Department of Education March 9, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is announcing the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Makeover Challenge (the Challenge), a prize competition funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV or Act). The Challenge calls upon eligible high schools to design models of makerspaces that strengthen career and technical skills through making (models of CTE makerspaces). For the purposes of this notice, (1) ``makerspace,'' a formalized space for making, is an environment and facility that provides resources, materials, and equipment for students to conceive, create, collaborate, and learn through making; and (2) ``making'' refers to a hands-on learning approach that encourages students to imagine, create, tinker, and learn through the process of manufacturing, testing, and demonstrating their ideas. Through making, CTE educators enable students to immerse themselves in problem-solving and the continuous refinement of their products while learning essential 21st-century career skills, such as critical thinking, planning, and communication. The Department is seeking models of CTE makerspaces across a wide range of facility types, such as classrooms, libraries, and mobile spaces, that it can share with educators to encourage the creation of affordable, scalable, and replicable makerspaces.