P-TECH CTE & Early College Meeting The Moment Assembly Bill A8941 & Senate Bill S5616A

Transforming career and technical education (CTE) for the global economy is work that I have been part of since the early 2000s when I was the principal of the CTE school Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy (BETA). BETA is a small new school that opened with New Visions for Public Schools. The City University of New York (CUNY) and New Visions have benefitted from the philanthropic giving from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. At BETA we hosted Melinda Gates in November of 2008 with Diane Sawyer, and that visit was televised on Good Morning America in January 2009. March 8, 2011, I left BETA to become the founding principal of Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH). BETA turns 20 this year 2024. Helping to design, open and still lead P-TECH is rewarding on many levels. It is great visiting schools and participating on panels to share my experiences.

In 2013 before P-TECH was replicated in Texas I participated in the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Conference on a panel with Dr. Amy Loyd who then was the Executive Director of Pathways to Prosperity Network a collaboration of Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Today, Dr. Amy Loyd is Assistant Secretary at the Office of Career Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE). On March 20, 2024, CTE Research Network Convening Dr. Amy Loyd will provide closing remarks. Today there are more than 400 early college and P-TECH programs in Texas with P-TECH outpacing the early college model. The Career & Technical Education Research Network's Winter 2024 Webinar Series highlighted our P-TECH work: New Evidence on the Impacts of Secondary Career and Technical Education March 5, 2024: CTE and Dual Enrollment Evidence from NYC's P-TECH High Schools and North Carolina's Career and College Promise. The October 2023 MDRC report indicate that the P-TECH model increased students' postsecondary degree completion, particularly for male students, and boosted internship and dual enrollment rates, even during the pandemic. The P-TECH model is currently replicated in 28 countries and the state of Texas has more than 200 P-TECH programs. I look forward to seeing New York City CTE schools transition to a P-TECH model.

In the Fall of 2023 as part of a lever group I had the chance to visit the CTE school, Academy of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT) lead by Dr. Shirley Miller. Dr. Miller and I had been in a lever group together in 2018 and this visit to her school after the pandemic was very insightful. This visit was the first for the school year 2023-2024. Dr. Miller has collaborated with her team to not only increase partnerships but to also offer advanced placement, College Now through the City University of New York (CUNY) and Amazon Future Engineers. The students in the culinary program have the experience of working in a state-of-the-art kitchen and learn not only about safety, but they get to cook the food, present it, and discuss the process. The 21st century learning is in full effect. It would be great to see Dr. Miller and her team receive more resources to take their school to where they want to go. The climate in New York City and State is ripe to assist her growth. Today there are dual enrollment bills in the New York State Legislature and Senate that could make the early college movement and P-TECH replication in New York State more robust. Below I am sharing a memo from Diallo Shabazz, Director New York P-TECH Leadership Council.

To: All NY State P-TECH Schools and Supporters:

?On behalf of the New York P-TECH Leadership Council, we are sharing important details with you regarding the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and two new legislative bills in the New York Senate and Assembly, which if passed would have a positive impact on the funding resources available for P-TECH Schools, and influence how dual and concurrent enrollment is funded across the state.

?Below are short descriptions of the Dual Enrollment Bills ((Senate: S.5616 (Mayer) and Assembly:?A.8941 (Benedetto)) with language provided by The Education Trust of New York and The Business Council of New York State.

?To support the passage of these bills, within the?next two weeks members of the Senate and Assembly need to hear from those associated with P-TECH Schools (community and industry partners) requesting that their elected representatives support the legislation.?

?If you or any of your stakeholders have any questions, please feel free to connect them directly to us for additional details.

?Regarding the Dual Enrollment Legislative Bill?S.5616 (Mayer)?/?A.8941 (Benedetto)

?The Education Trust of New York: The bill extends TAP eligibility to cover college credits earned in high school in schools, including PTECH, once a student has matriculated and credit has been accepted and applied towards a college degree. This is a performance-based funding mechanism which awards programs successful in transitioning students into college with actual credit or degree earned. Programs that are successful earning college credits to any and every TAP eligible NYS college or university will receive sustainable funding into the future allowing programs to grow to scale across the entire state. Because TAP is an income-based program, high school programs will be incentivized to focus on lower income populations to maximize their payment.

·???????? The funding is sustainable. TAP awards are only expended when college credits count towards a degree. No funding is wasted on courses that don't result in actual degrees.

·???????? Participating students will be more likely to graduate, graduate sooner, and graduate with less debt.

·???????? It helps colleges grow enrollment, reach students earlier, eliminate remediation and increase completion.

·???????? Expands access to college.

·???????? Supports high quality PTECH, Dual Enrollment and Applied Learning. Businesses can work with high schools as they do in PTECH schools to create aligned college level curriculum.

·???????? Once the program is up and running and students graduate and earn credit the funding source provides self-sustaining revenue.

?The Business Council of New York State: This legislation represents an opportunity to advance educational accessibility and achievement across the State of New York. While New York State’s educational system has multiple initiatives being implemented to diversify pathways to post-secondary education and work-based learning, New York is one of a small number of states that lack permanent financing mechanisms for dual or concurrent enrollment programs. The proposed Dual Enrollment legislation addresses this gap by permitting the utilization of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funds as a means for students to accrue credits through these educational pathways.

?Evidence from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center suggests that despite the enrollment downturns at community colleges in the aftermath of the pandemic, there has been a notable increase in the enrollment figures of dual enrollment students at these institutions. Specifically, community colleges have reported an increase of 11% in their dual enrollment programs. These programs are instrumental in enabling students to accumulate college credits without the financial burdens typically associated with tuition and loans.

?By fostering partnerships between secondary and higher education institutions, these programs provide students with the opportunity to engage in college-level academic work with supportive resources. The Dual Enrollment legislation will have long-lasting impacts on our students, schools, education system, and workforce.

?Thank you,

Diallo Shabazz

Director, New York P-TECH Leadership Council