ACT State Council Summer Webinar Series
Shaping Federal Policy for Effective Solutions in
Education and Workforce Programs
Tom Lindsley
Director, Federal Advocacy
Webinar Topics
• Federal Advocacy Webinar Overview
 Building ACT’s visibility, credibility, and impact on public policy
 Identifying public programs or policy issues ACT can address
 Helping policy makers make good decisions based on research
 Helping to improve the environment for using ACT solutions
 Interacting with federal officials to maintain access, trust, and a
leadership role
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Webinar Topics
• Takeaways
 What ACT does and can do in federal advocacy
 How ACT research and data are used in advocacy
 What federal legislation is chosen for improvements and why
 How working with federal officials can help ACT initiatives and
State Organization efforts
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Creating Critical Connections to Advance our Mission
• Leveraging
data to meet
both internal
and external
needs
Research
Policy
• Formalize
positions on
education
&workforce
policies
• Advance ACT
policy
priorities at
the local,
state, and
national levels
Advocacy
Policy and Advocacy Goals:
 Improve the public policy environment in support of ACT solutions
 Advocate for state and federal policies, programs, and appropriations that affect
ACT constituents
 Ensure that local, state, and federal policies are congruent with ACT’s future
directions
Three Stages of Policy Development Work
Stage 1: Analysis and Prioritization
What are the issues that we care about and are actionable?
Stage 2: Legislative Recommendations
How do we modify the legislation to meet our goals?
Stage 3: External Policy Platform
How do we communicate our vision for where policy should go?
Statutes ACT Analyzed for
Amendments
Most likely for action in the next 2-4 years
• Workforce Investment Act of 1998
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
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Adult Education and Family Literacy Act Amendments of 1998
Wagner-Peyser Act Amendments of 1998
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998
• Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011
• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of
2006
• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Elementary and Secondary
Education Act)
• Higher Education Act Amendments of 2006
Guidelines Used for Filtering
Amendment Priorities
•
•
•
•
•
Changes that have the greatest leverage/impact
Changes backed up by ACT research/data
Topics on which ACT would have the greatest credibility
Issues most in need of statutory change
Changes that would be achievable in the current political
environment
• Changes that would not disrupt customer relationships or
organizational partnerships
Status Report
• Scores of potential amendments were vetted by ACT advocacy
staff to identify core priorities
• 17 core amendments chosen (to date)
• Each recommendation and amendment is drafted to identify:



The issue in current law
The proposed solution
New legislative language to implement the solution
Status of Pending Legislation
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(reauthorization of the
Workforce Investment Act)
• ACT amendments adopted
• Will be signed into law
• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act
• Federal legislation currently being drafted
• Unlikely to finish before year’s end
• Higher Education Act
• Hearings, discussion drafts of legislative proposals
• No action this year
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• ACT amendments adopted to draft legislation
• Action not likely until 2016
• Student Data Privacy Legislation
• Emerging issue in federal and state legislatures
ACT Amendments
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
 Defining Industry-Recognized Credentials *
 Performance Accountability System that Counts Attainment of these
Credentials (including in Adult Education Act programs) *
 Allowing use of Funds for Attainment of Industry-Recognized
Credentials [including the National Career Readiness Certificate
system] *
 Restoring the Governor’s 15% set-aside for statewide activities (* with
NGA)
* ACT amendments adopted. Expected to be signed into law.
ACT Amendments
• Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education
Act
[ACT Amendments are proposed to mirror WIOA]
 Define Industry-Recognized Credentials
 Allow use of Funds for Attainment of these Credentials
 Count Attainment of Credentials in Performance
Measures as Positive Program Outcomes
ACT Amendments
• Higher Education Act
 Support Postsecondary Readiness
 Improve Developmental Courses and Placement
 Look Beyond Grades
 Advance Efforts That Reduce Information Barriers
 Improve Existing Information Resources
 Enhance Personal College Counseling Resources
 Adopt Holistic Approaches to Increasing Postsecondary Completion
 Promote Research and Link Effective Interventions
 Engage Experts Across Federal Agencies
ACT Amendments
• Elementary and Secondary Education Act


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Definition of College and Career Readiness
Statement of Purpose for College and Career Readiness *
Require States to Establish College and Career Ready Standards *
Establish Early Monitoring of Student Achievement *
Increase Aid for Middle and High School Accountability *
Provide Aid to Align Standards, Curriculum, Instructional Materials,
Professional Development, and Assessments.
 Broaden Use of School Improvement Funds
 Maintain Current Advanced Placement Program Definition that
Accommodates ACT’s QualityCore Solution *
* Adopted in Pending Bills before the House or Senate
ACT Amendments
• Student Data Privacy Legislation
• While maintaining highest standards of security and data privacy
protection, allow use of data for legitimate educational purposes:
– Research to improve assessments, ensure fairness, benchmark progress to
college and career readiness
– Provide information to parents, students, and teachers on educational
achievement
– Allow research with longitudinal data over time (protect against arbitrary
destruction of data)
• Ensure distinction between use of data for educational purposes,
and mining of personal data for commercial purposes or
advertising
Other Functions of Advocacy Staff
 Gather Political Intelligence and News
 Provide Briefings to Federal Officials on ACT Work
 Strengthen Relationships with National Organizations
 Respond to Federal Government Requests
 Disseminate Federal Grant Information
Thanks for attending!
Questions or comments?
Ask in the chat box – you will be
unmuted when the question is
addressed.
Tom Lindsley
Director
Federal Advocacy
[email protected]
202.223.2318 x 7354
Others may be unmuted upon
request.
State Org Questions
[email protected]
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