This post is written by the Southern Regional Education Board, a Gold Level sponsor of the 2019 Advance CTE Spring Meeting.
Increasing Access and Equity
Despite pervasive national rhetoric around college and career readiness, studies indicate a small percentage of high school graduates complete a full college—and career—preparatory curriculum, and nearly half of all graduates complete neither a college nor a career-preparatory curriculum. The numbers are worse in schools serving high percentages of minorities and schools in geographically isolated or economically disadvantaged communities.
We believe that career pathway programs that blend quality career and technical education and college-preparatory academics offer a way to increase readiness, postsecondary attainment, career advancement and economic stability for youth of all genders, races, socioeconomic backgrounds and ability levels.
The Southern Regional Education Board has a long history of helping K-12 schools and technology centers in racially, economically, and geographically diverse communities adopt school improvement frameworks that are based in the belief that students can master challenging academic and career pathway curricula if schools create environments that encourage them to make the effort to succeed.
SREB’s Making Schools Work frameworks are also grounded in research showing that high-quality CTE keeps students engaged and achieving at higher levels, prevents dropout, promotes successful transitions to postsecondary education and the workplace, and offers special benefits to students from low-income families, minorities and young men.
At the 2019 Advance CTE Spring Meeting, you can learn more about three SREB programs helping address the issue of access and equity in CTE. Please stop by the SREB table to meet with the directors of the following three programs:
- Technology Centers That Work (TCTW) unites centers, home high schools and postsecondary institutions around career pathways that give students a head-start on a high-demand credential or degree. TCTW can be adapted to suit full-time centers, extended-day or extended-year programs.
- Teaching to Lead is a teacher preparation program that helps professionals from business and industry become great teachers. The program helps induct and retain teachers for new and emerging career pathways.
- Advanced Career curricula consist of four courses featuring fully developed lesson plans, projects and assignments. As complete programs of study, AC’s college-preparatory, STEM-intensive pathways are taught in the context of a college-ready academic core.
In urban, suburban and rural settings, SREB school improvement frameworks and programs provide a structure that empowers schools to make the changes needed to expand or improve access to high-quality programs and ensure that all students – regardless of their gender, race, socioeconomic background, ability level or location – discover a purpose for learning and life.
We look forward to sharing more information with you in Washington, D.C. next month.
https://www.sreb.org/ – For more information contact Dale Winkler dale.winkler@sreb.org