Research « Advance CTE Blog

Implementing Equity-Centered Program of Study Reviews

Thursday, August 3rd, 2023

This blog explores an evaluation conducted by the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) into the strategies that the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) is leveraging as part of its internal program of study review process.

Overview

The ICCB is the governing body for Illinois’ 48 community colleges and works in concert with the Illinois State Board of Education to administer the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (Perkins V*) program. They have applied a hyper-local lens to the program review process to support learner-centered, equity-minded, and evidence-driven change across the Illinois community college system.

ICCB’s Program Review Manual lists the requirements for institutions completing a program review and instructions for how data should be used to inform program design if gaps are identified. Colleges are asked to evaluate the quality and cost-effectiveness of all student and academic support services, including Career Techincal Education (CTE) programs.

Some of the criteria outlined by the ICCB to complete this program of study review are:

At a minimum, systematically examine the need, cost and quality of individual programs and services, ensuring that programs continue to be responsive to local needs, cost-efficient, and integrate quality components into programming;
This data is provided by faculty and appropriate administrators who are directly responsible for the areas being reviewed as well as faculty, academic support professionals and administrators from across the campus;
Examine assessment results appropriate to the unit, as well as comparative data on enrollments, completions, and costs using the most recent audited state-level data;
Be responsive to identified areas of weakness by developing and implementing feasible and measurable action steps;
Include the use of disaggregated data to uncover and address equity gaps in programming, performance or service;
Assure that the process is well documented and use the results to inform campus planning initiatives, quality improvement efforts and budget allocation decisions;
Report results and actions resulting from reviews to local boards, advisory committees, and other stakeholders as appropriate;
Adhere to a minimum review cycle of once every five years for all programs listed in the Program Review Schedule.

With significant and recent changes taking place to ICCB’s Program Review Manual, the OCCRL’s study, Advancing Program Review Evaluating and Envisioning the Future of Program Review at Illinois Community Colleges, sought to provide feedback that can improve the efficacy of the manual and supporting practices. The OCCRL framed the study around the concept of program review process as a tool for institutions to support learner-centered, equity-guided and evidence-driven improvements. The intent of the review process is to support colleges in making campus-level planning and decision-making related to the quality, cost-effectiveness, assessment and improvement of programs. While these goals are similar to the process that local entities go through to complete their Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA), this approach offers an opportunity to facilitate greater consistency and communication across institutions to improve outcomes for every learner.

Methods

Through the study, OCCRL attempted to answer three evaluation questions:

What institutional and environmental factors within the context of program review affect institutions’ culture of evidence (using data to inform program design) and how do these factors vary across institutions in the state?
What substantive challenges influence the design, implementation and impact of the program review in Illinois and how might these challenges be remedied?
What are critical design considerations for advancing the future of program review processes at community colleges in Illinois?

In order to complete their evaluation, OCCRL noted that their approach had to reflect the high level of variation that exists among Illinois community colleges and the programs nested within them. To meet this need, they focused on working closely with individuals within the field who were currently engaged in the work and who had developed expertise working within the system, allowing them to suggest improvements and envision its future. Evaluation data was collected through a series of focus groups composed of representatives from the 49 community colleges, including community college practitioners, faculty, institutional researchers and chief information officers. The topics of the focus groups covered environmental and institutional factors influencing program review, colleges’ procedures for managing and using evidence produced from program reviews, and finally, challenges related to program reviews.

Evaluation

In their report, OCCRL identified seven factors that affect an institution’s ability to successfully foster a culture of evidence and support equity-minded use of the resulting findings:

Leadership: A culture of evidence is championed throughout the college through informal and formal leadership.
Strategic investments: The college strategically invests resources in learner-centered improvements directed toward programs and pathways.
Equity-guided: A commitment is shared throughout the college to systemic and localized changes to improve equity for underserved learners.
Engagement: Diverse viewpoints and roles are encouraged and sought after and contribute to ongoing improvement processes.
Statewide guidance and governance: The state provides clear and supportive standards and policies that support both accountability and data-driven change.
Data literacy: Institutionally and individually, the college supports access to data and the data literacy necessary to frame inquiries and to effectively collect, operationalize, analyze, and interpret data.
Infrastructure and information technologies: Systems are available to support the collecting, storing, accessing, analyzing, and disseminating of data throughout the college.

Resulting Supports

As a result of requests from study participants, OCCRL developed an equity-centered rubric as a standardized tool that could be used to advance learning and support for institutions across Illinois in their CTE program review process. This self-assessment tool is intended to support practitioners in completing high-quality reviews and enables them to more closely examine the demographic groups within CTE programs.

In addition to the rubric, participants shared high-level reflections on the solutions to common program review challenges that were discussed during the third focus group:

Identify strategies to make the program review process user-friendly, as “Concise is Nice”.
Support the statewide solutions sharing.
Protect the necessary time for accurate, proactive planning.
Implement a peer review process to leverage the depth of available expertise.

Additionally, the authors of the study suggest strategies that state leaders might consider incorporating into their own CLNA processes.

Program review process should lead to action steps reflective of equity-guided continuous improvement models.
Program reviews should include learner input data to inform practice and stakeholder commitment to strategic planning and resource sharing.

Visit Advance CTE’s Learning that Works Resource Center to access additional resources for state leaders looking to integrate equity-guided and data-driven strategies into their state plans.

Lessons in Collaboration and Innovation: The Impact and Promise of the Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment

Learner Voice Toolkit

Making Good on the Promise: Improving Equity and Access to Quality CTE Programs for English Learners

Amy Hodge, Membership & Policy Associate

*As amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

By Layla Alagic in Achieving Equitable and Inclusive CTE
Tags: Access and Equity, Carl D. Perkins Act, CLNA, community colleges, Illinois, Perkins V, Program Quality, Research

Research Round-up: Leveraging Data for Equitable Education and Workforce Alignment

Wednesday, July 26th, 2023

Advance CTE’s “Research Round-Up” blog series features summaries of relevant research reports and studies to elevate evidence-backed Career Technical Educational (CTE) policies and practices and topics related to college and career readiness. This month’s blog highlights the different data sources that can be leveraged to identify and address any inequities that are present in postsecondary CTE programs. These findings align with Advance CTE’s vision for the future of CTE where each learner feels welcomed and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem.

Credential Engines’ Equity Advisory Council (EAC) report, and the subsequent recommendations, present a tiered approach for using data to ensure that CTE programs are equitable for all learners.

Overview

The primary questions that this report sought to address were twofold:

What are the data points that students and workers need to know–and that providers should make public–in order to make their most informed decisions about whether a program and credential can lead to an equitable outcome for them?
Which data use principles should be incorporated into counseling, guidance, navigation and pathway tools and services to ensure that data are the most effective for students and workers to achieve their most equitable outcomes?

This report groups data into three tiers based on the complexity level to analyze or publish the data.

Tier 1: These are data points that all providers should be able to analyze and publish now.
- EX: Compliance data, enrollment, completion, etc.
Tier 2: These are data points that all providers should be actively working on being able to analyze and publish.
- EX: Credential transparency, financial return on investment, placement information, etc.
Tier 3: These are data points that point to where the field is headed, and providers should be assessing how to build capacity to analyze and publish them.
- EX: Transfer and credit mobility, support and tutoring services, labor market alignment of the credentials that learners are earning, etc.

These “critical equity data points” are important to track in order to advance understanding and action about equitable pathways, transfer and recognition of learning. While each consecutive tier may require more in-depth analysis, this work will be critical in building a complete understanding of the learner experience and learner outcomes in these pathways.

Recommendations

In their report, the EAC also identified key principles to help maintain equitable data practices. These included:

Adopt data practices to foster an environment where outcomes are improved for every learner
Disaggregate data (such as program’s earnings and employment outcomes) through publically available channels
Emphasize credentials of value that are relevant for learners
Consider learner voice and need when designing tools to ensure data is accessible and inclusive
Provide professional development for those interacting with the data, and leveraging the value of linked open data

These principles rely on a statewide commitment (inclusive of workforce, industry, educational institutions, and government leadership) to making data accessible to ensure that every learner has the opportunity and information required to make the best decision about their career trajectory.

Advance CTE’s Career Readiness Data Quality and Use Policy Benchmark Tool also supports state leaders’ use of accurate, timely, and disaggregated data to investigate barriers to access and take action to ensure equity, access and success for historically marginalized learners.

To access additional resources on data quality and use, please visit Advance CTE’s Learning that Works Resource Center.

Amy Hodge, Membership & Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Research
Tags: Access and Equity, Credentials of Value, CTE Data, Data Collection, data quality, industry credentials, learner voice, Research

ECMC’s Question the Quo Survey Reinforces Interest in Skills-Based Education Among High School Learners

Thursday, October 20th, 2022

This month’s blog highlights results from the ECMC Group’s, “Question the Quo” national surveys. Conducted in partnership with Vice Media, ECMC Group launched the Question The Quo campaign to empower high school students to learn about the various postsecondary education options available and take the career path that’s right for them. This campaign supports a vision for the future of CTE where statewide systems are designed to equip learners with the knowledge they need to skillfully navigate their own career journey and utilize data to implement responsive programs.

Survey Overview

To inform this campaign, ECMC Group has conducted five national surveys to encourage teens to evaluate education beyond high school while considering cost, parental and role model influences, and societal norms. These surveys were conducted February 2020-February 2022 and polled over 5,000 teens aged 14-18. Learners were asked to share their thoughts and plans for their future education and careers amidst an ever-changing environment marked by hybrid classrooms and a rapidly changing economy.

Overall, the net survey findings uncovered that learners are focused on gaining the skills necessary to secure a job after graduation, and want more information on the avenues to do so. A majority (63 percent) of teens wish their high school provided more information about the variety of postsecondary opportunities available. A vast majority (89 percent) say higher education needs to make changes to place greater emphasis on career preparedness and exploration.

Key Finding: Career and technical education programs address learners’ desire for more skill-based education that aligns with the needs of the job market.

Over half of survey responses indicated that learners view skills-based education programs (e.g nursing, STEM, trade skills, etc) as an intelligent choice in today’s labor market despite reporting a limited knowledge of CTE programs. Survey responses also showed a noticeable increase, 10 points from May 2020, in learners’ expressed likelihood to attend a postsecondary CTE institution. State leaders can leverage this type of learner data to rethink how they can assist learners in identifying the programs that will result in in-demand skill attainment.

Additional results from the most recent survey in May 2022 can be found here.

Additional Resources

State leaders can capitalize on learners’ desire to build labor market skills by utilizing effective messaging to emphasize the connection to postsecondary CTE programs. Advance CTE’s report, “Communicating Career Technical Education: Learner-centered Messages for Effective Program Recruitment” provides insights on strategies for designing tailored messaging for recruiting each learner. The accompanying message triangle serves as a guide for building effective messaging aligned with learner interests.

State CTE leaders can find these and other resources about the strategies in the Learning that Works Resource Center.

Amy Hodge, Policy Associate

By Stacy Whitehouse in Uncategorized
Tags: Communicating CTE, learner voice, Research

Advance CTE Explores the Critical State of CTE Research at the 2018 Spring Meeting

Thursday, April 19th, 2018

At Advance CTE’s 2018 Spring Meeting, the organization hosted the “Critical State of CTE Research” session in response to the need for more robust CTE research.

The session began with a panel of Career Technical Education (CTE) research experts, which included Corinne Alfeld from the Institute of Education Sciences, Tom Bailey from the Community College Research Center, Shaun Dougherty from the University of Connecticut, and Andy Smarick from the American Enterprise Institute. The panel highlighted current CTE research and explored barriers and opportunities to expanding CTE research.

The panelists discussed how CTE practice is far ahead of CTE research, in large part because of the lack of capacity and data access to actually do meaningful research. The panel emphasized the importance of increasing the pipeline of CTE researchers and developing partnerships between states and researchers to actively plan out research questions. The panelists expressed a desire for access to cross-state level data to enable them to make accurate generalizations about CTE and its impact.

Some specific research issues that the panelist were interested in included the noncognitive abilities of CTE students, the earning potential associated with short-term credentials, the specific elements in high school CTE programs that make them effective and Work Colleges, which are liberal art schools that evaluate people on their work in addition to their academics.

Following the panelist discussion, an input session was held where participants broke into small groups and identified priority topics for future research efforts. From these identified topics, the following research themes emerged:

Student outcomes, such as graduation rates, employment rates and the relationship between CTE participation and college debt;
Evaluating the elements of a high-quality program of study;
How to improve the quality of CTE data;
Teacher professional development;
Updated definitions or descriptive statistics on CTE learners; and,
CTE’s short- and long-term return on investment.

Within these themes, a number of interesting research questions emerged. In regards to student outcomes, for example, multiple groups inquired about CTE’s impact on student debt and whether it is actually accurate to make the claim that CTE program completion is associated with less student debt. While certain programs, such as the Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) apprenticeship program, can boast that its participants transitioned into apprenticeships or employment with no student debt, it is unclear whether there is enough data to make the sweeping generalization that CTE program completion at the secondary or postsecondary level is associated with less student debt..

Participants mirrored the panelists and expressed a desire to know what distinct elements of a CTE program have the greatest impact- good or bad- on outcomes. While the defining features of a high-quality CTE program have been identified, it is unclear what elements within those features lead to positive outcomes for learners. Parsing out those elements will allow institutions to improve the quality of their CTE programs and consequently lead to better learner outcomes.

Additionally, in regards to professional development, multiple groups inquired about the best way to prepare CTE instructors to facilitate learning for students with special needs. These questions showcase the desire for CTE to be leveraged to produce positive outcomes for each learner and a recognition that targeted professional development for teachers is critical to achieving equitable outcomes.

The research themes gathered from this 2018 Spring Meeting session will be utilized to help inform future Advance CTE resources as well as potential partnerships with research organizations.

Brianna McCain, Policy Associate

By admin in Advance CTE Spring Meeting, Research, Uncategorized
Tags: Research

Top Findings from Reviews of State ESSA Plans

Tuesday, July 25th, 2017

How long does it take to read through and analyze 17 state plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? Two months seems to be the sweet spot for many of the nation’s education thought leaders. Since the first submission window closed this spring, a number of groups, Advance CTE among them, have released their takes on the first round of state plans.

Federal education policy inevitably draws opinions, advice and criticism from all corners of the country, and states’ planning around ESSA implementation has been no exception. Below we round up some of the latest takes and summarize conclusions from the first round of submitted plans.

ESSA: Early Observations on State Changes to Accountability Systems (Government Accountability Office)

Purpose: The GAO was requested by Congress to study and report on states’ progress and approaches toward amending accountability under ESSA. To conduct the report, GAO policy researchers interviewed national stakeholders and met with education officials in California and Ohio, two states that were identified as taking different approaches to accountability.

Key Findings: The report finds that states are taking advantage of increased flexibility under ESSA, though the degree of change ranges by state. The authors classify ESSA accountability development by four dimensions: 1) determining long-term goals, 2) developing performance indicators, 3) differentiating schools and 4) identifying and assisting low-performers.

ESSA Equity Dashboards (Alliance for Excellent Education)

Purpose: To highlight strengths and draw attention to growth areas in ESSA plans, the Alliance for Excellent Education is developing ESSA Equity Dashboards that rate key components of state plans. Dashboards are available for five of the first 17 plans, with the remaining expected in August. The dashboards examine long-term goals, support and intervention, and accountability.

Key Findings: The Alliance for Excellent Education highlights Louisiana’s plan for its focus on academic outcomes and the design of the state’s “Strength of Diploma Indicator.” Reviewers flagged Colorado’s long-term goals for math and reading performance.

ESSA Leverage Points: 64 Promising Practices from States for using Evidence to Improve Student Outcomes (Results for America)

Purpose: This analysis from Results for America examines the first 17 submitted ESSA plans and evaluates the degree to which states aim to use evidence-based practices in certain parts of their plan. The analysis is based on 13 key ESSA leverage points identified by Results for America and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Leverage points include monitoring local education agency implementation, allocating school improvement funds, monitoring and evaluating school improvement, and more.

Key Findings: The reviewers found that:

Sixteen states included at least one promising practice for building and using evidence to
improve student outcomes.
However, only four states emphasized the role of evidence-based practices through Title II and Title IV and only nine states prioritize evidence when reviewing and approving school improvement funding applications.

An Independent Review of ESSA State Plans (Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success)

Purpose: To supplement the Department of Education’s peer review process, Bellwether Education Partners and the Collaborative for Student Success convened a peer review team of their own, drawing together more than 30 local, state and national experts to review and rate state plans. Their analysis focused on nine key elements.

Key Findings: The results of the peer review are broken down by state at https://checkstateplans.org/. Overall, the reviewers found that:

States are taking advantage of increased flexibility to broaden their accountability systems, focusing on college- and career-readiness, year-to-year student growth and other indicators including science, attendance, physical education, art and school climate.
However, many states could not describe how their proposals would play out in practice, neglecting to specify how many schools would be identified for improvement or how federal funds would be used to increase student success.

Leveraging ESSA to Promote Science and STEM Education in States (Achieve)

Purpose: This analysis from Achieve examines 17 round 1 state ESSA plans through the lens of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, pinpointing how states are leveraging assessments, graduation requirements and other goals to promote science and STEM.

Key Findings: Achieve’s analysis finds that, among the 17 round 1 state plans:

Only two states set clear achievement goals around science;
Ten states are including science in their accountability system (though many included measures under the academic achievement indicator, which has been disputed by the U.S. Department of Education); and
Several states are exploring opportunities to use grant funds under Title II and Title IV to support STEM education.

Making the Most of ESSA: Opportunities to Advance STEM Education (Education First)

Purpose: Education First, with support from the Overdeck Family Foundation, examined 25 state plans (including 17 submitted plans and an additional eight draft plans) to identify leverage points for STEM education and review whether and how states are taking advantage of these opportunities. Their review focused on four key dimensions of state plans: inclusion of state science assessments in accountability systems; including of Career Technical Education (CTE) indicators in accountability systems; inclusion of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate indicators in accountability systems; and STEM elements in 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

Key Findings: The reviewers found that:

Seventeen states included or are strongly considering including performance on state science assessments in their accountability systems;
Seventeen states included or are strongly considering including CTE indicators in their accountability systems;
Nineteen states included or are strongly considering including Advanced Placement/ International Baccalaureate indicators in their accountability systems; and
Ten states are requiring or encouraging STEM activities in their 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants.

Reflections on State ESSA Plans (American Institutes for Research)

Purpose: Researchers at the American Institutes for Research reviewed 17 submitted plans and three additional draft plans to get a broad perspective on how states are prioritizing certain strategies. Their analysis covered plans for accountability, STEM, school improvement, technology and more.

Key Findings: Notably, the researchers at AIR found that, among the 20 plans reviewed:

State accountability systems are becoming more sophisticated, including indicators such as college- and career-readiness and chronic absenteeism.
However, states have a ways to go to more fully develop indicators of career readiness (a question recently explored at length by Education Strategy Group and the Council of Chief State School Officers).

Overall, reviewers seem impressed with states’ efforts to include more comprehensive indicators of student success in their accountability system. However, states were light on details about how their plans will be implemented and how schools will be supported to improve student performance. The remaining two-thirds of states planning to submit plans in September can draw on these findings, along with Advance CTE’s report on career readiness and ESSA, to ensure their plans are robust and sufficiently leverage all that ESSA has to offer.

Austin Estes, Policy Associate

By admin in Public Policy, Research, Resources
Tags: accountability, career readiness, ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act, Research, STEM

The Learning that Works Resource Center: A Quick Guide

Thursday, June 23rd, 2016

Earlier this week Advance CTE launched the Learning that Works Resource Center, a repository of high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) and career readiness research and promising policies. The Resource Center is supported byÂ JPMorgan Chase & Coâ€™s New Skills for Youth initiative, a partnership of Advance CTE, the Council of Chief State School Officers and Education Strategy Group, and is designed to connect state leaders, policymakers, academics and practitioners alike with a vetted bank of resources from which to learn and expand their knowledge of CTE.

While the Resource Center is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, here are some tips and tricks to help you find exactly what youâ€™re looking for. Â

I Want to Learn More about a Topic

The home page features 12 different categories of resources related to CTE. Hover your mouse over a topic tile to see a description of the types of resources included in that category.

Once youâ€™ve settled on a topic to explore, click on the tile to enter the Resource Center and view a list of resources. The most relevant documents will be listed at the top, but you can filter even further by using the â€œBy Stateâ€ and â€œBy Resource Typeâ€ filters at top of the page. Note that the icon next to the resource indicates the resource type: Guide/Tool, Policy or Report/Case Study.

Click on any resource title to read a summary and download the full version of the resource. Related resources are located at the bottom of each resource page, but you can always explore another topic by clicking on the menu to the left.

I Am Looking for a Specific Resource

The Resource Center includes advanced search options to help you find exactly what youâ€™re looking for. Start by clicking the â€œAdvanced Searchâ€ button at the bottom of the home page to access additional search filters. From here you can search by title, keyword, primary topic, resource type and/or state. Be aware: while this feature allows you to hone in on specific resources, including additional filters limits the search response. You may end up seeing only one or two results.

The â€œSearch by Stateâ€ and â€œNew Skills for Youthâ€ buttons on the bottom of the home page also allow for further filtering. â€œSearch by Stateâ€ allows you to identify all resources related to a specific state, which may come in handy if you want to learn more about a program or policy in that state. â€œNew Skills for Youthâ€ includes tools and resources specific to the JPMorgan Chase New Skills for Youth initiative.

I Have Limited Knowledge of CTE but Want to Learn More

Good news – youâ€™ve come to the right place! The Resource Center has all the information you need to become an expert on CTE. If you want to get a broad sense of what other people in the field are reading, click on the â€œMost Popularâ€ button at the bottom of the home page to view a list of the most frequently visited pages. Otherwise, you may want to start by exploring the 12 topics and narrow down your search from there.

The Resource Center already includes a broad collection of resources spanning a range of topics, states and audiences. All the same, Advance CTE will continue to update the website with high-quality documents that meet the Resource Center criteria for inclusion. If you would like to contribute any resources, you can submit them for reviewÂ here. IfÂ you have additional questions that werenâ€™t addressed above, feel free to reach out to us directly at resources@careertech.org. Â

Austin Estes, Policy Associate

By admin in Publications, Research, Resources, Uncategorized
Tags: Career Technical Education, CTE Resources, JP Morgan Chase & Co, Learning that Works Resource Center, New Skills for Youth, Research

This Week in CTE

Friday, February 6th, 2015

TWEET OF THE WEEK
@OfficeofEdTech:Â @BarackObama’s budget incl. $200M to ensure Ts receive support & training to effectively use #edtech tools http://tech.ed.gov/eett/ #edchat
Read More

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Getting Credit for What You Know
Increasingly occupational certifications in areas like IT, manufacturing, healthcare and energy are filling the skills gap, and helping students find well-payingÂ jobs.
Read More

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE WEEK
Gallup Student Poll: Job Confidence Lower in Higher Grades
A new poll by Gallup finds students in elementary and middle school are more optimistic about job prospects than those in high school. Only about half of students grades 10 through 12 strongly agreed with the statement, â€œI know I will find a good job after I graduate,â€ compared to 68 percent of fifthÂ graders that strongly agree.
Read More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Delivering Career Technical Education Fact Sheet
We recently released a fact sheet, Delivering Career Technical Education, providing a quick overview of the variety of systems career technical education is delivered through, from comprehensive high schools to career academies.
Read More

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WEEK
NASDCTEc and ACTE Release State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review
February 5 NASDCTEc and the Association for Career Technical Education released State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review, providing a state-by-state review of policy changes impacting CTE during 2014 across the country. To learn more read our blog post, press release and full report.

CTE MONTH
Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, proclaimed February CTE Month!
Read More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications AssociateÂ

By admin in Advance CTE Announcements, Advance CTE Resources, News, Publications, Research, Resources
Tags: Announcements, CTE Month, news, Research, Webinars

This Week in CTE

Friday, December 5th, 2014

TWEET OF THE WEEKÂ
Vice President Biden @VP “My wife has an expression, she says community colleges are the best kept secret in America.” — VP Biden at #CollegeOpportunity summit

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE WEEK
The State of Employer Engagement in CTE
We released a new report exploring how employers are partnering with the Career TechnicalÂ Education (CTE) enterprise to help prepare students for success in careers. The report drew from a survey of 47 State CTE Directors as well as a dozen interviews to understand how and in what ways employers were engaging with CTE across the country and to illuminate the stateâ€™s role in fostering employer engagement.
More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Complete College America Launches Powerful New Data Portal
Click your state to see a snapshot of its progress and student success data in college completion. Then visit in the coming months to see a comprehensive, up-to-date collection of state and campus-level data.
More

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Importing the German Approach to Career Building
Amy Liu, Co-Director and Senior Fellow at Metropolitan Policy Program discusses her recent trip to Germany and how their dual learning program combines academic and work-based skills. â€œRather than limit teenagersâ€™ life choices, the system provides young people with opportunities to attain a college degree or management training alongside paid, practical work experience,â€ said Liu.
More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications AssociateÂ

By admin in News, Publications, Research, Resources, Uncategorized
Tags: news, Publications, Research, This Week

This Week in CTE

Friday, November 21st, 2014

TWEET OF THE WEEKÂ
@IBM How #STEM opens new worlds for women according to @bjbaenaz @amyverno http://bitly.com/ibmpodcasts #womenatibm #womenintech
More

ARTICLE OF THE WEEKÂ
STEM vs. STEAM: Do the Arts Belong?
Join in on this discussion over whether the arts belong in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum. â€œâ€¦our children need a well-rounded, quality education that enables them to make informed decisions that will impact the world and the way they live. We need students who are motivated and competent in bringing forth solutions to tomorrow’s problems.â€
More

WEBINAR OF THE WEEKÂ
WIOA Consultation Webinar: Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Provisions
The Civil Rights Center (CRC) and the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (Department or DOL) invites equal opportunity officers, state and local workforce leaders and practitioners, workforce system partners, customers, and other stakeholders to provide input on the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
More

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE WEEK
The National STEM Report
This report reviews the 2014 graduating class in the context of STEM to determine what students are interested in and student readiness in math and science for those interested in STEM careers. You can also see the condition of STEM in your state.
More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEKÂ
New Professional Learning Module Supplements
Designed to complement our full-length module, Introduction to Student Learning Objectives, these supplements provide student learning objectives (SLOs) materials and resources for teachers of career and technical education (CTE) courses and SLO scoring strategies.
More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications AssociateÂ

By admin in News, Publications, Research, Resources, Webinars
Tags: news, Research, resources, This Week in CTE

This Week in CTE

Friday, November 14th, 2014

TWEET OF THE WEEK
@AFTunion : Jobs like welding are not jobs â€œother peopleâ€™s kidsâ€ have. Theyâ€™re jobs with pride & dignity thatâ€™s the American dream -Pinchuk #ctesummit
More

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
DECA is challenging students from elementary school to college to come up with a unique use for a household item. The challenge, which launched November 12th, will end November 20th. All submissions should be entered through YouTube.
More

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
O*NET Interest Profiler, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, helps individuals identify their CTE interests and provides information on how those interests can be translated into jobs.
More

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE WEEK
A variety of institutions, organizations and Foundations convened a committee of experts to learn more about the health, safety and well-being of adults ages 18-26. The resulting report,Â Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults, provides guidance for policy makers, program leaders, non profits, businesses and communities on developing programs and policies to improveÂ young adult well-being.
More

WEBINAR OF THE WEEK
Did you miss the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity webinar, Engage Students to Pursue STEM and Trades Careers: Next Steps after Vermontâ€™s Women Can Do Conference, a Student Event? Not to worry, you can learn more about how to encourage women and girls to pursue STEM education and careers from both national and state perspectivesÂ through the archived webinar.
More

Katie Fitzgerald, Communications AssociateÂ

By Kate Blosveren Kreamer in News, Publications, Research, Resources, Webinars
Tags: Research, Resource, Social Media, Tweet, Webinars

Posts Tagged ‘Research’

Implementing Equity-Centered Program of Study Reviews

Research Round-up: Leveraging Data for Equitable Education and Workforce Alignment

ECMC’s Question the Quo Survey Reinforces Interest in Skills-Based Education Among High School Learners

Advance CTE Explores the Critical State of CTE Research at the 2018 Spring Meeting

Top Findings from Reviews of State ESSA Plans

The Learning that Works Resource Center: A Quick Guide

This Week in CTE

This Week in CTE

This Week in CTE

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