Giving Compass' Take:

• Forty-one states are taking action to fund CTE programs and enacting policies related to career technical education by connecting students to apprenticeships. 

• How can donors help expand CTE programs at schools that need them? 

• Read about the strengths and weaknesses of career technical education.

Funding, work-based learning, industry-recognized credentials, and access or equity were among the career and technical education issues states tackled during 2019, according to a new state policy review from Advance CTE, the Association for Career and Technical Education and the Education Commission of the States.

Forty-one states, for example, took action related to funding for CTE, including more spending on work-based learning, dual enrollment and early college programs. Vermont, Virginia and Illinois were among the 35 states that passed legislation or policies designed to connect students to businesses through apprenticeships and other models.

The report comes as more states and districts are expanding career pathway programs that prepare students for college, but also give them career skills and sometimes industry-recognized credentials. “The roughly 200 CTE-related policies enacted in nearly every state highlight just how important CTE is to learners and the 21st century economy,” said LeAnn Wilson, executive director of ACTE.

Governance related to CTE was, in fact, another area where states took action. According to the report, 25 consolidated agencies, transferred authority from one agency to another, or, in some cases, created new authorities to oversee CTE funding and initiatives.

Some states also focused on opening up access to CTE programs for special populations, such as students with disabilities or students from low-income families.

Read the full article about CTE policies in 2020 by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.