, Indiana             Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon
    Richard Hudson, North Carolina
    Luke Messer, Indiana

                        Juliane Sullivan, Staff Director
                     Jody Calemine, Minority Staff Director
                                     ------

                        SUBCOMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD,
                      ELEMENTARY, AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

                         TODD ROKITA, Indiana, Chairman

    John Kline, Minnesota                Carolyn McCarthy, New York,
    Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin             Ranking Minority Member
    Virginia Foxx, North Carolina        Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott,
    Kenny Marchant, Texas                    Virginia
    Duncan Hunter, California            Susan A. Davis, California
    David P. Roe, Tennessee              Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
    Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania         Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio
    Martha Roby, Alabama                 Jared Polis, Colorado
    Susan W. Brooks, Indiana             Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
                                           Northern Mariana Islands
                                         Frederica S. Wilson, Florida

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

    Hearing held on September 20, 2013...............................     1

    Statement of Members:
        Grijalva, Hon. Raul M., a Representative in Congress from the
          State of Arizona...........................................     4
            Prepared statement of....................................     5
        McCarthy, Hon. Carolyn, ranking minority member, Subcommittee
          on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education,
          prepared statement of......................................    32
        Rokita, Hon. Todd, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
          Elementary, and Secondary Education........................     1
            Prepared statement of....................................     3

    Statement of Witnesses:
        Bargas, Alvin M., president, Associated Builders and
          Contractors (ABC), Pelican chapter.........................     6
            Prepared statement of....................................     8
        Britt, Frank F., CEO, Penn Foster............................    21
            Prepared statement of....................................    23
        Fischer, John, deputy commissioner, transformation &
          innovation, Vermont Agency of Education....................    15
            Prepared statement of....................................    17
        Harrity, Dr. Sheila M., principal, Worcester Technical High
          School, Worcester, Massachusetts...........................    10
            Prepared statement of....................................    11

    Additional Submissions:
        Mr. Bargas:
            ``Building Louisiana's Craft Workforce,'' Internet
              address to.............................................    53
            Presentation, dated Oct. 2006, ``Recommendations for
              Confronting the Skilled Construction Workforce Shortage
              in Louisiana''.........................................    53
            Response to questions submitted for the record...........    41
        Mr. Britt, response to questions submitted for the record....    43
        Mr. Fischer:
            National Association of State Directors of Career
              Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), prepared
              statement of...........................................    58
            ``Reflect, Transform, Lead: A New Vision for Career
              Technical Education,'' Internet address to.............    60
            Response to questions submitted for the record...........    46
        Mr. Grijalva:
            Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE),
              prepared statement of..................................    32
            Questions submitted for the record to:
                Mr. Fischer..........................................    46
                Dr. Harrity..........................................    49
        Dr. Harrity:
            Article, dated May 2011, in Principal Leadership,
              ``Laying the Foundation for Future Success''...........    61
            Response to questions submitted for the record...........    49
        Chairman Rokita:
            Letter, dated Sept. 20, 2013, from Independent Electrical
              Contractors (IEC)......................................    51
            Letter, dated Sept. 19, 2013, from the National
              Association of Home Builders (NAHB)....................    53
            Questions submitted for the record to:
                Mr. Bargas...........................................    41
                Mr. Britt............................................    43
                Mr. Fischer..........................................    46
                Dr. Harrity..........................................    49
        Thompson, Hon. Glenn, a Representative in Congress from the
          State of Pennsylvania:
            Langevin, Hon. Jim, a Representative in Congress from the
              State of Rhode Island, prepared statement of...........    30
            Questions submitted for the record to:
                Mr. Bargas...........................................    41
                Mr. Britt............................................    43
                Mr. Fischer..........................................    46
                Dr. Harrity..........................................    49

                         PREPARING TODAY'S STUDENTS FOR
                        TOMORROW'S JOBS: A DISCUSSION ON
                         CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
                             AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

                                  ----------

                           Friday, September 20, 2013

                         U.S. House of Representatives

                        Subcommittee on Early Childhood,

                      Elementary, and Secondary Education

                    Committee on Education and the Workforce

                                 Washington, DC

                                  ----------

        The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:01 a.m., in
    room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Todd Rokita
    [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Rokita, Kline, Roe, Thompson,
    Brooks, Davis, and Grijalva.
        Staff Present: Katherine Bathgate, Deputy Press Secretary;
    James Bergeron, Director of Education and Human Services
    Policy; Heather Couri, Deputy Director of Education and Human
    Services Policy; Amy Raaf Jones, Education Policy Counsel and
    Senior Advisor; Rosemary Lahasky, Professional Staff Member;
    Krisann Pearce, General Counsel; Dan Shorts, Legislative
    Assistant; Nicole Sizemore, Deputy Press Secretary; Alex
    Sollberger, Communications Director; Alissa Strawcutter, Deputy
    Clerk; Brad Thomas, Senior Education Policy Advisor; Tylease
    Alli, Minority Clerk/Intern and Fellow Coordinator; Jeremy
    Ayers, Minority Education Policy Advisor; Kelly Broughan,
    Minority Education Policy Associate; Jody Calemine, Minority
    Staff Director; Jacque Chevalier, Minority Education Policy
    Advisor; Tiffany Edwards, Minority Press Secretary for
    Education; Jamie Fasteau, Minority Director of Education
    Policy; Liz Hollis, Minority Special Assistant to Staff
    Director; Eunice Ikene, Minority Staff Assistant; and Megan
    O'Reilly, Minority General Counsel.
        Chairman Rokita. Good morning. A quorum being present, the
    subcommittee will come to order. Thank you for joining us today
    for our hearing to discuss career and technical education
    training programs under the Carl D. Perkins Career and
    Technical Education Act. I would like to send a warm welcome to
    our witnesses whose testimony will be invaluable to our efforts
    to reauthorize and strengthen the law.
        The Perkins Act provides Federal funding to States to
    support career and technical education or what we call in the
    business CTE programs. These programs offer high school and
    community college students the opportunity to gain the skills
    and experience necessary to compete for jobs in a broad range
    of fields, including health care, transportation, construction,
    hospitality, and that is just to name a few.
        A number of state school districts and post-secondary
    institutions have implemented truly exceptional CTE programs.
    In Massachusetts, for example, Worcester--I am sure I am
    mispronouncing that being from the Midwest--Technical High
    School has partnered with Tufts University to provide
    affordable animal care for low-income families. The university
    funds a resident veterinarian to operate an onsite clinic at
    the high school, and the tech students get to work at the
    clinic and obtain hands-on experience. We are fortunate to have
    with us the principal who will share more information about
    this initiative during her testimony.
        To prepare our students for high demand jobs in my home
    State of Indiana, Ivy Tech's Ivy Institute of Technology offers
    automotive, manufacturing, welding, and other specialized
    training programs that allow students to learn new career
    skills in just 40 weeks. In Wisconsin, Gateway Technical
    College offers more than 60 career education programs,
    including a medical assistant degree program that provides
    students with real world clinical, administrative, and
    laboratory training.
        However, despite these shining examples, the Bureau of
    Labor Statistics recently reported more than 8 million
    Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are still looking for
    jobs. By strengthening the career and technical education
    programs funded under the Perkins Act, we can help. We can help
    more of these young people gain an edge in the workforce.
        As we begin our discussions on improving the act we must
    first assess the Federal role in career and technical
    education. To receive funding through the act States with CTE
    programs must comply with a series of Federal reporting
    requirements, some of which are duplicative to those under the
    Workforce Investment Act and the Elementary and Secondary
    Education Act. We cannot allow redundant Federal mandates to
    make it harder for States to offer the career training
    opportunities that young people need.
        We must also discuss ways to ensure CTE programs are
    actually effective. States and schools must have the
    flexibility to coordinate with the local business community to
    develop and implement programs that prepare students for in-
    demand jobs. Additionally, CTE course work should provide
    students with opportunities to obtain relevant certificates,
    credits, and hands-on experience that will allow them to more
    seamlessly integrate into the workforce.
        Recognizing the success of CTE programs depends upon
    effective teachers. We must examine ways to help states recruit
    and retain educators with valuable technical knowledge and
    experience. A 2010 study released by the National Association
    of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium
    identified dozens of States that are struggling to attract CTE
    teachers in several key career sectors, including health
    sciences, manufacturing, agriculture, and the rapidly growing
    STEM fields.
        As we work to rebuild our economy after the recent
    recession, strengthening career and technical education
    programs will help put more Americans on the path to a
    prosperous future. In the coming weeks this committee will
    discuss a range of proposals to improve the Perkins Act,
    including those offered in President Obama's Blueprint to
    Transform Career and Technical Education, and I look forward to
    beginning that discussion right now.
        Once again, I would like to thank our panel of witnesses
    for joining us. And I would now yield to my distinguished
    colleague from Arizona, Raul Grijalva, for his opening remarks.
        [The statement of Chairman Rokita follows:]

    Prepared Statement of Hon. Todd Rokita, Chairman, Subcommittee on Early
                 Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

        The Perkins Act provides federal funding to states to support
    career and technical education (or CTE) programs. These programs offer
    high school and community college students the opportunity to gain the
    skills and experience necessary to compete for jobs in a broad range of
    fields, including health care, transportation, construction, and
    hospitality, just to name a few.
        A number of states, school districts, and postsecondary
    institutions have implemented truly exceptional CTE programs. In
    Massachusetts, Worcester Technical High School has partnered with Tufts
    University to provide affordable animal care for low-income families.
    The university funds a resident veterinarian to operate an on-site
    clinic at the high school, and Worcester Tech students get to work at
    the clinic and obtain hands-on experience. We are fortunate to have
    with us today the principal of Worcester Tech who will share more
    information about this initiative during her testimony.
        To prepare students for high-demand jobs in my home state of
    Indiana, Ivy Tech's Ivy Institute of Technology offers automotive,
    manufacturing, welding, and other specialized training programs that
    allow students to learn new career skills in just 40 weeks. And in
    Wisconsin, Gateway Technical College offers more than 60 career
    education programs, including a Medical Assistant degree program that
    provides students with real-world clinical, administrative, and
    laboratory training.
        However, despite these shining examples, the Bureau of Labor
    Statistics recently reported more than 8 million Americans between the
    ages of 16 and 24 are still looking for jobs. By strengthening the
    career and technical education programs funded under the Perkins Act,
    we can help more of these young people gain an edge in the workforce.
        As we begin our discussions on improving the Perkins Act, we must
    first assess the federal role in career and technical education. To
    receive funding through the Perkins Act, states with CTE programs must
    comply with a series of federal reporting requirements, some of which
    are duplicative to those under the Workforce Investment Act and the
    Elementary and Secondary Education Act. We cannot allow redundant
    federal mandates to make it harder for states to offer the career
    training opportunities our young people need.
        We must also discuss ways to ensure CTE programs are effective.
    States and schools must have the flexibility to coordinate with the
    local business community to develop and implement programs that prepare
    students for in-demand jobs. Additionally, CTE coursework should
    provide students with opportunities to obtain relevant certificates,
    credits, and hands-on experience that will allow them to more
    seamlessly integrate into the workforce or get ahead in their quest to
    earn a postsecondary degree.
        Recognizing the success of CTE programs depends upon effective
    teachers, we must examine ways to help states recruit and retain
    educators with valuable technical knowledge and experience. A 2010
    study released by the National Association of State Directors of Career
    Technical Education Consortium identified dozens of states that are
    struggling to attract CTE teachers in several key career sectors,
    including health sciences, manufacturing, agriculture, and the rapidly-
    growing STEM fields.
        As we work to rebuild our economy after the recent recession,
    strengthening career and technical education programs will help put
    more Americans on the path to a prosperous future. In the coming weeks,
    this committee will discuss a range of proposals to improve the Perkins
    Act, including those offered in President Obama's ``Blueprint to
    Transform Career and Technical Education,'' and I look forward to
    beginning that discussion today.
                                     ______

        Mr. Grijalva. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank
    you for the hearing. And I agree it is important to initiate
    this discussion about this very important component of
    education in our country. Today's hearing will showcase
    innovations in delivery of career and technical education
    programs, many of which are funded under the Carl D. Perkins
    Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.
        Career technical education programs prepare millions of
    Americans to succeed in both college and career, and gives them
    access to modern job skills they need and that employers are
    demanding. This act has supported the development of academic
    and career and technical skills among secondary and post-
    secondary education students of all backgrounds. Helping to
    prepare them for in-demand and high-paying jobs is the goal.
        High quality, relevant, and rigorous CTE is imperative for
    our Nation to stay competitive and to build a stronger economy.
    By ensuring that students not only graduate from high school
    college- and career-ready, but also succeed in college and the
    global economy, we are in that way securing our Nation's
    future. Of the 30 fastest growing occupations, about two-thirds
    require post-secondary education or training and that need is
    projected to grow over the next years. In the State of Arizona
    there are currently 70 CTE programs with over 229,000 students
    enrolled, of which 30 percent are Latino and over 40 percent of
    those students are of color.
        In Arizona investment in CTE programs has diminished. After
    the harmful sequestration cuts, public funding for CTE is at a
    historic low despite our State consistently performing well on
    indicators of student success. We shouldn't cut funding from
    programs that mean the difference between getting ahead and
    falling behind for workers all over this Nation. We should
    support quality programs that allow students to explore
    different career interests and work-based learning
    opportunities that help prepare them for both the workforce and
    further post-secondary education. We know there is a skills
    gap, we know career technical education is integral to closing
    that gap.
        Evaluations of career academies across the country have
    demonstrated that offering students academically rigorous
    curricula embedded in career-related programs can reduce high
    school dropout rates and prepare students for high-earning,
    high-skilled careers. High school students who graduate from
    career academies make on the average 11 percent more per year
    than the non-career academy counterparts. One in four who earn
    a post-secondary certificate eventually earn a 4-year college
    degree. Higher earnings help our overall economy, increasing
    consumer spending and strengthening and growing the middle
    class.
        I welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses, as they
    have some of the most extensive insights into these programs.
    We are grateful they are sharing their knowledge. And I look
    forward to continued collaboration with the majority to address
    reauthorization of this very vital and important program.
        With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back, and thank you.
        Chairman Rokita. Thank you Mr. Grijalva.
        [The statement of Mr. Grijalva follows:]

       Prepared Statement of Hon. Raul M. Grijalva, a Representative in
                       Congress From the State of Arizona

        Good morning and thank you, Chairman Rokita.
        Today's hearing will showcase innovations in delivery of career and
    technical education programs, many of which are funded under the Carl
    D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.
        Career technical education programs prepare millions of Americans
    to succeed in both college and career and gives them access to the
    modern job skills they need and that employers demand. This act has
    supported the development of academic and career and technical skills
    among secondary and postsecondary education students of all
    backgrounds; helping to prepare them for in-demand and high paying
    jobs. High quality, relevant, and rigorous CTE is imperative for our
    nation to stay competitive and build a stronger economy. By ensuring
    that students not only graduate from high school, college- and career-
    ready, but also succeed in college and the global economy, we are
    securing our nation's future.
        Of the 30 fastest-growing occupations, about two-thirds require
    postsecondary education or training and projected to grow over the
    years. In the state of Arizona, there are currently 70 CTE programs
    with over 229,569 students enrolled, of which 30% are Hispanic
    students.
        In Arizona, investment in CTE programs has diminished. After the
    harmful sequestration cuts, public funding for CTE is at historic lows,
    despite our state consistently performing on indicators of student
    success. We shouldn't cut funding for programs that mean the difference
    between getting ahead and falling behind for workers all over the
    country. We should support quality programs that allow students to
    explore different career interests and work-based learning
    opportunities that help prepare them for both the workforce and further
    postsecondary education. We know there's a skills gap. We know Career
    technical education is integral to closing that gap.
        Evaluations of career academies across the country have
    demonstrated that offering students academically rigorous curricula
    embedded in career-related programs can reduce high school drop-out
    rates and prepare students for high-earning and high-skilled careers.
         High school students who graduate from career academies
    make on average 11 percent more per year than their non-career academy
    counterparts.
         One in four who earn a postsecondary certificate
    eventually earn a four-year college degree.
         Higher earnings help our overall economy, increasing
    consumer spending and strengthening the middle class.
        I welcome our distinguished panel of witnesses, as they have some
    of the most extensive insights into these programs, we are grateful
    they are sharing their knowledge. And I look forward to continued
    collaboration with the Majority to address reauthorization of this
    important program.
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(c), all
    subcommittee members will be permitted to submit written
    statements to be included in the permanent hearing record. And
    without objection, the hearing record will remain open for 14
    days to allow statements, questions for the record, and other
    extraneous material referenced during the hearing to be
    submitted into the official record.
        I just would like to remind members, if and when we adjourn
    early, that as usual they may submit questions for the record.
    And I say that because we are not sure when votes will come
    today. They may come as early as 10:30 or so. If that is the
    case we will have to adjourn, the hearing will not be
    returning. The witnesses are nodding yes like they have heard
    that story before.
        So thank you, and appreciate you all coming again.
        It is now my pleasure to introduce our distinguished panel
    of witnesses. Mr. Alvin Bargas is the president of the Pelican
    Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. He has been an
    active participant in ABC since 1979, first as a volunteer
    member, then chairman of the Pelican Chapter, and a member of
    the chapter national board of directors.
        Dr. Sheila Harrity is the principal of Worcester Technical
    High School--I am teachable--the largest of seven high schools
    in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. She was most recently
    selected as the Massachusetts principal of the year for 2014
    and as the MetLife National Association of Secondary School
    Principals 2014 national principal of year.
        Welcome to both of you.
        Next we have Mr. John Fischer, who is the deputy
    commissioner for transformation and innovation at the Vermont
    Agency of Education. Mr. Fischer has previously held positions
    at Plymouth State University and in the New Hampshire Community
    College System. He currently serves as president of the
    National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
    Education Consortium.
        Mr. Fischer, welcome.
        And Mr. Frank Britt is the chief executive officer at Penn
    Foster, Incorporated. He also currently serves as the operating
    advisor at Bain Capital Ventures. He has over 20 years of
    experience focused on helping grow companies in the education,
    media, technology, industrial, and consumer goods industries,
    including a variety of senior-level positions at IBM and
    Accenture.
        Welcome, Mr. Britt.
        Before I recognize each of you to provide your testimony
    explain let me briefly explain our lighting system, and really
    that is sometimes more for us up here than you there. You will
    each have 5 minutes to present your testimony. When you begin
    the light in front of you will turn green, when 1 minute is
    left it will turn yellow, when your time has expired the light
    will turn red. At that point I ask you to wrap up your remarks
    as best as you are able.
        After everyone has testified, members here will each have 5
    minutes to ask questions of the panel. And with that I would
    now like to recognize Mr. Bargas for 5 minutes.
        Sir.

        STATEMENT OF ALVIN BARGAS, PRESIDENT, PELICAN CHAPTER,
                ASSOCIATED BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS, INC.

        Mr. Bargas. Thank you, Chairman Rokita, Congressman
    Grijalva, and members of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood,
    Elementary, and Secondary Education. My name is Alvin Bargas,
    and I serve as president of Associated Builders and
    Contractors, Pelican Chapter, located in Baton Rouge,
    Louisiana. The Pelican Chapter's volunteer leaders are
    committed to training a safe and highly skilled construction
    workforce. The chapter offers construction craft education
    programs at its Baton Rouge and Lake Charles training centers
    to currently more than 1,900 students.
        Since 1983, ABC member companies and industry-related
    partners have funded more than $43 million in training costs.
    ABC has partnership agreements with 43 high schools in 17
    districts, which includes 76 classes with more than 1,100
    students per year in demand crafts such as welding and pipe
    fitting. We also engage high school students through craft
    competitions in a 3-day Build Your Future event. In addition to
    funding, ABC members alone donate more than $50,000 per year in
    materials and equipment and volunteer 1,600 hours-plus annually
    in the classrooms.
        Louisiana's construction industry now faces a workforce
    challenge. Project announcements in excess of $60 billion in
    new construction, plus the expansion of existing facilities, is
    driving the need for skilled workers. Retirements, career
    changes, et cetera, will drive demand for an additional 51,300
    workers. Even with an exploding workforce demand for skilled
    construction workforce, public high schools continue to focus
    on 4-year college prep curriculums. While this pathway is
    important, students should be offered opportunities to learn
    skills that prepare them for high-paying, in-demand careers
    that do not require a Bachelors degree.
        That said, the expansion of career and technical education
    options should never come at the expense of academic rigor or
    quality instruction and must clearly align with industry needs
    and post-secondary credentials. ABC and its partners are
    leading the charge to align our education system with future
    workforce demands. Construction industry and education
    stakeholders established a Craft Workforce Development
    Taskforce which created a strategic road map entitled
    ``Building Louisiana's Craft Workforce.''
        The task force has ensured that an industry-recognized and
    academically rigorous construction CTE curriculum will be
    consistently delivered across Louisiana's training providers.
    The Louisiana Community and Technical College System and the
    Louisiana Department of Education have adopted the curriculum
    of the NCCER, which blends classroom instruction with hands-on
    training that articulates to post-secondary credential and
    community college programs. The training providers are focused
    on leveraging capacity at high schools, as well as leveraging
    assets such as facilities and funding with private providers.
    Training delivery includes compressed schedules for industry-
    based certification and even weekend alternatives.
        The Louisiana State Government has also enacted innovative
    education reforms such as Course Choice, which gives high
    school students the option to choose from a diverse range of
    courses, including core academics, college preparation, and
    career training. Through Course Choice students can customize
    their learning path by gaining industry-based certifications in
    addition to earning high school and college credits. The
    program provides all Louisiana students equal access to career
    training and a head start on a post-secondary credential and
    ultimately a career.
        Course Choice can serve as a catalyst to recruit and train
    capable young people to either step into higher wage
    construction jobs or continue on to complete post-secondary
    courses. To achieve this, Course Choice provides that students,
    parents, and school counselors collaborate to make sure
    students register in courses that are appropriate for their
    age, interest, and capabilities. As a Course Choice provider,
    ABC is offering electrical, pipefitting, and welding to 34
    students.
        Our challenge ahead is to focus our current resources to
    support CTE programs for in-demand industries that provide
    students with innovative and flexible training options that
    stretch from high school to advanced post-secondary
    credentials. This includes promoting new and existing
    partnerships between industry, government, and education
    providers while establishing clear accountability indicators
    and easily understood measures of success.
        On behalf of the Associated Builders and Contractors
    Pelican Chapter, I would like to thank the committee for
    holding today's hearing on this very important subject. Thank
    you.
        Chairman Rokita. Excellent, Mr. Bargas. Thank you.
        [The statement of Mr. Bargas follows:]

     Prepared Statement of Alvin M. Bargas, President, Associated Builders
                     and Contractors (ABC), Pelican Chapter

        Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and members of the
    Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education:
    Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to testify before you
    today on ``Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A Discussion
    on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.''
        My name is Alvin Bargas. I serve as the president of Associated
    Builders and Contractors (ABC) Pelican Chapter located in Baton Rouge,
    Louisiana. ABC is a national nonprofit trade association representing
    22,000 members from more than 19,000 construction and industry-related
    firms. Founded on the merit shop philosophy, ABC and its 72 chapters
    help members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely,
    ethically, profitably and for the betterment of the communities in
    which ABC and its members work. The Pelican Chapter has a total
    membership of 438 companies.
        The Pelican Chapter's volunteer leaders are committed to training a
    safe, highly skilled construction workforce. Education and training
    will always be a win-win situation for both the employer and the
    employee. With nationally accredited curricula developed for the
    construction industry, the Pelican Chapter is training hundreds of men
    and women in industry-related specialties to meet and exceed the most
    exacting standards in the country. With the clout and knowledge
    provided by some of the most qualified instructors in the U.S., ABC
    trained workers tend to receive higher wages and experience more job
    satisfaction and greater job retention.
        The Pelican Chapter offers construction craft education programs at
    its Baton Rouge and Lake Charles training centers. Currently, the
    training centers have a combined enrollment of more than 1,900 high
    school and adult students. Since 1983, ABC Pelican Chapter member
    contractors and industry-related partners have privately funded more
    than $43,000,000 in training costs.
        Further, ABC has developed partnership agreements with 43 high
    schools in 17 school districts. This partnership includes 76 classes
    with more than 1,100 students per year in high-demand trades such as
    welding, electrical, carpentry and pipefitting. The Pelican Chapter
    also engages high school students through craft competitions, tuition-
    free summer training courses, career counseling and a three-day Build
    Your Future event that reaches more than 900 students. These
    achievements would not exist without the committed support of the
    construction industry. In addition to funding, ABC members alone donate
    more than $50,000 per year in materials and equipment. More
    importantly, our members volunteer 1,600 hours per year in classrooms
    and when students graduate from school, ABC contractors put them to
    work.
        In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana faced a major
    challenge of recruiting and training a skilled workforce to rebuild the
    state. In response, ABC brought together construction industry and
    education stakeholders, including Louisiana Community and Technical
    College System (LCTCS), Louisiana Department of Education, organized
    labor, Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), Board of Supervisors of
    Higher Education, as well as industry groups such as the Greater Baton
    Rouge Industry Alliance, New Orleans Business Roundtable and the
    Southwest Louisiana Construction Users Council--all of which represent
    Louisiana's vital refining and petrochemical end users. With ABC's
    leadership, the coalition's mission was to create a strategy to
    recruit, train, and retain a safe, skilled and productive construction
    workforce. This strategy was published in ``Recommendations for
    Confronting the Skilled Construction Workforce Shortage in Louisiana''
    in October 2006.
        Louisiana's construction industry now faces another workforce
    challenge due to new technologies in the extraction of natural gas and
    a renaissance in oil refining and chemical production. Project
    announcements in excess of $60 billion in new construction, plus the
    expansion of existing facilities is driving the need for skilled
    workers. The LWC is predicting 35,000 new workers over the next four to
    five years may be necessary. This challenge will be exacerbated by our
    aging workforce--an estimated 17 percent of current construction
    workers nationwide will retire in the next decade. Retirements coupled
    with career changes, promotions to management, business formations,
    etc. will drive demand in Louisiana for an additional 51,300 workers,
    assuming an attrition rate of only 10 percent.
        Even with an exploding demand for a skilled construction workforce,
    most secondary school systems are not structured to deliver a high
    level of technical education. Public high schools almost exclusively
    focus on the four-year college prep curriculum for all students. While
    this pathway is important, students should be offered opportunities to
    learn skills that prepare them for the many high paying, in-demand
    careers that do not require a bachelor's degree. That said, the
    expansion of Career and Technical Education (CTE) options should never
    come at the expense of academic rigor or quality instruction and must
    clearly align with industry workforce needs and post-secondary
    credentials. Louisiana must prepare its young people for success in the
    classroom and in the workplace.
        In Louisiana, ABC and its partners are once again leading the
    charge to make our education system more closely aligned with future
    workforce demands. In collaboration with construction industry and
    education stakeholders and organized labor, a Craft Workforce
    Development Taskforce (Taskforce) was established. This broad-based
    Taskforce has created a strategic roadmap titled ``Building Louisiana's
    Craft Workforce.''
        I am pleased to report that we are already making progress in this
    effort. In a major step forward, the Taskforce has ensured that an
    industry recognized and academically rigorous construction CTE
    curriculum will be consistently delivered across Louisiana's training
    providers. In an effort to bring consistency and transferability to the
    curriculum that training providers use in the classrooms and labs, the
    LCTCS and the Louisiana Department of Education have adopted the
    curriculum of the NCCER, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) education
    foundation. This curriculum blends classroom instruction with hands-on
    training that articulates to post-secondary credential and community
    college programs.
        Aligning industry-recognized curriculum with community and
    technical colleges, high schools, and ABC allows students and
    instructors to easily transition from one provider to another depending
    on personal needs and capacity requirements.
        With facilities statewide in strategic locations, the LCTCS serves
    as the lead training partner. Training providers are focused on
    leveraging capacity at high schools as well as leveraging assets such
    as facilities and funding with private providers, which includes ABC
    and the AFL-CIO. Training schedules have been amended to accommodate
    varying demand, such as compressed schedules for industry based
    certifications (NCCER and American Welding Society) and evening and
    weekend class alternatives.
        Training providers are also sharing a pool of instructors that can
    be deployed to various locations based on need. Web enhancements are
    being completed by the LCTCS and LWC.
        The Louisiana state government also is enacting innovative
    education reforms that will provide better opportunities for students
    to access CTE. Louisiana's Governor and state legislators collaborated
    with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) to create
    Course Choice, which gives high school students the option to choose
    from a diverse range of courses--including core academics, college
    preparation and career training--that are offered by a range of
    providers.
        Through Course Choice, students can customize their learning path
    to prepare for higher education and careers. The program offers them
    opportunities to gain industry-based certifications, in addition to
    earning high school and college credit. Course Choice is an innovative
    approach to provide all Louisiana students equal access to not only
    career training, but a head-start on a postsecondary credential and
    ultimately a career.
        ABC believes that innovative reforms like Course Choice can serve
    as a catalyst to recruit and train capable young people to either step
    into a higher-wage construction job based on their skills or continue
    on to complete the post-secondary courses they need to advance in their
    careers. To achieve this, Course Choice provides that students, parents
    and school counselors collaborate to make sure students register in
    courses that are appropriate for their age, interests and capabilities.
    From approximately 100 applicants, the BESE and the Department of
    Education selected 21 course providers, including the Pelican Chapter
    and LCTCS, which reach more than 3,000 Louisiana students. As of August
    2013, ABC is offering electrical, pipefitting and welding Course Choice
    programs and has about 34 students enrolled.
        Building America's construction workforce to meet demand is going
    to require new and innovative ideas, as well as cooperative
    partnerships among stakeholders from a myriad of public agencies and
    private entities.
        The challenge ahead is to focus our current resources to support
    CTE programs for in-demand industries that provide students with
    innovative and flexible training options that stretch from high school
    to advanced postsecondary credentials. This effort includes promoting
    new and existing partnerships between industries, government, and
    education providers while establishing clear accountability indicators
    and easily understood measures of success.
        There is a renaissance in the foundations on which Louisiana
    delivers career and technical education. It is a renaissance that will
    touch thousands of Louisiana youth, not to mention underemployed and
    unemployed adults. We are on the cusp of doing our part to rebuild
    America's middle class by putting people to work in high paying careers
    in construction.
        On behalf of Associated Builders and Contractors Pelican Chapter,
    I'd like to thank the subcommittee for holding today's hearing on this
    important subject. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my formal remarks. I am
    prepared to answer any questions you and the other members of the
    subcommittee may have.
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Good morning, Dr. Harrity. You are
    recognized for 5 minutes.

                STATEMENT OF SHEILA HARRITY, PRINCIPAL,
                    WORCESTER TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL

        Ms. Harrity. Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and
    members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me here
    today to discuss career and technical education and training
    programs. My name is Sheila Harrity, and I am the proud
    principal of Worcester Technical High School in Worcester,
    Mass. I also just received a huge honor of being selected as
    the 2014 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of the
    Year.
        Worcester is the second-largest city in New England, and
    Worcester Tech is the largest of seven high schools in the
    city. We have 1,400 students in 24 different technical programs
    within 4 small learning communities. Sixty-three percent of our
    students qualify for free or reduced lunch, 19 percent are
    special ed, and the ethnic backgrounds reflect the city
    demographics.
        Previously Worcester Tech was the lowest-performing high
    school in our city and one of the poorest-performing vocational
    schools in our State. Presently we have a 92 percent first-time
    passing rate in English language arts, 84 percent in math, 96
    percent in science, and last year 96.4 percent of our students
    graduated in 4 years. The achievement gap has decreased
    significantly and in some groups is nonexistent.
        Students are prepared for success with a rigorous
    curriculum, including a variety of advanced placement courses
    that combines academic with hands-on experience in school and
    in the workplace through internship and cooperative educational
    opportunities. They graduate with all their academic
    requirements and with industry recognized national
    certifications. Our students are graduating college and career
    ready. Eighty-two percent went on to higher education, 13
    percent went directly into the world of work, and 2 percent
    joined the military.
        Worcester Tech has over than 350 business and industry
    advisors that contribute to the direction and success of the
    school and its students. The advisors consist of
    representatives of local business and industry related to the
    programs, organized labor, and post-secondary institutions,
    parents, guardians, students, and representatives from
    registered apprenticeship programs. They are integral partners
    to our program providing direction on training, equipment,
    certification, licensure, education, and career opportunities.
    Each technical program works to provide industry-recognized
    credentials, as well as college credits to expand each
    student's opportunity for post-secondary success.
        Our allied health students graduate with a high school
    diploma and seven college credits, a certificate in allied
    health, certification in CPR, first aid, certified nursing
    assistants, home health aide, and EMT. In our IT program
    students graduate with up to 18 college credits from
    Northeastern University, as well as being certified in A+ and a
    Certified Cisco Networking Associate.
        With the assistance of business and higher education
    partners we receive new equipment at no or reduced cost while
    the sponsors benefit by having students trained on their latest
    equipment. A donation from Harr-Toyota has allowed us to create
    a 16-bay service center furnished and equipped with state-of-
    the-art automotive technology servicing over 250 vehicles a
    month.
        We are committed to building partnerships with local 2- and
    4-year colleges and universities. Our Tufts at Tech animal
    clinic was created by a school partnership with Tufts
    University and provides affordable animal care for low-income
    families in the Worcester area. Tufts University funds a
    veterinarian to run the clinic and our students work alongside
    the doctor providing animal care.
        Two years ago Worcester Tech became a STEM Career and
    College Innovation School, which created a pipeline for our
    students to obtain STEM jobs upon graduation or study STEM-
    related fields in college. With this 21st century focus we are
    training students to meet the employment demands of the area's
    growing biomedical, technology, and manufacturing industries.
    These partnerships will keep jobs in Worcester for another 100
    years and keep our city strong and viable.
        Through the leadership efforts of our manufacturing and
    construction instructors our students worked alongside elite
    college engineering students from Worcester Polytechnical
    Institute to develop and build a modular, zero-energy home that
    competed in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon,
    which was held in Datong, China. This project helped them hone
    their skills on the latest technologies and their
    representative fields, and see the fruit of their labors in a
    truly once-in-a-lifetime global cultural experience.
        Successful technical schools require strong links to the
    community, business and industry, and academic institutions.
    Our school's success and the city's success are intertwined.
    Worcester Tech is part of an economic engine coordinating the
    needs and desires of industry for our highly trained, adaptable
    workforce with the needs and desires of our students to secure
    good-paying, rewarding jobs in the field of their choice.
        Mr. Rokita, this concludes my prepared testimony, but I
    would be happy to answer any questions you or other committee
    members may have. Thank you.
        Chairman Rokita. Thank you, Doctor.
        [The statement of Ms. Harrity follows:]

       Prepared Statement of Dr. Sheila M. Harrity, Principal, Worcester
                Technical High School, Worcester, Massachusetts

        Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and members of the
    subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss career
    and technical education and training programs. My name is Sheila
    Harrity and I am the proud principal of Worcester Technical High School
    in Worcester, Massachusetts. I also just received the huge honor of
    being selected as the 2014 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal
    of the Year and would like to speak on behalf of my fellow middle and
    high school leaders.
        Worcester, Massachusetts is the second largest city in New England.
    Worcester Technical High School is the largest of seven high schools in
    the City of Worcester. It has 1400 students in 24 technical programs
    within four small learning communities. The demographics of Worcester
    Tech consist of: 53% female, 47% male, 63% qualify for free or reduced
    lunch, 19% are special needs, ethnic backgrounds reflect the city
    demographics. Worcester Technical High School has met Adequate Yearly
    Progress (AYP) for ``No Child Left Behind'' for five out of the past
    six years. We exceeded our benchmarks in English, mathematics, and
    every sub-group. In 2012 and 2013 WTHS also met the Progress and
    Performance Index (PPI) both in the Annual PPI and the Cumulative PPI.
        In the past seven (7) years at Worcester Technical High School,
    students' Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam
    scores have risen significantly. In English Language Arts, 92% of the
    students scored in the advanced/proficient categories, an increase of
    65%, with a less than 1% failure rate. In mathematics, 84% of the
    students scored in the advanced/proficient categories, an increase of
    49%, with a 2% failure rate. In science, 96% of the current 10th and
    11th grade students passed with a 4% failure rate. Presently, the Class
    of 2012 has a 96.4% four year graduation rate with a 1.5% drop out
    rate.
        Massachusetts, as well as other states in our nation, has seen
    increasing achievement gaps between white students and minority
    students. At WTHS, the achievement gap has decreased significantly and
    in some subgroups is non-existent. From 2006-2013, Hispanic students
    had a 65% gain in ELA and a 49% increase in math. Low-income students
    showed a 64% gain in ELA and a 50% increase in math. In addition, black
    students had a 48% gain in ELA and a 32% increase in math.
        Recognizing the need for Advanced Placement classes for the
    students at our school, administration applied for, and was accepted in
    a grant program associated with the National Math and Science
    Initiative. The Massachusetts chapter, Mass Insight, helps provide
    inner city schools with funds for books and supplies, professional
    development, and student support in an effort to help close the
    achievement and access gap for many underserved students in the inner
    city. In 2008, Worcester Tech began the school's entry into Advanced
    Placement with AP Biology. The school now offers AP Language, AP
    Literature, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Environmental
    Science, AP Physics and AP Calculus. In the past 4 years, Worcester
    Technical High School has increased student enrollment from 18 students
    to 183.
        Students are prepared for success with a rigorous curriculum that
    combines academics with hands-on experience, in school and in the
    workplace, through internships and cooperative education opportunities.
    They graduate with all academic requirements and with industry-
    recognized national certifications. Worcester Technical High School
    graduates are graduating college and career ready. The profile of the
    2013 graduates is: 82% went on to higher education, 13% went directly
    into the world of work, and 2% joined the military.
        Guiding the school, WTHS has over 350 industry advisors that
    contribute to the direction and success of the school and its students.
    These 350 individuals create both the General Advisory Board and the
    Program Advisory Committees. The Program Advisory Committees are
    established for each approved technical program and meet to review the
    curriculum, equipment, internships/co-ops, and career trends of the
    respective programs. The program advisory committees consist of
    representatives of local business and industry related to the program,
    organized labor, postsecondary institutions, parents/guardians,
    students, and representatives from registered apprenticeship programs,
    if applicable. The program advisory committees are integral partners in
    the provision of a truly college-career ready curriculum. They are the
    front lines for the industries that they represent. They provide
    direction to the programs as to the trends in their fields in regards
    to training, equipment, certifications, licensure, education, and
    careers. The technical instructors work diligently to both lead the
    committees and incorporate recommendations.
        Each technical program is working towards providing industry
    recognized credentials as well as college credits to expand each
    student's opportunities for post secondary success. Two specific
    examples are: in Allied Health students are graduating with a high
    school diploma, a certificate in Allied Health, certification in CPR/
    First Aid, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Home Health Aid, and EMT,
    which earns them seven college credits; in Information Technology
    programs students are graduating with up to 18 college credits from
    Northeastern University, as well as being certified in A+ and as a
    Certified Cisco Networking Associate (CCNA).
        With the assistance of business and higher education partners,
    entrustments are created to keep the schools' technical programs
    outfitted with state of the art equipment. Entrustments are mutually
    beneficial. The school receives new equipment at reduced or no cost
    while the sponsor benefits by having students trained on their newest
    equipment. As students enter the workforce, graduates will be skilled
    at using the sponsors' latest tools and technology, and be more likely
    to use those tools and products on the job. Also, businesses can use
    the facility to train their employees or demo their products for
    potential customers. For example, the Graphics Department has an
    entrustment with Oce. The partnership has created a cutting edge,
    advanced technology learning center for graphic arts. Through this
    partnership the school received over a million dollars in equipment and
    technology and is the print shop for the entire City of Worcester. The
    Automotive Technology Department is called the Harr-Toyota Service
    Center due to the generous donation from Harr-Toyota. Their $100,000.00
    donation has allowed us to create a 16 bay service center furnished and
    equipped with new state of the art automotive technology. This
    department services over 250 vehicles per month. Worcester Tech has
    also partnered with L'Oreal Redken to feature a full service beauty
    salon and day spa. The Worcester Credit Union was approached during the
    construction phase to provide a full service bank in the school. The
    Finance and Marketing students are employed, during the school day, to
    be the bank tellers. Since 2006, the bank has trained over 80 bank
    tellers for Central Massachusetts' needs.
        Worcester Technical High School is committed to building
    partnerships with local two and four year colleges and universities. A
    successful example of these partnerships is the Tufts at Tech animal
    clinic that was created by a school partnership with Tufts University
    to provide affordable animal care for low-income families in the
    Worcester area. Tufts University funds a veterinarian to run the clinic
    and WTHS students work alongside providing animal care. The clinic
    services over 250 animals per month and charges 75% less than what a
    regular vet would charge. Teachers created authentic learning
    experiences in all facets of this partnership. The carpentry, plumbing,
    and electrical students built the veterinary clinic. The graphic
    students created the name and designed the logo and brochures and the
    painting and design students created the signage.

    Community
        Worcester Technical High School is committed to giving back to the
    community. Some examples include: at Green Hill Park, adjacent to our
    school, students have built the club house for the golf course with the
    Construction Academy, assisted in maintaining the barn yard zoo with
    the Veterinary Assisting Program, and provided land maintenance and
    water testing with the Environmental Tech Program. Students have
    refurbished several condemned multi-family homes within the city. They
    have also built a multi-family LEED certified house, from the ground
    up, for low-income Worcester residents. In addition, the students and
    staff designed and fabricated over 250 holiday wreaths that adorn
    downtown during the holiday season. This has brought great pride to our
    citizens and students alike.

    STEM Focus
        Two years ago, Worcester Technical High School became a STEM Career
    and College Innovation School. Innovation Schools are schools that
    operate with more autonomy and flexibility with staffing, professional
    development, policies and curriculum. Innovation Schools implement
    innovative strategies to improve student performance while maintaining
    their public school funding. Worcester Technical High School, under the
    Innovation School legislation, has a focus on STEM (Science,
    Technology, Engineering, and Math) education where students are taught
    an integrated curriculum which will help them to obtain STEM jobs upon
    graduation or study STEM related fields in college. With this 21st
    century focus, WTHS is training students to meet the employment demands
    of the area's growing biomedical, technology, and manufacturing
    industries. These partnerships will keep jobs in Worcester for another
    100 years and keep our city/region strong and viable.
        An example of a STEM project with higher education partnerships is
    the Solatrium, a modular, zero-energy home that competed in the US
    Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon which was held in Datong, China
    this past summer. Through working with post secondary linkages and area
    business/industry, the manufacturing and construction programs at WTHS
    partnered with one of 23 teams selected to compete in China. The
    collegiate team composed of engineering students from Worcester
    Polytechnic Institute, U.S.; Polytechnic Institute of New York
    University, U.S.; and Ghent University, Belgium, designed the home but
    needed assistance and expertise with the construction phase. WTHS
    instructors from plumbing, electrical, HVAC/R, machining, and welding
    stepped forward to lead their students in completing this state-of-the-
    art, green construction project on schedule. The modular home was built
    locally, tested, and then disassembled for shipment to China. Through
    the generosity of business/industry, six WTHS students and two
    instructors accompanied the team to China for reassembly and
    participated in the competition. Through the leadership efforts of the
    instructors at WTHS, inner-city students in an urban public school
    worked alongside elite engineering students to develop and hone their
    skills on the latest technologies in their respective trades and saw
    the fruit of their labor in a truly once-in-a-lifetime global cultural
    experience.
        In addition, with the help and support of our local community
    college and business sector donations, WTHS's Robotics Team competed in
    local and regional competitions which qualified the team to compete in
    the Vex World Championship competition in Anaheim, California last
    April. The WTHS Vex Robotics Team competed against 426 teams
    representing 24 different countries and won the Vex Robotics World
    Championship.
        Successful technical schools require strong links to the community,
    business and industry, and academic institutions. The school's success
    and the city's/region's success are intertwined.
        WTHS is part of the economic engine, coordinating the needs and
    desires of industry for a highly-trained, adaptable workforce with the
    needs and desires of our students to secure good paying, rewarding jobs
    in the fields of their choice.

    Background
        Worcester Technical High School has been in existence since 1910.
    It is one of the first vocational schools built in the United States.
    Through the decades the facility became antiquated, the infrastructure
    incapable of being updated, and the equipment to train students was
    obsolete. In 1997, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges'
    Commission voted unanimously that the school be placed on probation for
    failure to meet the Commission's Standard 10 on School Facilities. In
    addition to an aging facility, Worcester Technical High School was the
    lowest performing high school in the city and one of the lowest
    performing vocational/technical schools in the state. In 2000, 97% of
    the students scored in the Needs Improvement and Failing Categories of
    the ELA MCAS exams, with 76% of these in the Failing Category. On the
    MCAS mathematics exams, 97% scored in the Needs Improvement and Failing
    Categories, with 85% of these students in the Failing Category.
    Students were not graduating career or college ready.
        The business community, state and local officials, educational, and
    community leaders, and parents came together to support, fund, and
    design a new $90 million, state of the art vocational/technical
    facility. Worcester Technical High School is designed using the small
    learning community model. Funding from the Carnegie Foundation Planning
    Grant and a federally funded Small Learning Community Implementation
    Grant allowed our large high school of twenty-four technical programs
    to divide into four small learning communities (SLCs). This model
    provided a personalized learning community that supported all students,
    both academically and technically. It also fostered integrated
    academics, project based learning by incorporating real world
    applications, and engaging students in their learning to properly
    prepare them for career and college.

    Awards
        In 2006, School Planning and Management Magazine awarded our school
    the Impact on Learning Award in the category of non-traditional
    learning space. In 2009, WTHS was selected as one of 15 public high
    schools featured in How High Schools Become Exemplary by the
    Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. In 2011, the National
    Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) selected WTHS as a
    MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough School. This national award is
    presented to five high schools and five middle schools across the
    country, and WTHS was the only high school selected in New England. The
    award recognizes schools achieving outstanding student gains in high
    poverty areas. I was one of two Breakthrough School award recipient
    principals (one middle and one high school) invited to present at a
    congressional briefing sponsored by the NASSP and the Alliance for
    Excellent Education Event at an event in May 2011. In 2012 and 2013, my
    school was selected as a Breaking Ranks Showcase School at the NASSP
    National Conferences. In 2013, I was selected as the Massachusetts
    Principal of the Year and as I already mentioned, just last week I was
    selected as the 2014 MetLife/NASSP National High School Principal of
    the Year.

    The Role of the Principal
        When I had the good fortune to be hired to open the new WTHS in
    2004, I brought a unique combination of experience, knowledge, and
    skills with me. The success of our school is the result of many
    factors, and my contributions are squarely connected to my prior work
    and experience. The success of our school is the result of our
    redefining the role of vocational/technical education. In doing so, we
    have emphasized academic standards, teamwork, and motivation.
        My background in a suburban high school prompted me to develop
    programs with extensive college preparatory experiences for students
    and to hold them accountable to high academic standards. The technical
    components of our vocational programs provided an opportunity to make
    rigorous programming relevant.
        All important decisions at WTHS are made by the instructional
    leadership team, which includes me, the assistant principals, the
    vocational/technical director, and the department heads in the academic
    and technical areas. Our team works together to identify focused goals
    and targeted professional development and to develop a school culture
    that is marked by high expectations for teachers and students. Our team
    also makes every effort to coordinate professional development on the
    basis of intensive analysis of student data. Faculty members use that
    analysis to develop targeted interventions for students and respond to
    the high expectations of our school culture by becoming and remaining
    experts in their content fields.
        NASSP and our members strongly support the Carl D. Perkins Career
    and Technical Education Act, which we feel has great potential to
    promote a personalized learning environment for each student through
    strong curriculum and instruction, and will increase student
    achievement through integrated academic and CTE programs. As we think
    about the law's reauthorization, we hope that the committee will stay
    focused on the program's ability to: 1) prepare all students for
    postsecondary education and work opportunities; 2) support and enhance
    academic achievement and technical literacy; and, 3) improve high
    schools to ensure higher student achievement and graduation for all
    students.
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Mr. Fischer, you are recognized for 5
    minutes.

    STATEMENT OF JOHN FISCHER, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, TRANSFORMATION
               & INNOVATION, VERMONT AGENCY OF EDUCATION

        Mr. Fischer. Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and
    members of the subcommittee, thank you for inviting me here
    today. As deputy commissioner of education in Vermont I am
    responsible for our innovation and transformation agenda, with
    particular focus on career and technical education. And this
    year I also have the honor of serving as president of the
    National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical
    Education Consortium.
        As you take up the important work of reauthorizing the
    Federal investment in CTE, I appreciate this opportunity to
    share insights based upon my experiences in Vermont, as well as
    those of my colleagues across the country. Let me start by
    saying the Federal investment in CTE is vitally important, and
    has been and continues to be a major driver of innovation.
    Twelve million students of all ages across the country
    participate in CTE programs in every type of community
    setting--urban, suburban and rural. And CTE programs are
    delivered at numerous types of educational settings at the
    secondary and post-secondary levels.
        This diversity is a strength and a reflection of CTE's
    responsiveness to its community, employers, and students. It is
    also this diversity that makes the unity behind a common vision
    for the future of CTE so unique. In 2010 the State CTE
    directors from across the country agreed to a common vision for
    CTE, charting a progressive agenda that leverages opportunities
    presented in the Perkins legislation. This vision, which has
    been provided as a supplement to my testimony, seeks to break
    down the silos between academic and technical education and
    between secondary and post-secondary education. It calls for
    strengthened partnerships with employers and demands data-
    driven decision making. And it cements our commitment to a
    delivery system of programs of study organized around the
    national Career Clusters, which are 16 at this point. This
    vision guides our work, our Federal policy priorities, and my
    remarks today.
        CTE is leading educational innovation and is at the nexus
    of economic and workforce development. BMW located in South
    Carolina because of the promise of its workforce, and CTE was
    an important part of that State's commitment to ensure that BMW
    has the skilled workforce that it needs today and tomorrow. In
    my State, as is the case in many across the country, CTE is
    helping to restore and grow our economy. CTE is updating
    existing programs like automotive, HVAC, advanced
    manufacturing, all of these to reflect the changing workplace
    and technologies, and introducing new programs like biomedical,
    computer science, mechatronics, culinology, nano-technology and
    the like to support emerging demands. These programs prepare
    students with adaptable skills and knowledge--exactly what
    employers want. CTE is serving a vital role in keeping States
    and the U.S. economy growing and innovating.
        CTE's partnership with employers is one of the most
    treasured aspects of our history. From local mom-and-pop small
    businesses to industry giants like IBM, Marriott, Union
    Pacific, CMT, and Toyota, companies are investing in their
    future by building robust partnerships with education. From
    equipment donations to building curriculum, creating new
    schools, offering teachers and faculty externships, and
    providing students with internships, these business-education
    partnerships are essential to assuring our programs meet the
    needs of 21st century's economies.
        Today's economy requires students to be prepared for
    options, which means being prepared for both post-secondary
    education and careers. CTE programs allow students to explore
    careers and be challenged by real world, authentic experiences.
    They get to apply their knowledge and skills, learn how to
    become members of teams, find focus, motivation, and
    confidence. Students are often learning and earning at the same
    time, gaining portable, industry and post-secondary credentials
    along the way.
        Dual and concurrent enrollment has been a successful CTE
    policy in Vermont and across the country. Research has found
    that dual-enrollment students were more likely to earn a high
    school diploma, go on to college, persist at that level, and
    have a higher post-secondary grade point average than their
    peers. Not only do these opportunities give students a head
    start in post-secondary education, but lessens the college debt
    load. For example, at Ballard Memorial High School in Kentucky
    students in the health science program have the opportunity to
    graduate from high school and earn an associate degree. This is
    college and career readiness and this is today's CTE.
        With Perkins funding and requirements as a national
    catalyst, CTE is transitioning its delivery model to programs
    of study, organized around the 16 Career Clusters. Driven by
    high-quality college and career ready standards, through the
    Common Career Technical Core, there is strong evidence that
    programs of study are producing positive outcomes, including
    better test results, better secondary GPAs, and improved
    progress toward graduation.
        In my State, programs of study are playing a
    transformational role in ensuring that our most rural
    communities have access to high-quality CTE. In urban centers
    like New York, LA, Chicago, CTE is transforming high schools.
    This is a matter of equity. No matter your zip code, gender,
    socioeconomic status, or race, all students should have access
    to programs that prepare them to be both college and career
    ready.
        And finally, none of this matters unless we have evidence
    of outcomes. In Vermont the graduation rate for CTE students is
    93 percent compared to our overall graduation rate of 87
    percent, and this is not unique to Vermont.
        Chairman Rokita. Thank you Mr. Fischer.
        Mr. Fischer. Thank you very much.
        [The statement of Mr. Fischer follows:]

    Prepared Statement of John Fischer, Deputy Commissioner, Transformation
                   & Innovation, Vermont Agency of Education

        Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on Career
    Technical Education, or CTE. As the Deputy Commissioner of Education in
    Vermont, I am responsible for our innovation and transformation agenda,
    with particular focus on CTE, including standards, assessments,
    accountability, educator quality, school effectiveness, Federal
    programs, and public assurance of our State education system.
        This year, I also have the honor of serving as the President of the
    National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education
    Consortium. Established in 1920, the Consortium serves as the
    professional society of state and territory agency heads responsible
    for public CTE at the secondary, postsecondary, and adult levels in all
    fifty states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
        As you take up the important work of reauthorizing the federal
    investment in Career Technical Education, I appreciate the opportunity
    to share insights based not only upon my experiences in Vermont, but on
    those of my colleagues across the country. The federal investment in
    CTE is vitally important and has been, and continues to be, a major
    driver of change and innovation in CTE.
        If I were to ask you ``What is Career Technical Education?'' many
    of you would have different answers. These responses would be driven by
    your own experiences and observations of CTE programs in your district.
    And none of your answers would be wrong. This is because CTE is diverse
    and responsive to the needs of the community, students and employers it
    serves.\1\ CTE serves 12 million students of all ages--middle school
    through adults--across the country.\2\ There are CTE programs in every
    state and in every type of community setting--urban, suburban and
    rural. And CTE programs are offered at myriad types of educational
    settings--comprehensive high schools, career academies, theme-based CTE
    high schools, community colleges, technical colleges, regional
    technical centers, and technical institutes. This diversity is a
    strength and a testament to the responsiveness of the CTE leadership
    and programs. But it is also this diversity that makes the unity behind
    a common vision for the future of CTE so unique and compelling.
    High-Quality CTE: Preparing Students for Jobs of the Future
        In 2010, in recognition of the changing economic forces, and to
    further advance the CTE field, State CTE Directors agreed upon a common
    vision for CTE. This vision was informed by key stakeholder groups in
    industry, the broader education community, and government
    representatives. The vision, agreed to by all the states, charted a
    progressive agenda that leveraged the opportunities presented by the
    federal legislation. The vision honors the rich history of vocational
    education. It holds us accountable for the ongoing transformation of
    programs to be responsive to the needs of the economy. And it charts a
    bold and progressive course for the future that seeks to break down the
    silos between academic and technical education, and between secondary
    and postsecondary education. It calls for employers to be co-
    developers, co-owners of CTE programs. It demands data-driven decision-
    making. And it cements our commitment to a delivery system organized by
    the 16 Career Clusters(r) and delivered through comprehensive programs
    of study.
        This vision guides our federal policy priorities and our actions,
    and is comprised for five inter-connected principles:
        Principle 1: CTE is critical to ensuring that the United States
    leads in global competitiveness.
        Education is critical to ensure the global competitiveness of the
    United States, and some stakeholders and policymakers even consider it
    an issue of national security. State CTE Directors recognize the
    importance of delivering CTE programs that meet the needs of the labor
    market and the global economy and, thus, drive the nation's ability to
    compete globally.
        How is CTE responding to the global economy? In the southeastern
    part of the United States, CTE is part of state economic development
    strategies. States like South Carolina, which worked with BMW to build
    their U.S. operations in Greenville/Spartanburg. Or Alabama, which is
    home to a Toyota plant. Oklahoma brought in the aerospace industry.
    Louisville, Kentucky, has GE. And right outside the beltway, Virginia
    won the bid for VW. These companies are locating to these states
    because of their workforce--and CTE plays an important part of ensuring
    that current and future workers are prepared for careers in that
    regional economy.
        Also, CTE is introducing new programs to meet the needs of the
    modern economy like mechatronics, culinology, biotechnology, nano-
    technology, green energy, etc. Today's CTE students are prepared with
    adaptable skills and knowledge for the ever-changing economy. These
    students have focus. They have drive. They have expertise. They have
    work experience, in large part due to their participation in the Career
    Technical Student Organizations. They have what employers want. At a
    time when employers complain that graduates are not prepared to fill
    job vacancies, CTE is delivering. If you attend national Career
    Technical Student Organization competitions like SkillsUSA, which was
    held in Louisville this summer, you'll see students walk away with not
    only a medal of recognition for their performance in a particular
    competitive event focused on technical skills, but also multiple job
    offers which often include support for continued education.
        Another example of this innovation and responsiveness to the needs
    of the economy and the demand of the modern learner is the Vermont
    Virtual AcademySM. The virtual academy provides an alternative to the
    traditional in-classroom k-12 experience and instead allows students to
    learn at their own pace in an environment of their choosing through
    their computer and an Internet connection. Increasingly, online schools
    such as Vermont's Virtual Academy have helped to improve student
    performance and achievement through a more flexible and modern delivery
    system. This blended learning approach lends itself well to Vermont's
    priority Career Clusters, Information Technologies and STEM. This
    dynamic and innovative educational programs seeks to fulfill the
    constantly evolving needs of every student.
        I recently heard about a student who was able to take part in this
    program. Kevin, a student at Spaulding High School in Vermont, is
    involved in a number of team sports for his school along with a
    leadership position on the student council. He is also a budding
    entrepreneur and recently opened his own lawn care business.
    Ultimately, he would like to go on to college and become an Engineer.
    According to Kevin, ``The things I read and learn in my class each day,
    make me feel more confident in what I plan on doing after college.''
    The CTE programs and blended learning opportunities such as our Virtual
    Learning Academy offered through Vermont's Virtual Learning Cooperative
    have helped clearly Kevin realize his full potential.
        Principle 2: CTE actively partners with employers to design and
    provide high-quality, dynamic programs.
        CTE's partnership with employers is one of the most treasured
    aspects of our history and continues to be at the heart of our programs
    today. Our vision statement calls for an even stronger partnership with
    employers by having business and industry having an increased role in
    the design and delivery of CTE programs of study.
        Across the nation, CTE leaders are collaborating with business and
    industry. For example, Union Pacific Railroad works with local schools
    through their Direction Recruitment Education and Mentoring (DREAM)
    program in which employees provide students with career, educational
    and social guidance. The mentoring program serves as a vehicle to
    develop students' self-esteem and confidence in their personal and
    career ambitions as they explore the business world.
        Partnerships with employers provide students with real-world and
    real-work problems to solve. They provide teachers and faculty with
    externships and students with internships, work-based learning
    experiences and mentorship. These experiences are essential for
    students to test the waters and gain early exposure to a variety of
    career fields. This exploration of what students like to do and are
    good at can help them find focus and confidence--which leads to higher
    aspirations. We see this over and over.
        We believe federal CTE legislation can help promote improved
    employer-education engagement and partnerships, including requiring
    local advisory committees comprised of employers and education
    stakeholders to actively partner in the design and delivery CTE high-
    quality programs of study. Further, comprehensive career guidance and
    development programs and personalized learning plans beginning in
    middle school are essential to helping expand access to CTE and
    ensuring more students have the support they need to learn about
    careers, explore options, understand the necessary course of study and
    experiences essential to be successful in their college and career
    journey.
        Principle 3: CTE prepares students to succeed in further education
    and careers.
        As described earlier, CTE has evolved considerably over the last
    decade. High-quality CTE programs prepare students to be successful by
    providing adaptable skills and knowledge, thereby ensuring flexibility
    to transition careers as interests change, opportunities emerge,
    technology advances, and the economy transforms. It is no longer
    acceptable or appropriate to talk about college or careers. It must be
    college and careers.\3\
        This transformation in expectation from ``or'' to ``and'' is
    underscored by the data. Researchers project that, by 2020, 35% of jobs
    will require at least a bachelor's degree and 30% will require some
    postsecondary education.\4\ Focusing on preparing secondary CTE
    students for postsecondary education is paying off; the college
    attendance rate for CTE students increased by nearly 32% between 1982
    and 1992, and the trend continues.\5\ Even so, more work needs to be
    done. Only 70% of high school graduates study at a postsecondary
    institution immediately after high school, and far fewer complete a
    degree or credential.\6\ Improving transitions between secondary and
    postsecondary education is one of the most efficient ways to lead
    students to postsecondary success. Thus, the focus of the federal
    investment on preparation for both college and careers and the linkages
    between the learner levels is absolutely necessary.
        One way CTE has been successful at promoting learner level
    alignment is through decades of work around dual and concurrent
    enrollment. A recent Community College Research Center study found that
    dual enrollment students in Florida were more likely to earn a high
    school diploma, go on to college, persist at that level for longer, and
    have a higher postsecondary grade point average than their peers.\7\
        In recent years, efforts in states like Alabama, Colorado, Georgia,
    Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have expanded toward statewide
    initiatives to promote acquisition and portability of postsecondary
    credits while students are still in high school. In addition, we have
    seen the expansion of the inclusion of Advanced Placement courses in
    CTE programs of study. And there are some programs out there that
    really have taken this to a whole new level. Ballard Memorial High
    School in Ballard County, Kentucky provides students in the school's
    Health Science program the opportunity to graduate high school and earn
    an associate's degree from Western Kentucky Community & Technical
    College at the same time.
        These opportunities give students a head start on college and
    lessen the economic burden of attending postsecondary institutions.
    Employers, too, benefit from these partnerships as they are able to
    confidently hire qualified individuals to fill job vacancies.
        The quality of CTE educators cannot be overlooked as a major
    component to student success. In Vermont, state leaders have developed
    an innovative CTE teacher professional development program that will
    start in the 2013-2014 school year. Vermont will now not only have one
    of the best licensing programs for CTE teachers initially licensed to
    teach, but will now also have a seamless pathway to earning a
    Bachelor's degree in Career and Technical Education in a 3+2 program in
    partnership with the state college system. As the economy evolves and
    the needs of the labor market change, CTE students are uniquely
    positioned to thrive in a globally-competitive environment with the
    skills and knowledge base first acquired through rigorous CTE programs
    taught by knowledgeable, prepared CTE instructors.
        Principle 4: CTE is delivered through comprehensive programs of
    study aligned to the National Career Clusters Framework.
        States have largely embraced the National Career Clusters(r)
    Framework, which includes 16 Career Clusters and 79 Career Pathways, as
    the organizer for modern CTE. With Perkins funding and requirements as
    the national catalyst, CTE is transitioning its delivery model of CTE
    programs to programs of study. What's different about programs of
    study?
        Programs of study are designed to seamlessly link a student's
    secondary and postsecondary education through a structured sequence of
    academic and CTE courses that leads to a postsecondary-level
    credential. In a program of study, the standards, curriculum, and
    assessments are aligned, thereby ensuring coordination and seamless
    delivery of instruction and transitions for students. Relevant work-
    based learning opportunities, Career Technical Student Organizations,
    comprehensive career planning, and leadership development are offered.
    And there is evidence that programs of study are producing positive
    outcomes. A study conducted through the National Research Center for
    Career and Technical Education last year found that students who were
    enrolled in a program of study had better test scores, better secondary
    GPAs, and made more progress towards graduation than their peers.\8\
        In addition, states have been working to add clarity and rigor to
    academic and technical instruction at the high school level, with the
    goal of better preparing students for college and careers and, thus,
    improving the nation's ability to be globally competitive. Perkins
    requires CTE programs to be aligned to rigorous, state-adopted academic
    and CTE standards that define what students should know and be able to
    do after completing instruction in a program of study. To that end, CTE
    has been an advocate for college and career-ready standards. Last year,
    State CTE Directors from 42 states, the District of Columbia and Palau,
    embraced the opportunity to improve CTE through high-quality, voluntary
    CTE standards, organized by Career Cluster, that define what students
    should know and be able to do after completing instruction in a program
    of study.
        Programs of study also promote coordination and collaboration
    between secondary and postsecondary partners. Consortia efforts that
    protect funding streams but promote statewide collaboration have proven
    vital to improving the capacity and scalability of CTE programs of
    study. Consortia can provide a unified state effort towards comparable
    quality of educational and training programming across all subsets of
    the population. They also ensure equitable geographic access for
    students, spanning middle school through high school, apprenticeships
    and college, as well as lifelong learning. Additionally, consortia help
    develop performance assessments of a valid and reliable nature to
    further improve the state's accountability system., help define new
    competency models and strategies to strengthen the link between CTE
    programs and the needs of the labor market and the economy.
        Principle 5: CTE is a results-driven system that demonstrates a
    positive return on investment.
        Finally, CTE embraces the critical importance of accountability and
    data-driven decisions. Data have consistently illustrated CTE's
    positive return on investment. The fiscal impact of a reduced drop-out
    rate, cost savings for employers, and other positive impacts on
    regional, state, and national economies show how investment in CTE
    results in positive economic gains on the whole. Wisconsin's technical
    colleges return a public benefit of $10.65 for every dollar invested,
    and taxpayers in Los Angeles County see a 10 percent return on their
    investment in the county's community colleges.\9\ These are just a few
    of the many examples where CTE is yielding positive economic results
    across the country.
        In Washington's Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board
    commissioned one of the most compelling studies on the return on
    investment for CTE. Composed of nine representatives from business,
    labor, and government, the board found that CTE students in Washington
    earn more on average, and thus pay back the state's investment in their
    education through increased tax revenue. Ultimately, the return on
    investment for CTE students in Washington was an impressive seven times
    the original public investment.\10\
        Unfortunately, the sort of data Washington is able to compile is
    not available to every state due to limitations of their data systems.
    There is a need to create common definitions across the states, common
    performance measures across similar federal education and workforce
    programs and to increase alignment across K-12 education, postsecondary
    education and workforce data systems.
    Conclusion
        In 2006, the language in the Perkins Act was updated from
    ``vocational and technical education'' to ``career and technical
    education.'' This transition was more than just a name change. It
    represented a fundamental shift in philosophy from CTE being for those
    who were not going to college to a system that prepares students for
    both employment and postsecondary education. CTE leaders embraced the
    goals of Perkins IV. We strengthened the integration of high-quality
    academic and technical education programs, further emphasizing that
    students participating in CTE must meet the same rigorous academic
    standards as all other students. Many states went beyond the law's
    minimal program of study requirements. We made great progress in
    improving our data systems. And as a result, CTE students have
    succeeded. The national average graduation rate for CTE students is
    over 90 percent, while the average national graduation rate for all
    students is less than 74 percent.\11\ CTE students are out-performing
    academic benchmarks:

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              Target             Actual
               CTE indicator               performance        performance
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Reading/Language Arts (Secondary).               67%                72%
    Mathematics (Secondary)...........               59%                63%
    Technical Skill Attainment                       68%                75%
     (Secondary)......................
    Technical Skill Attainment                       70%                82%
     (Postsecondary)..................
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

        And 70 percent of CTE concentrators stayed in postsecondary
    education or transferred to a 4-year degree program (compared to the
    overall average state target of 58%) and transitioned to postsecondary
    education or employment by December of the year of graduation.\12\
        Career Technical Education is learning that works for America. My
    colleagues and I from across the nation believe that in that the
    federal investment is vital to ensuring that we achieve the vision we
    put forth in 2010--ensuring that all students have access to high-
    quality CTE programs. As we look to the future, imagine an education
    and workforce system that rewards innovation, cohesively supports
    different learning styles, equally values different interests and
    talents, nimbly adapts and responds to technology and workplace needs,
    and prepares all students for career success through multiple pathways.
    Our nation's economic vitality hinges on our commitment to invest in
    and ensure the preparedness, efficiency, innovation, creativity and
    productivity of the U.S. workforce, and CTE is instrumental to our
    success.

                                    ENDNOTES

        \1\ U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation
    and Policy Development. National Assessment of Career and Technical
    Education: Interim Report, 2013. Of note, The share of public high
    school graduates who are CTE investors, earning 3 or more occupational
    credits, was 38% in 2004. The share of CTE explorers, who earn three or
    more CTE occupational credits in more than one occupational area,
    increased to 21% in 2004.
        \2\ U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult
    Education. Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
    Consolidated Annual Reports, 2011-2012.
        \3\ Career Readiness Partners Council's Career Readiness
    Definition: http://www.careerreadynow.org/
        \4\ Carnevale, Anthony, Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl, ``Recovery:
    Job Growth and Education Requirements Through 2020,'' Georgetown
    University Center on Education and the Workforce, June 2013.
        \5\ U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary,
    Policy and Program Studies Service, ``National Assessment of Vocational
    Education: Final Report to Congress,'' Washington, D.C., 2004.
        \6\ National Science Foundation, ``Science and Engineering
    Indicators 2012,'' Arlington, VA, 2012, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/
    seind12/c1/c1s4.htm.
        \7\ Karp, Melinda Mechur, Juan Carlos Calcagno, Katherine L.
    Hughes, Dong Wook Jeong, & Thomas Bailey, ``Dual Enrollment Students in
    Florida and New York City: Postsecondary Outcomes,'' Community College
    Research Center 37, February (2008): http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/
    k2/attachments/dual-enrollment-student-outcomes-brief.pdf.
        \8\ Castellano, M., Sundell, K., Overman, L. T., & Aliaga, O. A.,
    ``Do Career and Technical Education Programs of study Improve Student
    Achievement? Preliminary Analyses From a rigorous Longitudinal Study,''
    International Journal of Educational Reform, 21 (2012): 98-118.
        \9\ Association for Career and Technical Education, ``Investing in
    Career & Technical Education Yields Big Returns.''
        \10\ ``CTE: An Investment in Success,'' Workforce Training and
    Education Coordinating Board, Olympia, Washington, http://
    www.wtb.wa.gov/Documents/CTESuccess.pdf.
        \11\ U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult
    Education, ``Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
    2006, Report to Congress on State Performance, Program Year 2007--08,''
    Washington, D.C., 2010.
        \12\ U.S. Department of Education, ``FY 2010 Annual Performance
    Report,'' Washington, D.C., 2011. http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/
    annual/2010report/fy2010-apr.pdf.
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Mr. Britt, you are now recognized for 5
    minutes.

           STATEMENT OF FRANK BRITT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
                            PENN FOSTER INC.

        Mr. Britt. Thank you very much and good morning, Chairman
    Rokita and Congressman Grijalva and the esteemed members of
    this committee. My name is Frank Britt and I am the CEO of Penn
    Foster, one of the Nation's largest and most experienced
    providers of online and hybrid education in the career
    technical field. I appreciate the opportunity to share some
    perspectives this morning regarding this vital part of the
    education economy.
        I come to you today as a practitioner, as an active
    observer of CTE, and my perspective starts with several
    important assumptions. The first is that it is self-evident
    that CTE has worked and has improved the lives of millions of
    people due to dedicated faculty and administrators and strong
    State and Federal policies. Secondly, given that strong track
    record, there is a lot that has worked and a lot should be
    embraced going forward. This is not a part of the education
    economy that is broken, it is one that is thriving and can
    continue to improve for the future. Thirdly, change is upon us.
    Society is changing, education itself is changing, employers'
    expectations of workers are changing, and the reality is the
    learning habits of students is evolving in a digital world.
        It is in this context that I think there is a significant
    opportunity to build on the strong and vital role of CTE, the
    one that it already plays today in schools and in business
    across our country. I think we need to continue to lay out a
    road map and a platform for CTE that will further establish it
    in a contemporary context. That road map should be formulated
    by seasoned practitioners in the CTE industry as well as
    administrators, but it also needs to include people from
    outside the CTE industry to help shape the next generation of
    students and lifelong learners.
        As you have read in my submitted remarks, we have six
    recommendations, and I wanted to highlight just three of those.
    But what they share in common--and this is an important point--
    is all of them have been implemented in other parts of the
    education economy and in other sectors of the corporate
    economy, and that is an important point to note. Our objective
    is to encourage the melding of proven best practices in CTE
    with the best practices and insights we have gained from other
    industries so we can optimize the student experience of CTE, as
    well as the return on investment.
        We have three recommendations particularly we thought worth
    noting. The first is diffuse project-based learning with the
    best of traditional practices to better personalize the student
    experience. This means project-based learning combined with the
    way traditional ground-based academics work to drive the best
    outcome for the students.
        Number two, we want to embrace digital learning. CTE
    faculty members have always needed to embrace new technologies
    given the disciplines they teach. Given that technology and
    software are essential to countless vocational fields already,
    we see embedding further digital tools in the learning context
    as a natural extension of what happens in the classroom and
    what should happen out of the classroom going forward.
        The third is a change in perception. The reality is that
    the middle-skills occupations are in fact in demand,
    extraordinarily respectable occupations, and drive stable
    lifestyles. In many cases it allows people to advance to middle
    management, even senior management positions. But as we also
    know, the degrees that prepare students for middle-skill
    careers are often misunderstood and underappreciated. The
    reality is that the alternative education career pathway is in
    fact compelling for millions of capable traditional learners
    and adults, and it needs to be encouraged by people and
    organizations of influence.
        There is a significant opportunity to make CTE a new way to
    think about the economy for millions of people, and we think
    the perception and branding of CTE needs to be evolved. It
    needs to become a mainstream solution that is embraced in the
    same way that traditional 4-year colleges are embraced. We all
    know that a 4-year degree may not be desirable or even
    practical for every student, or in some cases it maybe
    shouldn't be the first step. The reality of that is the
    trillion dollars in student loan debt.
        Our assertion is that students and adults alike should be
    encouraged to understand this vibrant set of career
    alternatives to help themselves and their families build a more
    productive life. This is a moment to lean in on affirming the
    power and the promise of CTE-enabled careers.
        In summary, we are supporters of CTE, we know it can play a
    vital role in helping address the acute skills gap in this
    country, which is likely to worsen with the resurgence of U.S.
    manufacturing. We have a 123-year history at our organization,
    including our 100,000 students today who participate in all
    aspects of our high school, our college, as well as our
    vocational programs and career programs. There is an imperative
    and an opportunity to change CTE in this country, and we think
    it is an exciting one that can improves everyone's lives. We
    appreciate the opportunity to share our perspectives on that
    subject.
        Chairman Rokita. Thank you, Mr. Britt.
        [The statement of Mr. Britt follows:]

             Prepared Statement of Frank F. Britt, CEO, Penn Foster

        Good Morning, Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and esteemed
    members of the committee, my name is Frank Britt. I am the CEO of Penn
    Foster--a leader in career-focused online and hybrid education with a
    commitment to addressing the middle skills gap in America.
        The story of Penn Foster is rooted in training Americans with the
    technical skills needed to find jobs where they live. In 1869, in one
    of the largest mining disasters in the history of Pennsylvania, a
    massive fire caused the death of 110 workers, due in large part to a
    lack of training and expertise among the miners. This crippled the coal
    mines in the area and left people out of work and under-skilled. In
    response, newspaper editor Thomas Foster founded the International
    Correspondence School in 1890, to train miners on engineering and
    safety. Foster pioneered correspondence learning because his students
    did not have the means to travel every day to sit in a classroom. As
    the school reached its one millionth enrollment Thomas Edison, who
    authored one of its courses, remarked that home study was one of the
    greatest inventions of the 20th century. President Theodore Roosevelt
    agreed. He visited the Scranton campus and extolled the virtues of the
    school's study method. Soon Foster's programs grew and became more
    sophisticated, and the International Correspondence School became Penn
    Foster. In the years since, our institution has produced many notable
    alumni including Chrysler's former president Walter Chrysler, GM's
    former president Charles W. Nash and Dan Kimball, former Secretary of
    the U.S. Navy.
        Since our inception, more than 13 million people have enrolled in
    Penn Foster, which encompasses a high school, career school, and
    college. Today, Penn Foster enrolls approximately 150,000 students
    annually in programs consistent with traditional schools and community
    colleges, providing fully accredited high school diplomas, career
    programs and certificates, and bachelor's and associate degrees. Our
    Career School, College, and High School have all met the high standards
    of academic integrity set by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance
    Education and Training Council (DETC), a nationally recognized
    accrediting agency, and various other accreditation bureaus including
    regionally accreditation for Penn Foster High School and Career School
    by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association
    of Colleges and Schools.
        We focus on traditional age high school students through adult
    learners and partner with over 400 secondary and post-secondary
    institutions that use Penn Foster content and delivery platforms to
    expand their offerings. For example, Polk County School District in
    Florida uses Penn Foster's curriculum and platform to re-attract
    students who have dropped out of high school and help them graduate. We
    also attack the systematic issues of the drop-out crisis by
    contributing senior leadership and resources to the National Dropout
    Prevention Network, which has worked to create opportunities for all
    young people to fully develop academic, social, work, and life skills.
        Given that our students are often balancing full-time jobs and/or
    other familial responsibilities, Penn Foster has become an industry
    leader in crafting innovative solutions to keep them on-track. We
    employ a self-paced educational model based on subject matter mastery
    that allows our students to set their own timetables without falling
    behind while accounting for personal circumstances.
        Our student-centered approach extends to program cost and payment
    options. We make sure that our programs do not require students to take
    on excessive debt obligations. For example, the average starting salary
    for a Pharmacy Technician is $28,400. Penn Foster's Pharmacy Tech
    certificate program cost students less than $500 (over 60% less than
    most alternatives). For school districts using Penn Foster career
    electives and high school courses this means low cost options that fit
    within the school's budget and allow them to sponsor innovative models
    for educating their high school population.
        In addition, for individual consumers or students, paying for
    school is more manageable under our pay-as-you-go model. We do not
    accept federal student aid programs under Title IV of the Higher
    Education Amendments including Stafford Student and the Federal Pell
    Grant Program. Instead, monthly payments are calibrated to match
    academic progress and students' ability to pay, which better aligns
    objectives between students and the institution including our high
    school, career and college. For example, the cost of our associate and
    bachelor's degrees are about 30% less than community colleges and 70%
    less than traditional four year institutions.
        For many, our programs are a gateway to the respectable salary and
    stable lifestyle that accompany careers in vocations traditionally
    classified as ``middle-skilled.'' For others, we smooth the transition
    to higher education by simplifying the credit transfer process. This is
    nothing less than the democratization of education, as we offer our
    students access to the best in technology, community and academics, as
    well as a support system usually reserved for those who can afford high
    tuition and the accompanying loan payments. And by harnessing the
    benefits of scale economies, we are able to do so at a lower cost.
        Given our position as one of the nation's largest and most
    experienced providers of online instruction in Career Technical
    Education (CTE) at the high school and post-secondary level, we
    appreciate the opportunity to address the Subcommittee and offer
    recommendations to improve the funding, delivery, and promotion of CTE.
    Recommendations to Make CTE More Efficient and Effective
        To date, a lot of good has been done. Lives have been changed and
    skills have been built, as institutions and dedicated faculty have been
    well-preparing students for careers in CTE. We are here today to talk
    about how to build on the strong foundation of CTE and evolve the
    system while innovating for the future. We have six recommendations to
    improve career and technical education in our country today:
        1. Employ project based learning to personalize the student
    experience
        2. Embrace digital learning
        3. Change the perception
        4. Stimulate innovation
        5. Promote data uniformity
        6. Reward competency, not accreditation
        We recognize the Subcommittee and Staff have deep expertise in a
    variety of issues related to CTE and the Perkins Act, and will direct
    our remarks to areas that may complement this panel's deep experiences.
    The basis of these viewpoints is as a practitioner, rather than a
    policy expert. We exist to provide education either directly to the
    learners, or support school districts, higher ed institutions and
    employers who seek alternative CTE delivery models. We share these
    perspectives based on directly interfacing with thousands of students
    each year, and as active observers of the incumbent delivery approaches
    and providers. Like many other organizations, we are seeking to
    navigate the new needs of the next generation CTE students, and be
    productive advocates and supporters of current faculty and
    administration and collaborate with them to better address the needs of
    both traditional and adult learners.

    1. Employ project based learning to personalize the student experience
        Project-based learning (PBL) is an educational approach that
    focuses on real-life application of theories and lessons and is in
    practice in many leading CTE schools across the country. Students
    engaged in PBL pursue solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and
    refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans
    and experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions,
    and communicating their ideas and findings to others. This provides an
    alternative to paper-based, rote memorization, teacher-led classrooms.
    Proponents of project-based learning cite numerous benefits to the
    implementation of these strategies in the classroom including a greater
    depth of understanding of concepts, broader knowledge base, improved
    communication and interpersonal/social skills, enhanced leadership
    skills, increased creativity, and improved writing skills.
        At present, the vast majority of funding is devoted to traditional
    infrastructure and practices. Instead, investments should be made to
    ``mainstream'' PBL enabled by online and hybrid courses that are
    personalized to directly benefit students. In these student-centered
    models the role of faculty often evolves. Instead of spending all of
    their time reviewing material, they are focused on the application of
    the material and tailoring that teaching to the individual needs of the
    learner.

    2. Embrace digital learning
        Much has changed since the Perkins Act was made law seven years
    ago, as more and more students are turning to custom CTE programs
    online.\1\ Yet, the Act does not recognize online or hybrid models
    under its definition of ``institution.'' Meanwhile, in the private
    sector, the service Khan Academy, a non-profit educational website
    whose mission is to provide ``a free world-class education for anyone
    anywhere,'' educates millions each day with little-to-no overhead. With
    260 million lessons and a staff of fewer than 100, Khan's results have
    been astounding. The innovation in their equation is simply the
    Internet itself, as noted by many leading experts, including Michael
    Staton, co-founder of Inigral.
        The Committee should continue to encourage use of the Internet and
    digital learning in education at every opportunity, especially to
    perpetuate peer-to-peer platforms and social media enablement. These
    adaptive learning engines will contain intelligent programs that
    understand and respond to each student's level of competency.
        For example, tech-enabled and hybrid educational delivery platforms
    can optimize total spending per student by using predictive tools that
    automate intervention and augment student-progress, while increasing
    faculty productivity and moving from hard copy text to digital content.
    The goal is to deliver a student experience that drives academic
    progress and has built-in tools to catch students before they struggle.
    This includes using personalized and adaptive learning systems for
    teachers. These systems are complemented by greater parental, business,
    and community engagement and work through partnerships with local
    employers. The results would be higher attendance rates, higher
    effectiveness as measured by staying in school, progression, and most
    importantly more career and college pathways.

    3. Change the perception
        We recommend the public and private CTE institutions, together with
    the government, proactively educate the public on the value of careers
    in CTE fields. We have to be even more effective at communicating the
    narrative of why students and citizens should be compelled to embrace
    these careers. Explaining this story has always been essential, and now
    faces more complex marketing challenges as new social tools are
    introduced and mobile consumption becomes more prevalent. This will
    require new types of content, such as user generated reviews. To
    compete in that environment, CTE needs a national ``Got Job?''-style
    campaign, funded by the private sector, to reach its target audiences
    (including students and parents) and penetrate the national
    consciousness. Led by a cross-section of leading employers and/or
    industry organizations, this campaign needs to involve Committee
    members and others in positions of influence and esteem to highlight
    CTE fields as providing rigorous, challenging curricula that lead to
    college and career readiness. Americans need to see ``alternative
    pathways'' not as code words for less potential and low wages, but
    instead as a viable, creditable and highly pragmatic academic and
    career roadmap for a significant number of traditional and adult
    students.
        Historically CTE has suffered from negative perception, and
    flipping that perception may be the number one issue holding us back
    from filling these important jobs with skilled labor, and tackling the
    national jobs crisis.

    4. Stimulate innovation
        Career technical education is a $30 billion industry and impacts
    millions of learners each year, yet it has been largely ignored by
    entrepreneurs, venture capital and top executives from leading
    companies. Innovation is the key force that shapes industries, and more
    talented leaders need to be attracted to the sector to help conceive
    approaches and take advantage of emerging practices from the new
    education economy. While there are highly successful and innovative
    schools, such as Gateway Technical College, their influence is
    constrained by geography. To attract large-scale innovators and new
    sources of capital to drive research and development the delivery model
    and economic and regulatory environments will need to change.
        CTE needs Perkins dollars directly focused on innovation grants,
    prizes and university collaboration to incentivize engagement and
    diversify the base of potential innovators.\2\ Furthermore, new
    parties, including proprietary schools, need to have a say in the
    updated version of the Perkins Act and the national CTE agenda. Online
    and hybrid learning models can offer more affordable career and
    technical education for students while also reducing labor and
    operational costs for schools. As a result of these savings, more
    funding can be freed up to directly benefit students.\3\
        This next-generation, technology-enabled career and technical
    education would simplify administrative and logistical tasks, leading
    to higher student and teacher satisfaction. For ground-based career
    tech schools partnering with the next generation providers can expand
    the radius of their coverage geographically, allow for new programs not
    offered today yet in demand locally, and also provide on-going
    continuing education to graduates. This will be of particular benefit
    to rural America where travel and class-size often constrain the
    ability of districts to offer CTE courses. Partnering with online CTE
    providers will ensure that rural students have the same access to high-
    demand CTE professions as their urban and suburban counterparts.

    5. Promote data uniformity
        Despite significant spending on CTE across the High School,
    Technical College and Career School sectors, the quality of unit-level
    and aggregate data on spending and student achievement is often
    elusive, contradictory, or out-of-date. For example, the basic
    definition of who and what is a K-12 CTE student varies across states
    and districts. Is a CTE student a ``CTE concentrator'' who takes 4-6
    CTE courses in one area, or is it any student who takes any CTE course?
    The definition of what constitutes a CTE course varies across states,
    districts and even schools. A world-class educational system cannot be
    modernized without better data and consistency for the sake of
    benchmarking and performance improvement management on behalf of
    students and investors. Similarly, inconsistencies in how and who
    provides tracking and reporting costs impact how a given state's
    delivery system is set up: e.g., New York has a regional service center
    model (BOCES) that delivers some (but not all) CTE programs for its
    member school districts. Other states deliver CTE programs in
    comprehensive high schools. Those variables impact administrative,
    transportation, instructional, and capital costs.
        Simplifying and unifying definitions and practices will save
    providers operating in multiple states time, money, and frustration,
    and will ultimately benefit students.

    6. Reward competency, not accreditation
        Education is entering a transitional moment. Moving forward we
    should embrace the best of the traditional model while incorporating
    the advantages of a competency-based system. The need to assure the
    public that an institution meets standards and delivers on its promises
    will remain essential, but the future is a movement toward competency-
    based education and away from credit-hour measures.
        One option is for CTE (over time) to embrace an employer-driven
    competency-attainment based system to complement credit hours.\4\ This
    will likely require panels of employers to set criteria for
    competencies needed to meet industry standards and regulation at the
    national level, which would eliminate, standardize or simplify state-
    by-state restrictions and barriers. An early example of these
    principles in action includes The National Coalition of Certification
    Centers (NC3), which were established to implement and sustain
    industry-recognized portable certifications with strong validation and
    assessment standards. As CTE makes the transition to competency-based
    certification, the online education will be uniquely positioned to
    serve learners in a variety of fields including Vet Tech and Pharma
    Tech, where competency programs are already operational.
    Career Technical Education (CTE) at the High School Level
        More than 850,000 K-12 students in the U.S. are classified as
    ``vocational,'' which encompasses CTE fields and makes up just 2% of
    total students. The cost to educate these students is nearly $14,000 or
    20-40% greater than that of traditional academic instruction. In recent
    years approximately $13 billion has been spent annually by federal,
    state and local governments to support youth-focused vocational
    education systems across the U.S., with federal funding constituting
    only about 4-8% percent of all state and local spending.\5\ This is in
    addition to the $16 billion post-high school trade and technical
    school-industry.
        Penn Foster is striving to make career technical education more
    affordable by combining online instruction with practical hands-on
    training. Unlike many CTE alternatives, including both traditional and
    online options, Penn Foster is fixated on our students' long-term
    goals. This allows us to eliminate any instruction that is not central
    to our students achieving in their desired fields, reducing student's
    tuition with no degradation of value. We take the same approach in our
    work with corporate partners, for whom we provide low-cost employee
    training programs online in a targeted and personalized manner.
    A Commitment to Career Training: Penn Foster and Job Corps
        Penn Foster's collaboration with Job Corps is just one example of
    our commitment to education innovation in career technical training
    with students who have struggled in the traditional system. Both Penn
    Foster and Job Corps are focused on bringing professional and
    educational opportunities to at-risk students and those who have not
    had success in the traditional system. Penn Foster operates in 50 of
    Job Corps' 125 centers around the nation, implementing our self-paced
    high school model and devising various innovative hybrid courses that
    combine online instruction with hands-on training. Since 2006, the
    partnership has worked by combining general high school requirements
    such as math or science with electives in a career track of the
    student's choice. Run simultaneously, Penn Foster provides the
    materials to help the students receive their diploma, while Job Corps
    provides them with the practical career training and support. An
    instructor is present at all times and helps the student decide on and
    prepare for their next exciting step, whether it's a job or college.
    When they complete the program students leave with more than just a
    diploma, they have a skill set that can help lead to a better life.
    New Students and Career Paths
        Higher education is increasingly seen as a requisite in today's job
    market. Yet there are profoundly troubling signs that the U.S. is
    failing to meet its obligation to prepare millions of young adults. In
    an era in which education has never been more important to economic
    success, the U.S. has fallen behind many other nations in educational
    attainment and achievement. Within the U.S. economy, there is also
    growing evidence of a ``skills gap'' in which many young adults lack
    the skills needed for many jobs that pay a middle-class wage.
    Simultaneously, there has been a dramatic decline in the ability of
    adolescents and young adults to find work. Indeed, the percentage of
    teens and young adults who have jobs is now at the lowest level since
    World War II.
        As a result, the demographics of the ``typical student'' have
    changed and college students are no longer just 18-to-22-year-olds.
    They may be single working mothers in their 40s or grandparents in
    their 60s. They may seek traditional degrees or be part of the fastest
    growing career track--those pursuing career certificates.
    Significantly, the National Center for Education Statistics notes that
    36% of today's college students are over age 25, a group that is
    expected to grow by 20 percent between 2010 and 2020.\6\ As norms of
    age and income become obsolete, there is a need for more customization
    and flexibility in delivery methods to meet the needs of nontraditional
    students.
        Just as students' backgrounds have changed, so have their career
    paths. Today, a person's first job no longer becomes a lifelong career,
    and students need to be more versatile than in previous generations.
    According to leading experts, between 60 and 70% of the jobs required
    20 years from now do not exist today, a dramatic-yet-intuitive
    statistic given the countless number today's new careers that have only
    emerged over the past decade including in social media, green energy
    sustainability, cloud computing, and data science.
        According to the Center on Education and the Workforce at
    Georgetown University, the U.S. economy will create some 47 million job
    openings over the 10-year period ending in 2018. Nearly two-thirds of
    these jobs will require at least some post-secondary education.
    Therefore, applicants without post-high school education will fill 36
    percent of the job openings, or just half the percentage of jobs they
    held in the early 1970s. Moreover, the Center projects that 14 million
    openings will be filled by people with an associate's degree or
    occupational certificate. Many of those will be in ``middle-skill''
    occupations such as electrician, construction manager, dental
    hygienist, paralegal and police officer. These jobs often have higher
    salaries than jobs held by those with bachelors' degrees. In fact, 27
    percent of people with post-secondary licenses or certificates--
    credentials short of an associate's degree--earn more than the average
    bachelor's degree recipient. There will also be a huge number of job
    openings in so-called blue-collar fields like construction,
    manufacturing, and natural resources, which will provide nearly 8
    million openings, an estimated 2.7 of which will require a post-
    secondary credential.
        Given the dynamic nature of the marketplace, it is more important
    than ever for educators to provide employment-focused education. As
    students look to train-up and acquire practical and marketable skills,
    educators must respond in kind by adjusting their methods to be more
    learner-focused. Ideally, the future of education will blend online and
    traditional learning experiences and be flexible, so that the material
    is available to the student on his/her own time and teaching and
    engagement is saved for the classroom.
        Penn Foster has helped answer the call with more than 200
    partnerships with secondary and post-secondary schools and 35 state
    workforce development boards. We're making content available and
    allowing students to learn at their own paces, while providing in-
    person support and guidance to improve graduation rates.

    Filling the Middle Skill Jobs of Today and Tomorrow
        For many Americans, ``higher education'' still means a four-year
    degree. However, with unemployment hovering around 7.5 percent and with
    many students graduating from four-year institutions unable to find
    jobs, our perception of the costs and benefits of education needs to
    change. Degrees that prepare students for middle-skilled careers are
    often ignored or rejected, but education leaders need to realize that,
    as valuable as four-year degrees may be, they are not practical for
    every student, especially given that these students are saddled with an
    average of $26,600 of debt overall,\7\ and $32,700 when graduating from
    for-profit colleges.\8\ Instead of ignoring middle-skilled careers, we
    need to embrace them as viable alternatives to traditional degrees that
    lead to high-demand careers, and ensure that associated education costs
    remain affordable and aligned with salary potential.
        Jobs traditionally known as ``middle-skilled'' will make up nearly
    half of all openings in the next 10 years,\9\ and yet there is a lack
    of infrastructure, support, and data to help middle-skill workers
    navigate the market to discover and attain these jobs. As a result, too
    many middle-skill workers are enrolling in four-year degree programs
    instead of gaining career-oriented training that would allow them
    instant access to the workforce. This inefficiency is increasing
    student debt and widening a middle-skills job gap, where students fail
    to meet the needs of employers who want to hire them.
        Like their white-collar counterparts, employers in middle-skilled
    career fields want their applicants to be job-ready. They do not want
    to have to spend large amounts of money training their employees. They
    want an employee equipped with both practical and relevant theoretical
    knowledge. That's where hybrid (or ``blended'') learning approaches
    come into play, allowing students to combine in-class hands-on
    instruction with online learning, contributing to increased
    productivity among students and reduced costs for institutions.
        Penn Foster is helping to close the ``skills gap'' with a variety
    of programs that give students access to equipment and first rate
    instruction in high-growth industries. Our engineering technology
    program, which prepares students for careers in manufacturing, is just
    one example. Despite well-documented shifts in the manufacturing
    industry, there is a dire need for new manufacturing professionals. In
    December 2012, there were 224,000 manufacturing job openings, but only
    155,000 hires, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And these
    jobs generally pay well: sheet metal workers earn a median salary of
    $41,710 and diesel engine mechanics earn a median salary of $46,660,
    according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Considering that these
    careers do not require four years of post-secondary schooling, they
    represent a favorable return on investment.

    Trade and Technical Schools: Meeting the Needs of a Growing Market
        The post-high school Trade and Technical Schools industry has
    experienced overall growth during the past five years despite the
    recession and substantial cuts in federal funding. The industry has
    been able to capitalize on the growing online education market, despite
    increased regulation. Spurred on by demand for training in areas of new
    technology, revenue grew 2.6% annually to $16.1 billion in the five
    years leading up to 2012.
        Changing labor market requirements have encouraged job seekers to
    choose vocational courses rather than apprenticeships and on-the-job
    training. Furthermore, the increasing cost of four-year colleges has
    caused some to seek alternative forms of education. While technical and
    trade schools still face competition from the Junior Colleges
    industry,\10\ future prospects are good. Downstream demand is expected
    to remain strong for workers in most trades, and increasing
    requirements for workers to hold formal certification will aid industry
    growth. Demand for healthcare professions will also provide a
    significant boost to the industry in particular. As the U.S. population
    ages, demand for medical technicians and nurse's aides will bolster the
    revenue of training schools, which is expected to increase at an
    annualized rate of 2.7% to $18.4 billion between 2013 and 2017.

    Partnering with Employers, Responding to the Market
        Our more than 100-year CTE track record has positioned Penn Foster
    as the in-demand online and hybrid institution for construction,
    manufacturing, utility, and engineering firms looking to train and
    retrain employees. We have partnered with more than 1,000 institutions
    nationwide in that capacity, including the military. Last year 2,500
    military students took Penn Foster programs, because our model allows
    traveling, busy military families to get an education and advance their
    career goals and at a low price point. We also work with leading
    community colleges and corporations to develop turn-key solutions for
    high-growth industrial occupations such as electrician, welder and HVAC
    technician, and industries such as utilities, manufacturing and
    construction.
        These programs can reduce employee turnover by 40% while saving
    corporate clients millions of dollars, not to mention preventing
    devastating layoffs and improving on-site safety for workers and the
    public. In addition, they provide traditional blue collar workers with
    a ladder up into management positions.
        This understanding of the job market helps institutions better
    prepare students to achieve employment. Just as corporate America uses
    customer data to improve business practices, so do employers collect
    and track data on performance of employees, interns and apprentices.
    Schools can harness that data and use it to help students pick classes,
    decide on courses of study, and ultimately choose their career paths.

    Conclusion
        The time is now to even better support change in career and
    technical education in this country and build on the successful
    foundation in place today. Existing legislation is no longer
    sufficiently comprehensive to the changing dynamics of today's
    educational marketplace. Changing the perception of CTE careers, and
    embracing technology are just a few of the ways that we can positively
    alter the face of vocational training. We need to focus on training
    American for the nearly 50% of jobs in the ``middle skills'' sector
    that will drive our economy in the years ahead.
        Chairman Rokita, Congressman Grijalva, and esteemed members of the
    committee, we at Penn Foster are looking forward to the challenges and
    opportunities ahead. Thank you for your time.

                                    ENDNOTES

        \1\ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/12/growth-online-
    education-moocs--n--3041529.html
        \2\ See Addendum 2 for further information
        \3\ ``Competitive Priority--Improving Cost-Effectiveness and
    Productivity'': http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget13/
    crosscuttingissues/pande.pdf
        \4\ See Addendum 1
        \5\ http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2446/State-
    Departments-Education-VOCATIONAL-EDUCATION.html
        \6\ http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98
        \7\ http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state--by--state-data.php
        \8\ http://www.propublica.org/article/the-for-profit-higher-
    education-industry-by-the-numbers
        \9\ http://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/resources/reports/tpib/
    nsc--tpib--perkins.pdf
        \10\ IBISWorld report 61121
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Out of respect for, in order to
    accommodate as many fellow members as I can, I am going to hold
    on my questions and go right to members' questions.
        So first will be Mr. Thompson. You are recognized for 5
    minutes.
        Mr. Thompson. Well, Chairman, thank you, Ranking Member,
    thank you for this incredibly important hearing.
        And thanks to the panel for your testimony and your
    experience today.
        As co-chair of the Congressional Career and Technical
    Education Caucus this is a subject obviously I am pretty
    passionate about. And today we are not just talking about
    greater opportunities for individuals and families, that is
    incredibly important, but the big picture is we are talking
    about America's competitiveness, having a qualified and trained
    workforce. And the types of programs that you all and the
    students that you touch, the programs you touch, and the topic
    we are talking about all serves for America's competitiveness.
    Career and technical education is not a field of dreams, it is
    a field of jobs and helping fill that skills gap and make that
    connection.
        First of all, Mr. Chairman, I just want to ask unanimous
    consent just to submit a statement from my co-chair of the
    Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus, a
    statement from Congressman Jim Langevin.
        Chairman Rokita. Without objection.
        [The statement of Mr. Langevin follows:]

     Prepared Statement of Hon. Jim Langevin, a Representative in Congress
                         From the State of Rhode Island

        Chairman Rokita and Ranking Member Grijalva, thank you for
    convening today's hearing.
        As co-chair of the bipartisan Career and Technical Education (CTE)
    Caucus, alongside Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania, I have made the
    reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
    Act one of my top priorities. I am pleased that the committee has taken
    this important step, and I look forward to working with my colleagues
    to ensure that Perkins is up to date and fully funded.
        The Perkins Act is a major federal funding source for career and
    technical education in high schools, career and tech centers and
    community and technical colleges that support professional development,
    access to the latest technology and equipment, and integration of
    academic and technical education. Unfortunately, while demand for CTE
    has increased, funding for the Perkins Act has remained unchanged for
    almost a decade.
        One of the most insidious effects of this stagnation is the ever-
    growing skills gap: businesses are unable to find employees with the
    skills to match their job openings, and workers are finding themselves
    unqualified for the best available jobs. We have some wonderful
    examples in Rhode Island of partnerships that align workforce training
    with the needs of employers, but these programs need to be nurtured and
    expanded. Closing the skills gap is one of the most important things we
    can do to get our economy moving again, and emphasizing CTE at every
    level, from elementary school to college and beyond, will help turn out
    highly-skilled and motivated workers.
        High school diplomas are no longer sufficient training for the
    modern job market. A four-year degree, two-year degree or professional
    certification is now a key precursor to building a successful and
    rewarding career. In fact, over 30 percent of the 46.8 million
    projected job openings by 2018 will require some college education.
    Meanwhile, eight of top 20 fastest-growing industries in the coming
    decades will be in the health care industry. Many of these positons
    will require a 2-year degree or less, but more than a high school
    education.
        Businesses depend on CTE to address the skills gap and shortages of
    qualified job candidates. They know that CTE students can help meet
    these demands quickly, and many postsecondary credential and degree
    programs are available to help students advance. Both short-term and
    longer-term credentials can be at least as valuable as a bachelor's
    degree.
        In reauthorizing Perkins, I would encourage the committee to build
    on past successes and to ensure that every student has the opportunity
    to take CTE courses. Students in CTE classes have better academic
    motivation, academic engagement, career skills, and overall
    employability. By connecting classroom experience with real-world
    achievement, CTE is directly correlated with higher graduation rates.
        Money invested in CTE programs is returned back to the economy many
    times over. In a recent study, the State of Connecticut found that
    every dollar invested in community college coursework returns $16.40
    over the course of a student's career. This translates to a $5 billion
    per year return to the state. Imagine what we could achieve if such
    investments were in place on a national level.
        Thank you again for convening today's hearing. Perkins has
    traditionally been a bipartisan endeavor, and I am hopeful that we can
    continue this tradition moving forward. I look forward to working with
    my colleagues on the committee to ensure that all Americans have the
    training to be career and college ready.
                                     ______

        Mr. Thompson. Thank you, sir.
        My first question is, one of the key provisions in the
    current Perkins Act is to focus on programs of study that span
    secondary and post-secondary education. Have your programs
    strengthened the secondary/post-secondary connection since the
    2006 act was passed? Anyone that would like to field that,
    please do. Dr. Harrity?
        Mr. Fischer. I could address that first. It has been a
    lever for change, particularly with getting higher ed to come
    to the table and secondary ed to come to the table. Not that
    they were reluctant partners, but we never had a common vision
    around that. And that provided the common vision. Perkins
    requires that the post-secondary elements of learning must
    begin in the secondary ed field, and it was a perfect
    opportunity, starting with tech prep, to look at articulation
    agreements and now migrate to real robust dual-enrollment
    programs. On the industry side, working with businesses,
    apprenticeship programs that can start in high school and move
    towards a full apprenticeship license. Things like that have
    really sprung up since 2006.
        Ms. Harrity. We are very fortunate in Worcester,
    Massachusetts, to actually have 11 colleges and universities in
    our city, so we partner and are working very closely with all
    the presidents and have partnerships. For instance, at our
    community college, they sent their instructor to our school
    during our day and certified our allied health students to be
    EMT certified, and they give our students free of charge seven
    college credits. They also teach Spanish 1 and 2 during the
    day, and our students earn six college credits free of charge.
    In addition, we partner with Worcester Polytechnical Institute
    where our students actually assisted their engineer students in
    building a zero-energy solar modular home which they competed
    in Datong, China, and they actually asked six of our students
    and two of our instructors to go with them to China for 3 weeks
    to rebuild the modular home and be part of their competition.
    So that has been incredible.
        Tufts University is in Grafton, which is just about 15
    minutes away. They approached us. Our construction students
    actually built the veterinary clinic that is at our school that
    has surgical labs and X-ray machines, and we service, with the
    Tufts veterinary, 250 animals to low-income families couldn't
    afford proper animal care before.
        Mr. Thompson. Coming back to the business and industry,
    because that interface is incredibly important, I believe. That
    is how we are preparing people for jobs that are there, whether
    they are emerging industries, industries that are recovering,
    industries that are just in a transitional phase in terms of
    the workforce. So in your experience what role does business
    and industry play in CTE program development and delivery and
    how can we strengthen that pivotal role?
        Mr. Bargas.
        Mr. Bargas. Yes, sir. Business and industry is a critical
    component in the development of CTE, and we spend a lot of time
    developing occupational demand, statistics and forecast, so
    that we can track our technical education programs based upon
    the demand of the workforce. And our technical college system,
    our high school system, and our Workforce Commission are
    intimately involved with this, and we are now providing the
    path forward to put meaningful CTE programs in place in the
    State to track the occupational demand.
        Mr. Thompson. I think I am probably just about out of time,
    so, Chairman, if I could ask my remaining questions, I will
    just submit those for the witnesses to be able to respond back
    in writing, that would be wonderful. I appreciate it. Thank
    you.
        Chairman Rokita. Without objection. The gentleman yields
    back.
        Mr. Grijalva is recognized for 5 minutes.
        Mr. Grijalva. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me, if I may,
    submit for the record, if there is no objection, a statement
    from the ranking member, Ms. McCarthy, and a statement from the
    Association for Career and Technical Education.
        [The statement of Mrs. McCarthy follows:]

     Prepared Statement of Hon. Carolyn McCarthy, Ranking Minority Member,
      Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education

        Thank you, Mr. Chairman for calling this hearing to discuss the
    issue of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs. CTE programs,
    in my opinion, are critical to creating a holistic educational
    experience for secondary and postsecondary students. As many of us on
    the Committee understand, curriculums developed with a one-size-fits-
    all mindset are not effective; and CTE is one example of the type of
    instructional model that caters to the ever-evolving strengths and
    interests of students. Especially when CTE programs engage in strategic
    partnerships with local and national businesses, they can be tremendous
    gateways to long and fulfilling careers for students.
        While CTE programs remain a viable and successful model for
    students to pursue traditional vocational training, there is a stigma
    associated with them in that they are considered to be solely for those
    who do not wish to pursue and attain their four year college degree.
    However, with soaring student loan debt issues, it must be noted that
    students are also taking advantage of CTE programs as a means to earn
    income to help pay for their four year college pursuits as well. To
    that end, I am proud to note that Nassau Board of Cooperative
    Educational Services (BOCES), in my Congressional District, offers
    multiple CTE programs to students, often with college agreements for
    transferable credit including to our SUNY college campuses.
        New York State received nearly $53 million in Perkins IV funding in
    Fiscal Year 2012 and those dollars seem to be well spent as the State
    achieved 90th percentile student performance achievements in math and
    language arts skills. As we discuss the Carl D. Perkins Career and
    Technical Education Act (Perkins IV) reauthorization, I am looking
    forward to hearing from our panel of expert witnesses on how we can
    improve CTE programs going forward, particularly improvements on how it
    is delivered to students and ways to facilitate program partnerships
    with businesses.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
                                     ______

              Prepared Statement of the Association for Career and
                           Technical Education (ACTE)

        Chairman Rokita and Rep. Grijalva, thank you for convening today's
    hearing to launch reauthorization discussions for the Carl D. Perkins
    Career and Technical Education Act. This critical piece of federal
    legislation is the principal source of funding for career and technical
    education (CTE) program improvement and is one of the only federal
    programs that builds the capacity of secondary and postsecondary
    institutions to offer CTE programs that are academically rigorous and
    aligned to the needs of business and industry. It is essential to
    ensuring all students are both college and career ready, as well as to
    meeting the needs of the country's 21st-century economy. We greatly
    appreciate your attention on the Perkins Act and CTE more broadly.
        The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the
    nation's largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the
    advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful
    careers. ACTE has more than 25,000 members from across the country,
    including career and technical educators, administrators, researchers,
    guidance counselors and others involved in planning and conducting
    career and technical education programs at the secondary, postsecondary
    and adult levels.
        Our members have given a great deal of thought to how we might
    strengthen the federal investment in CTE through the Perkins
    reauthorization. Our positions, detailed in the attached document,
    reflect the belief that the purpose of the federal investment in CTE
    should be clearly focused on ensuring all students have access to high-
    quality CTE programs in high schools and postsecondary institutions.
    Perkins should concentrate resources on building a strong system of CTE
    around the country, beginning early in a student's education with
    career awareness and broad knowledge and building pathways to more
    specific career-readiness skills through connections among secondary
    and postsecondary education and the labor market.
        We know that CTE plays a critical role in developing students, with
    CTE students outperforming their peers on numerous measures of academic
    and workforce success. The Perkins Act has long been the foundation on
    which much of this success is built, and we thank you again for your
    efforts to carefully consider its next reauthorization. We look forward
    to working with you and the full committee in a bi-partisan way as the
    process moves forward.
        The Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the
    nation's largest not-for-profit education association dedicated to the
    advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful
    careers. With that goal in mind, we offer the following recommendations
    to Congress as conversations begin on the reauthorization of the Carl
    D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act).
        Cutting across all of these recommendations must be a clear goal of
    building the capacity of secondary and postsecondary educational
    institutions to prepare all students for success in current and
    emerging in-demand career pathways, which lead to self-sufficiency and
    provide opportunities for advancement. At its core, career and
    technical education (CTE) is about preparing a competitive workforce to
    participate successfully in a global economy--meeting the needs of
    individuals and employers.
        In 2006, the last time the Perkins Act was reauthorized, key
    progress was made toward these goals, including through the
    introduction of Programs of Study. CTE student performance results have
    been positive, and it is critical that the next Act build on current
    law, by growing the successes and making careful changes to enhance
    progress.
    Priority 1: Redefine the Federal Role in CTE
        Since its original authorization as the Vocational Education Act of
    1963, the goals of the federal investment in CTE have changed
    dramatically. While much of this change has been warranted due to
    evolving education and economic environments, over time the purpose of
    the legislation has become blurred. With more and more requirements and
    ideas added to the Perkins Act in each successive reauthorization, it
    now lacks a clear, consistent focus. As Congress reauthorizes the
    Perkins Act in the coming years, a close examination of the exact
    purpose of this legislation should occur.
                Key recommendations:
        Eliminate multitude of purposes under current law and focus on:
         ensuring all students have access to high-quality CTE
    programs in high schools and postsecondary institutions
         building a strong system of CTE around the country, which
    should begin early in a student's education with career awareness and
    broad knowledge and then build pathways to more specific career-
    readiness skills through connections among secondary and postsecondary
    education and the labor market
        To support the notion of a strong system of CTE around the country
    and access for all, ensure that the Perkins Act remain primarily a
    formula grant designed to support all CTE programs that are willing to
    make a commitment to high levels of quality and continuous program
    improvement.
        The Basic State Grant federal-to-state and state-to-local formulas
    should be maintained as drivers of efforts to ensure all students are
    ready for careers. Technical provisions such as the hold harmless
    should be updated to ensure equity in funding.
    Priority 2: Target Expenditures
        As the purpose is redefined and narrowed, so too should funding be
    more targeted to ensure the most impact on students. Funds should be
    clearly focused on ensuring programs meet high standards of quality and
    address areas in need of improvement in order to sustain and enhance
    student success. Uses of funds within the legislation should be
    clearer, more exact and fewer in number than in current law. While
    flexibility for state and local implementation is critical, funding
    must be linked to the purposes of the legislation and the intended
    outcomes.
                Key Recommendations:
        At the state level, better focus state leadership activities on key
    responsibilities, including:
         strong professional development, at both the pre-service
    and inservice levels
         leadership development
         curriculum development
         support for local development and implementation of
    Programs of Study
         stronger connections between secondary and postsecondary
    systems, including through the development of statewide credit-transfer
    agreements and data system linkages
        At the local level, the current required and permissive uses of
    funds should be restructured to focus solely on the following areas:
         Providing career exploration coursework and career
    development activities, career information, and career guidance and
    counseling to students both before and during CTE Program of Study
    participation.
         Developing and implementing high-quality Programs of
    Study, which include coherent sequences of courses connecting secondary
    and postsecondary education, that are linked to labor market needs and
    lead to family-sustaining wage, careers. Funding for the implementation
    of such Programs of Study should be tied to the high-quality program
    elements described below.
    Priority 3: Define Program Quality Elements
        In order to ensure that Perkins funding really is targeted to
    improve CTE programs across the entire education system, a more defined
    set of quality program elements should be included in the legislation.
    These program quality elements should focus on essential components
    that have been shown through prior research to lead to improved student
    outcomes. Programs should be required to include identified elements,
    or a plan to implement them, in order to receive Perkins funding, and
    funding should be targeted to continuous quality improvement of these
    key areas based on local needs.
                Key Recommendations:
        Each program funded by Perkins should focus resources on the
    following elements of high-quality programs, building off the
    Department of Education's Rigorous Programs of Study Framework:
         Partnerships with business and industry, including
    required local advisory committees
         Sustained, intensive, and focused professional development
    for teachers, administrators, counselors on both content and pedagogy
    to ensure high-quality instruction
         Alignment with rigorous, state-identified college- and
    career-readiness standards, such as the Common Career Technical Core
         Non-duplicative sequences of secondary and postsecondary
    courses, including related credit-transfer agreements to facilitate
    transition between learner levels
         Teaching and learning strategies focused on the
    integration of academic and CTE content
         Work-based learning opportunities
         Career and technical student organizations, or other
    activities that incorporate employability skills such as leadership,
    teamwork, and communication skills
         Appropriate technology and equipment aligned with
    workplace needs
         Valid and reliable technical skills assessments to measure
    student achievement, which may include industry-recognized
    certifications
         Support services to ensure equitable participation for all
    students
         Strong career development components
    Priority 4: Ensure Relevant & Consistent Data
        During reauthorization, the Perkins accountability system should be
    overhauled to ensure fewer and more meaningful measures that are more
    consistent across states and across federal programs. The system should
    rely on data that is already available or that can be easily
    incorporated into state longitudinal data systems to minimize the data
    burden on educational institutions, and improve and incentivize
    connections between secondary and postsecondary education and workforce
    data systems.
                Key Recommendations:
        Include a small set of core measures that are commonly reported
    across states.
        Ensure that data is collected on key areas of CTE student success,
    which may include but are not be limited to:
         At the secondary level: Technical skill attainment, High
    school graduation, successful post-high school transition
         At the postsecondary level: Credential attainment,
    Placement in employment, Postsecondary retention/transfer
        Consider the use of indicators for reporting purposes that are not
    negotiated related to performance and accountability. This reporting
    should include the disaggregation of data on various student
    demographic characteristics.
        Revise the process for negotiating performance measures to ensure
    high-performing programs aren't unfairly penalized.
    Priority 5: Offer Incentives for Innovation
        In addition to the foundational Basic State Grant, the Perkins Act
    should be a driver of innovation around the country. ACTE proposes a
    new Innovation Fund, administered at the federal level and modeled
    after the recent i3 program, to identify and replicate new promising
    practices within CTE or new and emerging career areas. These funds
    should be over and above current funding levels and should focus on new
    ideas that cannot be implemented solely with Basic State Grant funds.
    Funding should be offered on a short-term basis to launch, but not
    sustain, programs, and there must be recognition that some innovative
    programs may not be successful.
        Scalability and replicability should be key considerations, with
    provisions included for the sharing of program results. As an
    alternative or additional source of innovation, the current reserve
    fund could be reworked to ensure a stronger focus on new ideas.
                Key Recommendations:
        Authorize a CTE Innovation Fund as a separate Title within Perkins.
        The innovation fund should focus on:
         funding the identification, development, evaluation, and
    expansion of new and innovative, research- and evidence-based CTE
    practices, programs, and strategies
         funding the development and implementation of career and
    technical programs of study in new and emerging industries at the
    regional (or local) level
         developing rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of
    innovative strategies on career and technical education student
    outcomes and CTE program outcomes
         supporting the rapid development, expansion, adoption, and
    implementation of tools and resources that improve the efficiency,
    effectiveness, or pace of adoption of such CTE practices, programs, and
    strategies.
        Funds should be distributed to partnerships of LEAs, area CTE
    schools, institutions of higher education, and/or postsecondary
    vocational institutions, as well as other stakeholders.
        Maintain the current reserve fund and add new flexibility for
    states to use the fund to encourage innovative practices. Maintain
    options for innovative local funding models, such as consortia and the
    ``pooling'' of funds among local recipients.
    Priority 6: Provide the Infrastructure to Support the System
        In addition to direct program support, there are a number of system
    elements that must be addressed by the federal CTE law in order to
    ensure high-quality CTE programs around the country. The next Perkins
    Act should continue a focus on research, evaluation and dissemination
    targeted toward improving practice. A strong state leadership role
    should be emphasized to ensure adequate coordination and technical
    assistance for local systems. Support for data and assessment systems
    to ensure appropriate program measurement approaches and data linkages,
    and provisions to address teacher education and recruitment needs are
    also areas that should be addressed.
                Key Recommendations:
        Support the continuation of a national research center for CTE
    focused directly on CTE research, dissemination and technical
    assistance, particularly in high-priority areas such as teacher
    preparation and recruitment.
        Ensure national activities funds are available to expand and scale-
    up quality data systems, such as through the creation of national
    exchanges.
        Maintain funding for state leadership and administrative
    activities, including the state match and maintenance of effort
    requirements.
                                     ______

        Chairman Rokita. Without objection.
        Mr. Grijalva. And if at this point I would yield my time to
    Ms. Davis for any questions and comments she might have.
        Mrs. Davis. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
        You have all touched on so many important areas, and thank
    you so much. I think we often worry about how we can bring
    things to scale, how we can take the great expertise that comes
    with principals and with educators in our system and kind of
    expand those and make sure that they really reach all children
    with the quality that we are looking for here.
        So when we think about those partnerships, and we know we
    are obviously dealing with what I have always found to be some
    very, very passionate teachers in this field, and yet what is
    it that you believe the Perkins Act can do to drive the best in
    professional education in this area, as well as expanding those
    partnerships? How would you like to see that? Is it a
    combination of resources, is it a combination of rewards and
    grants that highlight the best practices? How do we redo this
    to make certain that it is getting at what you all have
    presented today?
        Ms. Harrity. The Perkins Grant is essential for the
    functioning of our school. For instance, in the biotechnology
    program our business and industry in central Massachusetts, it
    was essential that we are creating a pipeline for those jobs.
    So through Perkins money we actually hired a Ph.D. from UMass
    Medical School and started a biotech program with the seed
    money. Since then our district has committed two additional
    teachers. We had the first graduating class, and our students
    are all going into STEM majors which is fantastic.
        What I would recommend is that there are less requirements
    for the money in regards to having some more flexibility. A lot
    of the money is spent on professional development, which is
    essential for our especially technical teachers to stay current
    in business and industry expectations, but the ability to use
    the money in various ways would be very helpful.
        Mr. Britt. I would just add that I think that the Perkins
    Act does so many important things, but I think there is an
    opportunity to stimulate innovation in an asymmetrical way by
    utilizing some nontraditional practices like innovation grants
    and prizes that would attract not just traditional CTE leaders
    and innovators to the table, but also people from outside
    industry. I think that one of the lessons learned across all
    sectors is you have to harness the best of the talent within a
    sector, but we live in a world that is more connected, that is
    more global, and there has to be opportunities for the rest of
    the non-CTE education world to be part of that conversation.
    And I think that there are aspects of the Perkins Act that
    could be directed to innovation and that would I think create
    complementary perspectives to those that the very seasoned
    administrators and faculty bring today.
        Mr. Fischer. I would agree with everything that has been
    stated. I would add that under the current Perkins we use the
    reserve funds for an innovation grant opportunity and I would
    hate to lose that. But I would add that what we need to do also
    is to build more robust data systems and define what data
    points we are looking at and what defines success. And when we
    can do that in a more common way across the States, then we can
    look at informing instructional improvement, providing better
    professional development, and also engaging with business and
    industry to say, what is the emerging careers that we need to
    develop programs for?
        Mrs. Davis. Yes. Mr. Bargas, did you want to comment
    quickly?
        Mr. Bargas. I think they pretty well covered the topic in
    terms of our partnerships we have with public education, as
    well as our technical college system. I think that pretty well
    covers the needs.
        Mrs. Davis. Mr. Fischer, I really do believe, and we have
    to collect the data, we have to be sure that it is
    representative of what we are really trying to measure. And how
    we do that, we would certainly welcome some input about that,
    because that is critical, and we are never going to get where
    we want to go, I think, without that.
        I think you mentioned in Louisiana the Course Choice, Mr.
    Bargas, that students have. And I am just thinking how is all
    that managed? Because in order to have industries using their
    equipment or engaging students at their sites, which is really
    the optimum I think we can do, that takes resources, that takes
    transportation dollars. So how is it that we get there--I see
    my time is up--but you can----
        Chairman Rokita. The gentleman's time has expired.
        We will see if Mrs. Brooks will be recognized for 5
    minutes.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
        I actually think I know where Congresswoman Davis was going
    because I am curious with respect to the location issues. As we
    are looking at reauthorization of Perkins Act, I am curious
    what you think the most important thing the Federal Government
    can do to help ensure that all students have access to CTE type
    of programs. As a mother of a son who graduated from high
    school a couple of years ago, I wished he had done more CTE
    programs. I have also been employed with the community college
    system.
        But my point is, going back to more with respect to my son,
    large public high school, but yet CTE programs are typically
    located, they are at career ed centers far away from the
    traditional high school--unless you have a fabulous technical
    high school, which I love that concept, but not every child is
    going to choose that. And as they are exploring careers and
    ideas, if they leave and go off campus for that half a day for
    those programs they are missing the other college prep and
    advanced placement type of courses that they need to go to
    college. So I think we have a very big disconnect between our
    other academic programs and these academic programs, which
    people don't call them academic programs, but actually they
    should be. I think we have huge branding issues, as you have
    said, with CTE, but we also have these access issues for
    students who can't go and explore it because then they are
    getting off the college track.
        And I am curious what your thoughts are and if you
    understand what my frustration is about career programs being
    located far away from our high schools in separate centers and
    what should we be doing in the Perkins Act to fix that. Because
    the programs that CTE offer are fabulous, but not enough kids
    are getting the opportunity to explore them because they think
    they will then get off the college track. I would like to hear
    from all of you. And I love the technical high school programs,
    but we can't have those everywhere to the exclusion of our
    other traditional high schools.
        Ms. Harrity. In Massachusetts there are over 60 vocational
    technical schools, and in Worcester, although we are a career
    and technical high school, we have our academics, it is a very
    different model than around the country. We actually have our
    students in academics 1 week and the opposite week they are in
    their technical program, then the opposite week they go back to
    their academics. So we have created authentic learning
    experiences that are project-based learning. So what we have
    done to expand that is, because we have been so successful, the
    comprehensive high schools are now putting in Chapter 74
    programs to give the students the opportunity to be part of the
    experiences for project-based learning.
        Mrs. Brooks. Okay. Outstanding.
        Others?
        Mr. Fischer. What a question. Multiple levels of this. So
    first of all rebranding what career and tech is. It is not my
    father's voc ed. What it looks like, what it sounds like, and
    what it produces, the outcomes are big on that, the data plays
    an important role in that, dual enrollment plays an important
    role in that. Recognizing that the delivery of CTE can take
    multiple methods, anytime, anywhere learning, virtual blended
    learning. Rather than students in many of our areas hopping on
    a bus every day, we can make better use of virtual and blended
    learning, for instance.
        We can also recognize that some of that learning doesn't
    take place within the walls of a school, work-based learning
    experiences. But really saying this is the 21st century
    programs, they are rich in academics, rich in experience, and
    heavily backed by business.
        Mrs. Brooks. How would you rename it, rebrand it? I
    actually think that is part of the problem. Like you mentioned,
    calling it vocational education I think is taking us back
    decades and I think it is a huge problem for young people. And
    so whether it is a comprehensive high school, a tech, I am
    curious what you all think it ought to be renamed.
        Mr. Britt. Well, two thoughts. First of all, there are
    5,000 career academies in the United States, but DOE's
    definition of a career academy is a school within a school
    where there is both a traditional school and, whatever the
    right term is, vocational school. The future model needs to be
    the technology-enabled career and college readiness academy.
        Mrs. Brooks. Thank you.
        Mr. Britt. It should be ``and'' not ``or.'' And that is an
    important distinction. And the project-based learning models
    that leaders like Dr. Harrity and others are bringing to life
    actually makes that an ``and,'' not an ``or'' proposition,
    because it is an inquiry-based teaching model that allows you
    to solve problems and it begins to not eliminate the separate
    disciplines, but it begins to integrate the disciplines into
    real world, problem solving-based approaches.
        As far as the larger issue of branding, in the submitted
    remarks I did note an example, which is certainly a
    contemporary one, which is the ``got milk'' campaign. And there
    is a white space, if you want to put a little marketing
    parlance, there is a white space available to rebrand this
    field and own the jobs brand. And I think the opportunity is to
    bring private sector together, we have a vested interest in an
    outcome such as this, and really begin to rethink and
    reposition the brand and the marketing. Just like the ``got
    milk'' campaign worked----
        Chairman Rokita. The gentlewoman's time has expired. The
    chair recognizes himself for 5 minutes. Continue on, if you
    will, please, if you have anything else to add.
        Mr. Britt. My remarks are fine.
        Chairman Rokita. Mr. Bargas, do you have anything to add to
    Ms. Brooks question?
        Mr. Bargas. To address the issue of facilities and where
    they are located, we have taken a hard look at identifying high
    schools across the State that have either mothballed technical
    labs, whether it be in construction, whether it be in
    automotive or health care, and working with the technical
    college system and the other partners we have laid out a plan
    by which we can go out individually and try to reinvigorate
    these programs throughout the high schools.
        In addition, we have passed a huge bond issue to improve
    the locations of the technical college system, and we will be
    doing a lot of new construction. But the key is bringing it
    back into the high schools and not reducing the rigor of the
    curriculum, because that is key, and we don't think that that
    is even a topic for discussion. You have got to keep the rigor,
    but you have got to offer the technical education as well.
        Chairman Rokita. Thank you for that.
        What I am going to do now is read my question into the
    record. I am going to ask each of the witnesses to respond in
    writing, if you would. And then I am going to yield the rest of
    my time to Mr. Grijalva so he can get some questions in.
        So the question is, how can the Federal Government support
    more consistency throughout CTE programs without overburdening
    State school districts or institutions? So if you wouldn't
    mind, you have been great witnesses, your opinion is obviously
    valued, if you could respond to the committee that would be
    appreciated.
        And then with that I yield the remainder of my time, 3
    minutes, 20 seconds, to Mr. Grijalva.
        Mr. Grijalva. Thank you very much.
        And one of the questions in writing, in particular to Ms.
    Harrity and Mr. Fischer, is the impact of sequestration, what
    has it meant to your high school, and what has it meant to
    programs in Vermont? And that could be something that the
    committee can receive in writing.
        Let me just, a general question for anybody that wants to
    answer. As we look forward to the reauthorization of the
    Perkins Act what is the most important thing the Federal
    Government can do to help ensure that students have, all
    students have access to high quality CTE programs, and what are
    some of the recommendations or some of the ideas that you might
    have as we go through this process? That is open to anyone.
        Ms. Harrity. My recommendations for the Perkins, I think
    the grant in itself is very supportive of career and technical
    education, the vocational school. We are able to use the
    professional development and buy equipment. If we could be more
    flexible in the spending. It is really hard to stay in the 21st
    century with equipment and technology constantly changing. We
    would be in support of having some more flexibility in regards
    to the funding stream and where we could spend the moneys.
        Mr. Grijalva. Mr. Fischer.
        Mr. Fischer. I would add to that creating or ensuring the
    maintenance of the ability to be flexible and innovative within
    this. We can follow data once again to look at high-skill,
    high-wage, high-demand careers, but many times that data only
    reflects existing industries. We really need to look at the
    horizon as to what is emerging. And that really takes a
    concerted effort with business and industry, higher ed, and all
    sectors of the economy.
        Mr. Grijalva. Mr. Bargas, and in particular because of the
    background in your testimony, everybody agrees the importance
    of work-based training with CTE. I am curious, what are your
    thoughts about strengthening in this process the role of
    apprenticeship options for the students in the program that
    they are studying?
        Mr. Bargas. I am sorry, sir, could you repeat that?
        Mr. Grijalva. How do you strengthen the use of the
    apprenticeship program in the course of study for students?
        Mr. Bargas. Currently our program at Associated Building
    and Contractors includes a 4-year apprenticeship program. And
    we also have craft training programs. The acceleration of these
    learning experiences is brought on by the demand from industry
    and the immediate need for training skilled craft construction
    workforce.
        Mr. Grijalva. My time is up. Thank you.
        Chairman Rokita. The gentlemen yields back.
        They have called votes. I see no other members requesting
    to be recognized. With that, we are going to wrap up this
    hearing. No long speech from me other than just to say a
    sincere thank you for your leadership in the field. We
    definitely want to continue working with you. I think on a
    bipartisan basis we believe in the value of what you do, these
    programs, and how integral you are, important you are to
    education in the 21st century, to the success of this Nation in
    the 21st century.
        So again, thank you all for being here. Thank the members
    for being here. Thank the witnesses for their leadership and
    their expertise. And we look forward to seeing your answers to
    the questions posed for the record.
        With that seeing no further business before the committee,
    this hearing is adjourned.
        [Questions submitted for the record and their responses
    follow:]

                                                 U.S. Congress,
                                     Washington, DC, November 15, 2013.
    Mr. Alvin M. Bargas, President,
    Pelican Chapter Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc., 19251 Highland
            Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
        Dear Mr. Bargas: Thank you for testifying at the September 20, 2013
    hearing on ``Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A
    Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.'' I
    appreciate your participation.
        Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
    subcommittee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no
    later than December 6, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record.
    Responses should be sent to Rosemary Lahasky or Dan Shorts of the
    committee staff who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
        Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
    committee.
                Sincerely,
                                         Todd Rokita, Chairman,
            Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary
                                                             Education.

                          CHAIRMAN TODD ROKITA (R-IN)

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

                           REP. GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?
        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?
        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?
        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?
                                     ______

           Mr. Bargas' Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

        Dear Mr. Shorts, Committee Chairman Rokita and Members of the
    Committee: Again thank you for the opportunity to testify before the
    Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on
    September 20, 2013, at the hearing entitled, ``Preparing Today's
    Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A Discussion on Career and Technical
    Education and Training Programs.''
        In response to Chairman Rokita's November 15, 2013 request for
    responses to additional questions I respectfully submit the following:

                         QUESTIONS FROM CHAIRMAN ROKITA

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

        Funding such as Perkins funding must be allocated such that we
    invest in high wage, high demand occupations based upon consistent
    standardized methods of occupational forecasting. States must develop
    fund sharing partnerships between secondary schools districts,
    technical colleges, and private training providers to enhance
    articulation of students course work such that studies from one
    provider to the other offer more flexibility to the student and
    accountability to the funding institution.
        Funding must require training providers receiving funding such as
    Perkins to prove that the monies are being spent on high demand
    training and that training meets or exceeds industry based standards
    that lead can lead to degree or industry recognized certification
    without sacrificing rigor in the curriculum.
        Also, the federal government can assist in sharing and implementing
    best practices that occur nationwide, such as responding to social-
    economic-geographic demand and making technical training partnerships a
    valued priority.

              QUESTIONS FROM REPRESENTATIVE GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE Programs?

        First, the federal government needs to ensure that those receiving
    Perkins funds are spending those dollars in the most effective way.
    Once again, monies should go to support programs whose standardized
    curriculum leads to degree or industry recognized certification in high
    demand high wage occupations and do so without sacrificing rigor and
    demand. If schools understand they will only get the money meeting
    these benchmarks, they will do a better job of opening the doors for
    everyone to get quality CTE.
        One of the keys is the active involvement of industry in setting
    priorities for technical training funding. Louisiana is in year #2 of
    investing in high wage, high demand, high skill areas and investing in
    partnerships between private providers and neighboring secondary
    schools districts and colleges. In Louisiana we share half of the $21
    Million between secondary and post-secondary in order to respond to
    social-economic-geographic demand. We believe this partnering and
    concentrating of funds towards achieving industry based certifications
    in our high(est) occupational demand priorities has a greater impact
    for students and the industries that offer the greatest career
    opportunities.

        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?

        In Louisiana federal funding is leveraged, blended, and invested in
    conjunction with existing state and industry resources. This holistic
    approach allows us to best concentrate resources in the names of
    partnerships with industry. Federal CTE funds and the procedures by
    which we employ them ensure that funds are invested directly (85%) and
    indirectly (supporting and administrative 15%) into the classroom .
    Federal investment in CTE it is an investment that can result in the
    greatest returns for our country and our states. Students that
    participate in a quality CTE program graduate at higher rate and they
    have a head start on a career and training that offer our students the
    opportunity to achieve their American Dream.

        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?

        The mechanisms that are most helpful are:
         Encouragements of built-in partnerships
         Mandated collection & reporting of data which allows for
    analysis and appraisal of performance
         Network of states that sharing best practice
         Mandated investment of Special Populations and Non-
    Traditional Funding

        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?

        Yes, Louisiana's public education providers of CTE are working
    harder than ever to expand our partnerships with business and industry
    groups such as Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. and state
    workforce and economic agencies to align our career pathways. For
    example, selection of high wage, high demand, and high skill areas for
    partnership are predicated on career pathways. We continue to refine
    these processes so that colleges/secondary technical education
    providers can better align with industry standards. This is key to
    effectively matching our training requirement to achieve industry
    expectations which ultimately leads to employment in high wage careers.
        This important concept should be an everyday occurrence in the
    academic world. Every course a student takes should emphasize real
    world application. The programs offered through our high school dual
    enrollment programs will have core academic classes that are directly
    related to the career path the student chooses.
        I hope the Committee finds the above responses helpful in their
    work on improving our country's career and technical education
    opportunities. I would like to acknowledge Robert Clouatre, Associated
    Builders and Contractor, Inc. Director of Education and Jimmy Sawtelle,
    Louisiana Community and Technical College System Sr. Vice President for
    Workforce Solutions for their contributions to my testimony and the
    above responses for the record.
        Please do not hesitate to call upon us if we can be of further
    assistance.
                                     ______

                                                 U.S. Congress,
                                     Washington, DC, November 15, 2013.
    Mr. Frank Britt, Chief Executive Officer,
    Penn Foster Inc., 925 Oak Street, Scranton, PA 18515.
        Dear Mr. Britt: Thank you for testifying at the September 20, 2013
    hearing on ``Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A
    Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.'' I
    appreciate your participation.
        Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
    subcommittee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no
    later than December 6, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record.
    Responses should be sent to Rosemary Lahasky or Dan Shorts of the
    committee staff who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
        Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
    committee.
                Sincerely,
                                         Todd Rokita, Chairman,
            Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary
                                                             Education.

                          CHAIRMAN TODD ROKITA (R-IN)

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

                           REP. GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?
        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?
        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?
        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?
                                     ______

           Mr. Britt's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

                               CONGRESSMAN ROKITA

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

        Consistency is important for any successful government program, and
    we believe a strong foundation for consistency already exists within
    the US DOE 10 Component framework emphasizing strategies that improve
    alignment between secondary and postsecondary systems, such as
    statewide articulation agreements, transcripted postsecondary credit,
    and stackable credentials. The Framework is viewed by states, school
    districts and institutions as a guideline that helps create, sustain,
    and grow Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Continuing to
    review, modify, and update the framework will result in increased
    consistency throughout CTE programs and improved alignment with
    industry standards, credentials and overall job market needs.
        There are three areas where consistency can be improved:
        1. High-quality CTE programs--Federal CTE legislation should focus
    on promoting excellence in CTE. To that end, the National Research
    Center for Career and Technical Education (NASDCTEc) believes that more
    specificity is needed to define elements that are necessary to ensuring
    high-quality programs. Research by the NASDCTEc underscores our
    recommendation that federal funding should be delivered through
    rigorous programs of study, as defined by the Office of Vocational and
    Adult Education's 10 component framework. The law should emphasize
    strategies that improve alignment between secondary and postsecondary
    systems, such as statewide articulation agreements, transcripted
    postsecondary credits, and stackable credentials. High-quality CTE
    programs should also expose students to employment and leadership
    opportunities, for instance, through work-based learning and
    participation in Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs).
    Federal funds should be distributed only to state-approved, rigorous
    CTE programs of study.
        2. Promote Data Uniformity--Despite significant spending on CTE
    across the High School, Technical College and Career School sectors,
    the quality of unit-level and aggregate data on spending and student
    achievement is often elusive, contradictory, or out-of-date. For
    example, the basic definition of who and what is a K-12 CTE student
    varies across states and districts. Is a CTE student a ``CTE
    concentrator'' who takes 4-6 CTE courses in one area, or is it any
    student who takes any CTE course? The definition of what constitutes a
    CTE course varies across states, districts and even schools. A world-
    class educational system cannot be modernized without better data and
    consistency for the sake of benchmarking and performance improvement
    management on behalf of students and investors. There are substantial
    private sector innovations in data science that can allow for
    harmonization without forcing one-size-fits-all. For example, Linked In
    recently launched University Pages, and around 1,500 schools have
    already adopted them, helping build visibility to their student bases.
    The core challenge of that project was successful data harmonization.
        Similarly, inconsistencies in how and who provides tracking and
    reporting costs impact how a given state's delivery system is set up:
    e.g., New York has a regional service center model (BOCES) that
    delivers some (but not all) CTE programs for its member school
    districts. Other states deliver CTE programs in comprehensive high
    schools. Those variables impact administrative, transportation,
    instructional, and capital costs.
        The government must work to provide a framework for a CTE
    enterprise that can work as a blueprint and also work to achieve
    greater data harmonization, data transparency, and fact based results.
    The lack of data undermines students, employers and governments'
    ability to maximize the return on CTE investments.
        3. Use of Data Dashboards--Use reliable, valid, and educator-
    friendly ``data dashboards'' such as the Lexile Framework for Reading
    and the Quantile Framework for Mathematics to monitor and report on an
    ongoing basis student progress toward proficiency and preparation for
    the workforce. The data dashboards use statistically-valid instruments.

                              CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?

        The three most important things that the federal government can do
    are (1) recognize innovative, technology based solutions from both the
    for-profit and non-profit community to resolve equity issues in both
    urban and rural environments; (2) reward and provide funding based on--
    not just CTE enrollments--but on CTE program completion. Some states
    (e.g., New York) provide a CTE ``endorsement'' for successful
    completion of a requisite number of courses in a given career area. The
    key is a fair reward formula that acknowledges differences, and is not
    a one-size-fits-all approach; (3) earmark funds for professional
    development of CTE educators. When educators are able to stay current
    in their industry, the students benefit.
        The federal government should limit the amount of regulatory
    language in rfps that in some cases shut out the most innovative
    solutions that come from industry (outside of not-for-profit), and
    increase regulatory guidelines that favor lowest price submissions in
    response to rfps. Race to the Top competitive grants are a great
    example of rfps including language that basically translated the award
    going to the lowest bidder (e.g. NY curriculum rfp, TN evaluation
    system rfp, etc.)
        The federal government should look at the NASDCTEc recommendation
    for Innovation funding. The next iteration of federal CTE legislation
    should allocate new formula funding, above and beyond the basic state
    grant, to states that incentivize innovative practices and solutions at
    the state and local levels. Successful innovations should be scaled up
    using the basic state grant funds.
        In short the federal government can be a catalyst for spurning
    innovation. The assumption that all CTE must be delivered in a ground
    based school setting is inconsistent with 21st century learning. The
    reality is that there are many places and ways that students can attain
    practical experience and career training and those alternatives should
    be encouraged, whether it takes place online, in actual workplaces or
    in a traditional school setting.

        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of the
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources. Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?

        Insist that Perkins funds be used by states in the most effective
    and efficient ways practical. For example, Effectiveness and Efficiency
    Framework: A Guide to Focusing Resources to Improve Student Performance
    outlines a framework that can be used to:
        1. guide schools and districts as to which tools, strategies,
    professional development, procedures, organization of instruction, etc.
    they should use
        2. serve as a vehicle to compile a national repository of best
    practices for efficiency and effectiveness
        3. guide policy formulation at the district and state levels, based
    upon #2 above
        In the 21st century there is no longer one path for every
    individual to pursue in education. Alternative pathways, as outlined in
    the Pathways to Prosperity Report published by the Harvard Graduate
    School of Education, need to be embraced and encouraged by the federal
    government. Continued support of the Perkins Act, coupled with new
    innovations, is a significant market signal to educators and industry
    alike that CTE remains important.
        It is important to note here that districts still heavily rely on
    CTE federal funding in order to support their programs given the
    constant challenges tied to local and state budgets--there is local and
    state funding, but it is not consistent and not appropriated on an
    annual basis. A key issue in the nation's largest districts is
    increasing high school graduation rates and providing students with
    career and/or college ready skills. As school districts carefully
    examine how to best utilize their local, state and federal funding in
    order to address both critical issues, it is important to understand
    the importance of CTE federal funding because it can only be used for
    CTE initiatives. CTE federal funding provides a critical foundation for
    districts to prioritize effective CTE programs that would otherwise not
    exist if it weren't for Perkins funding.

        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?

        Programs of study are the best way to continuously improve. They
    incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements into a
    coordinated, non-duplicative progression of courses leading to an
    industry-recognized credential, certificate, or degree. This allows for
    career schools like Penn Foster to continuously improve our programs of
    study through reviewing our framework and making necessary adjustments
    based on employer needs that align to better outcomes for our students.

        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    work application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?

        While not funded under the Perkins Act, Penn Foster's collaboration
    with Job Corps is just one example of a commitment to education
    innovation in career technical training with students who have
    struggled in the traditional system. Both Penn Foster and Job Corps are
    focused on bringing professional and educational opportunities to at-
    risk students and those who have not had success in the traditional
    system. Penn Foster operates in 60+ of Job Corps' 125 centers around
    the nation, implementing a self-paced high school model and devising
    various innovative hybrid courses that combine online instruction with
    hands-on training. Since 2006, the partnership has worked by combining
    general high school requirements such as math or science with electives
    in a career track of the student's choice. Run simultaneously, Penn
    Foster provides the materials to help the students receive their
    diploma, while Job Corps provides them with the practical career
    training and support. An instructor is present at all times and helps
    the student decide on and prepare for their next exciting step, whether
    it's a job or college. When they complete the program students leave
    with more than just a diploma, they have a skill set that can help lead
    to a better life.
        Given the dynamic nature of the marketplace, it is more important
    than ever for educators to provide employment-focused education. As
    students look to train-up and acquire practical and marketable skills,
    educators must respond in kind by adjusting their methods to be more
    learner-focused. Ideally, the future of education will blend online and
    traditional learning experiences and be flexible, so that the material
    is available to the student on his/her own time and teaching and
    engagement is saved for the classroom.
        Penn Foster's partnerships with businesses provide students with
    invaluable opportunities to gain practical experience in addition to
    their education pursuits. For example, in the Vet Tech market we help
    place students with ``hands-on'' externships with two of the largest
    veterinary hospitals in the US: Banfield and VCA. Similarly, we have
    developed a program that places our Pharmacy Technician students into
    externships with CVS. These partnerships and others expose our students
    to the very best that private industry can offer in their fields, while
    developing the skills they need to find gainful employment soon after
    completing their matriculation.
                                     ______

                                                 U.S. Congress,
                                     Washington, DC, November 15, 2013.
    Mr. John Fischer, Deputy Commissioner,
    Transformation & Innovation, Vermont Agency of Education, 120 State
            Street, Montpelier, VT 05620.
        Dear Mr. Fischer: Thank you for testifying at the September 20,
    2013 hearing on ``Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A
    Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.'' I
    appreciate your participation.
        Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
    subcommittee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no
    later than December 6, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record.
    Responses should be sent to Rosemary Lahasky or Dan Shorts of the
    committee staff who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
        Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
    committee.
                Sincerely,
                                         Todd Rokita, Chairman,
            Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary
                                                             Education.
                          CHAIRMAN TODD ROKITA (R-IN)

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

                           REP. GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?
        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?
        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?
        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?

                           REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ)

        1. Mr. Fischer, what has been the impact of sequestration on CTE
    programs in Vermont?
                                     ______

          Mr. Fischer's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

                                CHAIRMAN ROKITA

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

        A recent Organization for Economic Co-operation (OECD) report found
    that while the United States has some of the best Career Technical
    Education (CTE) programs in the world, the quality of programs
    throughout the country is often sporadic. The decentralized nature of
    the CTE system in the U.S. is at once its greatest strength as well as
    one of the biggest challenges. Current law supports state and local
    flexibility for how to direct the use of federal funds. This built-in
    flexibility helps to promote some of the most dynamic and innovative
    CTE programs in the country and address State specific sector demands.
    I believe this flexibility for states should be preserved. There is
    however a few things the federal government can do to support more
    consistent quality of CTE programs without overburdening recipients of
    federal CTE funds.
        The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
    Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) has recently developed the Common
    Career Technical Core (CCTC), a set of common benchmark standards for
    CTE. Based on knowledge and skills statements for each Career
    Cluster(r), these state developed and voluntary benchmark standards
    incorporate 12 Career Ready Practices, which address the skills and
    knowledge that are essential to becoming career ready. The CCTC would
    serve as an excellent method for introducing common expectations into
    CTE curriculum and programs. This would allow for better comparisons of
    student outcomes between programs, increase student mobility through
    improved portability and recognition of credentials, and enhance the
    sharing of best practices, particularly as students enter a globally
    competitive economy.
        Second, I believe that working toward common measurement and
    appropriate accountability provisions is necessary. Allowing
    flexibility in how to achieve the performance goals, as noted above, is
    appropriate but requiring common reporting would move the system
    forward.
        Finally, the expansion of the reserve fund (currently limited to
    10%) would allow states the ability to better promote innovation,
    scaling up of successful models and rewarding high performance. These
    flexible resources could further be targeted to help rural or hard-
    working but low-performing districts and colleges that may receive a
    very minimal amount of funding through the formula.

                                  MR. THOMPSON

        1. What is the most important thing the federal government can do
    to help ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?

        Ensuring equitable access to high-quality CTE programs is, and
    should continue to be, a priority for a reauthorized version of
    Perkins. To that end, formula grants provide a baseline of funding to
    most communities across the country. However, over the last decade the
    federal investment in CTE has declined precipitously. Increasing the
    federal investment in Perkins would expand the number of programs and
    students that could be served. In an era of accountability, we know the
    Congress is faced with difficult decisions on where to direct limited
    resources. Perkins is a proven, successful program. Perkins
    demonstrates a positive return on investment, helping more students
    graduate high school (when compared to the national average),
    transitioning more students to postsecondary education and providing
    students with the skills, knowledge and experience to be well-prepared
    for today's global economy. Regrettably, the reduction in funding has
    resulted in programs shutting down across the country at a time when
    our students, employers and economy need more CTE not less.

        2. Realizing that federal dollars account for only a small portion
    of overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is federal investment important?

        The investment the federal government makes in Perkins is
    ABSOLUTELY essential to the continuation of CTE programs across the
    country. While the funds have regrettably been cut and their real value
    diminished over time, the need for these funds couldn't be greater. In
    some states, the federal Perkins funds are the largest investment in
    CTE programs. In other states, Perkins is a smaller investment than
    state funds for CTE. Yet, this does not diminish the role and leveraged
    purpose of Perkins. Perkins funds incentivize innovation, improvement
    and focus on needy student populations while State funds many times
    maintain existing programs. If these funds were to go away, programs
    and supports and valuable innovation would go away.
        Second, federal funds have an express purpose of providing access
    to CTE programs across an entire state. State and local funds
    supporting CTE vary significantly in amount but also in how the funds
    are distributed. In some states, it is the responsibility of the local
    community to raise funds for CTE programs. This means that the wealthy
    districts have CTE programs but poor or rural communities go without.
    The federal funds are essential to ensuring equitable access to high-
    quality CTE. Right now we are not meeting this mission fully because
    the federal funds do not go as far as they used to.
        Federal investments via the Perkins Act have acted as a catalyst
    for program improvement and innovation even while those investments
    account for a smaller portion of overall CTE program funding than that
    provided by states. Although Perkins funds account for less than 10
    percent of all investments in CTE nationally, they remain a driving
    force behind program innovation and improvement. A recent study by
    NASDCTEc found that Perkins is the major driver for evaluation and
    monitoring of the quality of secondary CTE programs and as such, has an
    impact far exceeding the actual dollars sent to states and locals.
    Further, the federal funds at the postsecondary level are essentially
    the only funds the community and technical colleges receive that can be
    dedicated to program development. Finally, Perkins is the only federal
    investment that has at its mission connecting and funding secondary and
    postsecondary programs.
        Finally, through the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions and the
    state match requirements in current legislation, states have been able
    to use federal funds to leverage additional resources outside of the
    Perkins Act. This would not be possible without continued federal
    investment in CTE and is a compelling argument for continued federal
    investment in CTE.

        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?

        Currently, the Perkins Act requires states to have at least one
    Program of Study (POS) in order to receive funding. Programs of Study
    are an effective tool for ensuring federal funds supports the
    development of rigorous CTE programs that lead to positive student
    outcomes. This is accomplished by linking secondary and postsecondary
    learner levels in a non-duplicative sequence of courses, which
    ultimately lead to a postsecondary credential or certificate.
        Continuing to develop and improve upon the POS model--primarily
    through the adoption of the U.S. Department of Educations' Office of
    Vocational and Adult Education's ten component framework for rigorous
    Programs of Study--will help improve CTE program quality on the whole.
    We would recommend that all Perkins funds be required to be delivered
    through comprehensive Programs of Study aligned to regional, state or
    local economic priorities.
        Another useful tool is the reserve fund. By allowing states to
    focus the reserve fund on priority populations and needs, states have
    been able to make great advances in preparing students for the
    workplace and postsecondary education. Increased flexibility in the use
    of the reserve fund, as well as a greater portion of the funds being
    allowed to be distributed via the reserve fund would go far to give
    states the authority to better meet it workforce, economic and student
    achievement goals.

        4. CTE programs help students make connections between their
    academic coursework and the real-world application of those concepts.
    Have your programs been able to align academic coursework to better
    help students learn and apply concepts?

        Vermont has made great strides in connecting academic and technical
    standards and instruction but more can be done. First, we must see the
    support for this connection between academics and real-world
    application not only in Perkins but also in the Elementary and
    Secondary Education Act. Further, supporting competency-based education
    would allow for demonstration of competency and achievement through
    real-world projects and activities; and we know that in the real-world
    you don't separate academic work from technical work--it is seamless.

                                  MR. GRIJALVA

        1. What has been the impact of sequestration on CTE programs in
    Vermont?

        The Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 includes a hold harmless provision
    that does not allow a state to receive less than the amount they
    received for their basic state grant allocation in fiscal year 1998.
    Moreover, current Perkins law incorporates a minimum allocation
    requirement, commonly known as the ``small state minimum'', that
    ensures no state receives less than 0.5 percent of the overall
    allocation. Both of these provisions found in Title I, Section 111,
    have had serious complications with the across the board spending cuts,
    known as sequestration, that were mandated by the Budget Control Act of
    2011.
        Total appropriations for Title I Basic State Grants under Perkins
    were reduced by 5.2 percent beginning in July of this year. This
    amounted in an overall reduction of $59 million in cuts to the national
    basic state grant allocation. As a consequence, payments to states were
    proportionately reduced between all state recipients. Perversely,
    states that have experienced the most growth since 1998, and thus serve
    a larger student population, have had their state allocations reduced
    the most drastically because of the interplay between these two
    provisions. While VT was saved from Perkins reductions using this
    ``small State'' clause, other States have seen damaging reductions.
        Otherwise, sequestration has had an impact in Vermont on direct
    services and professional learning opportunities which unfortunately
    have targeted our most needy students, particularly due to the
    reductions in IDEA and Title I. Our reports indicate that schools are
    attempting to manage the financial impact but the burden of essential
    services has shifted to state resources, at a time when we were least
    prepared for this added burden.
        Some anecdotal information:
        1. The total monetary loss to State Title I funds was $1,218,084 or
    a 3% decrease.
        2. The cuts at the LEA allocation level in Title I ranged from 1%
    to 15%.
        3. School Improvement funds were cut by $100,000, approximately 10%
    reduction.
        4. For Title IIA funds, the State allocation was cut by 5.6%. The
    current total State allocation is $10,199,403 to support statewide
    professional learning, compared to almost $14 million in FY'09.
        Thank you for the opportunity to share these additional thoughts. I
    am happy to provide additional information or clarification to these
    questions or other issues that the Committee is considering as it moves
    forward with the reauthorization of Perkins.
                                     ______

                                                 U.S. Congress,
                                     Washington, DC, November 15, 2013.
    Dr. Sheila Harrity, Principal, Worcester Technical High School, 1
        Skyline Drive, Worcester, MA 01605.
        Dear Dr. Harrity: Thank you for testifying at the September 20,
    2013 hearing on ``Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A
    Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs.'' I
    appreciate your participation.
        Enclosed are additional questions submitted by members of the
    subcommittee after the hearing. Please provide written responses no
    later than December 6, 2013 for inclusion in the final hearing record.
    Responses should be sent to Rosemary Lahasky or Dan Shorts of the
    committee staff who can be contacted at (202) 225-6558.
        Thank you again for your important contribution to the work of the
    committee.
                Sincerely,
                                         Todd Rokita, Chairman,
            Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary
                                                             Education.

                          CHAIRMAN TODD ROKITA (R-IN)

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

                           REP. GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?
        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?
        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?
        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    the connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of those concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?

                           REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ)

        1. Dr. Harrity, what has been the impact of sequestration on your
    high school?
                                     ______

          Dr. Harrity's Response to Questions Submitted for the Record

                          CHAIRMAN TODD ROKITA (R-IN)

        1. How can the federal government support more consistency
    throughout CTE programs without over-burdening states, school
    districts, and/or institutions?

        CTE is defined differently in most regions. In certain states CTE
    is integrated with the academics in other states the students leave the
    academic school and travel to a CTE center. An animal science program
    in an urban school district takes on a different set of skill standards
    than an animal science program in a rural school district. To define a
    one size fits all standard will not work. Geography, labor work force
    demands, proximity to post-secondary institutions/business and industry
    all dictate how a CTE program can prepare students successfully. In my
    opinion, what worked best for WTHS is increasing academic Rigor for all
    students (access to Advanced Placement and college courses), increasing
    Relevancy of why a student is studying/learning/doing a specific task
    (why a carpenter needs to understand the equation for slope or a
    cosmetology student needs to know chemistry), improving the
    Relationships with business, industry, labor unions, and post-secondary
    institutions so that students have access to much needed internships/
    co-operative education, hours, and or dual enrollment experiences, and
    schools have access to those in the fields to help shape and drive
    current curricula, and also instilling in each student the
    Responsibility that he/she has to the community that afforded them the
    opportunity to learn a set of competencies that will lead them to a
    successful placement (military, post-secondary education, and/or
    career). I believe that the federal government should require targeted
    outcomes to ensure CTE consistency through developing common goals
    (i.e. % of successful placements, academic success, etc.) and through
    encouraging Rigor (AP and college level courses)/Relevancy (academic
    and CTE integration)/Relationships (advisory panels)/Responsibility
    (community service). I don't believe the federal government should
    design a `one size fits all' solution.

                           REP. GLENN THOMPSON (R-PA)

        1. As we look toward reauthorization of the Perkins Act, what is
    the most important thing the federal government can do to help you
    ensure all students have access to high-quality CTE programs?

        Simple--funding. The federal government should continue to fund the
    Perkins Act and ensure that there is access to the much needed funding
    to keep programs current in terms of technology and curricula. It takes
    a lot of money to keep the programs running in a capacity that will
    prepare a student with the technical competencies to compete in the job
    market. Many of these competencies require access to the latest
    technologies whether it is a CNC machine, 3D printer/scanner, tablet,
    or a spectrometer. Funding should be available to supplement the state
    funding. Also, many of the Massachusetts CTE programs have a waiting
    list. This would indicate that more programs or space is needed.
    Funding is required to expand existing schools or build new ones to
    accommodate this demand.

        2. Realizing that federal dollars are only a small portion of
    overall CTE funding around the country, how do you use federal
    resources for CTE in conjunction with state and federal resources? Why
    is the federal investment in CTE important?

        Federal funding is used to supplement the local budgets. These
    dollars provide access to much needed instructional/technical supplies.
    It also is used to provide professional development to staff that keeps
    them current in their field. The monies are also used to help
    struggling students with support and access to after school programs
    and or career/college planning. Federal investment in CTE is not only
    important but it is critical to support the infrastructure of the
    United States. These dollars are helping students prepare to be
    successful in their chosen careers and or college. By ensuring students
    have access to CTE programs and are learning relevant skills, the
    workforce will have access to skilled labor subsequently keeping
    business industry from going outside the country to design/produce/sell
    its wares.

        3. What mechanisms of the current Perkins Act have proven most
    helpful as you seek to continuously improve CTE program quality?

        I believe the most useful mechanism for Perkins is the ability to
    use the funding to start new CTE programs that meet the local and state
    needs for business and industry. A very successful example at our
    school was the ability to start a Biotechnology program with Perkins
    money. The money was used to hire a teacher to design a program that
    aligned curriculum to biotechnology business/industry needs. The
    program, in five short years, has expanded to three staff and sixty
    students. All of the biotechnology students in the first graduating
    class had 100% successful placement in the biotechnology field. In
    addition, UMASS Medical School in Worcester, MA just gave us an
    $825,000 donation to fund the expansion of this successful program.
    This would have not been possible without the seed money from Perkins.

        4. One important benefit of CTE programs is helping students make
    connections between their traditional academic coursework and real-
    world application of these concepts. Have your programs been able to
    align academic coursework with CTE coursework to better help students
    learn and apply concepts?

        Yes, absolutely our students have made this connection. We have
    worked diligently to provide time and resources to both the technical
    and academic instructors to work collaboratively on integration
    projects that bring the two together. Our annual science fair is
    composed of projects relevant to a students' technical area of study--
    one example is an early childhood education student worked with a
    design and drafting student and a machine tool technology student to
    design an educational toy for pre-school aged children. The design
    received a patent. Additionally each summer, instructors (academic and
    technical) are encouraged to participate in an externship with a local
    entity (business/industry) to learn what it takes to be successful.
    They then bring this newfound knowledge back to the classroom in the
    form of updated/relevant curricula.

                           REP. RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ)

        1. Dr. Harrity, what has been the impact of sequestration on your
    high school?

        At WTHS, we have not felt the impact of sequestration. However, we
    know that it has impacted our city as a whole and we anticipate that
    the ripples will eventually reach us.
                                     ______

        [Additional submissions for the record from Chairman Rokita
    follow:]

                                                    September 20, 2013.
    Hon. Todd Rokita, Chairman; Hon. Carolyn McCarthy, Ranking Member,
    Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education,
            U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
        Dear Chairman Rokita and Ranking Member McCarthy: Thank you for
    holding today's subcommittee hearing on ``Preparing Today's Students
    for Tomorrow's Jobs: A Discussion on Career and Technical Education and
    Training Programs.'' The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC)
    appreciates this subcommittee's attention to the need to improve access
    to and emphasis on career and technical education and training in
    primary and secondary schools. We respectfully submit the following
    comments for the hearing record, which represent our thoughts on this
    matter.

    I. The electrical contracting industry needs to fill good paying jobs
        IEC is a national trade association representing more than 3,000
    merit shop electrical and systems contracting companies employing over
    100,000 individuals across 56 chapters. Electrical workers are well
    paid, with the median income of electricians being over $48,000 per
    year.
        The industry is recovering and the demand for electricians is up.
    However, our current workforce is reaching retirement age and many
    electricians left the industry during the recent recession. We are
    having difficulty finding the qualified individuals we need to fill
    those positions. Projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
    indicate that our industry's growing shortage may rise to a deficit of
    over 150,000 workers by the year 2020.

    II. IEC is a longstanding leader in educating the next generation of
            qualified, successful electrical workers. But, entry level
            workers must be properly prepared
        The electrical industry is highly technical. Contractor personnel
    have to be able to conduct complex circuit calculations, read and
    interpret complex technical specifications and building codes, evaluate
    field conditions, and command knowledge of basic physics, mechanics,
    and environmental issues to design and install workable electrical
    systems. Electricians must have advanced education, which a four year
    college degree does not provide. They must have a strong K-12 education
    and obtain specialized training. Such training can be provided through
    an unstructured program of study through a community college or trade
    school, or through a rigorous U.S. Department of Labor Registered
    Apprenticeship program such as is conducted by IEC.
        In order to successfully enter an electrical education program--
    either through a registered apprenticeship or through community college
    or trade schools--students must possess several important qualities.
        Entry-level students must have a strong grounding in STEM subjects
    including basic and applied mathematics through at least Algebra I and
    basic physical sciences, as well as proficiency in reading and
    analytics. Further, they must have received basic life skills training
    and basic employability skills training.
        Successful candidates must be able to conduct some physical tasks,
    such as climbing ladders and lifting at least 50 pounds on a regular
    basis. They must be mechanically inclined and able to work with their
    hands. And, most importantly, they must be interested in pursuing a
    career in the electrical industry and be willing to take direction and
    learn.
        IEC's electrical education program is equipped to provide students
    with the advanced education necessary.

    III. High schools must increase their emphasis on building basic STEM
            and employability skills to prepare students for both college
            and career entry.
        Unfortunately, our education system is myopically focused on
    preparing students for a four-year college degree. As a result, far too
    many leave high school without basic STEM education, life skills, and
    employability training. We are concerned that our system is so focused
    on churning out college graduates that high schools have excluded
    teaching the basics necessary for life and for any occupation. On a
    national basis, we see young people coming in our educational program
    requiring significant remediation to bolster their basic math skills
    and reading. At the same time, high schools have cut funding to labs,
    workshops, and applied learning programs. Students are leaving school
    with limited mechanical ability and technical skills necessary to
    pursue many successful careers.
        IEC firmly believes that advanced education takes a variety of
    forms--and is not limited to a college degree. In fact, IEC is a
    believer in lifelong learning. Nationally, IEC's registered electrical
    apprenticeship education program has been evaluated by American Council
    on Education (ACE) and is recognized for 37 semester hours towards
    college credit. At the local level, a number of IEC chapter educational
    programs have individually negotiated articulation agreements with
    local community colleges. IEC also strongly supports the Registered
    Apprenticeship-College Coalition recently established by Departments of
    Education and Labor as a stepping stone for people that want to
    continue on in their quest for lifelong learning.
        We believe that schools need to increase their emphasis on
    education for a career, rather than education for the sake of college
    preparation. The education system needs to recognize that a four-year
    college is not the best investment for every individual. High school
    education should be broad enough to provide a pathway to either college
    or the skilled trades. Perhaps most importantly, high school teachers
    and advisors need to make students aware of all career options
    available to them, recognizing that students will likely hold multiple
    jobs over their working career and will need to pursue lifelong
    learning.

    IV. The path forward will require both sufficient funding investments
            in our nation's education system and support from both public
            and private partnerships
        A July 2013 report by the Urban Institute entitled ``Innovations
    and Future Directors for Workforce Development in the Post-Recession
    Era'' highlights the need for the establishment of career pathways,
    industry-recognized credentials, work-based learning approaches such as
    apprenticeship, the need for soft skills training, and the need for
    establishment of partnerships between government and industry designed
    to address these needs. IEC believes such partnerships are absolutely
    critical in supporting career and technical education. SkillsUSA and 4H
    are two examples of important skills-building organizations that teach
    professionalism and self-pride while also preparing students for
    careers in highly technical trades such as electrical contracting.
        Further, the decision by many schools to eliminate their career and
    technical education programs is often cost-driven and skewed by
    incentives to drive students to college. Lab facilities and equipment
    used to train students in technical skills require dedicated space,
    unlike traditional multipurpose classrooms. Reauthorization of the
    Perkins Act and increased appropriations for career and technical
    education programs in schools is undoubtedly integral to improving the
    skills-building and training offered at the high school level. In order
    to build the skills and the workforce that our industry needs,
    sustaining both Perkins and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding is
    necessary--further, support for one should not be to the exclusion of
    the other.
        IEC has many more recommendations for improving partnerships
    between training programs and institutions such as community colleges,
    which we would be happy to provide in greater detail to this
    subcommittee.

    V. Conclusion
        In closing, the focus of our nation's K-12 system needs to be
    redirected in a way that ensures students are adequately prepared with
    the basic academic education, life skills, and employability training
    needed to enter post-secondary education regardless of the specific
    career path they choose. As part of this, IEC strongly supports Career
    and Technical Education (applied learning) not only for those
    individuals that may not be suited for college but for those that
    preselect a technical career path, and to teach rising graduates
    integral basic life and employability skills.
                Sincerely,
                                   Alexis Moch, Vice President,
                 Government Affairs Independent Electrical Contractors.
                                     ______

                                                    September 19, 2013.
    Hon. Todd Rokita, Chairman; Hon. Carolyn McCarthy, Ranking Member,
    Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education,
            U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
        Dear Chairman Rokita and Ranking Member McCarthy: On behalf of the
    140,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), I
    would like to submit this letter for the record and commend you for
    having this timely hearing on this all-important topic: ``Preparing
    Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A Discussion on Career and
    Technical Education and Training Programs.'' Through the Home Builders
    Institute (HBI), the workforce development affiliate of the NAHB, we
    are dedicated to the advancement and enrichment of education and
    training programs serving the needs of the housing industry.
        For more than 40 years, HBI has trained and placed thousands of
    youth and adults for careers in residential construction, ensuring that
    America has a skilled workforce today and for the future. HBI offers a
    range of Workforce Training and Employment programs to help at-risk
    youth, ex-offenders, veterans and women train and find jobs in
    residential construction, serving more than 2,500 in 20 states. One of
    the most successful programs is HBI Job Corps, which is a national
    training program that is implemented locally, using proven models that
    can be customized to meet the workforce needs of communities across the
    United States. These programs prepare students with the skills and
    experience they need for successful careers through pre-apprenticeship
    training, job placement services, mentoring, certification programs,
    textbooks and curricula. With an 80 percent job placement rate for
    graduates, HBI Job Corps programs provide services for disadvantaged
    youth in 73 centers across the country.
        HBI also administers more than 120 NAHB Student Chapters throughout
    the United States, representing more than 3,000 students from high
    schools, career and technical schools, community colleges and four-year
    colleges and universities. These chapters enrich the educational
    experience of students enrolled in construction-related courses through
    community projects, NAHB chapter participation and guest speakers.
        In turn, HBI hopes to create a closer partnership between the
    educational system and our industry. We are continuing to seek
    opportunities to expand the existing foundation between school
    officials and our industry, as the education system considers the
    offering of more vocational/technical trades programs in school
    curricula.
        HBI, through NAHB, appreciates the opportunity to describe our
    industry's tremendous investment and commitment to the workforce
    training of the nation's youth.
                Sincerely,
                                            James W. Tobin III.
                                     ______

        [Additional submission of Mr. Bargas, ``Building
    Louisiana's Craft Workforce,'' may be accessed at the following
    Internet address:]

                    http://www.laworks.net/Downloads/PR/WIC/
                   CraftWorkforceDevelopmentPlan20130617.pdf

                                     ______

        [Presentation submitted by Mr. Bargas follows:]

      [Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board Presentation, October
                                     2006]

            Recommendations for Confronting the Skilled Construction
                        Workforce Shortage in Louisiana

    The Mission
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board will be a single
    voice for craft workforce development in Louisiana.
    The Goals
         Ensure appropriate focus is given to craft workforce
    development by contractors, users, government leaders, government
    agencies, and learning institutions.
         Foster cooperation and communication between public and
    private entities engaged in craft workforce development.
         Develop a consistent approach to recruiting, training, and
    retaining a skilled and productive Louisiana craft workforce.
    Preamble
        The recognized shortage of craft workers in the construction,
    maintenance, and repair industry is not a new phenomenon in Louisiana.
        Although industry experts estimate that they have struggled with
    workforce development issues for 20 years, the problem has taken a
    dramatic turn for the worse in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
        Industrial labor requirements were already trending up sharply
    prior to the disasters, and this trend has been exacerbated by disaster
    recovery and rebuilding.
        Studies by the Construction Labor Research Council show a national
    need for 185,000 new skilled craft workers per year during the period
    2005 to 2015.
        This need for additional workers is being driven by increased
    demand and replacement of workers leaving the active workforce.
        Residential, commercial, utilities, heavy construction, highways,
    and industrial projects in the state of Louisiana are reaching
    unprecedented levels post-Katrina/Rita.
        McGraw-Hill estimates that the state will need more than 90,000 new
    trained craft workers over the next five years.
        The Occupational Forecasting Conference predicts that some
    construction occupations will grow by over 50% in the next four years
    as a result of recovery-related work.
        Contractors are attempting to complete projects with an inadequate
    number of skilled workers, and this is causing significant increases in
    project duration, overtime, and installation costs.
        Public and private entities, industry associations and labor
    organizations have come together to address these critical needs by
    forming the Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board.
    1. Recommendations for Owner Companies, Local User Councils, and Owner
            Associations
        Owners must take the lead to drive workforce development in the
    construction, maintenance and repair industry. The most effective and
    long-lasting improvements in the industry are changes that are
    supported and encouraged by the owner community, similar to the
    advances in safety over the past 20 years.
        Local user councils such as the Greater Baton Rouge Industry
    Alliance (GBRIA), Greater New Orleans Business Roundtable (GNOBR), Lake
    Area Industry Alliance (LAIA), and Southwest Louisiana Construction
    Users Council (SLCUC) function as forums through which contractors,
    engineering firms, and local owners (users of construction or
    maintenance services) can address local issues affecting construction,
    maintenance, and repair.
                Owner Companies
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that
    owners must:
         Establish expectations for workforce development in
    recruitment, assessment, training and retention.
         Do business only with contractors who invest in workforce
    development.
         Make contractor commitment to workforce development a
    factor in the prequalification process. Owners should require a
    detailed description of the contractor's workforce-development program,
    including:
         The contractor's investments in workforce development.
         Specific methods used to assess skill proficiencies, along
    with current skills assessment results for the contractor's entire
    workforce.
         Documentation supporting continuous skill upgrade and
    improvement.
         Reserve a certain number of positions for craft workers
    enrolled in active training.
         Support standardized training curricula, performance
    standards, and certification, such as the National Center for
    Construction, Education and Research (NCCER) initiative or equivalent
    national initiatives that include assessment and credentialing.
         Support the development and implementation of regional and
    local craft-training programs by placing construction, maintenance, and
    repair decision-makers on local user councils.
         Actively support contractor, contractor-association, and
    organized-labor programs that enhance the image of careers in
    construction, improve the recruitment of entry-level applicants, and
    increase worker retention.
         Work with owner associations to develop and participate in
    programs that measure workforce-development effectiveness in improving
    safety, quality, and productivity. Support award programs that
    recognize excellence in contractor workforce development.
                Local User Councils
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that local
    user councils must:
         Work with associations and labor organizations in the
    delivery of workforce development initiatives.
         Encourage members to make contractor commitment to
    workforce development a factor in the prequalification process.
        Local user councils should encourage members to require detailed
    descriptions of contractor workforce-development programs, including:
         Contractor's investments in workforce development.
         Specific methods used to access skill proficiencies, along
    with current skills-assessment results for the contractor's entire
    workforce.
         Documentation supporting continuous skill upgrade and
    improvement.
         Encourage members to do business only with contractors who
    invest in workforce development.
         Support standardized training curricula, performance
    standards, and certification, such as the NCCER initiative or
    equivalent national initiatives that include assessment and
    credentialing.
         Actively support contractor, contractor-association, and
    labor-organization programs that enhance the image of careers in
    construction, improve the recruitment of entry-level applicants, and
    increase worker retention.
         Work with area owners, contractors, and associations to
    assess skilled craft worker availability by trade on a continuing
    basis, and to develop short- and long-term projections for regional
    craft needs.
         Work with contractor associations to develop programs that
    promote the accomplishments of the construction industry and publicize
    their contributions to the community and state.
         Actively participate with local contractor associations in
    partnering with area school systems to:
         Promote employment in the construction, maintenance, and
    repair industry as a rewarding career choice.
         Implement career-education curricula that have
    articulation with technical and community colleges, ABC Training
    Centers, and other accredited training institutions.
         Develop programs that measure workforce-development
    effectiveness in improving safety, quality, and productivity. Develop
    award programs that recognize excellence in contractor workforce
    development.
                Trade and Professional Associations
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that
    organizations such as the Louisiana Association of Business and
    Industry (LABI), Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) and Louisiana
    Chemical Industry Alliance (LCIA), and the Louisiana Midcontinent Oil
    and Gas Association (LAMOGA), must:
         Make workforce development a priority through core values
    and political action.
    2. Recommendations for Contractors, Contractor Assoc., & Labor
            Organizations.
        Contractors and their associations are responsible for workforce
    development. Recruiting, a demonstrated commitment to training, and
    worker retention are contractor responsibilities. As an integral
    component of workforce development, efforts must be made to improve the
    image of the industry and to educate the public about careers in
    construction, maintenance, and repair.
                Contractors
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that
    contractors must:
         Implement workforce-development programs that include
    recruitment, assessment, training, career paths, and retention.
         Work with contractor associations, government entities,
    and user groups to address workforce-development issues.
         Utilize nationally certified programs such as the NCCER
    initiative or equivalent national initiatives that include assessment
    and credentialing.
        Invest in training curricula, such as the NCCER initiative or
    equivalent standardized curricula, correlated to assessment and
    credentialing.
         Develop and implement programs that are designed to
    improve retention of skilled craft workers and include clearly
    delineated career paths, competitive wages, and benefits such as
    affordable healthcare, transferable healthcare, and portable retirement
    plans.
         Participate in programs that measure workforce-development
    effectiveness in improving safety, quality, and productivity.
         Partner with local school districts to inform
    administrators, school board members, students, parents, teachers, and
    counselors about career opportunities and educational requirements for
    construction, maintenance, and repair.
         Participate in recognized industry programs that enhance
    the image of careers in the construction, maintenance, and repair
    industry.
         Utilize the Louisiana Virtual One Stop (LAVOS) database to
    help identify people available for work.
                Contractor Associations
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that
    contractor associations, including Associated Builders and Contractors
    (ABC), Associated General Contractors (AGC), and the Louisiana
    Homebuilders Association, must:
         Encourage their members to commit to workforce-development
    programs that include recruitment, assessment, training, career paths
    and retention.
         Educate existing and potential members about the
    importance of workforce development.
         Collaborate and participate in recognized industry
    programs that enhance the image of careers in the construction,
    maintenance, and repair industry.
         Partner with local school districts to educate
    administrators, school board members, students, parents, teachers, and
    counselors about careers and educational requirements for the
    construction, maintenance, and repair industry.
         Maintain and enhance current delivery methods to train and
    certify craft workers throughout the state.
         Encourage the development of innovative craft-training
    delivery methods that meet the changing needs of the industry, such as
    lab training, computer-based training, satellite and distance-delivery
    training.
         Continue to support standardized training curricula,
    assessment, and certification, such as NCCER or equivalent national
    initiatives.
         Work with owners to develop and encourage participation in
    programs measuring the effectiveness of workforce development in
    improving safety, quality, and productivity.
         Encourage contractors to utilize the Louisiana Virtual One
    Stop (LAVOS) database to help identify people available for work.
                Labor Organizations
        The Louisiana Craft Workforce Development Board believes that labor
    organizations must:
         Support the joint participation of labor and management in
    apprenticeship training, encourage employer contributions to these
    activities, and measure the return on such investments.
         Continue to support standardized training curricula,
    assessment, and certification, such as NCCER or equivalent national
    initiatives.
         Encourage the development of innovative craft-training
    delivery methods that meet the changing needs of the construction
    industry, such as lab training, computer-based training, and satellite
    and distance-delivery training.
         Participate in recognized industry programs that measure
    workforce-development effectiveness in improving safety, quality, and
    productivity.
    3. Recommendations for Public Entities
                Governor
         Governor's Office of the Workforce Commission
         Departments of the Executive Branch
                Labor, Economic Development, Social Services, Education,
                        and Corrections
         The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
         Department of Education
         Local School Boards and Districts
         Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges System (LCTCS)
         Board of Regents
         Legislature

                                    APPENDIX

    Entities Represented
                Contractor Entities
    Associated Builders & Contractors, Pelican Chapter Industrial Specialty
            Contractors, LLC
    Edward L. Rispone, Chairman of the Management Board
    Associated Builders & Contractors, Pelican Chapter Southwest Area
    Shaw Group, Inc.
    Allen M. McCall, Operations Manager
    Louisiana Associated General Contractors, Ken Naquin, Executive
            Director
    Louisiana Home Builders Association, Michelle Babcock, Lobbyist
                User Group Entities
    Lake Area Industry Alliance, Larry DeRoussel, Executive Director
    Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance
    James Watkins, Contractor Operations Leader, The Dow Chemical Company
    Greater New Orleans Business Roundtable, Steven R. Springer, Executive
            Director
    Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative
    Tad E. Page, Project Mgr-Contractor Communications, Shaw Stone &
            Webster
    Southwest Louisiana Construction User's Council, Larry DeRoussel,
            Executive Director
                Labor Organizations
    South Central Laborers Training & Apprenticeship Fund, Gary Slaydon,
            Administrator/Director
                Public Entities
    Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Linda Johnson, President
    Louisiana Community & Technical College System, Jim Henderson, Senior
            Vice President Workforce Development & Training
    Louisiana Department of Labor, Girard J. Melancon, Special Assistant to
            the Secretary
    The Louisiana Workforce Commission, N.A. ``Pete'' Darling, Employer
            Liaison
    Louisiana Department of Education, Patricia Merrick, Career &
            Technology Section Leader
    Louisiana Department of Education, John Birchman, Career & Technology
            Education (Industrial)
                Acknowledgements
    Advantous Consulting LLC, Tim Johnson, Partner
    Associated Builders & Contractors, Pelican Chapter, Alvin M. Bargas,
            President, Melanie B. Searles, Director of Administration, Dr.
            James Owens, Director of Workforce Development
    Associated Builders & Contractors, Bayou Chapter, Ronnie Scott,
            Director of Education
    Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative Team, Tim Horst, President
    Beacon Construction Company
    Louisiana Department of Education, Patrick Nelson, T & I Program VITE
            Certification
    Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Whalen Gibbs,
            Assistant Secretary
    Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Kim Barnette,
            Education Specialist, Office of Adult Services
    National Center for Career Construction Education & Research
    Gay St. Mary, Workforce Development Director, Business Roundtable Gulf
            Coast Training Institute
                Facilitator
    SSA Consultants
    Christel C. Slaughter, Ph.D.
                                     ______

        [Additional submissions of Mr. Fischer follow:]

     Recommendations for the Reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career
                          and Technical Education Act

        The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins)
    supports Career Technical Education (CTE) programs by strengthening
    connections between secondary and postsecondary education, aligning to
    the needs of the economy, and improving the academic and technical
    achievement of students who choose to enroll in these programs.
        The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
    Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) believes that the federal investment in
    CTE legislation, Perkins, should be strengthened by re-examining and
    re-framing the law to ensure equitable access to high-quality CTE
    programs of study and to better position CTE to help build the
    solutions needed to close the skills gap and improve student
    achievement. Therefore, NASDCTEc believes that federal CTE legislation
    needs a clearer focus and that its purpose should be ``to develop the
    academic and CTE skills of students to ensure America's global
    competitiveness through programs of study, partnerships with employers,
    and further education and careers.'' These recommendations seek to
    accomplish this purpose and promote innovation, accountability, and
    equitable access to high-quality CTE that meet the needs of our
    nation's students and employers.
    Global Competitiveness
         Link CTE to labor market--States are in the best position
    to determine how CTE can meet the demands of their state and regional
    economies. Federal CTE funds should only support high-quality CTE
    programs of study that meet two or more of the following criteria: high
    wage, high skill, high demand, or high growth. Definitions of these
    terms should account for varying state and regional economic conditions
    and labor market needs.
         Rigorous standards--Consistent, quality benchmarks for
    students in CTE programs of study, regardless of where students live or
    which delivery system they use, are essential. Federal CTE legislation
    should require all CTE programs of study to align to rigorous content
    standards that are national in scope, are informed by the needs of the
    workplace, and ensure excellence. NASDCTEc believes that federal CTE
    legislation should encourage state adoption of rigorous college- and
    career-ready standards, such as those found in the Common Core State
    Standards and the Common Career Technical Core.\i\ Increased
    consistency and rigor in CTE programs of study will better equip
    students with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a global
    economy.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \i\ National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
    Education Consortium, Common Career Technical Core, http://
    www.careertech.org/career-technical-education/cctc/
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Innovation funding--The next federal CTE legislation
    should focus on improving student outcomes through innovative
    approaches and programmatic improvement. The next federal CTE
    legislation should allocate new formula funding, above and beyond the
    basic state grant, to states to incentivize innovative practices and
    solutions at the state and local levels. Successful innovations should
    be scaled up using the basic state grant funds.
    Partnerships
         Partnerships with business and industry--Strong
    partnerships between the CTE community and business and industry are
    essential to high-quality CTE programs of study. Federal CTE
    legislation should require local advisory committees comprised of
    employers and education stakeholders who will actively partner to
    design and deliver CTE programs of study and provide assistance in the
    form of curricula, standards, certifications, work-based learning
    opportunities, teacher/faculty externships, equipment, etc. States
    should have the flexibility to structure local advisory committees in a
    way that best meets the needs of their state (in terms of governance,
    funding, geographic and other influencing factors).
         Consortia--Coordination and collaboration between
    secondary and postsecondary partners is essential and must be improved.
    The federal CTE legislation should incentivize consortia of secondary
    and postsecondary eligible entities to better facilitate coordination
    and transitions between learner levels. States should have the
    flexibility to structure consortia in a way that best meets the needs
    of their state in terms of governance, funding, and geographic factors.
    Preparation for Education and Careers
         School counseling and career planning--Comprehensive
    counseling, including career and academic counseling, should be
    expanded and offered no later than middle school. Federal CTE
    legislation should provide greater support for career counseling,
    including all students having an individual learning plan that includes
    the student's academic and careers goals, documents progress towards
    completion of the credits required to graduate from their secondary
    program, and indicates the requisite knowledge, skills and work-based
    learning experiences necessary for career success. These plans should
    be actively managed by students, parents, and school-level personnel
    and should extend into postsecondary education to ensure successful
    transitions to the workplace.
    Programs of Study
         High-quality CTE programs--Federal CTE legislation should
    focus on promoting excellence in CTE. To that end, NASDCTEc believes
    that more specificity is needed to define elements that are necessary
    to ensuring high-quality programs. Research by the National Research
    Center for Career and Technical Education \ii\ underscores our
    recommendation that federal funding should be delivered through
    rigorous programs of study, as defined by the Office of Vocational and
    Adult Education's 10 component framework.\iii\ The law should emphasize
    strategies that improve alignment between secondary and postsecondary
    systems, such as statewide articulation agreements, transcripted
    postsecondary credits, and stackable credentials. High-quality CTE
    programs should also expose students to employment and leadership
    opportunities, for instance, through work-based learning and
    participation in Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs).
    Federal funds should be distributed only to state-approved, rigorous
    CTE programs of study.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        \ii\ Shumer, R., Stringfield, S., Stipanovic, N., & Murphy, N.
    (2011, November). Programs of study: A cross-study examination of
    programs in three states. Louisville, KY: National Research Center for
    Career and Technical Education, University of Louisville. http://
    www.nrccte.org/sites/default/files/publication-files/nrccte--pos--
    crossstudy.pdf
        \iii\ U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult
    Education, ``Career and Technical Programs of Study: A Design
    Framework.'' The 10 components are: (1) legislation and policies, (2)
    partnerships, (3) professional development, (4) accountability and
    evaluation systems, (5) college and career readiness standards, (6)
    course sequences, (7) credit transfer agreements, (8) guidance
    counseling and academic advisement, (9) teaching and learning
    strategies, and (10) technical skills assessments.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Research and Accountability
         Accountability measures--Strong accountability measures
    are critical to demonstrating CTE's positive return on investment. The
    current CTE performance indicators should be re-evaluated to ensure
    that they provide the feedback necessary for program evaluation and
    improvement, as well as document CTE's impact on students' academic and
    technical achievement. Federal CTE legislation should require common
    definitions and measures across the states, as well as allow for
    alignment of performance measures across related education and
    workforce programs.
         Research and professional development--Research and
    evaluation are important guideposts for directing practitioners toward
    effective practices and guiding state decisions on CTE. Federal CTE
    legislation should support the continuation of a National Research
    Center for Career and Technical Education to support CTE educators and
    leaders through leadership development, quality research, professional
    development, dissemination, and technical assistance.
    State Leadership and Governance
         State flexibility--States should have the flexibility to
    determine the allocation of funds between secondary and postsecondary
    education. Funding should be awarded to a single eligible agency as
    defined in current law. Additionally, states should be given the
    flexibility to use the reserve fund to implement a performance-based
    funding system.
         State administration and leadership--Strong state
    leadership is critical to ensuring that states have the data systems,
    standards, and partnerships to oversee the development and
    implementation of high-quality CTE programs of study. Adequate
    resources for state leadership and state administration, including
    maintaining the state administrative match, are necessary to ensure
    effective program administration and equitable access to high-quality
    CTE programs of study.
        The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical
    Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) represents state and territory leaders
    of CTE through leadership and advocacy that supports an innovative and
    rigorous CTE system that prepares students for both college and
    careers. CTE State Directors lead the planning and implementation of
    CTE in their respective states and these recommendations reflect their
    priorities.
        For more information, please contact the National Association of
    State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium 8484 Georgia
    Avenue Suite 320, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-588-9630
    www.careertech.org
                                     ______

        [Additional submission of Mr. Fischer, ``Reflect,
    Transform, Lead: A New Vision for Career Technical Education,''
    may be accessed at the following Internet address:]

         http://www.cciu.org/cms/lib4/PA01001436/Centricity/Domain/148/
                        New_Vision_Paper_SS12-18-10.pdf

                                     ______

        [Additional submission of Dr. Harrity follows:]

                                    ------

        [Whereupon, at 10:54 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]