West Virginia state legislators are determined to make great improvement in the state’s education system, and Career Technical Education (CTE) is part of the plan.
West Virginia House of Representatives Speaker Rick Thompson has appointed an 8-person panel to address recommendations from West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s Education Efficiency Audit. The group will gather information and research on strategies that can be used to reform the state’s school system. The information will be shared with the entire House of Delegates and used to make decisions on education for the state.
The Governor’s audit recognizes the collaboration between West Virginia’s Community and Technical College System and the state’s CTE centers to expand program and course collaborations. The audit also includes a recommendation to improve the state’s 30 CTE centers with the input of education and workforce leaders, and many workforce and education leaders are encouraging audit working group members to address this issue.
Kathy D’Antoni, Assistant State Superintendent of Schools and CTE State Director of West Virginia, said “If education does not work closely with the business industry, we’re never going to produce the type of students we need to help West Virginia.† Others, including state Delegate Larry Williams and the West Virginia State Board of Education, agree that a greater focus on CTE, and connecting education to business and industry, will benefit the state and its students.
In addition to improving CTE centers, the Governor also recommends in his audit simplifying articulation agreements by standardizing policies on credits across the community college system. Overall, the audit finds a critical need for more collaboration and common goals among education and industry at the state level, and CTE will play a critical role in addressing this issue.
Read more about CTE and the Governor’s Education Audit here.
Kara Herbertson, Research and Policy Manager