Reston, VA – NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti issued the following statement on President Trump’s signing of the bill to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Techinical Education Act:

We commend Congress and the Trump administration for the bipartisan reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act. While advocating for the bill, NASSP shared a platform with entities with whom we might disagree on other policies. Different sectors of the education and business communities sometimes fail to see eye-to-eye on what schools should do and how they should do it. But there is no disagreement on CTE. Educators in K–12 and higher education, small business owners, other members of local communities, and large corporations all share a common view on the need to invest in students now to be tomorrow’s digital age workers, technicians, inventors, and entrepreneurs. We are encouraged that Congress shares that view as well.

In corresponding more closely with the current CTE environment, this overhaul corrects some of the unintended challenges of building CTE programs. It provides flexibility for the use of funds to address career shortages in local communities and encourages partnerships with local employers and business leaders. It further provides funds for principals and teachers to retool and build the skills they need to sustain these programs—consistent with the spirit of CTE.

With new flexibility in funding and monitoring to ensure all students are treated equitably, the new Perkins bill will help empower students to choose their path toward their dreams rather than having the path selected for them. That is the promise of today’s CTE. And I would suggest it is the promise of public education. It fulfills the potential of each student with high-quality learning in a real-world context. Their success contributes mightily to our nation’s collective prosperity and to the future we all share. We are grateful to Congress for this bipartisan action, and we are hopeful that it sets a precedent for the work ahead on other education bills.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student’s potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council.