Director of Membership Engagement and Professional Learning Dr. Stephanie Perkins shares Advance CTE’s progress in fully supporting members and elevating CTE in policy and practice in state and federal and policy.
Career Technical Education (CTE) continues to be a leading state and federal policy solution to both bridge and address transformations in learning and work. CTE’s next era requires maximizing its quality and innovation to remain a go-to experience that can reach and support every learner and community. As the oldest national association of State CTE Directors and related professionals, Advance CTE has continued to grow and adapt to meet the needs of our members and advance the work of CTE Without Limit for the CTE community.
Our newly released 2023 Annual Report highlights that progress and preparation for CTE’s Next Era for both our organization and our members.
Keep reading to see five ways Advance CTE continues to support our members while challenging the field by leading on equity, influencing federal policy, building community and knowledge, and providing impactful tools and resources.
Supporting CTE Leaders and Learners
As our members work to ensure that all learners have access to high-quality, equitable CTE, we strive to meet each state where they are in this journey. In 2023, our focus for supporting CTE leaders and learners focused on continuing our high-quality member experiences, building diverse
CTE leadership and workforce pipelines, and elevating learner voice. Our members continue to see value in their membership and look for a variety of ways to engage.
Engaging and Connecting Members
Bringing together our members in person and virtually provides the opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned to address common challenges and improve outcomes for CTE learners. In Spring of 2023 we gathered over 200 CTE leaders to discuss opportunities, challenges, and shared solutions around various topics of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) in preparation for state plan revisions. Our members were very satisfied with the structure of these meetings, finding it a very useful space to work with their state teams on Perkins processes and gather ideas from their peers. In event evaluation, 100 percent of responding attendees reported that meetings were an “extremely valuable” or “valuable” use of their time.
Additionally, we provided direct support and engagement to 44 states through our technical assistance efforts and workgroups. These spaces allowed for innovations and resources that benefit the entire CTE community.
Leading National Conversations
In 2023, we continued to drive innovation in CTE policy and practice and position CTE as an essential strategy to meet education, workforce, and economic needs. Seventy-seven percent of Advance CTE’s recommendations for modernizing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization were reflected in a proposed reauthorization last fall. We also continued to build more CTE champions on Capitol Hill, where support for the CTE Month resolution has doubled since 2021.
Additional Resources
Advance CTE’s Annual Report is just one of the ways for our members to understand the impact this work has on the CTE community. We encourage you to continue to engage with us in various ways by staying up to date with future events found on the membership portal. Additionally, we have several tools for members to find resources through:
On behalf of the entire Advance CTE team, we look forward to engaging with you in the future!
Dr. Stephanie Perkins, Director of Membership Engagement and Professional Learning
Kyllie discovered her passion for CTE in the classroom as a culinary instructor of 15 years and fondly recalls seeing her high school learners’ “faces [light up] when they made something” as they gained valuable skills in her classes. “Some [learners] hadn’t even washed a dish before.”
Beth Hargis was named the Kentucky Department of Education’s Associate Commissioner in the Office of Career and Technical Education and State CTE Director last year. In Kentucky, Career Technical Education (CTE) is housed in the Kentucky Department of Education, where the Office oversees middle grades and secondary CTE, youth and registered apprenticeships and the area technical center system.
During her 37-year career as an educator, Dr. Quincie Moore taught both math and computer science, helping to bridge the connection between math and technology for her students. “I was a [Career and Technical Education] CATE teacher and I didn’t even know it,” Quincie said. After getting her Masters in Business Administration, Quincie moved into school administration, first as an assistant principal, followed by a middle and high school principal across multiple districts. Quincie advanced to Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and then returned to her home district as the Superintendent.
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).
