The education and workforce communities have increasingly focused on Career Technical Education (CTE) as an effective strategy for preparing college- and career-ready students. At this week’s Spring Meeting of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), representatives from several national policy organizations discussed their interest in CTE and ways that they can partner with CTE stakeholders to promote high quality CTE programs.
Tom Rudin, a Senior Vice President at the College Board, noted his organization’s commitment to supporting college and career readiness aspirations for all students. He described the College Board’s interest in working with NASDCTEc to advocate for CTE and issues surrounding college and career readiness.
Melanie Anderson, Director of Government Affairs at Opportunity Nation, discussed her organization’s role in decreasing the “opportunity gap.†Opportunity Nation is particularly interested in bringing the private sector into conversations about CTE and ensuring the alignment of CTE programs with business and industry needs. Visit the opportunity index, a tool that uses a number of indicators to demonstrate economic mobility and opportunity, to view the impact of the opportunity gap where you live. View Melanie’s presentation here.
Martha Ross of the Brookings Institution described her organization’s interest in regionally-based, industry-responsive pathways and CTE as a human capitol issue. Lastly, Tess Mason-Elder of Civic Enterprises described CTE as a way to address educational access issues by improving persistence rates and presenting students with affordable postsecondary options.
Kara Herbertson, Research and Policy Manager