Walt Ecton speaks with EdWeek about proposed additions to the U.S. Department of Education’s top grant priorities
Although the priorities only affect a small amount of the total funding the federal government sends to schools, they highlight the department’s vision for what education should look like.
EdWeek reports that the U.S. Department of Education recently released two new proposed priorities for competitive grant-making. These include “meaningful learning opportunities” focusing on foundational subjects—particularly math instruction—and workforce-training programs.
“In principle, it’s exciting that the federal government is preparing to invest in career and technical education and workforce development,” says Marsal School Assistant Professor Walter Ecton, who studies higher education and the workforce.
However, Ecton says he is nervous about the “anti-college movement” that is currently in the public discourse.
“College is still pretty clearly a good option for the large majority of people,” he tells EdWeek, noting that many postsecondary institutions also offer associates degrees and shorter-term workforce certifications. Ecton says it is impossible to know what the workforce will look like in 10, 15, 20 years. “Because of that, it’s really important for students to have a broad set of skills that allows them to be nimble, that allows them to change careers if they need to, that allows them to go back and get additional education if they need to.”
