Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro Rivera Addresses Education and Economic Development Leaders at Workforce Forum

JEANETTE, Pa., Sept. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera addressed a group of education, workforce, and economic development leaders at a forum in southwest Pennsylvania Wednesday evening.

Rivera outlined Governor Wolf's Schools That Teach goals related to career and technical education (CTE) that include increasing enrollment in CTE by 5 percent by 2020 and increasing the number of vocational educational program completers to 87 percent by 2020.

"There is no one-size-fits-all approach to education," Rivera said. "Ensuring that every student has access to the tools they need to learn as well as opportunities to grow is a mainstay of the Wolf Administration's Schools That Teach initiative."

Rivera was the Westmoreland County Forum for Workforce Development's keynote speaker, and focused his remarks on progress Pennsylvania is making in improving equity in student opportunity.

In the past two state budgets, Governor Wolf has secured record investments of nearly $640 million in education that fund programs from high quality pre-kindergarten to postsecondary institutions, including CTE programs. In June, Governor Wolf signed the Fair Funding Formula, known as Act 35, into law, which will drive future education funding increases through a formula weighted to account for student need and local tax effort.

Rivera shared that he has met with thousands of educators, administrators, and other educations stakeholders from around the state since he was tapped to lead the Department in January 2015, and that stakeholder engagement is the key to implementing smart education policy in Pennsylvania.

"The breadth and scope of experience in our communities across the commonwealth has been invaluable in the development of education policies," Rivera said. "Those conversations with educators, parents, lawmakers, industry leaders, and others are aiding us in advancing education in Pennsylvania."

MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Reigelman, 717-783-9802            

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Education

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us