On July 16, the Senate approved the Every Child Achieves Act (S. 1177)—a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The House approved its ESEA reauthorization bill, the Student Success Act (H.R. 5), earlier in July. The two chambers will work to resolve the differences between the bills before the reauthorization package is signed into law by President Obama.
The Every Child Achieves Act includes provisions to promote integrated academic and Career and Technical Education (CTE) content in the classroom, expand college and career guidance programs, support specialized professional development opportunities. This includes common planning time, focused on integrating academics and CTE. It also encourages states to adopt career readiness indicators in their accountability systems.
While this legislation applies to K-12 education, it will also serve to help support career pathways between secondary and post-secondary career education. What are your thoughts on high quality professional development to strengthen the connection between K-12 and post-secondary CTE educators? What are the opportunities that we need to create for more integrated professional development across the lifespan of CTE learners?
Best,
Mike Cruse
Career Pathways Moderator
michaelcruse74@gmail.com