Youth apprenticeship programs can give students access to valuable work-based learning experiences that provide insights into how their interest can connect to education and the workforce. Although these programs are often beneficial for participants, there is little data to show the programmatic landscape and impact. There are many challenges…

The Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) was an exciting and innovative change under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). The CLNA was identified to support data-driven decision-making and more closely align planning, spending and accountability activities under Perkins V. After the…

Passage of the "Strengthening Career & Technical Education for the 21st Century Act" (Perkins V), which reauthorizes federal legislation funding career and technical education (CTE), brings the opportunity to improve the quality and accessibility of CTE for adults with low incomes; English learner adults; out-of-school youth; and…

Since 1998, the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation (division) has compiled and published "The Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges," commonly known as the "Condition Report." The intent of this report is to provide clear, objective data about Iowa's community…

On July 31, 2018, the "Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act" (Public Law 115-224) (Perkins V, the Act, or statute), was signed into law and thus reauthorized and amended the "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006." The U.S. Department of Education's (Department) Office of…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department will face several challenges in FY 2021; perhaps most significant among…

This research builds upon the work of Guthrie and Waters (2021, 2022) to interrogate what motivates such RTOs (Registered Training Organisations) to pursue high performance. High performing RTOs were interviewed to explore their understanding of high performance and their motivations for pursuing high performance. This research adds a new…

The quality of registered training organisations (RTOs) remains a topic of great interest to users of both vocational education and training (VET) and governments as the VET sector adapts to deliver on forecast workforce and skilling needs. All RTOs must adhere to minimum quality standards, but some deliver above and beyond those standards. This…

Since 1998, the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation (division) has compiled and published "The Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges," commonly known as the "Condition Report." The intent of this report is to provide clear, objective data about Iowa's community…

Vocational education and training (VET) reform is increasingly common, but there is more evidence on designing VET reforms than implementing them. This literature review searches the existing literature on VET reform implementation for key determinants, trends, and gaps using a determinant framework. We review 1,835 sources, coding 177 for 1,538…

In the past few years, there has been a surge of interest in expanding the scope of high schools. Shifting away from an earlier era that focused primarily on graduation rates and achievement tests, states have built a range of college- and career-readiness measures to track things like whether students are taking and passing advanced courses,…

This document, created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), provides guidance for newly opening charter schools. This guide can be used to keep track of MDE deadlines, access the reporting calendar and follow the steps necessary to ensure the utilization of all the resources and revenue available from the state. This guidance document…

From 2016 through 2019, 10 states strengthened their career readiness systems through the New Skills for Youth initiative (NSFY), a $75 million national investment by JPMorgan Chase & Co. to enhance state efforts to increase the number of learners across the country who are prepared for success in both college and career. As part of this…

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…

Over the year, Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) tracked state activity, cataloged final state policy actions, and categorized trends based on the policy areas of focus. "State Policies Impacting CTE: 2023 Year in Review" provides an analysis that spans 47 states that enacted 115 policies, which…