DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Council on Agricultural Education and the Iowa FFA Association celebrate 100 years of agriculture education this year. The Smith Hughes National Vocational Education Act, the nation’s first federal investment in secondary CTE, was signed into law on February 23, 1917. There will be a yearlong celebration of this legislations as it paved the way for vocational education, now called career and technical education.
Every year, career and technical education (CTE) prepares millions of students for college and career success. The Smith-Hughes Act provided a dramatic transformation within the CTE ecosystem over the last century – a transformation made directly in response to the needs of the American economy for upgraded skills.
According to the Association for Career and Technical Education, CTE students today are more likely to graduate from high school than their peers, and have strong academic, technical and employability skills. Unlike the “vocational education” of decades past, today 75 percent of secondary CTE concentrators go on to some type of postsecondary education. CTE is also helping to fill critical workforce shortages in both traditional career fields and in exciting new ones like cybersecurity, biomedical engineering and telecommunications. Businesses, local communities, students and the American economy alike all depend on accessible, rigorous, high-quality CTE.
One hundred years ago, the 64th Congress and President Woodrow Wilson laid the foundation for today’s CTE by making the nation’s first federal investment in secondary education that prepares students for career success.
“The Council on Agriculture Education is charged with reviewing and developing standards for secondary and postsecondary agriculture education,” said chair Will Fett. “We recognize the importance of historical landmarks like the Smith Hughes Act in laying the groundwork for what we do today in preparing young people for careers in agriculture.”
“We want to ensure that education is in step with the needs of our country’s fast growing and quickly changing population,” said Scott Johnson, executive secretary of the Iowa FFA Association. “Approximately one in five jobs in Iowa is in the agriculture industry. We want to help provide a path to a cohesive system of career and technical education. More relevant education leads to more opportunity and diversity in schools.”
In addition to this yearlong celebration, the Council and the Iowa FFA Association will be celebrating National Agriculture Day on March 21, 2017. Iowa FFA president, Elisa Russ, and Iowa FFA reporter, Zach Hamilton will attend events in Washington D.C. scheduled on that day. The purpose of the activities is to increase public awareness of agriculture’s vital role in our society. Events will include panel discussions, seminars, and a ‘Taste of Ag’.
“I’m excited to share my passion for agriculture with some of our elected representatives,” said Russ, a junior at Iowa State University. “Agriculture plays such an important role in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products like food, fiber, and fuel.”
More information about the Smith Hughes Act can be found here: https://pulse.ffa.org/index.php/2016/10/19/career-and-technical-education-celebration-100-years-of-the-smith-hughes-act/
More information about National Agriculture Day can be found here: https://www.agday.org/
About the Iowa Council on Agricultural Education
The Iowa Council on Agricultural Education will review, develop, and recommend standards for secondary and postsecondary agricultural education. Established in 1988 by legislative act of the 72nd Iowa General Assembly, the Council is appointed by the Governor annually and made up of nine voting members. The Council members represent all areas of agriculture and diverse geographical areas. The Council includes representation from secondary schools, postsecondary schools, and a teacher educator. Ex officio members include representatives from Iowa FFA, Iowa FFA Alumni, the Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and members of the Iowa general assembly.
About the Iowa FFA Association
The Iowa FFA Association is a youth organization of over 14,700 student members as part of 232 local FFA chapters across Iowa. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The Iowa FFA Association was organized by delegates from 23 schools at Iowa State College on May 17, 1929 and is an integral part of public instruction in agriculture. The Iowa Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to local agricultural education programs. For more, visit the Iowa FFA Association online at IowaFFA.com, on Facebook, and Twitter.
— Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
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