In a big win for architects, the US House of Representatives passed the Senate version of H.R.2353, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act on Tuesday. 

Architects across the country led the charge to pass this bill, highlighting its promise in discussions with their representatives. When the need arose, AIA component executives also dedicated significant time to such conversations, most notably in Kansas, South Carolina, Indiana, and Utah.

The bill, sponsored by  Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Il), Sen. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), allows states to use federal money to modernize CTE curricula, which includes architecture. In so doing, and for the first time, the legislation officially considers architecture a part of STEM education. 

"After years of discussion by architects and educators, AIA is pleased that its lobbying efforts have succeeded and that the bill on Career Technical Education has passed,” says Robert Ivy, FAIA, EVP/Chief Executive Officer of the American Institute of Architects.  "It will encourage a more diverse workforce, fulfill the promise of design as the synthesis of art and science, and affect fundamental change in educational curricula." — AIA

The academic grouping known as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has long been regarded as the antithesis to the creative fields of art, music, and architecture. But the bill recently passed by the US House of Representatives allows states to use federal money to modernize Career Technical Education (CTE) curricula, which will soon include architecture. 

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