July 20, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

With Perkins V plans approved, many states now have questions on how to operationalize the plans, particularly with the impacts that COVID-19 poses. To help states navigate through these questions, the Division of Academic and Technical Education (DATE), which is part of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, has converted its annual Data Quality Institute (DQI) to a series of virtual meetings to be held between August and November 2020.

The 2020 DQI virtual series—Operationalizing Perkins V while Coping with COVID-19—will focus on key CTE topics states are currently addressing (download schedule/topics).

The eight session series will kick-off with a "Connect" session designed to enable State CTE Directors (or their delegates) to share lessons learned and innovative strategies developed during the Perkins V plan development and to discuss impacts of COVID on implementing plans. The kick-off will be followed by a "Perkins V: Accountability 101" session targeted for new CTE staff (or other wanting a 'refresher'), and five "Learn" sessions that will focus on specific topics of interest. The "Learn" sessions will be open to the State Directors, and/or to a CTE staff member that the State Director signs-up (no more than two representatives per state). Finally, a concluding "Report/Plan" session will be facilitated for State CTE Directors (or their delegates) to discuss key outcomes of the "Learn" sessions and to identify strategies for their state accordingly.

To register your state for the 2020 DQI virtual series, or if you have questions about the 2020 DQI, please contact the meeting coordinator, Olivia Rice, at onix@rti.org or (919) 541-7011.

All staff interested in the "Perkins V: Accountability 101" should use this link to register: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WM5WG33. Space will be limited, so make sure you register soon!

Best –

Sharon Lee Miller
Director, Division of Academic and Technical Education