Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 100 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)

[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8321-S8328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF
2005--CONFERENCE REPORT

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of the conference report to
accompany S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins vocational education bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the
two Houses on the amendments of the House to the bill (S.
250) to amend the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical
Education Act of 1998 to improve the Act, having met, have
agreed that the Senate recede from its disagreement to the
amendment of the House to the text of the bill and agree to
the same with an amendment and the House agree to the same;
that the House recede from its amendment to the title of the
bill, signed by a majority of the conferees on the part of
both Houses.

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
conference report.

[[Page S8322]]

(The conference report is printed in the House proceedings of the
Record of July 25, 2006.)
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the conference
report to accompany S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Improvement Act of 2006.
This legislation reflects a lengthy bipartisan effort to strengthen
and improve Federal programs designed to support career and technical
education. I am very pleased to have worked with my friend and
colleague from Massachusetts, Senator Kennedy, from introduction of the
bill in the Senate through today's consideration of the conference
report.
This legislation was reported favorably by the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last Spring by a unanimous
vote. The following day it passed the Senate on a vote of 99 to 0. I am
encouraged by the broad support for this legislation and I am pleased
to be able to recommend passage of this conference report.
This legislation is important for three reasons. The first reason is
the added emphasis on academic achievement. I commend the President and
the Governors for raising the issue of high school reform, and I
believe this legislation is an important part of that process.
Improving and strengthening the academic focus of the Perkins Act is
part of a much larger effort to ensure that today's students will be
ready for tomorrow's reality, whether it is in college or the
workplace.
In 1998, when Congress last reauthorized the Perkins program,
additional emphasis on student academic achievement was incorporated
into the bill. That emphasis was critical, and the results have been
demonstrated in the program. More Perkins students are performing
better on national reading and math assessments than ever before. The
National Assessment of Adult Literacy, released earlier this year,
pointed out that career and technical education students perform better
than their peers in both reading and math comprehension.
Another recent study of Arizona career and technical education
students showed that students in career and technical training courses
were more likely to meet State math proficiency levels than students
not enrolled in technical training courses. That is good, because
today's jobs are requiring stronger academic preparation than ever
before, especially in math and science.
We are also facing a significant problem in terms of today's students
completing high school and earning a secondary education degree. A
significant amount of research, many college instructors, and employers
agree that far too many high school graduates are not prepared for
college-level classes and many more do not have the skills to advance
beyond entry level jobs.
Only 68 percent of the students entering the ninth grade 4 years ago
are expected to graduate this year. For minority students, this number
hovers around 50 percent. In addition, we continue to experience an
overall dropout rate of 11 percent per year.
The Perkins Act emphasizes high school completion by making academic
courses more relevant. According to the National Assessment of
Vocational Education, now 2 years old, career and technical education
students are three times more likely to apply academic skills to job
related tasks than students in academic courses.
The Perkins program can help address the ``wasted senior year'' by
helping to improve student academic achievement. It does that by
linking learning to relevant applications and tasks. Students that are
excited about learning will always do better, and a great way to get
students excited about learning is to show them how they will use the
skills they are learning in real life.
For many students, understanding how they will use the skills they
learn can mean the difference between completing a high school degree
and dropping out. For others, it means greater investment in their
studies than they might otherwise have. Making learning relevant is one
of the best ways to ensure students stay interested in their
coursework, while also preparing them for college and the workforce.
In the bill we are now considering, we have made academic achievement
one of several core indicators of performance for programs receiving
funds from this act. As States are elevating their expectations for
students under No Child Left Behind, we anticipate that career and
technical education students will benefit from those same high
expectations. We believe that career and technical education programs
should be able to take credit for helping students improve their
academic achievement in core subject areas, like reading, math, and
science.
This legislation also emphasizes the connection to postsecondary
education. Many of today's high school students are entering college
behind the curve before they even start. Almost a third of all college
students are taking some remedial education courses before graduating.
We need to make sure that more high school students are receiving the
instruction they need before they leave high school in order to be
successful in college.
The impact of the need for remedial academic instruction has dramatic
consequences. As many as three in four students requiring remedial
reading instruction will not complete a postsecondary degree program.
Over 60 percent of students requiring remedial math education will not
complete a postsecondary degree.
The Perkins program is in a unique position to help prevent the need
for additional remedial education at the postsecondary level. Because
the program provides funds for both secondary and postsecondary
schools, programs are more coordinated, and students have broader
exposure to postsecondary education before leaving high school.
A number of programs enabling students to earn concurrent credits for
high school and college are springing up within the Perkins program,
helping students prepare for college and reduce their time to
graduation from a postsecondary degree certificate or degree program.

In Casper, WY, right now, the community college and the school
district are working on plans to create a hybrid career and technical
education center, which will help students earn credit toward a college
degree, learn relevant job skills, and meet challenging State academic
standards, all through a single sequence of courses. This legislation
encourages more schools to begin innovative programs like the one being
developed in Casper.
The second reason this legislation is important is because it will
help ensure we are preparing students for tomorrow's workforce. We are
in the midst of a skills revolution. It is estimated that today's
students leaving high school or college will have 14 different careers
in their lifetimes. It is also estimated that the top 10 jobs 10 years
from now haven't been invented yet. The question that faces all of us,
put simply, is ``got skills?''
We must equip our workers with the skills the technology-driven
economy demands. We need to prepare our students for tomorrow's economy
in order to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Nations such
as China and India are rapidly catching up to our institutions in terms
of quality, and they have a much larger student body from which to
draw. The only way we can compete in the changing economy is to
graduate students with the highest quality of academic and technical
skills.
Earlier this month on the Senate floor we discussed the need for
skills training and its impact on wages. I made a speech to the effect
that the problem we are facing is one of minimum skills--not minimum
wages. The effect may be low wages, but the cause is low skills. We
need to address those workers who have few, if any, of the skills they
need to compete for a better job and command higher wages. We need to
start thinking in terms of skills, the kinds of skills that will help
students support themselves and their families in the future.
Research shows that high school dropouts have an unemployment rate
two times higher than high school graduates, and three times higher
than college graduates. Over time, the earning differential between
high school and college graduates has increased as well. In 1980,
college graduates earned 50 percent more during their lifetime than
high school graduates. Today this differential has increased to 100
percent and continues to expand.
The programs supported by the Perkins Act help students learn and
develop the skills they need to compete

[[Page S8323]]

in the workforce. In the bill before us, we have emphasized the need to
prepare students for placement in high skill, high wage, or high demand
occupations. These are the types of jobs that will ensure a stronger
future for students and will help them become self-sufficient.
Eighty percent of the jobs created over the next 10 years will
require some postsecondary education. However, the majority of those
jobs will require less than a 4-year degree. This is a critical issue,
and we need to start now to meet the needs of the future workforce. I
believe that a stronger, more effective Perkins program is an important
way to address this issue.
By 2010 we face a projected skilled worker shortage of 5.3 million
workers. That's 5.3 million American jobs that can't be filled because
our workers don't have the right skills. That is why career and
technical education funds are so critical to the supply of skilled
labor in this country. These are precisely the types of careers for
which the Perkins program is preparing students. Career and technical
programs in this country are preparing students with the skills to
succeed in health care, information technology, trade, manufacturing,
and a host of other careers.
One of the most critical improvements we have made to the Perkins
program in this bill is to strengthen the connection of career and
technical education programs to the needs of businesses. If we are
going to help fill the growing need for skilled workers, we need to
ensure Perkins programs are coordinating their instruction with current
practices in industry and the needs of the local workforce.
Thousands of examples are available of schools connecting with
businesses to help develop the right curriculum for available high
skill, high wage jobs. At a roundtable I chaired earlier this year on
high school redesign issues, several of the participants described
programs that linked academic programs at the high school or community
college with the needs of the employers in the area. One such example
was a program that prepared students to work in a nearby nuclear energy
plant. The area high school offered classes so students in the area
could begin the technical training to get a job at the nuclear
powerplant, earning more than $40,000 a year to start.
That's the type of relevant instruction that we need to encourage and
that we are encouraging through this conference report. I expect that
the students performing well in their nuclear power management and
safety class are also performing well on State math and science
assessments.
The final reason that this legislation is important is because it
provides a foundation for the redesign of Federal education policy. We
need to structure Federal education policies that provide students and
adult learners have access to lifelong education opportunities. In this
21st century economy, learning never ends, and school is never out.
The Perkins Act is one part of a ``three-legged stool'' of Federal
education and training programs, all of which we will have considered
during this Congress. The other two key pieces of this approach are the
Workforce Investment Act, and the Higher Education Act. This is the
first of those three bills to make it through conference, but I hope we
will quickly follow with the others.
If we are going to stay competitive, Federal education programs need
to help support seamless transitions from education to the workforce,
throughout life, from preschool through postsecondary education and
beyond. The conference report we are considering takes the first step
in that direction by emphasizing the connection between academic and
technical education and the workforce and postsecondary education. The
Workforce Investment Act and the Higher Education Act will be the next
critical steps in ensuring that American students are prepared for
today and tomorrow's careers, many which haven't been invented yet.
Today's students are more and more likely to return to school
throughout their lives for additional training. Some estimates suggest
that as many as 75 percent of today's workers will need additional
training just to stay current with their jobs. The modern college
student reflects this trend perfectly. Today's average college student
is likely to be older than 24, independent, and more likely to be
female. They are also likely to have transferred institutions at least
once in their postsecondary career.
That snapshot reflects the reality that today's college students are
there for training and technical skills acquisition more than anything
else. Postsecondary education is one of the fastest means to
advancement in today's economy. With a postsecondary education, workers
are more likely to keep their jobs and take advantage of opportunities
to grow and advance in the workforce, or transition to another
occupation as the workforce changes.
Federal policy needs to reflect the 21st century reality: we are in
the midst of a jobs revolution. We are going to experience dramatic
changes in the workforce over the next 10 to 15 years, and we need to
start now if we are going to adapt Federal education and training
policy to meet the coming crisis of too few workers with too few
skills.
I am pleased that this legislation is now at the final stage of the
process. We were able to move this bill quickly through committee and
the floor because we were able to work in a bipartisan manner to
reauthorize a program that the members of the Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee feel is an important part of the federal
education and training system. Although the intervening work took much
longer than I would have liked, I am happy to see the conference report
taken up in the Senate.
I want to thank Senator Kennedy and his staff for their hard work,
and for the hard work of the Senate conferees. I specifically want to
thank Carmel Martin, JD Larock, and Jane Oates from Senator Kennedy's
staff. Although I understand Jane has moved on to greener pastures, she
had a significant role to play in helping the legislation get to this
point. I also want to thank Mr. McKeon and Mr. Miller, as well as the
other House conferees, for helping us get to this point, and their
staffs: Whitney Rhoades, Stephanie Milburn, Krisann Pearce, Lisa Ross,
Denise Forte, Lloyd Horwich and many others. Finally, I want to thank
my own staff--Scott Fleming, Beth Buehlmann, Lisa Schunk, Ilyse Schuman
and Katherine McGuire--for helping me to move this bill all the way
through the legislative process. They have spent many long hours
seeking agreement on the provisions of the conference report and have
done stellar work.
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support adoption of the
conference report.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I am pleased that we are acting on this
bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act, and I commend the chairman of our committee, Senator
Enzi, for his willingness to have an open, bipartisan process for this
legislation. His leadership and the impressive work of his staff helped
guide this bill successfully through the conference, and they deserve
great credit for their leadership.
One of our highest priorities in Congress is to expand educational
opportunities for every American. In this age of globalization, every
citizen deserves a chance to acquire the education and skills needed to
participate in the modern economy, to fulfill their hopes and dreams,
raise healthy families, and contribute to their communities. We will be
a fairer and stronger America when every citizen takes part.
In the global economy, the contributions of every American matter. We
must equip all our citizens to compete, not by lowering their pay and
sending their jobs overseas but by increasing their skills. Career and
technical education does that, by preparing students and adults for
21st century jobs. With this reauthorization, career and technical
programs will continue to have a vital role in transforming the lives
of students and workers, and we will have a stronger economy as a
result.
Since the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917, the Federal
Government has recognized the important role of career and technical
education in the life of the Nation. As the needs of American business
and industry have evolved, the revisions made to the Act over the years
have reflected those changes. It is clear that vocational education is
no longer the 1950s

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version. It has evolved from shop classes into courses that use
cutting-edge technology and focus on emerging and growing fields that
will become the jobs of the future. That is why we now call it career
and technical education, and I am pleased to see that change reflected
in the new title of this bill.
The Perkins Career and Technical Education Act gives both students
and adults the academic course work and training they need to be
competitive in the job market. The reauthorization of this legislation
is especially important, since more and more people are taking
advantage of Perkins programs. Between 2002 and 2004, enrollment in
career and technical education programs rose by 26 percent nationally.
Enrollment in Tech Prep, the Perkins program that supports some of the
most creative efforts in the field, rose by more than a third. Nearly
all high school students will take at least one career or technical
course during their years in school. About half of all high school
students and a third of all college students are involved in vocational
programs as a major part of their studies.

Perkins helps adults as well. In 2004, 6 million adults were enrolled
in such programs at community, technical, and other colleges, learning
new skills and improving opportunities for employment. About 40 million
adults participate in short-term occupational training.
Perkins programs do not just help one type of person. New immigrants,
struggling adults, women seeking jobs outside the home for the first
time--all benefit from the specially designed programs funded by the
Perkins Act.
These programs help every kind of learner. In 2004, 10 million middle
and high school students were taking courses that enabled them to
explore a career and be prepared to succeed in the workplace. The
students are from many different backgrounds--from rural and urban
areas, from schools large and small, and they studied fields such as
agriculture, technology, health occupations, skilled trades and
business.
No matter where they are from, the data are clear. Perkins programs
are helping them build a better life. According to the most recent
National Assessment of Vocational Education by the Department of
Education, students earned almost 2 percent more for each high school
occupational course they took. That is about $450 per course based on
average earnings of $24,000. That adds up, especially for the 45
percent of all high school graduates who take three or more
occupational courses.
The data also show that participants in career and technical
education at the postsecondary level can benefit from just 1 year's
worth of courses. Even those who did not attain a credential still
earned between 5 and 8 percent more than high school graduates with
similar characteristics.
Today, career and technical education students are better prepared
for college. Almost two-thirds of all high school graduates of career
and technical programs now enter some form of postsecondary education.
When these programs are combined with a college prep curriculum, that
number rises to 82 percent.
That is good progress, but we need to do even more. According to a
study released last week by the Department of Education, career and
technical education students are less likely to take advanced math
courses like trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus compared to other
high school students. In college, they tend to earn fewer academic
credits, and fewer credits overall. And only one-quarter of career and
technical education students graduate with a bachelor's degree--most
earn associate's degrees or certificates.
That is why the improvements we have made in this reauthorization are
so important.
We have maintained our commitment to Tech Prep. Students can enroll
as early as the ninth grade in high-tech programs that lead to an
associate's degree. Tech Prep is a vital bridge that connects high
school to college for many students, and I welcome its role in this
bill.
Our focus is on career and technical education programs that lead to
increased graduation rates, professional credentials, apprenticeships,
and college opportunities. To do so, we have a strong accountability
system that measures the progress that programs are making toward these
goals.
We have doubled our emphasis on making sure that career and technical
education programs reach those who too often have been left out, such
as girls, women, and homemakers seeking jobs for the first time.
We have also addressed the needs of career and technical education
teachers by giving them new opportunities to spend time in the
industries they are teaching about. In a world where cell phones and
computers become obsolete in a year, these teachers need the best
possible training so that they can continue to prepare students for
success. They are preparing the next generation for the workforce, and
their knowledge-base must be state of the art.
This reauthorization is a signal to the millions of Americans who
benefit from career and technical education that the Federal Government
understands how important these programs are. Massachusetts alone has
more than 100,000 students at the secondary and postsecondary level
participating in Perkins programs. Our Commonwealth's support of
technical training is far-reaching today and is rooted in our
longstanding commitment to technical education.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Worcester was a national leader
in the development of trade and vocational education. Worcester Boys
Trade School, founded in 1910, was among the first vocational schools
in the Nation, training young men to be machinists, and fulfilling its
mission of graduating ``well informed citizens and good workmen.''
Today, Worcester Vocational High School has a waiting list of 300
students. In 2005, 93 percent of its students passed the State
assessment.
In August, it will move to a new state-of-the-art facility that will
accommodate 1,500 day students and 3,000 working adults in afternoon
and evening classes. Without Perkins funding, much of this would not
have been possible.
Perkins also supports high school programs that partner with
community colleges and local businesses to provide students with the
academic and technical skills they need to continue their education or
to compete for high-skill, high-wage jobs immediately. The outcomes of
these programs are extraordinary. In Massachusetts, 96 percent of the
students in the class of 2006 in career and technical education
programs passed the MCAS and earned their competency determination.
Already, 90 percent of the class of 2007 have done so. Over the last 2
years, every one of the seniors at Blackstone Valley Tech in Upton has
passed the MCAS and graduated on time. Last year, it was recognized as
a Vanguard Model School by the Massachusetts Insight Education and
Research Institute for its efforts to improve student achievement. It
was the first vocational technical school to receive this honor.
Because of Perkins, more than 12,000 career and technical education
students at risk of failing he MCAS were placed in structured
internships at over 5,600 employer sites last year. These internships
use work-based learning plans to guide students' learning and
productivity on the job, and to measure the impact of the internship on
student achievement.
Because of Perkins, every community college in Massachusetts has been
able to hire instructional support staff and provide adaptive equipment
for students with disabilities enrolled in technical education
programs.
Because of Perkins, career and technical educators throughout the
Commonwealth receive needed professional development and gain access to
curriculum-related resources, technical assistance, and training in a
wide range of activities.
Massachusetts's career and technical education programs are
impressive, and they are successful because of the Perkins Act. We are
proud of the vitality of our career and technical education programs in
Massachusetts, and we know they are just a small number of the many
strong programs supported by the Perkins Act across the country.
I am pleased that we were able to work together with the House to
produce this bipartisan legislation. I commend Chairman Enzi, Chairman

[[Page S8325]]

McKeon, and all the conferees and their staff for their good work on
this needed legislation.
Special thanks go to Scott Fleming, Beth Buehlmann, Lisa Schunk, and
Kelly Hastings with Senator Enzi; Allison Dembeck with Senator Gregg;
Meredith Davis with Senator Frist; David Cleary with Senator Alexander;
Celia Sims with Senator Burr; Glee Smith with Senator Isakson; Lindsay
Morris with Senator DeWine; Lindsay Hunsicker with Senator Ensign;
Juliann Andreen with Senator Hatch; Liz Stillwell with Senator
Sessions; Jennifer Swenson with Senator Roberts; Mary Ellen McGuire
with Senator Dodd; Rob Barron with Senator Harkin; Dvora Lovinger and
Robin Juliano with Senator Mikulski; Sherry Kaiman with Senator
Jeffords; Michael Yudin with Senator Bingaman; Jamie Fasteau and Jill
Feldstein with Senator Murray; Mildred Otero with Senator Clinton;
Kristen Romero and Amy Gaynor from Legislative Counsel, Denise Forte,
Lloyd Horwich, and Whitney Rhoades on the House Education Committee,
and Carmel Martin, J.D. LaRock, and Liz Maher of my staff.
I especially recognize Jane Oates, who worked on my staff for 8 years
and whose expertise, leadership, and persistence ensured that the
committee produced a strong, bipartisan reauthorization. Jane's efforts
on Perkins are indicative of how she handles all things in life: always
giving 100 percent, always being a voice for the voiceless, always
committed to finding a solution. Though Jane has not been directly
involved in these last few months of the process, her good work in the
early stages of this bill has guided my staff and the rest of the
committee through conference and to final passage today. Thank you,
Jane, for all you have done for the millions of students who benefit
from Perkins every year for showing all of us in the Senate how to get
the job done.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I am here today to support the
reauthorization of an education bill designed to ensure the
competitiveness of our country's workforce, the Carl D. Perkins Career
and Technical Education Act, Perkins. Essential to strengthening the
workforce, Perkins not only prepares youth and adults for the careers
of today, it prepares them for the careers of tomorrow. It is the first
line of defense in ensuring America's competitive advantage worldwide.
We have heard a lot lately about American students losing their
competitive edge. In math and science Americans score near the bottom
of all industrialized nations on international exams. Our college drop-
out rate is one of the highest in the world. We have dropped from first
to fifth in the percentage of young adults with a college degree.
Singapore has displaced the United States as the leading economy in
information technology competitiveness. And the number of patents
awarded to Americans is declining. All of this is having a detrimental
effect on our global competitiveness.
Clearly, we need to increase our competitiveness from within. The
conference agreement before us will help us to do that.
This reauthorization does a number of important things. First and
foremost, it emphasizes accountability and improved results. Second, it
improves monitoring and enforcement. Third, it disaggregates
performance goals and report information by special populations so no
one will fall through the cracks. And fourth, it strengthens the ties
between industry, high schools, and higher education by ensuring that
teachers are well-trained, students are academically ready for college,
and high schools are training students for the actual needs of their
communities.
The premise of this legislation is that high schools, industry, and
higher education institutions need to work together to provide our
workforce with the skills they need in order to achieve and compete in
the 21st century. This bill works to ensure that American students are
not just getting a world class education, but the best education in the
world.
I would be remiss in my remarks if I did not mention the President's
proposed elimination of the Perkins program in his annual budget for
the second year in a row. I hope that the administration understands
that our decision to move this legislation forward reflects our
unwavering commitment to career and technical education. We will not
let this program fall by the wayside. Perkins will not be eliminated.
We often hear the pledge that we will leave no child behind. May I
suggest that we also make every effort to ensure that we leave no
career and technical education student behind? Passage of these
important provisions today will go a long way toward ensuring that
career and vocational education students are not left behind in the
classroom, that they are being held to high academic standards, that
their teachers are provided with the training they need to keep up to
date with the latest industry needs, and that high schools, industry
and higher education work seamlessly together to provide our workforce
with the skills that they need to maintain America's economic dominance
in the 21st century.
Career and technical programs are an essential part of keeping
students in school and helping our nation train its workforce. And
while I would not consider the conference agreement before us perfect,
I am confident that it will go a long way in helping another generation
of Americans succeed, and in doing so, strengthen the American economy
and increase our competitiveness worldwide.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise in support of the Carl D. Perkins
Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2005. To compete in
this global economy, we need to make sure our students have 21st
century skills for 21st century jobs. Vocational and technical
education is an extremely important part of this effort. The Perkins
Act, which provides $1.3 billion to help train more than 10 million
Americans across the country, is a vital investment in our Nation's
high schools, community colleges, and our students.
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical program gives a boost to
America's workforce development system by providing funds to schools
that teach technical skills ranging from auto shop to computer
programming. The Perkins Act also supports practical career programs
and links between secondary and postsecondary education, helping
students to move up the opportunity ladder and prepare them for high-
skill, high-wage jobs. Students who have completed Perkins-supported
programs are better prepared not only for higher education but for the
workplace.
The President has proposed eliminating funding for all vocational and
technical education programs. This is the wrong way to go. If Perkins
was eliminated, high schools, technical schools, and community colleges
in every State would suffer. In Maryland, our schools would lose almost
$19 million. Last year, we had more than 150,000 students enrolled in
career and technical programs in Maryland. In the United States, 97
percent of high school students take at least one career and technical
education course. One-third of college students are involved in career
and technical programs. And almost 40 million adults attend short-term
occupational training. If these schools had to close their doors or
shut down their vocational programs, where would these students go to
learn the skills they need to get good paying jobs?
Vocational and technical education provides students across the
country with opportunities to develop academic and technical skills
that are critical for economic and workforce development. It is our job
in the senate to make sure these opportunities are there for the people
who need them and to invest in our human capital to create a world
class workforce. That is why I strongly support this bipartisan bill
and I oppose any cuts to the Perkins Career and Technical Education
programs.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to support the conference
report accompanying S. 250, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act of 2006. More than ever, this country needs rigorous,
relevant career and technical education programs to help students
prepare for postsecondary education and to address the shortage of
highly skilled workers necessary to meet the demands of the
contemporary workforce. A skilled and flexible workforce is essential
to building a strong and dynamic economy and to maintaining our
country's ability to compete in a global economy.

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According to a recent report issued by the National Academy of
Sciences, the scientific and technical building blocks of this Nation's
economic strength are eroding at a time when many other nations are
gathering strength. As much as 85 percent of this country's per capita
growth in income since World War II has come from science and
technology. The National Academies projected that while the U.S.
economy is doing well today, current trends indicate that the U.S. may
not fare as well in the future, particularly in the areas of science
and technology, where innovation is spurred and high-wage jobs follow.
We must produce students who are prepared to meet the challenges of
the 21st century workforce. I believe this bill provides real
opportunities to meet those challenges.
In order to meet those challenges, however, career and technical
education--CTE--must be academically rigorous and enhance students'
critical thinking and applied skills. I believe this bill makes a
number of significant improvements to ensure that CTE students
participate in a rigorous and challenging curriculum, and realize
positive educational and employment outcomes.
For example, the bill integrates challenging academic and technical
standards, aligned with No Child Left Behind and nationally-recognized
industry standards, into CTE instruction. In addition, the bill
strengthens educational and career pathways for students beyond high
school and makes significant strides in building alliances among high
schools, 2- and 4-year colleges, business and industry, and community
organizations. Further, the bill expands career guidance and academic
counseling services so that students have a career plan and career
objectives.
Well-prepared CTE teachers and good professional development are
essential components of an effective, rigorous CTE curriculum. CTE
teachers must possess the knowledge and skills to teach effectively.
Hence, this bill dedicates resources to promoting the leadership,
initial preparation, and professional development of career and
technical education teachers to foster effective practices.
This bill is designed to improve student educational and employment
outcomes, including their technical and workplace knowledge and skills.
But, we must be able to measure how well CTE programs are meeting the
needs of its students. Accordingly, the legislation will require states
to identify core indicators of performance that include measures of
student achievement on technical assessments and attainment of career
and technical skill proficiencies.
Thus, it is essential to develop valid and reliable assessments of
technical and career competencies that are aligned with national
industry standards and integrate industry certification assessments, if
available and appropriate. To address this need for high-quality
technical assessments, this bill permits State leadership funds to be
used to develop valid and reliable assessments of technical skills that
are integrated with industry certification assessments where available.
In addition, the bill includes several new provisions for data
collection, utilization, and analysis, including provisions which allow
the State allocation to be used to support and develop State data
systems, and State leadership funds to be used to develop and enhance
data systems to collect and analyze data on postsecondary and
employment outcomes.
I am also pleased that this bill makes significant improvements to
help Crownpoint Institute of Technology. Crownpoint plays a critical
role in ensuring Native American students have the education, skills,
and training necessary to compete in the global economy, and this bill
helps Crownpoint get the funding they need to serve their students.
Yet, increasing academic and technical rigor alone is not enough to
prepare students to enter into and compete in the 21st century
workforce. The learning environment students experience also heavily
impacts academic performance and student outcomes. When smaller
learning communities are in place, students benefit greatly: they
experience a greater sense of belonging to their schools and they have
fewer discipline, crime, violence, and substance abuse problems.
I would like to highlight two high schools in my home State of New
Mexico which demonstrate some of the best practices of rigorous and
innovative career and technical education. Rio Rancho High School has
served as a model example of how academic rigor, hands-on-learning,
strong professional development, defined career pathways, and robust
alliances are elements of a successful, quality CTE program. Rio Rancho
has created academies of study for all students, which allow students
to: pursue career pathways to postsecondary education and beyond; take
core courses geared toward interests, skills, and competitive careers;
form partnerships with instructors; and become part of a smaller
learning community within the larger high school. These academies allow
students to explore personal strengths and interests in relationship to
career planning and job markets. Rio Rancho has been designated as a
Microsoft Center of Innovation and Time Magazine has called Rio Rancho
one of the ten most innovative career and technical schools in the
Nation.
Another great example of innovative career and technical education
can be found at Albuquerque High School. In just a couple of years, the
career academies at Albuquerque High School have demonstrated very
positive student outcomes. The first students in Albuquerque's Academy
of Advanced Technology have lower dropout rates and improved academic
achievement.
Accordingly, this legislation recognizes that smaller learning
communities and career academies are critical educational investments.
As Rio Rancho and Albuquerque High Schools demonstrate, rigorous career
and technical education and smaller learning environments enhance
students' achievement and motivation to learn.
Unfortunately, the formula as drafted in this bill will have a very
negative impact on career and technical education programs in many of
our States. While I support the improvements sought in this bill, I am
very disappointed that states like New Mexico, Mississippi,
Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Connecticut,
Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, and Idaho, just to name a few, will face
significant cuts in funding next year alone. In fact, these cuts hit
the poorest States in this country the hardest. Assuming this program
receives level funding in appropriations in fiscal year 2007, 24 States
lose money. If there are any cuts to the program at all, more than 30
States could lose under this formula.
These losses are very real to the students participating in career
and technical education at our high schools and community colleges. A
junior in high school pursuing a career in medical technology might not
be able to finish her program in her senior year if funding is yanked.
Our students depend on programs like Perkins to provide them with
essential job skills and training. It is not only unfair to pull
funding from our students, but unwise to cut funding from so many
States. Strong career and technical education programs are critical to
this Nation if we are to ensure a skilled and educated workforce. This
formula is simply a step in the wrong direction.
Many of us talk about ensuring America's students are prepared to
meet the challenges of the 21st century workforce. We talk about
protecting America's competitive edge in the global economy. I firmly
believe, however, that taking career and technical education programs
away from some of our most needy students does not enhance our economic
security. Simply, a loss of funding means a loss of services to
students.
Nevertheless, I firmly believe there are many positive aspects of
this legislation, and despite the funding formula, I support the
overall bill. Effective career and technical education programs are
necessary to build a strong and dynamic economy and to maintain a
competitive American workforce, and therefore, I support the passage of
this legislation.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I support final passage of S. 250, the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.
This important legislation, which reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins
Vocational and Technical Education Act of

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1998, will help strengthen both the workforce in my home State of Rhode
Island and across the Nation and ensure that our students have the
necessary skills and tools to access high-quality, high-wage employment
and compete in an ever-expanding global economy.
I am pleased that Congress will reaffirm its overwhelming bipartisan
and bicameral support for this program, especially in light of the
President's efforts in his last two budget proposals to eliminate
funding for Perkins. For the 2006-2007 school year, our State, which is
home to 10 Career and Technical Centers and 54 high schools and
colleges offering career and technical education programs, would stand
to lose an estimated $6.3 million in Perkins basic state and tech prep
funding under the President's proposed budget. These cuts are
unjustifiable, especially at a time when it is ever more critical that
we provide a robust link between students and a highly skilled
workforce American business depends on to thrive.
As a cosponsor of the Senate version of this bill, I am pleased that
many of its comprehensive provisions on the recruitment, preparation,
support, and professional development of career and technical education
teachers, which I authored, have been included in the final version of
the bill before us today. I believe having a well-trained, qualified,
and effective teacher in every classroom is the key for ensuring that
students participating in career and technical education programs will
achieve their fullest academic and career goals and aspirations.
The bill also contains a number of provisions that address the
concerns raised by educators in Rhode Island. First, S. 250 does not
combine the tech prep program with the basic State grant program at the
Federal level as the House bill proposed. Second, the bill authorizes
use of State administration funding at up to 5 percent, funding which
supports such essential activities as developing a State plan,
monitoring career and technical education program efficiency, and
providing technical assistance to districts. Third, S. 250 adds a new
State leadership incentive grant I authored for school districts and
postsecondary institutions that elect to pool their funds for
innovative initiatives, including improving the professional
development of career and technical educators and establishing and
enhancing systems for accountability data collection.
I thank my colleagues, Senators Kennedy and Enzi, and their staffs,
for their work on this legislation and moving it toward final passage.
I am pleased to support this legislation. A highly skilled workforce
not only grows our economy, but maintains our Nation's competitive edge
in the world. I look forward to the President quickly signing this bill
into law--which will hopefully signal a turnaround in his support for
Perkins career and technical education programs--to help ensure that
our students remain competitive and have the academic and technical
tools to succeed.
Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I am very pleased today to support the
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act. I was
proud to cosponsor this legislation in the Senate, and I am proud that
the Congress is on the eve of passing it into law.
I am extremely pleased that this bill was written in a bipartisan
fashion. I want to thank Senator Enzi, Senator Kennedy, Congressman
McKeon, and Congressman Miller for working so hard on this legislation.
I hope that the HELP Committee will approach other education bills in
the same bipartisan process.
The legislation recognizes the important role of career and technical
education in the preparation of today's workforce. It rejects the Bush
administration's proposal to eliminate the Perkins program, a proposal
that would cost New York approximately $65 million a year. The bill
before us today is evidence of the strong bipartisan commitment to
maintaining and strengthening Perkins.
The Perkins program plays a key role in helping young people and
people returning to school gain the skills they need to land high-
quality jobs. Perkins is the largest Federal investments in our
Nation's high schools. Over 66 percent of all public high schools have
at least one vocational and technical education program and 96 percent
of high school students in this country take at least one vocational or
technical course while in high school.
The Perkins program also plays a key role in postsecondary education.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 38
percent of all degree-seeking undergraduates are pursuing vocational
careers. These programs play a key role in educating our workforce and
census data consistently shows that people with higher educational
attainment have higher median incomes.
In New York, the demand for business career and technical education
programs increased by 44 percent between the 2002-2003 school year and
the 2003-2004 school year. In New York City, there was a 211-percent
increase in enrollment in the approved business program and a 55-
percent increase in the technology and communications programs. And the
vast majority of these students are succeeding academically. Eighty-
five percent of New York students who completed a career and technical
education program passed all of the required regent's exams.
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act
takes the next step in strengthening career and technical education for
the 21st century. I am particularly pleased that this bill improves
programs and services for women and girls pursuing nontraditional
occupations. Families, industries, and our economy as a whole benefit
when women and girls pursue non-traditional, traditionally ``male''
careers--in technology, math, science, and the construction and
building trades. Unfortunately, women continue to be significantly
underrepresented in these fields. For example, while the number of
female carpenters has tripled since 1972, women still represent only
1.7 percent of all carpenters. You can say the same about many other
high-skill, high-wage trades.
Many of these skilled trades industries are experiencing a
significant labor shortage and experts expect these shortages to get
worse over the next two decades as many workers retire. If women were
to enter these professions, most of which are unionized and pay a
livable paycheck and benefits, women would increase their earnings and
standard of living for their families. For example, a journey-level
electrician will make over half a million dollars more than a typical
cashier in a 30-year career.
This bill requires States to measure students' participation and
completion in career and technical programs in nontraditional fields
and to disaggregate their data on performance by gender and race. In
addition, programs will be required to prepare special populations for
high-skill, high-wage occupations that will lead to self-sufficiency.
These important provisions will go a long way toward helping more women
achieve economic security for their families.
The bill also provides comprehensive professional development for
career and technical education teachers and aligns secondary and
postsecondary indicators with those established in other programs to
ultimately reduce paperwork.
Finally, I am pleased that the bill maintains Tech Prep as a separate
program, maintaining the position proposed in the Senate bill.
Innovative Tech Prep programs in New York have made a real difference
in the lives of students. For example, the Syracuse City Health Center
Tech Prep program reduced the achievement gap between ethnic groups--
white versus non-white--to 2.8 percent. And at least 65 percent of
students in the Syracuse City Health Careers Tech Prep program enroll
in health-related professions, where New York has a critical shortage,
after high school. In New York State, the average age of nurses is 47
and 80 percent of current nurses will reach retirement age within 10
years.
The Perkins program is extremely important--not just for the numbers
of students it serves but for the communities that benefit from a
better prepared workforce as a result of these programs. This is why
for the last 4 years I have spearheaded a bipartisan letter to the
Senate Appropriations Committee requesting additional funding for
Perkins. Indeed, I hope that in this budget cycle we will continue to

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provide adequate funding for the Perkins program.
For all of these reasons, I am thrilled that Congress continues its
strong support for this critical program by passing this legislation
today.
Mr. BENNETT. I ask unanimous consent that the conference report be
agreed to and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and that
any statements be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The conference report was agreed to.

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