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Getting to Know the 2024-2025 Advance CTE – ECMCF Fellows (Part 3)

Thursday, September 19th, 2024

Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation are excited to introduce the Fellows of the third cohort of The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation. The Advance CTE — ECMCF Fellows include representation across 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.

Over the next few days, this blog series will introduce each Fellow participating in the third cohort of emerging leaders from across 16 states and one U.S. territory.

Dr. Cory Ortiz is the dean of the School of Career Education at the University of Alaska Southeast. In his current role, Dr. Ortiz is responsible for serving as the chief academic officer, overseeing Career Education faculty and staff, and providing guidance to the technical education programs in Juneau. His commitment extends beyond his campus, as he collaborates with campus directors in Ketchikan and Sitka to implement academic and workforce development programs. Before joining the University of Alaska Southeast, Dr. Ortiz served as an assistant professor of practice at Utah State University. His professional journey also includes K-12 work, where he served as a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) specialist, work-based learning coordinator, and engineering teacher. Dr. Ortiz’s qualifications include a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) with a major in Career and Technical Education, a Master of Science (MS), and a Bachelor of Science (BS), all from Utah State University.

Brian Rick has been interested in the trades and the CTE field since an early age. He has worked in several high schools as well as local community colleges in both teaching and CTE administrator roles. Brian originally worked in the architecture and construction industry before coaching high school students which allowed him to find his passion and enter the education field. Brian is currently working for the CTE Projects Team at Northern Illinois University which develops new trainings, resources, and materials for CTE Teachers across the state in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education. Brian is passionate about helping new teachers coming from industry to education as well as work-based learning. Brian was also an Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) NextLevel leadership fellow (Cohort 3). When he is not working, he enjoys spending time traveling and at home with his wife and two kids who are five and eight years old.

Dr. Sara Shaw is currently a lecturer in the Career and Workforce Program at the University of Central Florida. She teaches, conducts research, and actively engages in service within the university and the field. Her research interests encompass female leadership in postsecondary education, current issues in career and technical education, and workforce equity. Dr. Shaw earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction with a focus on career, technical, and postsecondary education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2019, she was named an NC State Postsecondary Research Fellow, sponsored by the ECMC Foundation, to advance postsecondary CTE research. Additionally, she has been a recipient of ECMC’s mini-grants.

Dr. Shelanda Simmons serves as an educator within the Business Department at Tennessee College of Applied Technology, where she specializes in instructing administrative office technology. Her academic background includes the attainment of a BBA and MBA from Belhaven University, as well as the successful completion of a doctorate degree in education leadership with a concentration in policy from the University of Memphis.

Yingfah Thao has over 20 years of experience in higher education in a variety of roles focused on access and opportunity for low-income, marginalized communities.She is currently the director of professional development for career and technical education for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the third largest system of colleges and universities in the United States. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a minor in ethnic studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato, a master’s degree in technical communication, and a graduate certification in user experience (UX) design from Metropolitan State University.

To learn more about the Fellowship, the Fellows of Cohort 3, and the alumni of the Fellowship, please visit https://careertech.org/what-we-do/initiatives/postsecondary-state-cte-leaders-fellowship/

By Layla Alagic in Achieving Equitable and Inclusive CTE
Tags: Alaska, ECMCF Fellows, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, postsecondary cte, tennessee

Congress Begins August Recess Period | Legislative Update

Friday, August 9th, 2024

This week, Congress began its annual August recess while new developments in the presidential elections continue to shape the race. Elsewhere, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced that the application form for postsecondary financial aid has been delayed while the agency solicits new applications for disconnected youth initiatives.

Lawmakers Head Back Home

After a flurry of activity over the last few weeks, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate began their annual August recess in recent days heading back to home states and districts. Just before leaving Capitol Hill for the month, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25) funding measure which would, if enacted, provide a critically needed $35 million increase for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act’s (Perkins V) state grant program. The proposal largely takes a different approach than the House for FY25 and would provide larger funding allocations for ED and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) along with the various programs these agencies administer and oversee.

Despite this recent progress, both the House and Senate versions of FY25 funding legislation continue to differ significantly. With FY25 set to begin October 1 of this year, lawmakers will need to determine a pathway for federal funding beyond this date– a topic that is likely to be the priority for Congress when it returns in early September. As these efforts continue to take shape, Advance CTE will be advocating for a strong investment in Perkins V’s State Grant program as well as other critical funding streams in support of Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities.

Vice President Harris Taps Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Running Mate

This week, at a rally in Philadelphia, PA, Vice President Kamala Harris formally introduced Governor Tim Walz (MN) as her running mate, joining her on the top of the Democratic Party ticket for this November’s presidential election. The announcement comes after Harris reportedly narrowed down the field of potential candidates to a group of three.

Walz, a former teacher from a family of teachers, signed the Free School Meals for Kids bill into law which provides Minnesota public K-12 learners to have access to school-provided breakfast and lunch. During his tenure as Governor, Minnesota also approved a last-dollar financial aid assistance program for students in households making less than $80,000 to cover tuition costs at state institutions. During his time in Congress Walz primarily focused on issues related to agriculture and veterans affairs and co-sponsored a number of pieces of legislation in support of wider education and workforce development efforts.

U.S. Department of Education Announces Release Schedule For 2025-26 FAFSA Form

After garnering feedback from stakeholders from students, families, and higher education professionals, ED announced this week a new schedule and process for the 2025-26 FAFSA Form launch. This form will be accessible, on a limited basis for testing, on October 1 with a full public release slated to be accessible to all students on or before December 1, 2024.

Feedback has contributed to the department’s development of a new roadmap that is intended to support users with a more streamlined process and accompanying tools to help them complete the form before the following financial aid school year. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth Application Announced

This week, ED published a preliminary glimpse at the application process for the selection of Performance Partnership Pilots for disconnected youth (P3). The notice, set to be published early next week, establishes timelines for applications according to the upcoming publish date on the Federal Register. Congress has authorized the pilot since 2014 to allow ED and other agencies to waive certain requirements to access funding streams, like Perkins V and other federal legislation, to better support disconnected youth populations. Recipients of the funds can blend them with other federal resources to better coordinate services for this population of young people, estimated to be around 4.7 million people who are neither working nor in school across the country. Applications for these funding flexibilities will be due within the next two months following the formal publication of this announcement.

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy
Tags: Department of Labor, FAFSA, FY2025, Legislative Update, Minnesota, Perkins V, Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Department of Education

Funding Career Technical Education: Making State-Level Investments to Support Unique Elements of CTE

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

Advance CTE released the 2023 State of CTE: An Analysis of State Secondary CTE Funding Models to highlight how states and the District of Columbia provide high-quality Career Technical Education (CTE) through various secondary CTE funding models and approaches. This blog, the fourth in a series, describes ways states invest in CTE programs through line item appropriations to support unique elements of CTE. This blog unveils new information not available in the State of CTE Funding release.

Overview

States make significant contributions to CTE programs through non-categorical, line item appropriations. Programmatic funding is distributed through periodic, legislatively established authorizations that are contingent on the availability of funds. States often place conditions on how money should be spent or used to promote state priorities. Additionally, a programmatic line item appropriation can be a recurring or a one-time investment. This blog highlights appropriations in industry-recognized credentials, Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), career advisement, and educator preparation for fiscal year (FY) 2022. You can read more about categorical funding in the first blog in this series, Funding Career Technical Education: Secondary CTE Funding Basics.

These key state investments often pilot new programs, sustain existing programs, provide training to educators and professionals, or allow purchases for needed equipment and supplies. These investments certainly allow Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to scale and improve program quality, which aligns with Advance CTE’s vision for the future of CTE where continuous improvement is needed at all levels within systems.

Investing in Unique Elements of CTE

State funding through non-categorical, line item appropriations is incredibly common; 80 percent of state leaders surveyed in summer 2022 reported some line items for CTE programs.

Industry-recognized Credentials

Helping learners have access to and earn industry-recognized credentials can make them more competitive for future work and educational opportunities. States may offer reimbursements to the learner, educator, or local institutions for the completion of credentials. There are expenses associated with industry-recognized credentials such as exam fees, materials, books, or supplies.

Thirteen state leaders reported appropriations for industry-recognized credentials in FY 2022.

Indiana enacted H.B. 1001 and appropriated $200,000 to the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet to help cover the expenses for earning industry-recognized credentials.
Ohio appropriated $8 million for credential reimbursements to districts and $12.5 million for the Innovative Workforce Incentive Program through H.B. 110, which awards districts, community schools, STEM schools, and joint vocational school districts $1,250 for each credential a student earns from a list of priority credentials established by the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.

CTSOs

CTSOs allow learners to gain academic, workplace, and technical skills, build networks, and pursue leadership experiences that are needed to succeed in today’s global workforce.

Twelve state leaders reported line item appropriations for CTSOs, with appropriations ranging from $125,000 to $2.52 million per year in FY 2022. Most states allocated the funds toward one or more of the 11 CTSOs specifically authorized in the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V).

South Carolina allowed funds through H. 4100 for a Career Cluster Partnership Program to be used for organizations’ statewide student competitions leading to national competitions.

Career Advisement

Offering comprehensive and connected career advisement systems helps all learners get the support and guidance to gain skills and explore future careers.

Nine state leaders reported line item appropriations for career advisement in FY 2022.

Connecticut’s Career Resource Network and Massachusetts’ My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) are two examples of career resources that have been funded across multiple years.

Other states have made one-time investments to help pilot programs and offerings.

North Carolina enacted S.B. 105 and appropriated $1.5 million in non-recurring funds to use a ScholarPath platform to create a 12th-grade transition pilot program. The program is an education planning and communication platform that helps learners and their families use O*NET data to connect and match learners to high-demand careers.

Other states focused on providing resources for professionals who help with career advisement and planning.

Arkansas appropriated $6.31 million toward a career coaches public school fund and program grants for career education services for students with special needs through H.B. 1167.

CTE Educator Preparation

There remains room for improvement in CTE educator preparation as only Georgia, Minnesota, and Virginia reported line item appropriations for CTE educator preparation in FY 2022.

Minnesota enacted S.F.No.9 and provided $400,000 to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System for a CTE educator pilot project.
Virginia’s H.B.1800 appropriated $1.3 million for information technology (IT) industry certifications, which included the use of funds to increase the number of teachers in targeted CTE areas and teachers who receive training in IT and industry-recognized certifications.

You can learn more about identifying funding streams that support CTE educator diversity by reading Advance CTE’s State and Local Strategies for Diversifying the CTE Educator Workforce.

Recommendations

Programmatic line item appropriations are additional sources of funding to leverage to support important components of career preparation ecosystems. State leaders should take the following action steps:

Tell the story of state investment in CTE at the local level so LEAs can best leverage resources across funding streams. Although most states provide funding for secondary CTE, due to a lack of sufficient state-level accountability and data collection, states do not have lines of sight into how LEAs are using funds. Therefore, measuring the impact of state funding and advocating for evolution in either the structure or levels of state funding is challenging.
Review federal, state, and local funding sources, including the purpose, population it will serve, and eligibility requirements. Identify manuals or documents that explain the allowable use cases for the state funding streams. Explore how to braid the funding with other resources to get the most value for CTE investments.
Establish a sustainability plan to navigate shifts in funding. These programmatic line item appropriations may be one-time investments. Having a plan in place to offer continuity of high-quality CTE programs and services will ease the barrier of loss of funding.

Additional Resources

Be sure to read the other blogs in this series:

We also encourage you to watch the Exploring State Secondary CTE Funding webinar.

Dr. Laura Maldonado, Senior Research Associate

Dr. Laura Maldonado is a Senior Research Associate with Advance CTE. In this role, Laura directly supports Advance CTE’s policy research and technical assistance initiatives, data quality initiatives and internal data strategy.

By Layla Alagic in Public Policy, Research
Tags: Arkansas, Career Advisement, Career ClustersÂ®, Connecticut, cte funding, CTE Vision, CTE Without Limits, CTSOs, District of Columbia, Educator Talent Pipeline, FY 2022, Indiana, industry-recognized credentials, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Perkins V, South Carolina, State of CTE, Virginia

College in High School Series: a Look at CHSA’s State Policy Roadmap

Wednesday, June 14th, 2023

Advance CTE serves as a steering member of the College in the High School Alliance,a coalition of national, state, and local organizations collaborating to enable high school students to enroll in authentic, affordable college pathways toward postsecondary degrees and credentials offered with appropriate support. This blog, the second in a series, highlights the CHSA’s Unlocking Potential guide that elevates findings and work states are doing to design and deliver high-quality college in the high school programs.

Resource Overview

College in High School Alliance (CHSA)’s Unlocking Potential: A State Policy Roadmap for Equity & Quality in College in High School Programs provides a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for states looking to expand equitable access to college and high school programs. This guide provides policy recommendations as well as actionable items for state and local administrators and concludes with other examples of state tools and resources.

Background:

College in High School Alliance defines college in high school programs as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and early college high school. These programs are formed via partnerships between school districts and accredited institutions of higher education to provide high school-age students postsecondary experiences that lead to college credentials or degrees.

The number of students participating in College in High School Programs has increased to provide opportunities to more than 5.5 million secondary learners, with Career Technical Education (CTE) courses making up one-third of enrollments (1). While these programs have proven popular and in high demand, enrollment demographics do not reflect the full diversity of the learner population. Significant opportunity exists for reducing barriers to accessing College in High School Programs for all learners, especially those in low-income communities, learners of color, learners from rural communities and first-generation college-goers.

Unlocking Potential provides recommendations and highlights work for state policies that advance the goals of equity and quality for college in high school programs in six categories:

The numbers in the image represent page numbers from the resource guide, per each category.

Equity Goal and Public Reporting:
- Set an equitable and statewide public goal for increasing the participation and success of traditionally underserved learners in the early postsecondary groups
- Disaggregate public reporting and accountability for progress toward the goal
- Practices in Louisiana, Montana, Minnesota, and Washington are highlighted
Program Integrity and Credit Transfer:
- Support and promote high-quality early postsecondary opportunities
- Create cross-sector partnerships between secondary and postsecondary teams
- Create articulation agreements to remove barriers on student transfer opportunities
- Practices in California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota and Texas are highlighted
Finance:
- Design funding mechanisms that remove financial barriers for low-income and moderate-income students who want to participate in early postsecondary opportunities
- Practices in Arkansas, Georgia, Nebraska, Utah, Vermont and Washington are highlighted
Course Access and Availability:
- Remove course access and availability barriers for all learners
- Maximize learners’ college credit attainment experiences through international pathway opportunities and by providing academic and career exploration opportunities
- Practices in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine and Virginia are highlighted
Instructor Capacity
- Develop strategies to recruit, provide support, and diversify the pool of instructors with the appropriate qualifications to teach college in high school programs
- Create high-quality partnerships between K-12 and postsecondary partners as college in high school programs
- Scale college in the high school programs and create sustainability
- Practices in Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota and Ohio are highlighted
Navigator Support:
- Prioritize student navigational support.
- Enhance the current advising mechanisms.
- Practices in California, Colorado, Montana, Ohio and Tennessee are highlighted

The policy recommendations are presented along a continuum: foundational, advanced, and exceptional policies. Foundational policies are those that every state must have to best support its learners.

For example, under the Equity Goal and Public Reporting, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) data reporting requirements would be considered a foundational policy. On the other end of the spectrum, states can enhance these same data reporting requirements by creating tool kits and providing technical assistance to empower local use of data to remove barriers for learners and create more equitable programs.

To learn more about how CTE early postsecondary opportunities (EPSO) such as dual enrollment serve learners, check out Advance CTE’s report on The State of CTE: Early Postsecondary Opportunities. This 50-state report, provided in partnership with College in the High School Alliance reveals key findings on how EPSOs serve CTE learners and provides recommendations for state leaders to leverage state infrastructure and collaboration to advance equity in these experiences.

Suela Cela, Senior Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in CTE Without Limits
Tags: Access and Equity, Arkansas, California, College Access, college in high school, Colorado, dual credit, dual enrollment, early college high school, Early Postsecondary Opportunities, ESSA, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, state policy, tennessee, texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State

Spotlight on CTE Month: Celebrating the creative ways states engaged with stakeholders

Tuesday, March 7th, 2023

February’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Month celebrations illustrated CTE’s continued spotlight in both federal and state communications and policymaking. This post recaps some of the inspiring activities from across the nation elevating both the value of CTE and the learners it serves.

Spotlight on CTE in the Nation’s Capital

CTE Month started strong this year with a major policy speech by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, during which he highlighted the importance of Career Technical Education (CTE): “We must challenge our myopic view that emphasizing the importance of career pathways is about limiting students, or the view that its four-year-college or bust. Advancing career pathways in high schools is about more options for students, not less. What it does is prepare them for the careers of today with options, and in some cases, their employer will pay for their future education. If we do this well, our graduates will be able to compete on a global stage. It’s my intention to Raise the Bar so we can lead the world in advanced career and technical education.”

Just two weeks later, First Lady Jill Biden’s guests for the State of the Union (SOTU) address included Kate Foley– a 10th-grade computer-integrated manufacturing student who the First Lady had met last year during a visit to CTE programs in Rolling Meadows High School. In addition, Rep. Glusenkamp Perez (D-WA) brought Cory Toppa, a construction, engineering design, and manufacturing teacher at Kalama High School and the director of CTE for the Kalama school district.

During the SOTU, President Biden highlighted how the intersection of education and workforce development is integral to America’s ability to compete within the wider global economy. The President mentioned career-focused education saying, in part, “Let’s finish the job, and connect students to career opportunities starting in high school, provide access to two years of community college, the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a four-year degree. Let’s offer every American a path to a good career, whether they go to college or not.”

Finally, support for CTE extended to Capitol Hill, with both the House and Senate passing resolutions supporting CTE that achieved a high water mark for the number of co-sponsors.

Spotlight on CTE in State Capitols and Beyond

Outside of the U.S. House, 25 states and at least 1 U.S. Territory had proclamations designating February as CTE Month, and many state capitols hosted CTE students for showcases and meet and greets.

Spotlight on engaging with CTE stakeholders

Many states used CTE Month as an opportunity to connect with learners, families, employers and other stakeholders.

Louisiana hosted a roundtable discussion featuring panelists from K-12, postsecondary and industry professionals at their annual conference. Michigan hosted a Value of CTE virtual conference for employers and Missouri launched their CTE Perceptions Survey to learners, families, educators and business leaders.

States used a variety of marketing channels to share stories and promote CTE. Wyoming released a CTEZine published in local newspapers. South Carolina created My CTE Story videos featuring learner stories. North Dakota shared tips for maximizing messaging during CTE Month in their monthly newsletter. Oklahoma created a week’s worth of suggested activities that fostered pride in and self-promotion of local programs during #ILuvOKCTE week.

Through social media posts, many states shared information on the power and purpose of CTE as well as success stories and celebrations of CTE learners.

While CTE Month is a great opportunity to promote and educate those not familiar with the opportunities within and successes of CTE, our advocacy and education efforts should continue year-round. For information on how you can more effectively communicate CTE, check out the following resources in our Resource Center:

Jodi Langellotti, Communications Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Uncategorized
Tags: CTE Month, Iowa, kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, rhode island, SOTU, South Carolina, U.S. Secretary of Education, Washington DC, Washington State, Wyoming

Congratulations to Karl Ohrn, Minnesota’s New State CTE Director!

Monday, January 30th, 2023

The Minnesota State Board of Trustees recently named Karl Ohrn as the Systems Director of Career Technical Education for Minnesota State and the State Director for Career and Technical Education.

After struggling academically as an undergraduate at a liberal arts college and unsure of his future, Karl Ohrn joined the United States Air Force, ultimately serving 30 years. It was in the Air Force that Karl had his first exposure to Career Technical Education (CTE).

“I went through a course in logistics in the Air Force, and it made so much sense […] everything was focused toward performing a certain job or skill set. It all became very meaningful and useful and purposeful.” Karl’s experience with CTE through the Air Force made him feel more confident in his academic abilities and future. He shared, “[The] CTE environment really made more sense.”

Karl’s Air Force career provided him diverse experiences, ranging from medical logistics to a CTE program evaluator through the Community College of the Air Force to the Director of a Noncommissioned Officer’s (NCO) Academy. Karl retired from the Air Force in 2013 and became an Academic Coordinator with Northland Community and Technical College, where he evaluated CTE programs for their quality and viability. It was through his role at Northland that Karl first became involved with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV).

Karl became a Perkins Consortium Coordinator at the postsecondary level where he worked with and got to know the state-level staff in Minnesota. In 2018 Karl was asked to become the Associate State Director of CTE and was appointed Interim State Director of CTE in 2021 after his predecessor retired. Karl was officially appointed Minnesota State Director of CTE in December 2022.

This year, Karl’s focus is determining whether Minnesota will update or create a new Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) state plan; he is excited to get all of the stakeholders involved and hopeful for a successful outcome. Now that his position is permanent, Karl is also looking forward to strengthening connections among his state CTE team members and increasing professional development offerings.

Karl earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Slippery Rock University and a master’s degree in strategic leadership from the University of Mary. He also completed an associate of applied science degree with the Community College of the Air Force in logistics management and technical instruction. In addition to his passion for CTE, Karl has extensive experience and knowledge of the consortium model and the integration of military personnel with civilian CTE.

When asked why he is passionate about CTE, Karl responded, “We’ve all seen students fail, whether [they are] in high school or college. You have to help people find their passion and sometimes what becomes their passion isn’t what it was when they started.”

Jodi Langellotti, Communications Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Advance CTE State Director
Tags: Advance CTE State Director, CTE Leadership, Getting to Know, Minnesota, State Director

Advance CTE’s Opportunity Gap Workshop: Connecting Data to Action

Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

In 2020, Advance CTE developed and piloted a virtual workshop to help Career Technical Education (CTE) leaders at the state and local level identify and address access and equity gaps using data. This initiative supports the realization of Principle 2 of the CTE Without Limits vision where each learner feels welcome in, is supported by and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem.

The workshop includes five major components that build upon the requirements — as well as opportunities — laid out in the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) to help state and local leaders operationalize the commitments set in their state plans:

Raising awareness,
Data analysis
Root cause analysis
Identification of practical strategies, and
Action planning.

The first workshop cohort of 10 states launched September 2021 after successful pilots were conducted in New Jersey, Florida and Minnesota the previous year. Initially a one-day, five-hour training, the workshop now provides two four-hour training sessions on the materials created for state CTE leaders to in turn train their staff, regional coordinators and local education agencies. Participant receive the following materials:

Facilitator Guide – Virtual or in-person instructions.
PowerPoint Deck Template – Customizable slide deck for participant use.
Participant Workbook – Activities and additional step-by-step instructions.
Opportunity Gap Analysis Dashboard Template – Fillable pre-formatted Excel spreadsheet with graphs, a heat map, and instructions on data entry and comparison groups.
Practical Strategies Resource – Warehouse of evidence based strategies to align to identified root causes.
Action Planning Template – Facilitation tool to encourage stakeholders connection and collaboration.

Upon completion of the workshop, participants are required to plan and deliver the workshops in their states; evaluate the effectiveness of the workshop using a provided survey for their in-state participants to share with Advance CTE; and complete a six-month and 12-month survey to report any changes in CTE policies and procedures.

Workshop Benefits and Outcomes

Collaborative Spaces and Technical Assistance: The effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the education system has led to a reduced capacity of state CTE teams, which prompted Advance CTE to increase the intensity of technical assistance provided to states. Advance CTE staff launched a series of monthly community of practice calls to connect states with common challenges and to workshop solutions. To provide states with more time to plan and deliver their own in-state trainings, the cohort’s timeline was extended from three to six months.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The workshop provides participants with foundational knowledge of equity prior to delving into data analysis. For example, the first objective — raising awareness — consists of developing an equity baseline for participants by reviewing the definitions for diversity, equity and inclusion; examining equity vs equality; and addressing the concept of deficit based thinking in comparison to strength based analysis. The workshop format allows for participant processing time on equity concepts, gives time for states to fully meet all five objectives, and allows the incorporation of another Advance CTE resource, Brave Dialogues: A Guide to Discussing Racial Equity in Career Technical Education.

Data Analysis Training and Dashboard Development: Mock data (from the fictitious Heartland Public Schools and Heartland Community College) is used to mitigate the often difficult conversations associated with participants reviewing their data and keeps the focus on workshop training concepts and applications. The workshop facilitators intentionally meet states where they are in their data journey. Some states have data disaggregated by student sub-groups, but may not have data elements available for programs of study level analysis. The fillable Excel spreadsheet provided to participants is customizable and allows for Career Cluster level analysis. The identification of an opportunity gap narrows the scope of the analysis; however, a statewide, regional, institutional, school district, or campus analysis is possible using the dashboard template. An additional work-based learning (WBL) dashboard was developed upon request and is available for states to examine equitable access to and completion of industry-recognized certifications.

Analysis and Action Planning: For data to be an effective storytelling tool, participants have to recognize and be willing to interpret a point gap analysis through an equity-minded lens using data disaggregated by race, gender and ethnicity as well as the special population categories identified in Perkins V.

Providing workshop participants with a list of practical strategies, which are then selected based on a root cause analysis, increased the availability of resources states could offer local education agencies due to in-state dissemination of workshop materials. The accompanying action planning template and design allows state and local leaders to engage stakeholders with a structured process for developing solutions to gaps in access to high-quality CTE programming for marginalized learners.

Next Steps

The launch of cohort two in June of 2022 offered an opportunity to overlap communities of practice and allowed cohort two participating states to collaborate with states from the inaugural cohort. Currently Advance CTE is accepting applications for cohort three of the initiative and anticipates actively overlapping cohorts two and three into collaborative communities of practice. The cohort three application closes September 2, 2022.

Dr. Kevin Johnson, Sr., Senior Advisor

By Stacy Whitehouse in Advance CTE Resources
Tags: Access and Equity, dashboards, Data and Accountability, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, Opportunity Gap, Perkins V, Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

New Tracker Reveals Diverse State Approaches to Work-Based Learning Design

Monday, June 20th, 2022

Advance CTE’s newly released State Work-Based Learning Toolkit Innovation Tracker links publicly accessible WBL toolkits from across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Well-crafted WBL toolkits allow school districts and industry partners to work together to create a pipeline of career pathways and empower state leaders to ensure that learners have equitable access to programs offering real-world work experience.

The tracker highlights each toolkit’s content across the following categories:

The State Work-Based Learning Toolkit Tracker Analysis provides additional insight into the tracker by highlighting six-state innovations for addressing key program quality components such as equity, data collection, and employer accountability. Below is an example of the kind of analyses featured in the report:

Maryland

Definition: Work-based learning is defined as “…an instructional strategy that enhances classroom learning by connecting it to the workplace” (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Work-based learning experiences and programs are traditionally exemplified by job shadowing, internships, and student-based enterprises, and can include an even broader range of related experiences. Work-based learning experiences allow students to “…explore a variety of career options [and] connect the classrooms to the skills needed to be successful in the workplace… [The experiences] are supported by consistent mentoring.”
Innovative Practice: In addition to emphasizing examples of best practices in designing a work-based learning program through attention-grabbing graphics, such as interest surveys, Maryland has an extensive list of work-based learning-related resources available. This allows CTE administrators, teachers, and employers to build a working knowledge of the science behind work-based learning, internalize the benefits, and better understand how to optimize the experiences for learners. An intentionally designed program means learners will be able to gain the skills they need to successfully navigate their program and enter the workforce fully prepared to contribute.

Through the analysis of 41 publicly available toolkits, several data points emerged regarding the breadth of components found across states:

State toolkits were organized across multiple approaches, including dedicated websites, comprehensive manual documents, and an online training course in Nebraska.
Twenty-two state toolkits provided a sample State Learning Plan to guide employers and educators to fully count knowledge and skills gained through the work-based learning experience. Minnesota provided course sequence recommendations to align career seminar courses with work-based learning.
Twenty-three state toolkits provided employer resources, including sample forms, training documents, liability guidance, and sample evaluations. Alaska, Georgia and Ohio provided extensive resources on labor laws and liability guidance.

One area for improvement that emerged through the analysis was regarding specific support to achieve equitable access to work-based learning for each learner. Very few had toolkits, or linked resources, in multiple languages. Additionally, not all toolkits addressed learners with disabilities. Tracking these toolkits allows Advance CTE to identify additional areas to support, creating equitable frameworks of work-based learning programs for their districts. Last year, Advance CTE released a framework to guide states in building infrastructure that advances access to and completion of equitable work-based learning.

Updates to the tracker will be made quarterly. The analysis and tracker are available for viewing in the Resource Center.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate

By Stacy Whitehouse in Publications
Tags: Alaska, Equity and Access, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Skills ready network, Ohio, Program Quality, work-based learning

Getting to Know the Advance CTE – ECMCF Fellows

Thursday, December 16th, 2021

In November, Advance CTE and ECMC Foundation announced the inaugural cohort of The Postsecondary State Career Technical Education (CTE) Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation. The Advance CTE – ECMCF Fellows include representation across multiple demographic categories which emphasizes 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.

Over the next few months, this blog series will introduce each Fellow who represents 12 states and are 13 professionals of color.

Carlos Lopez (Colorado) has over a decade of experience as an instructor, program coordinator and academic advisor at secondary and postsecondary institutions focused on historically marginalized learners. Carlos currently serves as the Associate Dean for the College of Health Sciences and Administration at Emily Griffith Technical College. They earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver and master’s degrees in Liberal Arts and Education Leadership and Policy Studies, Higher Education from St. John’s College – Santa Fe and University of Texas – San Antonio, respectively.

Curtis Scales (Arkansas) began his career in management training in the healthcare industry and translated his passion for wellness and supporting underserved populations into a career in education. He currently serves as the Program Manager for Special Populations at the Arkansas Department of Education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Administration from the University of Arkansas, and master’s degrees in Management and Leadership and Human Resource Management from Webster University.

Dr. Dimitria Harding (Minnesota) has over 15 years of experience in the CTE field working as a cytotechnologist before pursuing a career in higher education. Dr. Harding currently serves as a Dean of Health Sciences and Career and Technical Education at Minnesota State College. She received a bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a master’s degree in Community Health from Old Dominion University, and a doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

Click here to learn more about the Fellowship and each Fellow.

Brittany Cannady, Senior Associate Digital Media

By admin in Uncategorized
Tags: Arkansas, Colorado, CTE Leadership, Minnesota, postsecondary cte, PSCTE Fellowship

This Week in CTE

Saturday, May 22nd, 2021

Developed with input from nearly 200 national, state and local education and workforce development leaders and supported by 40 national organizations, Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education lays out five inter-connected and equally critical principles.

Only through shared commitment and shared ownership among leaders and practitioners at all levels can we realize the possibility and aspiration of a new career preparation ecosystem that provides each learner with limitless opportunity. The This Week in CTE blog series will highlight state and local examples where CTE Without Limits has been made actionable. If you would like to share how your Career Technical Education (CTE) program creates limitless opportunities for each learner in this blog series, please email Brittany Cannady, [email protected].

This Week in CTE: May 17-21, 2021

Each learner engages in a cohesive, flexible and responsive career preparation ecosystem

“Tennessee is investing $30 million to encourage school districts to reimagine the possible and create innovative, high-impact high school experiences for all students by developing strategic partnerships with business and industry in their local community,” said Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn.

21 school districts in Tennessee will receive grants for the new Innovative High School Models program. The goal of this new program is to intentionally connect Tennessee public school districts, postsecondary institutions and local employers to work together and create a career preparation ecosystem for each learner.

This grant program is funded with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) stimulus funding.

Each learner feels welcome in, is supported by and has the means to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem

Congratulations to the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) 2021 grant r ecipients! Advance CTE is proud to be a PAYA National Partner and excited to watch the grantees launch opportunities that build more inclusive local and regional economies.

Youth apprenticeships will be an extremely important strategy in ensuring each learner has the skills and supports needed to succeed in the career preparation ecosystem and the career of their choice. Not only do they provide opportunities for young people to access affordable postsecondary credentials, they also allow employers to tap into a rising generation of talent. The 17 PAYA grantees will expand their programs over the next 18 months as they develop ambitious strategies, accelerate implementation and connect with partners to expand and strengthen the field of youth apprenticeship.

Advance CTE recently published the first blog in a series in partnership with New America through the PAYA network. The blog series will highlight how the PAYA sites are using data to improve youth apprenticeship quality and equity.

Each learner skillfully navigates their own career journey

Culper Technical Education Center (CTEC) in Virginia has an intentional focus on preparing each learner for their future careers through hands-on instruction and authentic workplace experiences. Learners enrolled as a CTEC student commute from their home school to participate in CTE programs, on-site, for half of their school day.

This week, we congratulate learners who have made the decision to begin the next step in their career journey at CTEC!

Our @culpeperschools #CTE Signing Day begins at 10am. We are so excited to celebrate our #Enlisted and #Employed!#CareerReady #LifeReady #CTEWorks pic.twitter.com/1nkNRLZaOL

— CTE4CCPS (@CTE4CCPS) May 20, 2021

Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 57th class of U.S. Presidential scholars. This week we continue to celebrate the accomplishments of those receiving this honor, particularly the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career Technical Education.

This year, Raymond A. Slifer of Quakertown Senior High School became Pennsylvania’s first-ever CTE student to receive the award.

“I am proud of Raymond for becoming Pennsylvania’s first U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education since the inclusion of CTE in the Presidential Scholars program in 2015,” said PDE’s Director of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education Lee Burket.

“Raymond demonstrated his academic accomplishments, ingenuity, and problem-solving, and is being recognized at the national level. I congratulate him for being an outstanding student who demonstrates excellence in CTE.”

Each learner can access CTE without borders

Four mentoring programs based in California, Iowa, Massachusetts and Minnesota have been an asset for learners amidst barriers presented by the pandemic. Regardless of social distancing guidelines and mandates, virtual mentoring opportunities still provided learners with access to networking, financial literacy, training for workplace skills and more.

This article published by The 74 shares more about how youth across borders, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, were able to connect to adult mentors during the pandemic through the networks provided by these programs.