Last week (3/9/2016) The US Department of Education announced their plan to increase support for career and technical education (CTE) courses for students. Education Secretary John B. King Jr., has emphasized the importance for an increase in student access to CTE classes, especially for those who come from more diverse backgrounds.
Additionally, he has called for Congress to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which provides more than $1.1 billion for the nation’s career and technical education programs in grades 7-12. Although the Perkins Act hasn’t been reauthorized since 2006, King believes Congress should be able to pass an updated version since the Every Student Succeeds Act was passed in a bipartisan manner last year.
The Obama Administrations priorities for Perkins reauthorization include:
- Effective alignment with today’s labor market, including clear expectations for high-quality programs
- Stronger collaboration among secondary and post-secondary institutions, employers, and industry partners
- Holding schools accountable for improving academic and employment outcomes for students
- Local and state innovation in CTE, particularly the development and replication of innovative CTE models
Finally, King also announced the Career Technical Education Makeover Challenge – a competition offing a total of $200,000 for schools to transform classrooms or available space into makerspaces where students can have the tools to design, build, and innovate.
With a potential investment of over $1.1 billion and additional resources for CTE courses, there is a great opportunity for resellers to help their customers expand and create more active learning spaces to help prepare students for their future careers.
To learn more about makerspaces download an info sheet
Source: Department of Education & Center for Digital Education
