Brought to you by

Members

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series: Become a Career Advising Idol

May 3rd, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.

Today we are sharing an Institute Pre Session. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.Print

Highlighted Pre Session: Become a Career Advising Idol  

Make colleagues idolize your commitment to excellence and clients worship the guidance you give, simply by engaging in professional development that focuses on career advising. No matter your occupation or intended level of understanding career guidance, Kuder, Inc. will help you quickly grow with flexible online training.

By attending this session, you’ll learn about Kuder’s new Career Advisor Training program that offers three course options to fit the schedules of busy professionals. The program covers the 12 core competencies of career development, which are also used by the National Career Development Association (NCDA) and Kuder® Career Development Facilitator Training™ curriculum, in a fast-paced, condensed format requiring an investment of only 10, 30, or 40 course hours. This signature training program lays the foundation for supporting and guiding students and adults in making informed career decisions throughout their lifetimes.KuderAnniv

Fee: This is a seminar; there are no fees to attend.

When: June 9, 2013

Time: June 9, 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12 at the Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series: Lessons Learned in Seven States

May 2nd, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.

Today we are sharing an Institute Pre Session. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.Print

Highlighted Pre Session: Lessons Learned in Seven States  

Recent state-wide evaluations were completed of school counseling programs in six states. Results showed that when more fully implemented programs and practices were in place, student results showed significantly higher achievement on NCLB and Perkins accountability measures. School guidance and counseling programs do make a difference! This pre session will focus on evaluation results completed by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Additionally, New Jersey implemented a pilot program for implementing Personalized Student Learning Plans (PSLPs) in 2009, and has learned many valuable lessons from participating schools. A PSLP is defined as a formalized plan and process that involves students setting learning goals based on personal, academic and career interests, beginning in the middle school grades and continuing throughout high school with the close support of adult mentors that include teachers, counselors and parents. New Jersey’s Personalized Student Learning Plan Pilot Program has focused on exploring meaningful, creative and flexible ways to personalize the learning environment for students in a variety of settings. Come learn about the successes and challenges in implementation of PSLP from the experiences of participating pilot schools and the results of an evaluation study completed by Rutgers University.

Presenters:

Ms. Marie Barry, Director, Office of Career and Technical Education, New Jersey Department of Education
Ms. Donna Hoffman, Nebraska Department of Education, School Guidance and Counseling Programs

Date: Sunday, June 9, 2013
Time: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Fee: $100

For more information, please Donna Hoffman at donna.hoffman@nebraska.gov

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12 at the Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series: New Tools for Beginning CTE Teachers

May 2nd, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.

Today we are sharing an Institute Pre Session. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.

Highlighted Pre Session New Tools for Beginning CTE TeachersPrint

CTE schools require industry experience of their teachers and in some cases, the tradeoff for that experience is limited preparation in teaching pedagogies. The culmination of the needs of the CTE community and current research have brought together university experts, researchers and NOCTI to produce several modules designed to provided new teachers with research based information about assessments, certifications and third party testing.

This pre-session will explain the evolution, the collaboration and walk participants through one of the 2 modules. This information could also be used as professional development information. Each participant completing this training session will be rewarded with $100.00 gift certificate for pre test use!

Presenters:

Dr. John C. Foster, john.foster@nocti.org

Amie Bloomfield amie.bloomfield@nocti.org

Time Slot: June 9, 2013 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Fees: $125 NOTE: on-site rate $150

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12 at the Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series – CTEDDI: Instructional Improvement for Individual CTE Sites Now Available

May 2nd, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.

Today we are sharing an Institute Pre Session. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.Print

Highlighted Pre Session CTEDDI: Instructional Improvement for Individual CTE Sites Now Available  

A new opportunity now exists to opt for CTEDDI professional development at a single CTE site! The CTEDDI (Career Technical Educators Using Data-Driven Improvement) model developed by NOCTI through the National Research Center for Career Technical Education (NRCCTE) is a research-based professional development program designed, piloted, and implemented to help administrators and CTE teachers use assessment data to improve programs and to target individual and group instructional needs in the secondary-level CTE classroom.

Previously available only on a statewide basis, now school participants can arm themselves with the tools to collect and analyze data and the skills necessary to develop an action plan to enhance instruction in areas in need of improvement.

Each participant completing this training session will be rewarded with $100 gift certificate for pretest use! Gain a great head start toward CTEDDI implementation.

Presenters: Dr. Sandra G. Pritz, sandypritz@aol.com and Dr. John C. Foster, john.foster@nocti.org

Pre session offered Monday, June 10 from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Omni Shoreham, site of the National Career Clusters® Institute.

Fee: $125; NOTE: On-site rate is $150.

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12 at the Omni Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series: Introduction to Career Clusters® and Pathways 101 Pre Session

April 30th, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.Print

Today we are highlighting the Institute Pre Sessions. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.

Highlighted Pre Session: Introduction to Career Clusters® and Pathways 101: Using the Updated Implementation Tool Kit

This is the starting place for all things Career Clusters® for first time attendees or for those who are looking for tools to take back to begin implementing Career Clusters® in your system, campus or school. This session is definitely for people that are new to Career Clusters® and are looking for a resource to use to teach others brand new as well.

Together, we will:

  • Explore the Career Clusters® Framework and key components
  • Define the benefits of utilizing Career Clusters®
  •  Discuss the core tenets of Career Cluster® implementation
  •  Map a strategy for implementing Career Clusters® in phases
  • Identify the tools and resources available

This workshop will help you connect all the parts and pieces related to CTE, Perkins, Programs of Study, technical skill assessment, career guidance, workforce development, industry partnership, certification, high school reform, and seamless transitions.

Use this pre-session to get the most out of your Career Clusters® Institute attendance.

Attendees will receive the new Career Clusters® Implementation Tool Kit, a $75 value.

Fee: $150

Time slot: Sunday, June 9, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12, 2013

Location: Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Career Clusters® Institute Blog Series: The Creative Brain and Entrepreneurship Pre Session

April 30th, 2013

This blog series provides readers with insight on the valuable content that is being shared at the Career Clusters ® Institute. Guest bloggers are among teachers, faculty, researchers and other experts that will present at the national gathering in Fort Worth, TX in June.Print

Today we are introducing the Institute Pre Sessions. Attendees can register for a Pre Session and attend the Sunday or Monday before the Institute begins. There is a nominal fee to attend these sessions and registration can be made in addition to general registration online. There are several topics to choose from.

Highlighted Pre Session: The Creative Brain and Entrepreneurship

This interactive pre session explores teaching entrepreneurship and the creative brain. The focus will be on mindsets and how to teach to inventive thinking. Participants will receive a book entitled “Developing an Understanding of How We Learn,” which was written by Dr. Carol Folbre and Sandy Mittelsteadt. Everyone will leave with sample project-based activities, both individual and group, for their classroom.

Presenters:
Sandy Mittelsteadt: sandra.mittelsteadt@gmail.com
Dr. Carol Folbre: carol.folbre@gmail.com

Fee: $130
Time slot: Sunday, June 9 from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact Sandy Mittelsteadt at sandra.mittelsteadt@gmail.com.

Already registered? You can add a Pre Session even if you’ve already registered. If you have questions, please send them to institute@careertech.org and we will be happy to add a Pre Session to your registration.

The National Career Clusters® Institute is June 9-12, 2013

Location: Omni Fort Worth, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

More information about the National Career Clusters® Institute

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Please Welcome New NASDCTEc Associate Executive Director Kate Blosveren Kreamer

April 30th, 2013

NASDCTEc is pleased to welcome new staff member, Kate Blosveren Kreamer, who serves as the Associate Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), leading policy and communications efforts to ensure all students have access to high-quality career technical education.

From 2006 to 2013, Kate worked at Achieve, beginning as a policy analyst and leaving the associate director of strategic initiatives, leading a range of policy, research, and communications projects to support states’ adoption and implementation of the college- and career-ready agenda.

Prior to her time at Achieve, Kate was a policy advisor at Third Way, where she acted as a policy liaison between the organization and its Corporate Leadership Committee, engaging on a very broad legislative agenda. Kate also spent a year as a research assistant at the Progressive Policy Institute, focusing exclusively on education policy issues.

Kate serves as the co-founder and President of Young Education Professionals-DC (YEP-DC), a nonpartisan organization, created by and for young professionals that connects tomorrow’s education leaders around the common goal of improving education through policy, research, and practice. Kate also helped co-found and acts as a strategic advisor to YEP National, the umbrella organization that supports the now eight YEP chapters across the country.

An Orange, Connecticut native, Kate received her bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University, and her master’s of public policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in 2006, with a concentration in Education, Family, and Social Policy.

In addition to serving as an organizational spokesperson, Kate’s other responsibilities include:

  • Supporting states’ adoption and implementation of the CCTC and the related policies/programs, through the development of relevant research, policy guidance and other tools/resources
  • Overseeing the organization’s communications strategy, including the expansion of the CTE: Learning that works for America® campaign

When asked for her goals in her position, Kate said she wants to help ensure CTE is a full partner and component of the broader college- and career-ready agenda currently underway in most states; to raise the visibility of CTE as the most effective strategy in graduating all students and preparing them for life after high school; to develop and maintain strong partnerships with key national and state-based organizations; and to help ensure even stronger support and engagement from business/industry around CTE.

Please extend a warm welcome to Kate. She can be reached at kblosveren@careertech.org or 301-588-9630.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

Register Now for NASDCTEc Webinar on Career Academies: An Investment in Students, the Workforce and the Economy

April 30th, 2013

Career Academies: An Investment in Students, the Workforce and the Economy

Career academies are a proven way of delivering high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE). Through small learning communities, college-preparatory curriculum, and strong partnerships with local employers, career academies offer work-based learning opportunities and rigorous pathways to postsecondary education and careers. Research strongly supports the efficacy of career academies in increasing the academic success, attendance levels and future earning potential of participating students.

Join us for a webinar that features state and local leaders who will discuss why career academies are a successful delivery mechanism for CTE, and what they are doing in this exciting field.

The webinar will be held on Thursday, May 9th at 3 p.m. ET. Speakers include:

Rod Duckworth, Chancellor, Division of Career and Adult Education, Florida Department of Education.
Sabrina Arney, Teacher, Aspirations in Medical Sciences Academy, Long Beach, California.

David Beckett, Advocacy Manager, NASDCTEc

Register NOW

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

NASDCTEc Releases Publication on Area CTE Centers

April 29th, 2013

Career Technical Education (CTE) inherently emphasizes partnerships with employers and encourages input from business and industry on CTE curriculum and other collaborative opportunities so that students graduate with the knowledge and skills that employers demand. But despite increased interest in CTE by students and businesses, states and school districts are struggling to maintain or expand CTE programs due to limited federal, state and local funding. Given the current fiscal situation, area CTE centers area an especially viable option for districts wanting to provide students with high-quality CTE in a cost-effective way.

Last week, the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) released a new publication on this topic – Area CTE Centers: Conquering the Skills Gap through Business and Industry Collaboration. The paper provides information on the history, benefits, and cost effectiveness of area CTE centers. Several examples of best practices are highlighted including Miami Valley Career Technology Center in Ohio and Canadian Valley Technology Center in Oklahoma. Read more

A webinar recording on area CTE centers, featuring leaders from the schools mentioned above, is now available here.

Kara Herbertson, Research and Policy Manager

From the Ground Up: Case Study Describes Creation of New Community College at CUNY

April 29th, 2013

The New Community College (NCC) at the City University of New York was developed in response to Chancellor Matthew Goldstein’s interest in creating an innovative community college that increases student learning, achievement, and graduation rates, and improves student retention. NCC, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, recently released Rethinking Community College for the 21st Century, a case study that follows the development of NCC from its initial planning in 2008 through its opening in August 2012.

The planners of the NCC combed through best practices and research to inform the design of their community college, with the ultimate goal of building an institution that would increase its graduation rate after three years to 35 percent with students transferring to four-year institutions or entering related careers. NCC is specifically designed to provide students with Career Technical Education (CTE) through curriculum that links classroom learning to practical career experiences.

Key components of the NCC model include:

  • First-year program of study: Integrates credit-bearing and developmental coursework, and mandatory participation in a summer bridge program.
  • City seminar: Two-semester course, including reading, writing, and quantitative aspects, on issues in New York City and other major cities.
  • Partnerships: Workplace partners provide increased opportunities for hands-on student learning.
  • Learning outcomes: Rubrics assess student progress and each student has an electronic portfolio.

In addition to providing CTE majors in Business Administration, Information Technology, and other areas, NCC also requires a two-semester course, Ethnographies of Work (EoW), that helps students investigate different occupations to make informed decisions about their majors and career paths. EoW provides students with a background in basic research methodology, analysis, professional skill training, and encourages students to deeply consider their future academic and career pursuits. The course also provides students with an introduction to the school’s five majors, information on various workplaces, and the programs of study that are available at NCC.

NCC is one of many postsecondary institutions delivering high-quality, innovative CTE. We welcome you to send information on how your schools are delivering CTE through innovative design and practice to kherbertson@careertech.org.

Kara Herbertson, Research and Policy Manager

 

Series

Archives