[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 12 (Monday, January 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S463-S464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PENN STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

  Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the Penn State 
University Nittany Lions Women's Volleyball program for winning the 
2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Championship.
  Led by four returning starters and legendary coach Russ Rose, the 
Penn State University Nittany Lions concluded the 2014 season by 
defeating the Brigham Young University Cougars in straight sets to win 
the NCAA Championship. The Nittany Lions finished with a record of 36 
wins and only 3 losses.
  With the 2014 championship, the Nittany Lions have claimed six of the 
last eight NCAA Championships and seven overall in women's volleyball, 
setting the record for the most women's volleyball championships by a 
single program in history.
  The 2014 Nittany Lions Women's Volleyball team brought together a 
group of student-athletes who excelled both on the court and in the 
classroom. For their efforts on the court, four Nittany Lions were 
selected to the AVCA Division I All-America team, with Senior Micha 
Hancock earning both First-Team All-American honors and becoming the 
fourth Nittany Lion in program history to earn AVCA DI National Player 
of the Year honors.
  Special congratulations go to Junior Megan Courtney who was selected 
as the 2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and to Freshman Ali 
Frantti, who earned AVCA DI National Freshman of the Year honors.
  Not to be outdone in the classroom, six Nittany Lions earned spots on 
the Fall Academic All-Big Ten list for their academic performances this 
season.
  Today I want to recognize the significant contributions that the Penn 
State University Women's Volleyball team has made to collegiate 
athletics and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with Coach Russ Rose 
at the helm. I wish them all the best as they continue to lead by 
example for student-athletes everywhere and set the stage for the 
program's continued success into the future.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today the United States ranks 12th in the 
world in the percentage of 25-34 year olds achieving post-high school 
degrees. We need to make changes that help keep students engaged in 
their futures while also ensuring our educational programs are 
adequately preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century.
  Career and technical education, CTE, programs are proven to help keep 
students more engaged in the classroom and less likely to drop out of 
high school, and to help meet the needs of high-growth, skill-intensive 
industries looking for the next generation of workers. The U.S. 
Department of Education announced that the average U.S. high school 
graduation rate is 80 percent, while the graduation rate for students 
in CTE concentrations is higher than 90 percent. 81 percent of high 
school dropouts say real-world learning opportunities would have kept 
them in school.
  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act is a major 
source of Federal support for the development

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of career and technical skills among secondary and postsecondary 
students. Last reauthorized in 2006, the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act needs to be modernized to meet the demands of 
the 21st century workforce and ensure that students have access to the 
highest-quality CTE programs.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues, Senator 
Portman and Senator Baldwin, the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, 
which would amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
Act to raise the quality of CTE programs. This legislation defines what 
constitutes a rigorous CTE curriculum and requires Perkins grant 
recipients to incorporate key high-quality elements in their programs 
including credit-transfer opportunities; academic and technical skills 
assessments; training tools that align with today's industries; CTE-
focused professional development for teachers, administrators, and 
counselors; and CTE curriculum alignment with local, regional, and 
State workforce demands. Additionally, the bill improves links between 
high school and postsecondary education to help ease attainment of an 
industry recognized credential, license, apprenticeship, or 
postsecondary certificate to obtain a job in a high-demand career field 
and promotes partnerships between local businesses, and other community 
stakeholders to create pathways for students through work-based 
learning opportunities.
  When I was Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I worked on a 
number of educational issues, but one that I was most proud of was 
starting the Governor's Career and Technical Academies. At the start of 
my term as Governor we had nine academies. The Republican Governor who 
followed me continued the academies, and at the end of his term there 
were 23. The Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act encourages these models 
and allows states and localities to use Perkins grant funding to 
establish CTE-focused academies.
  I am proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to 
raise the quality of CTE programs and ensure that high-quality career 
and technical education helps students develop skills that meet the 
needs of 21st century employers.

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