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Getting to Know the 2024-2025 New York State Association of Career & Technical Education (NYSACTE) Postsecondary State Leaders Fellowship Fellows (Part 3)

December 18th, 2024

NYSACTE, Advance CTE, and ECMC Foundation are excited to introduce the Fellows of the inaugural cohort of emerging leaders from across New York State. The Fellows of the NYSACTE Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation include representation across multiple demographic categories reflecting the Fellowship’s goal of intentionally building a postsecondary leadership pipeline for underserved populations in CTE that closes racial representation gaps and removes equity barriers to postsecondary leadership advancement.  This final blog in the series introduces the remaining five NYSACTE Fellows. 

Kristin Sine-Kinz, MBA, serves as the chief of staff and strategic marketing team leader for the Division of Economic & Workforce Development & Career Technical Education at Monroe Community College (MCC). Ms. Sine-Kinz has a rich background in professional services, having crafted business and marketing strategies for major brands like Motorola, Fisher Price, Kodak, and Honeywell. At MCC, Ms. Sine-Kinz reports to the division Vice President, and is deeply involved in strategic projects and initiatives, both college-wide and within her division. Her extensive 27-year career includes nearly 13 years at MCC, and a stint as the MCC Interim Vice President for Economic & Workforce Development & Career Technical Education. She holds an MBA from Western Governors University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Dr. Stacia Smith is an assistant professor in the Decision and Graphic Media Systems Department at SUNY Canton. She has been teaching computing and technology courses since 2009. Dr. Smith spent 12 years as the principal investigator for the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), a New York State grant-funded program. In this position, Dr. Smith provided education assistance and academic enrichment services to minorities and economically disadvantaged students pursuing careers in STEM, health, or a licensed profession. She currently serves as chair of the Women in Engineering committee and is a member of the campus’s Affirmative Action committee. Dr. Smith is an experienced grant writer; she has secured over one million dollars in funding for her campus. Dr. Smith has a doctorate degree from Purdue University, a master’s degree from SUNY Potsdam, and a bachelor’s and associate degrees from SUNY Canton.

Siva Visveswaran serves as director of the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Center (FWD), which helps to drive the operations strategy and implementation of accelerated training programs and career exploration opportunities in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Skilled Trades, and IT. Through innovative partnerships across area employers, economic development nonprofits, community-based organizations and local colleges and schools, the FWD center aims to address critical skill gaps and labor shortages for the Finger Lakes region. 

Co-founding Topxight Labs LLC to incubate emerging businesses at the confluence of product design, commerce, machine learning, and data sciences. With a special focus in FinTech and EdTech and technology adoption in emerging markets. Responsible for defining Topxight’s thematic focus areas, its proprietary start-up incubation methodology called Survey-To-Scale, technology strategy for portfolio companies, industry and academia engagement, IP creation and authoring position papers. Companies incubated include: Alphabeta, Manoké, Cythereal, L4S, FlyBy, and GreenCoin. 

More than 25 years of experience in the IT industry as software developer, system engineer, enterprise architect and IT strategy consultant. Strengths & experience in incubating emerging technology organizations, developing business aligned IT strategies and building strong software engineering teams.

Eileen Will holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Baruch College and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from City College. She is currently in her third year as Perkins director at Hostos Community College in the South Bronx, where she is dedicated to advancing the success of students in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Eileen’s career began in social services, working with special populations, and has evolved into a strong focus on program development and community outreach. She has built a solid foundation in creating impactful initiatives that enhance access to education and resources.

Passionate about fostering pathways to success for CTE students, Eileen is committed to improving opportunities for all learners. She was honored with the Hostos Community College Manos a la Obra Award in 2023 for her outstanding management of the Perkins grant, and in 2024, she was selected for the ACTE NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Leadership Program.

Quindell Williams is currently the workforce talent and development coach for the Career and Technical Education Department, in the Syracuse City School District. Prior to this role, Quindell spent a few years teaching the PTECH Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) program to high school students. Through his passion for mentorship and drone technology, Quindell has enjoyed helping students reach their potential in the classroom.

Before becoming an Educator in CTE, Quindell spent nearly 10 years in Broadcast Television at CNY Central in Syracuse, as a videographer and drone pilot. He is a proud graduate of Onondaga Community College and SUNY Oswego.

To learn more about the NYSACTE Fellowship please visit https://www.acteonline.org/nysacte/nysacte-postsecondary-fellowship/.

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Getting to Know the 2024-2025 New York State Association of Career & Technical Education (NYSACTE) Postsecondary State Leaders Fellowship Fellows (Part 2)

December 17th, 2024

NYSACTE, Advance CTE, and ECMC Foundation are excited to introduce the Fellows of the inaugural cohort of emerging leaders from across New York State. The Fellows of the NYSACTE Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation include representation across multiple demographic categories reflecting the Fellowship’s goal of intentionally building a postsecondary leadership pipeline for underserved populations in CTE that closes racial representation gaps and removes equity barriers to postsecondary leadership advancement. This blog series will briefly introduce each NYSACTE Fellow. 

Asantewa K. Holley is the vice president of operations for Northland Workforce Training Center (NWTC). Ms. Holley has worked in the financial industry for eighteen years holding multiple operational management roles.  Ms. Holley holds an MBA from The University of Buffalo, B.S. in accounting from Empire State College, and is a 2020 Graduate of Leadership Buffalo, 2023 Graduate of the New York Association of Training and Employment (NYATEP) Workforce Academy, and Fellow of the Oishei Foundation’s Karen Lee Spaulding Leaders of Color. 

Ms. Holley currently serves as a board member for Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), the Michigan Street Preservation Corporation – Nash House, Goodwill WNY, Leadership Buffalo, Community Advisory Board for Buffalo Toronto Public Media, and Trustee at True Bethel Baptist Church. Ms. Holley is a member of the National Black MBA Association, WNY Chapter. She has won several awards including Business First 40 Under 40, Purposeful Women of Faith Business and Finance awardee, and the Buffalo Black Achiever Award. Ms. Holley was recently appointed as a commissioner to the City of Buffalo Commission of Citizen’s Rights & Community Relations.

Dr. Kristen Klein serves as the supervisor for adult & secondary programs within the Career and Technical Education Division at Western Suffolk BOCES. In this role, she oversees the postsecondary School of Allied Health Sciences, the Office of Financial Aid, and institutional accreditation processes. Dr. Klein is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hofstra University where she teaches research methodology in the Department of Counseling & Mental Health Professions.

With a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, specializing in Higher Education, Dr. Klein is deeply committed to advancing student success. Her research explores the factors that enhance academic outcomes for chronically ill and disabled postsecondary students, reflecting a dedication to inclusivity and equity in education.

Outside of work, Dr. Klein is a passionate distance runner and powerlifter. Her approach to life mirrors her athletic pursuits, combining endurance and strength to overcome challenges and achieve goals. She finds joy and balance in her family life and in caring for her beloved sphynx cat, Rocky.

As the Director of Constituent Services and Grant Administrator for a New York State Senator in Central New York, Dr. Tatiana C. Parker helps constituents navigate challenges with state and local agencies, understand state government functions, and provides state capital grant direct technical assistance to local municipalities and non-profit organizations.

Beyond her professional work, Tatiana is a purpose-driven leader committed to building stronger, more inclusive communities. Through active involvement with local and national non-profit organizations such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., and Lambda Kappa Mu, Inc., she equips individuals with the knowledge, resources, and networks needed to achieve upward mobility.  

A recognized leader, Tatiana was named one of Syracuse’s 40 Under 40 (2018) and received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (2019), the highest student honor within the State University of New York system. She is also an alumna of Leadership Greater Syracuse, LeadUP CNY, and Nourishing Tomorrow’s Leaders community-based programs. 

Tatiana holds an A.S. in Human Services from Onondaga Community College, a B.A. in Political Science from SUNY Oswego, an M.A. in Social and Public Policy, and a Professional Certificate in Community Advocacy from Empire State College, and an Ed.D. in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher University. Her research focuses on social capital’s role in economic mobility, especially for historically disadvantaged populations.

Tatiana’s work bridges education, workforce development, and community, aligning with NYSACTE’s mission to prepare individuals for meaningful careers and civic engagement.

Joe Salamone is a passionate and dedicated educator with a deep commitment to fostering innovative learning experiences that prepare young people for success. Currently serving as the Assistant Director of Career Pathways Programs at Ulster BOCES, Joe is driven by a belief that all students deserve equitable access to high-quality CTE opportunities that connect their learning to real-world careers while helping them grow into good humans who are also future-ready.  Recognized as an educational innovator, Joe is skilled in developing and implementing cutting-edge programs that engage students and promote their academic and career growth. He is eager to contribute his expertise and collaborative spirit to initiatives that empower students and strengthen CTE programs across New York State. 

Dr. Randelle Sasa has two decades worth of experience in nursing practice, education, and research. He is currently an associate professor and chair of the Department of Nursing at the College of Staten Staten Island of the City University of New York (CUNY). In this role, Dr. Sasa supervises around 350 students, and 75 faculty members across associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in nursing.  Dr. Sasa’s research interests include Filipino caring, health disparities among Asian American and Pacific Islanders, men in nursing, and high-impact educational practices (HIPs) in nursing. Dr. Sasa teaches Medical-Surgical Nursing, Critical Care, and Nursing Research. Dr. Sasa’s most recent professional recognitions include the 2024 Gene Tranbarger Research Award by the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN), and the 2023 Elsevier Educator of the Year Award by the Organization of Associate Degree Nursing (OADN).

To learn more about the NYSACTE Fellowship please visit https://www.acteonline.org/nysacte/nysacte-postsecondary-fellowship/.

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Getting to Know the 2024-2025 New York State Association of Career & Technical Education (NYSACTE) Postsecondary State Leaders Fellowship Fellows (Part 1)

December 16th, 2024

NYSACTE, Advance CTE, and ECMC Foundation are excited to introduce the Fellows of the inaugural cohort of emerging leaders from across New York State. The Fellows of the NYSACTE Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation include representation across multiple demographic categories reflecting the Fellowship’s goal of intentionally building a postsecondary leadership pipeline for underserved populations in CTE that closes racial representation gaps and removes equity barriers to postsecondary leadership advancement. This blog series will briefly introduce each NYSACTE Fellow. 

Dana Acee has been a higher education professional for 12 years and is passionate about serving students and her community. She began her career in enrollment management and has been in her current role as director of career & transfer services at Onondaga Community College (OCC) since August 2021.  During her time at OCC, Dana has developed opportunities to increase student participation in work-based learning and led the integration of dedicated career and transfer support in each of OCC’s four Schools. Dana was a member of the 2023-2024 inaugural cohort of the New York State Community College Leadership Academy. She currently serves as a member of OCC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council, the Onondaga County One Stop Operator Group, and the OnPoint for College Career Services Advisory Board. Dana plays flute in the Central New York Flute Choir and is a certified yoga teacher, teaching at OCC and volunteering in the community. 

Boby Akhi, a full-time faculty member in the Business Administration and Accounting department at SUNY Corning Community College, also serves as chair of the Diversity Council. She is pursuing a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Maryville University and holds three master’s and two bachelor’s degrees, earning a Presidential Gold Medal for academic excellence in her first graduate program. With five years of teaching experience in the USA and Bangladesh, Boby also brings three years of corporate experience from companies like John Deere. Her academic interests include leadership, diversity and inclusion, international business law, and entrepreneurship. Originally from Bangladesh, she now resides in Horseheads, NY. Fluent in four languages, she is an active member of Junior Chamber International (JCI).

Dr. Fiorella Cabrejos is an innovative school leader serving in the Bronx, NY, for over two decades, dedicated to transforming education and empowering students through life-changing leadership.  Born in Lima, Peru, and raised in White Plains, NY, she serves as a master principal for NYC Public Schools. Her groundbreaking Focused Coaching for Transformational Change (FCTC) model stems from her success in turning around Fordham Leadership Academy in the Bronx. Dr. Cabrejos has introduced pioneering programs like Smart Schools Early College, Future Ready, and Career Readiness Modern Youth Apprenticeship, focusing on college and career preparedness. She leads her school’s Equity Committee, addressing systemic oppression through curriculum reform for real-world and career connectedness alignment and restorative justice practices. With a doctorate from Fordham University, Dr. Cabrejos continues to coach principals and design master classes, aspiring to dismantle educational inequity and create excellent learning environments for all students, especially those from marginalized communities.

Laura Carbone is a passionate advocate and educator across the P-12 educational pathway. She graduated from St. Lawrence University with a CAS in Educational Leadership, SUNY Potsdam with an MSED in Inclusive Special Education, and a BA in Early Childhood/Childhood and History Education. Her areas of certification include, School District Leadership, Special Education N-12, B-6 Childhood, and History 7-12.   She is currently the director of operations and management for the SUNY Potsdam Watertown Extension. Laura is also the coordinator for the Certificate of Advanced Studies Educational Leadership School Building /School District Leader & the Inclusive and Special Education Advanced Studies programs, and MSED Inclusive and Special Education program coordinator for SUNY Potsdam. She has been an adjunct instructor for SUNY Potsdam since 2009, teaching a variety of courses in both the special education and educational leadership program pathways. She was a former school district administrator for over 10 years in special education and academic interventions for the Indian River Central School District. Prior to that she was a teacher both in sixth grade, in an integrated co-teaching classroom, and high school global history.

Ramone Davis is the associate director of CTE pathways & partnerships at KIPP NYC. For more than a decade he has provided critical post-secondary advisement, culturally responsive counseling, and instruction in the nonprofit sector. Demonstrating great creativity and flexibility working in several schools, liaising with partnership organizations, and providing support to meet the requirements of various funders. In his current role, he establishes programming and processes for Career & Technical Education (CTE) bound high school students and alumni. During his tenure managing the Workforce Team at KIPP NYC, the scope of his team’s postsecondary work expanded from solely serving NYC alumni to supporting recent graduates interested in CTE pathways from other KIPP regions and charter networks in Connecticut, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Rhode Island.

To learn more about the NYSACTE Fellowship please visit https://www.acteonline.org/nysacte/nysacte-postsecondary-fellowship/.

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Renee Blackshear’s Fellowship Journey: Working Toward Workforce Transformation

November 26th, 2024

In September 2024, Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation announced the third cohort of The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship). The Advance CTE — ECMCF Fellows are representative of multiple demographic categories, reflecting the Fellowship’s goal of intentionally building a postsecondary leadership pipeline for underserved populations in Career Technical Education (CTE) that closes racial representation gaps and removes equity barriers to postsecondary leadership advancement.

This blog is a part of the Fellow Feature series, highlighting the journeys and insights of leaders in the Fellowship. In this blog, Senior Policy Associate Vania Iscandari interviewed Fellow Renee Blackshear, senior instructional technologist/ workforce trainer and esteemed professor at Texas State Technical College.

Q: Let’s start with your journey into CTE. How did your background shape your path into this field?

A: Growing up, my family faced financial challenges, which made me acutely aware of the need for stable, well-paying jobs. For a while, I dreamt of becoming a journalist, but I quickly realized that CTE offered real, hands-on opportunities to build a sustainable career. What drew me to CTE wasn’t just financial stability; it was the chance to provide others, especially those from underserved communities, with the skills they need to succeed in today’s job market.

Q: You’ve also mentioned that your Native American heritage has influenced how you view success. Can you share how that shapes your perspective?

A: Absolutely. My heritage has taught me resilience. Growing up, I learned to adapt and persevere through challenges, something that’s deeply embedded in Native communities. That resilience has shaped how I approach my work in CTE, specifically in creating opportunities for people to gain the skills they need to take control of their futures. I want to help others find their strength through education and training, just as my heritage has helped me find mine.

Q: You’ve been vocal about the need to promote digital transformation, especially for underrepresented groups like Latinx females. Why do you think this is such a crucial issue?

A: The digital transformation is happening quickly, but underrepresented groups, especially Latinx women, are often left out of these opportunities. According to a research report by Accenture titled “Resetting Tech Culture,” 27% of computing roles in the U.S. market are held by women, and just 3% and 2% are held by African-American and Hispanic-American/Latina women, respectively. It’s critical that we raise awareness about these opportunities and create inclusive programs that specifically target these groups. Mentorship, access to technology, and creating pathways into tech are key steps in ensuring that more women, especially from marginalized communities, can break into these industries.

Q: You’ve talked about the importance of building relationships. How has collaboration shaped your approach to equity and workforce development?

A: Collaboration has been key in my journey. It’s not enough to know what needs to change—we have to work together to make that change happen. Building relationships between educators, employers, and community organizations is essential for creating an equitable workforce development system. For me, looking at systems through the lens of equity has been a personal growth process. I’ve learned that real change happens when we recognize and dismantle the barriers that exclude certain groups from success.

Q: You’ve also mentioned creating a “playbook” to bring more women into skilled trades. What does that idea look like?

A: Yes, I’m really excited about this concept. Skills-based work has traditionally been male-dominated, but there’s so much potential for women to thrive in these fields. According to a 2021 survey and report from the Institute for Women’s Policy and Research, women remain highly underrepresented in the trades, accounting for just 4% of all workers in construction occupations. The playbook would be a practical guide that helps organizations bring more women into the trades—through outreach, training, and retention strategies. It would provide resources, share success stories of women in trades, and offer actionable steps to create inclusive environments. The goal is to show that these industries are a viable and rewarding career path for women.

Q: There’s often a disconnect between education and industry. How can we better align the two to prepare learners for the workforce?

A: The key to better workforce preparation is collaboration. Industry professionals need to be actively involved in shaping educational curriculums so that learners are aligned with the skills employers are seeking. But it’s not just about the curriculum. It’s also about building relationships between educators and industry leaders. Also, by engaging with learners directly, employers can help guide them toward specific career paths and give them a better understanding of what skills they need to succeed.

Q: You’re clearly passionate about creating long-term change. What advice would you give to others who want to make a difference in CTE or workforce development?

A: My advice is simple: never stop pushing for change. The systems we’re working with today weren’t designed to be equitable or inclusive, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve them. CTE has the power to transform lives, and we must continue innovating to ensure that everyone—especially underserved communities—has access to the skills and opportunities that will lead to success. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Real solutions often come from looking at problems in a new way.

Q: As a participant in Advance CTE’s national Fellowship, what do you hope to gain from this experience?

A: Being a part of the Fellowship is such an incredible opportunity. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of how to implement systemic change at both the state and national levels. The Fellowship provides a platform for collaboration, and I’m excited to connect with other leaders who share a passion for transforming CTE. I also want to learn more about how to scale the innovative practices and policies that we’re exploring in the Fellowship in order to have a broader, lasting impact. Above all, I hope to take back to my institution practical strategies and insights that will help me advocate for more inclusive and effective workforce development systems.

As Renee underscored, the urgency of transforming workforce development and education to ensure equal access to opportunities for all is of utmost importance. From increasing diversity to bridging the gap between education and industry, the path forward is clearly built on collaboration, inclusion, and continuous innovation, concepts key to shaping the future of CTE and workforce development. Discover more about Renee and the other Fellows driving transformation in the third cohort of the national Fellowship on the Advance CTE website.

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Designing Equitable Futures: Expert Insights for Advancing Equity in CTE

May 31st, 2024

With support from the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V), Career Technical Education (CTE) policies and programs have increasingly focused on supporting the needs of underrepresented learners, pushing educators and policymakers to expand their focus beyond federal mandates to cultivate inclusive, dynamic, and diverse learning environments tailored to the needs of every student.

At Advance CTE’s 2024 Spring Meeting, we brought this conversation to the forefront with an expert panel including Dr. Brittani Williams, Director of Advocacy Policy and Research at Generation Hope, Joshua Rysanek, College, Career and Community Pathways Program Coordinator at the LANL Foundation, and Dr. Wil Del Pilar, Senior Vice President at The Education Trust. From navigating equity work in various state contexts, scaling high-quality opportunities for learners in special populations, and establishing effective cross-agency/organization partnerships to advance equity and access, we left with clear strategies to prioritize the needs of all learners.

 

Navigating Equity-Focused Work in Equity-Restricted States 

The conversation opened up with advice for equity-minded leaders working in state contexts where equity-focused work is discouraged or, in some cases, prohibited. “While language differs from state to state, whether we are discussing it or not, it is the reality,” Joshua stated, and affirmed that we can build consensus on what equity gaps persist in disaggregated data; data can show that our systems are not equipping every student with skills, experiences, and opportunities that lead to family-sustaining wages. 

Similarly, Dr. Del Pilar highlighted the persisting access and performance gaps across states and programs, noting that the approach to this work needs to be reconsidered, regardless of state political contexts, to better address learner needs. Dr. Williams affirmed that as our learner populations evolve, our system and supports should be redefined alongside them. 

Scaling Opportunities for Special Populations

Despite single parents being an identified special population in Perkins V, few states are scaling strategies to support single parents in CTE. Dr. Williams expanded on how CTE can serve as a launchpad for parents’ learning through career development and advancement to ensure they have the employability skills required to achieve economic mobility. Further, she highlighted the importance of offering wraparound services, including flexible scheduling and virtual opportunities. “Inclusive and targeted support is important,” Dr. Williams stated.

Dr. Del Pilar emphasized the opportunity to leverage a two-generation approach that supports single-parent learners’ educational attainment alongside their young learners through local organizations or school settings. 

Similarly, Joshua expanded on what he and his organization have learned when scaling high-quality CTE opportunities for learners in Tribal communities. “Approach Tribal communities with respect, humility, and a learning mindset,” Joshua said as he recalled many instances where Tribal communities become pigeonholed into specific heritages, assumptions, and harmful stereotypes. He remarked on how all Tribal and Indigenous communities are different. States need to meaningfully engage Native communities by learning about their cultures, assets, and challenges and address those needs rather than making assumptions about what they are in the first place. 

Partnerships in Equity

We garnered some strategies to strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations to advance equity work in our states. Dr. Del Pilar suggested strengthening relationships with organizations that leaders already work with and co-constructing the partnership to ensure both parties can benefit and contribute. He stated that building new relationships upon already established ones may be as simple as asking, “Is there anyone else I can talk to who is doing this work?” at the end of community partner conversations. 

Dr. Williams mentioned that inviting community organizations to the table and having a presence within the communities that leaders serve can create trust and buy-in to create long-lasting relationships. “Success in community engagement is being culturally responsive, culturally competent, and trauma-informed.” 

Preparations are underway for Advance CTE’s 2024 Fall Meeting in Phoenix, AZ, October 21-23! Visit the event page to save the date and learn more.

Marie Falcone, policy associate

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Advancing Equity in CTE: Administrative Policy Review – An Assessment of Equitable Practices

August 16th, 2023

This is the final blog in a four-part series on the Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (The Fellowship)

Overview  

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V*) includes provisions focused on providing access to and success in Career Technical Education (CTE) programs for members of special populations and subgroups, including major racial ethnic groups in each state. States are fulfilling these requirements in various ways. Below are a few examples of how states are applying an equity-minded lens to administrative policies and practices to improve CTE ecosystems by emphasizing equitable access to and learner performance in CTE programs. 

Ohio

Administration of a CTE program with an equity lens begins with ensuring all learners have meaningful access to and substantial engagement in high-quality CTE programming which requires making these actions a priority. Ohio has created and applied equity-minded leadership principles within several initiatives, leveraging funds and resources to provide local administrators with supports to develop and sustain equitable practices and policies. 

  • Perkins V Reserve Fund – Equity for Each competitive grant
    • Ohio offers competitive grants, funded through its Perkins reserve fund, to local education agencies and postsecondary institutions to assist recipients with “identifying and promoting promising practices for improving equity in CTE delivery for students in special population groups and subgroups.” The grants prioritize collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions, the implementation of strategies to support programs of study aligned to high-skill, in-demand or high-wage occupations and improving data-identified equity gaps in access to and performance in CTE programs.
  • Equity Ambassador Program
    • Individuals work to improve equity in CTE and are deployed throughout the state after being provided with professional development facilitated by the Ohio Department of Education’s Office of Career Technical Education. 
  • Perkins V Equity Labs
    • Regionally offered to CTE administrators and instructors from each of the state’s CTE Planning Districts including participation by the Equity Ambassadors, the lab sessions provided each district with an Equity Data Report. Participants use the provided data to complete activities such as setting achievable goals, collaborating on best practices and sharing resources to improve equitable supports for learners in Ohio’s CTE programs. 

Indiana 

The application of equity-minded principles isn’t a one-time occurrence. It requires an ongoing systematic review of policies, practices and data to determine the effectiveness of the mitigating or transformational strategies being applied. Indiana engaged in this process by conducting a review of the CTE equity labs being offered in their state and using additional resources to measure goal attainment and to provide additional supports to local leaders. 

The state’s CTE team participated in equity lab debriefing sessions to improve their messaging on equity and access, awareness of using inclusive language and overall effectiveness of equity labs currently being offered with the assistance of the Great Lakes Equity Center. This work coincided with Indiana’s participation in the CTE Opportunity Gap Analysis Train-the-Trainer Workshop offered by Advance CTE. The workshop’s six months of community of practice monthly sessions conducted with nine states included completing one in-state workshop with workshop specific resources designed to support state leaders in examining their current policies and practices.

What’s Next

This blog series is a precursor to a forthcoming state CTE leadership pipeline toolkit due to be released in Fall 2023. The toolkit will provide a “plug and play” roadmap for states to use to create their own initiative to strengthen and diversify an equity-minded state leadership pipeline. The toolkit will draw upon Advance CTE’s experiences with facilitating the Fellowship and lift up vetted resources and techniques for states to apply. 

For additional support, check out Advance CTE’s resource Engaging Representatives of Learners with Special Population Status Through Perkins V.

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

Dr. Kevin Johnson, Senior Advisor 

View previous blogs in this series:

Blog 1: Advancing Equity in CTE: Making the Case for Diverse Leadership Pipelines in Career Technical Education

Blog 2: Advancing Equity in CTE: A Review on the Current State of CTE Leadership Programs

Blog 3: Advancing Equity in CTE: The Equity-Minded Leadership Framework

 

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Advancing Equity in CTE: Elevating the Knowledge of a New Generation of Leaders

August 8th, 2023

Advance CTE is excited to introduce a collection of briefs that feature the original research conducted by select Fellows from our inaugural cohort of The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship). These briefs cover different topics within the CTE landscape and alignment with Advance CTE’s CTE Without Limits’ principles for advancing equitable, high-quality CTE programs for every learner. 

The Fellowship strives to address the growing shortage of state postsecondary CTE leadership by closing racial representation gaps and removing equity barriers to leadership advancement. Through individualized supports, intentional networks and a real-world fellowship project, Advance CTE-ECMCF Fellows gain the skills and network to pursue leadership positions and advance high-quality, equitable state postsecondary CTE systems. The Real-World Project is a capstone of the Fellowship. By highlighting selected projects and citing Fellows’ research as contributions to the national CTE landscape, we aspire to elevate a new generation of CTE leaders. 

The first brief, Career and Technical Education and the Justice System: State Strategies to Improve Outcomes for Justice-Involved Learners in CTE Programs, features research from Fellows alumni Richard Crosby and Janelle Washington.

High-quality education opportunities for justice-involved learners have demonstrated a strong economic return; a study produced by the RAND Corporation found that, for every $1 invested in prison education programs, there is a $4-5 reduction in incarceration costs during the first three years post-release of a prisoner. Despite these benefits, only seven states are currently opting to allocate the maximum allowable amount of state leadership set-aside funds to improving outcomes for this population of learners. This brief offers actionable recommendations for state leaders to address systemic barriers through changes to funding, administrative and program quality policies to have a long-term and lasting reduction impact on recidivism.

 

The second brief, a Policy Review of the Impact of House Bill 444 on Career and Technical Agricultural Education Dual Enrollment at Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Institutions, highlights the research of Fellowship alumni Dr. Kristin Corkhill.

Dual enrollment is a popular education initiative that has contributed to increased postsecondary enrollment across the Technical College System of Georgia. These programs represent early opportunities for learners to gain industry-aligned skills and develop confidence and awareness of how to be successful in postsecondary programs and generate a highly skilled workforce pipeline to continue to grow the state’s economy. This brief offers recommendations for state leaders on how to continue to support improved enrollment trends.

 

The third brief, Non-Traditional Learner Participation in Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Programs features research by Fellowship alumni Jean Claude Mbomeda.

The non-traditional gender occupational divide weakens state economies by decreasing economic productivity and reducing diversity in decision-making. By creating gender parity in which “women participate in the labor force at the same rate as men, work the same number of hours as men, and are employed at the same levels as men across sectors,” the United States would see an estimated $4.3 trillion increase in the gross domestic product in 2025.1 Check out this brief to learn ways that state leaders can strengthen policies to ensure equitable access and outcomes for every learner and better meet the needs of the state’s economy and labor market. 

These briefs are the first part of the larger Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline series, set to be released later this year, that aims to increase leadership stability and achieve more demographically representative state CTE leadership, by providing resources, tools and examples to help state leaders establish a talent pipeline and provide training, mentorship and opportunities for aspiring CTE leaders.

Amy Hodge, Membership & Policy Associate

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Advancing Equity in CTE: The Equity-Minded Leadership Framework

July 18th, 2023

This is the third blog in a series of four blogs about the Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship) and provides Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders with a framework by which to develop equitable CTE ecosystems, a foundational approach to ensuring all learners have access to high-quality programs aligned to in-demand high-wage occupations. 

Overview

The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation is anchored in the construct of “Equity-Minded Change Leadership” which posits that in order to transform education systems and engage the operations of and organizational structure of education institutions, a lens of “equity-mindedness” has to be clearly defined and used to evaluate learner outcomes. To clearly determine a challenge, adaptive leadership is necessary. The combination of the adaptive leadership theory and the concept of equity-mindedness is the foundation of equity-minded change leadership. Advance CTE chose this framework of equity-minded change leadership because it can support CTE leaders in fostering change and addressing the effects of inequitable systems on learners who have been underserved by education institutions.  

 

Defining the Challenge 

In order to transform or mitigate the effects of an inequitable system, the problem has to be clearly defined and categorized to determine the approach leaders should take and which solutions to apply to enhance learner success. “Adaptive challenges linked to differences in how students experience and benefit from education, systematically advantaging some while disadvantaging others, must be recognized and addressed to change education in ways that reduce and eventually resolve systemic equity gaps”.1 Equity-minded change leadership. Seattle, WA: Bragg & Associates, Inc. Retrieved on April, 12, 2018.[/efn-note] As part of a mandatory real-world research project, each fellow identified a challenge, collected data to describe the scope of the challenge, applied a solution to the challenge, reported on the impact of the intervention, as well as offered recommendations using the adaptive change leadership theory. 

A few examples of research topics explored include: 

  • Advancing Equitable Access to CTE Programming in Illinois Correctional Facilities
  • The Impact of House Bill 444 on Career Technical and Agriculture Education Enrollment at Technical College System of Georgia Institutions
  • Eliminating the Educational Assessment Score Requirement for Enrollment in Postsecondary Education CTE Programs in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
  • Exploring Equity Gaps and Achievement in the Agriculture Cluster at Rural Community Colleges in Northern California
  • Increasing the retention rate among African American Males at Greenville Technical College

Analyzing the Gap

How challenges are initially framed are important and essential to applying the appropriate solution to a problem. Equity-mindedness takes into account the current systems, policies, cultural norms and everyday practices being applied in an education institution or agency and evaluates the impact, intentional or unintentional, on individuals or groups. A starting point for the Fellows was to disaggregate data by the special populations and subgroups identified in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) and analyze learner outcomes for a subset of this group. This analysis revealed gaps in access and outcomes, which were then mapped to root causes that likely require systemic interventions and remedies.

Building Solutions

Equity-minded change leadership offers state leaders an evidence-based approach to deliberately and systematically evaluate impact for learners. In doing so, it holds the potential to be a transformational lever to achieve, fully, the aspirations of CTE Without Limits. During the Fellowship, Fellows applied this framework to their real-world projects with much success. Fellows evaluated equitable access to CTE programming for justice-involved learners, Black males in South Carolina’s technical college system and women in rural communities, among others. CTE has always been a system that was required to be responsive to the needs of industry. As state leaders strive to build high-quality CTE systems, they must also be responsive to the needs of our nation’s increasingly diverse learner population. 

Blog 1: Advancing Equity in CTE: Making the Case for Diverse Leadership Pipelines in Career Technical Education

Blog 2: Advancing Equity in CTE: A Review on the Current State of CTE Leadership Programs and Diversification Efforts

Blog 4: Advancing Equity in CTE: Administrative Policy Review – An Assessment of Equitable Practices

Dr. Kevin Johnson, Sr., Senior Advisor and Kimberly Green, former Executive Director

1. Bragg, D., & McCambly, H. (2018). Equity-minded change leadership. Seattle, WA: Bragg & Associates, Inc. Retrieved on April, 12, 2018.

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Advancing Equity in CTE: A Review on the Current State of CTE Leadership Programs and Diversification Efforts

May 16th, 2023

This is the second in a series of four blogs about the Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation and offers a review of several states’ Career Technical Education (CTE) leadership training initiatives and current efforts to diversify the pool of qualified candidates, specific to racial diversity. 

In the first blog of this series, Advancing Equity in CTE: Making the Case for Diverse Leadership Pipelines in Career Technical Education, we shared data that highlighted the increase of diversity of learners in CTE programs and in comparison, the reality that state CTE leadership has remained mostly White, with approximately 13 percent of State CTE Directors identifying as non-White. As we seek to achieve a more demographically representative state CTE leadership, as called for in Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education (CTE Without Limits), this blog reviews the state of the CTE leadership pipeline in three states – Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio. These states can both serve as exemplars and a starting point to evaluate the needs of state CTE systems to create more robust and diverse talent pipelines. 

Overview

The current state of CTE leadership training programs vary based on state requirements to become a CTE administrator and how states and organizations without certification or licensure requirements decide to offer training opportunities. As of 2017 only 16 states require CTE administrators to attain a certification or licensure to teach at the secondary level.  In the postsecondary space, the number of institutions of higher learning offering coursework specific to administrating and leading a CTE program are consistently declining; just nine states offer formal preparation programs 1. Administrative training for CTE is increasingly being offered in the form of mentorship programs, contracted hybrid virtual training typically modules, conference workshops or training academies offered by state CTE agencies and CTE affiliated organizations. 

Pennsylvania

The state offers leadership training through centers supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) at three sites, the state’s eastern site is located at Temple University, the central site is located at Penn State University and the western site is located at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The programs offer a CTE Director’s Certificate for grades 7-12 which can be completed in two years and a Master of Education degree option in a virtual setting with a window of completion of two to three years. Additional or alternative training in the form of mentorship programs and conference workshops is also available through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Career and Technical Education (BCTE) and the Pennsylvania Association for Career and Technical Administrators (PACTA). These efforts are bolstered by the requirement as mandated by the Pennsylvania Legislature and facilitated through the PA Inspired Leadership (PIL) Program for a CTE administrator to complete a certification process, Praxis Series School Leaders Licensure Assessment. A recent effort to establish CTE leadership standards is the development of a set of knowledge and skill core competencies (KSCC) resulting from the triangulated research conducted at Penn State University 2. The core competencies addressed are:

  • Workforce Education Management
  • Curriculum and Instructional Leadership in Workforce Education
  • Fiscal and Facilities Management
  • Ethical Issues in Workforce Education
  • Administering Personnel Services
  • History and Philosophy of Workforce Education
  • The Law and Education

To date, the PDE has requested alignment between the research-developed KSCCs and the CTE Director Certificate offered in Pennsylvania. 

Texas

Secondary CTE administrator training in Texas is offered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Career & Technical Association of Texas (CTAT). The New CTE Administrator and Counselor Sessions, professional training modules provided to local education agencies by the TEA at no cost, focuses on preparing administrators to develop CTE systems aligned to the state’s college, career and military readiness (CCMR) standards ensuring access and equity in CTE programming. The NextGen Administrators, training designed for mid-level administrators such as CTE coordinators, specialists and instructional coaches with less than five years of experience, is a virtual option offered by CTAT with aspiring leaders meeting on a monthly basis for 13 months. The program explicitly lists as session topics Terminology and Best Practices in Cultural Diversity and Differentiated Instruction for Special Populations. The state agency no cost training was provided through the use of the state’s Carl D. Perkins Act leadership funds. 

Ohio

The Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education supports CTE administrators for secondary and postsecondary leadership through the Byrl R. Shoemaker CTE Institute. A one-year hybrid program which includes beginning and ending with a legislative seminar, site visits to secondary LEAs and local higher education institutions, conference attendance, networking opportunities with local and state leaders and the completion of a team project.  

Diversification of the CTE Talent Pipeline

While the states reviewed do not specifically outline a process to recruit diverse aspiring CTE administrators, leadership pipeline training opportunities are accessible and prominently featured on state and CTE support organizations’ websites. As identified in the first blog of this series and in alignment with CTE Without Limits Principle 2, the nation’s rapidly changing demographics create a sense of urgency related to the intentional recruitment of diverse leaders into the currently limited administrator pipelines available to CTE professionals. 

In the next blog in this series, we will explore how state CTE leaders can (and why they should) lead with an equity lens. To learn more about the need for equity in CTE, visit Making Good on the Promise: Understanding the Equity Challenge in CTE in the Advance CTE Resource Center.

Read the full blog series

Blog 1: Advancing Equity in CTE: Making the Case for Diverse Leadership Pipelines in Career Technical Education

Blog 3: Advancing Equity in CTE: The Equity-Minded Leadership Framework

Blog 4: Advancing Equity in CTE: Administrative Policy Review – An Assessment of Equitable Practices

Dr. Kevin Johnson, Sr., Senior Advisor

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Advancing Equity in CTE: Making the Case for Diverse Leadership Pipelines in Career Technical Education

March 2nd, 2023

This is the first in a series of blogs about the Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship), including what contextual factors led Advance CTE to establish the Fellowship and what we are learning as we lead this important work.  

In 2018, Advance CTE began to explore and acknowledge the systemic issues resulting in  inequity, particularly racial inequity, in Career Technical Education (CTE). Our first steps involved starting a learning journey through the Making Good on the Promise Series and our organizational equity statement approved by the Advance CTE Board of Directors, both of which anchored our initial work. 

The more we learned and deepened our knowledge about systemic barriers to equitable CTE, the more intentionally we were able to center multiple dimensions of equity in Advance CTE’s work. The 2021 CTE Without Limits vision, which also serves as Advance CTE’s organizational vision, emboldens our voice and action to lead equitable CTE programs, including guiding our work to ensure every learner  has access to, feels welcome in and has the supports to be successful in their chosen career pathway. More specifically, the second principle of this vision calls upon “(s)tates and institutions …. to commit to building recruitment strategies and talent pipeline programs that attract diverse CTE instructors, administrators and leaders who are demographically representative of the learners they teach.”  

This call to action to address state CTE leadership representation gaps was inspired by the  changing demographics of both our nation and enrollments in CTE programs. Advance CTE was formed over 100 years ago and in that time the vast majority of State CTE Directors have historically been White. Today, that is still true with just 13 percent of State Directors identifying as non-White. Yet, the learners served by the CTE community are much more diverse.

The Leaky State CTE Leadership Pipeline

The state CTE leadership pipeline, like many industries, is struggling. The coronavirus pandemic  exacerbated a surge of state leadership transitions that occurred just prior to the reauthorization of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V). Today, just five State Directors have seven or more years of tenure and only two have more than ten years. At Advance CTE’s 2022 Spring State Leadership Retreat, a straw poll of the attendees (all state CTE leaders) revealed that a slight majority of the participants had less than three years of experience in their roles. In fact, several state agencies experienced a 100 percent turnover of the CTE state agency team.  

The cost (both direct and indirect) of these massive transitions is significant. Leadership instability often results in reduced morale, capacity, institutional knowledge and organizational effectiveness. Exacerbated by the fact that state agencies struggle with recruitment, generally, recruiting a qualified and diverse applicant pool is an even more difficult challenge. The pipeline of state CTE leadership is not always vertical; however, candidates commonly come from the local level. Given that the majority of CTE instructors are White (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), “Public School Teacher Questionnaire,” 2007–08), it follows that the majority of CTE administrators are White. Therefore, current CTE leadership pipelines are systematically perpetuating representational inequities, and new solutions must be pursued to break this cycle.  While Advance CTE is not directly responsible for hiring state agency staff, we are hoping to be part of the solution to strengthen and diversify the pool of applicants for state leadership positions through the Postsecondary State Career Technical Education Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE – Sponsored by ECMC Foundation (Fellowship).

Hope for the Future

The inaugural cohort of the Fellowship, launched in November of 2021, included 15 Fellows from 13 states and 80 percent of the participants identified as members of marginalized or underrepresented populations. The second cohort, launched in September of 2022, with an additional 15 Fellows from 13 states and 72 percent of the participants identified as members of marginalized or underrepresented populations. Through a combination of intensive workshops, support from coaches and the creation of a real-world project, these aspiring leaders built knowledge, network and experience. Additionally, Advance CTE is building a suite of resources to help state leaders on their learning journey to be equity-minded leaders and to support the creation of initiatives that can expand, diversify and strengthen CTE leadership pipelines.

We hope you’ll explore more about the Fellowship and join us on the learning leadership journey. In the next blog in this series, we’ll explore what states are doing to expand, strengthen and diversify their state leadership pipelines. 

Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Sr.,  Senior Advisor and Kimberly A. Green, Executive Director

Read the rest of the series

Blog 2: Advancing Equity in CTE: A Review on the Current State of CTE Leadership Programs

Blog 3: Advancing Equity in CTE: The Equity-Minded Leadership Framework

Blog 4: Advancing Equity in CTE: Administrative Policy Review – An Assessment of Equitable Practices

 

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