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Posts Tagged ‘state policy’

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College in High School Series: Using Perkins Reserve Funds to Support Dual Enrollment CTE Programs

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023

Montana is looking at innovative ways to support its career technical education (CTE) early post-secondary opportunities by giving learners earlier access to dual enrollment offerings. This blog features Montana and the use of Perkins funding to expand access to dual enrollment opportunities for all CTE learners.  

Using Perkins Reserve Funds to Support Dual Enrollment CTE Programs

In 2018, the Strengthening Career Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) increased state reserve funds from 10 to 15 percent. Reserve funds must be used to foster innovation in Career Technical Education (CTE) and promote program alignment with high-skill, high-wage or in-demand careers. States have flexibility with how they allocate reserve funds and there is opportunity for local and regional areas to develop and expand early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs) and invest in enhancing secondary to postsecondary transitions to ensure credit transfer or articulation for more learners.

Montana under the Montana Board of Regents, has used reserve funds to drive college acceleration through early postsecondary CTE opportunities in the state and increase secondary to postsecondary articulation agreements. As a result, Montana saw significant increases in dual enrollment participants and their program success rates. According to the Montana Perkins V State Plan, the number of learners taking dual enrollment courses doubled from 2014 to 2018, while the number of dual enrollment learners matriculating into a Montana University System institution tripled.

The state uses a competitive Perkins Reserve grant process to support the Montana Career Pathways (MCP) initiative – to increase awareness of secondary CTE programs and activities, as well as options for postsecondary degrees and credentials that align to the learner’s pathway. Competitive grants are available to tribal colleges, two-year colleges, community colleges and consortia.

Recipients can use Perkins Reserve grant funds to employ full-time dual enrollment coordinators and CTE dual enrollment exploratory activities. The coordinators serve as liaisons between secondary and postsecondary institutions and work closely with learners in helping them identify a pathway related to a career in a program their institution offers. In addition, coordinators serve as liaisons between faculty and staff and create collaborative spaces for secondary and postsecondary faculty by facilitating meetings to discuss articulation agreements and course transfer as well as collaboration with business and industry. Grant funds also allow for recipients to create CTE career exploration activities that connect secondary (middle and high school learners) with postsecondary learners, and staff to local industry partners for hands-on and meaningful CTE experiences.

Since the initial allotment of Perkins Reserve funds (under Montana’s previous state plan) has been hugely successful statewide, the Department has decided to continue the allotment into their updated Perkins V State Plan, strengthening and scaling its offerings while specifically committing to work with tribal colleges and special population learners. As such, the state continues to prioritize funding activities related to career exploration, CTE dual enrollment, and promotion of state-level CTE programs of study such as Montana Career Pathways, industry-recognized credential attainment and work-based learning opportunities. 

To learn more about how CTE early postsecondary opportunities such as dual enrollment serve learners, check out Advance CTE’s resource on Intentional Acts of Dual Enrollment: State Strategies for Scaling Early Postsecondary Opportunities in Career Pathways.

For more in-depth information on Montana’s work, please visit the following resources: State of EPSO, Montana Perkins Plan, Montana State Plan

Suela Cela, Senior Policy Associate

 

By Layla Alagic in CTE Without Limits
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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.

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.

  1. The State of CTE: Early Postsecondary Opportunities
  2. Unlocking Potential

 

Suela Cela, Senior Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in CTE Without Limits
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State CTE Policy Update: Expansion and Growth in Idaho CTE

Tuesday, May 30th, 2023

Idaho is looking at innovative ways to support its career technical education (CTE) ecosystem by giving learners earlier access to CTE opportunities. However, they are also focused on matching program design with local workforce needs. One piece of legislation passed during the 2023 legislative session explores an innovative approach to both approving and funding local CTE programs. 

On March 31, 2023, Idaho’s governor signed into law House Bill 267 which established the Idaho Career Ready Students Program. This program creates additional opportunities for students in grades seven through twelve to experience CTE through the creation of an eleven-person governing council and a pool of grant funding to be given to new CTE programs proposed by local education agencies (LEAs). This is a supplemental, separate initiative from the state’s current CTE program of study approval process. 

The primary function of this council is to determine the eligibility of CTE programs at an individual or regional level. They will also be tasked with determining the costs associated with building these programs, including any initial costs of investing in industry partnerships and local school systems. Additionally, they will have access to $10 million in grant money to invest in the expansion and modernization of CTE programs which will be divided evenly between secondary and postsecondary opportunities.

This council will also oversee an ongoing $5 million in funding to invest in middle school CTE, including ensuring that students in grades seven and eight receive career exploration opportunities. Middle school learners will be expected to complete a learner plan as part of their “first step standards,” a plan to align their high school experiences with their choices in career exploration.

The eleven-member council is housed within the Department of Education that is led by the state superintendent of public instruction. Council membership consists of the CTE state director, two secondary-level CTE instructors, one postsecondary CTE instructor, three governor-appointed industry representatives, one representative from the Idaho workforce development council, one member of the state House of Representatives as appointed by the speaker, as well as one member of the state senate as appointed by the president pro tempore of the state senate.

Through this law, the goal is to create 180 new local CTE programs as well as provide financial literacy courses to all high school seniors. This works in conjunction with Idaho’s continuing investment in CTE, which is to facilitate an overall increase in funding to $34 million from 2020-2024. The council must also develop a long-term method to fund successful programs through the creation of an added-cost funding formula. The state superintendent, along with the state CTE director, is required to provide reports to the legislature on both program effectiveness and any added costs.

Appropriating funding for middle school CTE programming is an action many states are beginning to look into since the earlier learners have exposure to different career pathways, the more likely they are to embrace pathways outside of the ones they witness in their immediate environment. Allowing experts from the secondary and postsecondary CTE field, experts representing state workforce needs and the legislature to work together to disseminate the funding creates an interesting opportunity to collaboratively steer local CTE programs in the direction learners need to thrive in the workforce. This policy is an innovative way to leverage the expertise of those leading Idaho forward in workforce development and CTE through funding that states may be interested in adapting.

Connect to the 2022 Year in Review for additional ideas for innovative funding policies.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Public Policy
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State CTE Policy Update: Addressing Learners Experiencing Homelessness in Illinois

Friday, April 28th, 2023

Advance CTE is committed to supporting states as they build cohesive, flexible and responsive Career Technical Education (CTE) ecosystems. With that responsiveness, comes a responsibility to provide quality CTE programs and interventions for learners that exist on the margin of society. One important group of learners that exists on the margin is students experiencing homelessness.

According to the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), students experiencing homelessness are entitled to the same CTE services as all other students, including programs and services that are designed to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage and in-demand careers. CTE programs provide an additional pathway for these students to achieve success in the workforce that can help reate the stability they need. Illinois seeks to address this issue through S.B. 0190, which passed in 2021.

S.B. 0190 or The Higher Education Housing and Opportunities Act is a sweeping piece of legislation that requires a designated staff member at any “publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, business, technical or vocational school, or other educational institution offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level,” to serve as liaison to youth experiencing homelessness and youth in the care of the state attending their institution. 

The institution must create a separate liaison position dedicated to providing the wraparound support those students need to matriculate successfully should, after three years of tracking and reporting the homeless youth attending, that population be two percent or higher. The law defines homelessness as not having access to a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. On-campus housing is excluded from this definition. 

The liaison’s main roles are: 

  1. To provide support with applying for Federal and state financial aid or other programs.
  2. To identify services and resources that are available to and appropriate for a student experiencing homelessness.
  3. To track and monitor the graduation rate and retention rate of learners defined by the law as “homeless students and students in care” enrolled at the institution.
  4. To report annually to the Board of Higher Education or the Illinois Community College Board, as appropriate, the number of students experiencing homelessness and students in care enrolled at the institution.
  5. To act as an intermediary between a student experiencing homelessness or student in care and the office of financial aid, student support services and campus housing services.
  6. To connect a student experiencing homelessness or student in care to a local continuum of care program.
  7. To develop a plan to provide access to on-campus housing or to suitable off-campus housing between academic breaks to students experiencing homelessness or students in care enrolled at the institution.
  8. To train the institution’s employees to identify students experiencing homelessness and to refer those students to the liaison.

 

The Higher Education Housing and Opportunities Act also requires The Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board to provide access to a training program that was developed by a homeless advocacy agency to ensure staff has the capacity to serve these students. They must also provide yearly training for liaisons and collaborate with the State Coordinator for McKinney-Vento Homeless Education to facilitate the transition of students experiencing homelessness from secondary to postsecondary education.

Finally, the law requires institutions to prioritize students experiencing homelessness or students in care when it comes to on-campus housing, including housing that is open during breaks (and to waive fees for on-campus housing during breaks.) This also includes allowing part-time students experiencing homelessness access to on-campus housing and the mandate to include their services to these students in their financial aid packets.

Illinois has managed to create a robust law that will serve a population that often gets overlooked in discussions of access and equity. With designated staff and liaisons invested in their care, students experiencing homelessness will have a stronger chance to succeed in the CTE programs they enroll in.

This legislation is designed to provide CTE learners of Illinois with better opportunities of entering the workforce and move past the housing insecurities they may have experienced. States can use this as a model of their own; creating a dedicated staff member to serve as liaison to these learners, creating reporting and accountability models and building in immediate responsiveness to the need for a permanent position to provide supports for students experiencing homelessness.

For more information on identifying common barriers to high-quality CTE and for additional strategies on how CTE and education leaders can work together to increase access and success in CTE programs for youth experiencing homelessness, read Making Good on the Promise: Improving Equity in and Access to Quality CTE Programs for Students Experiencing Homelessness.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate

By Jodi Langellotti in Public Policy
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Advance CTE and ACTE Release 10th Annual Year in Review Report

Thursday, February 9th, 2023

This month, Advance CTE, in partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE,) has released the 2022 Year In Review, the tenth report of its kind. This report is a snapshot of Career Technical Education (CTE) legislation around the country, passed in 2022 through states’ respective legislatures. Designed to support state policymakers and other interested stakeholders, the Year In Review report offers the opportunity to see what solutions to common themes have been implemented and where. 

Containing 123 policies enacted in 36 states, the report elevates innovative and particularly effective legislation across common policy themes, with healthcare being particularly prevalent with policymakers. As per previous reports, the Year In Review also lists highlights from the top five policy areas from 2022 which are:

For a more in-depth look at all of the enacted policies for this year, we have provided this accompanying online tracker, which allows users to search and filter for the policies they are looking for. 

CTE leaders are encouraged to use the tracker and state highlight to consider how to apply these innovations in their states and communities to realize the CTE Without Limits vision framework. The following policies align with two principles where state leaders have expressed interest in increased action policy in both policy and practice: 

Principle 4: Each learner’s skills are counted, valued, and portable

West Virginia mandated that the State Board of Education shall establish, develop, and maintain a program where students can earn up to six elective course credits for extended learning opportunities that take place outside of the traditional classroom setting. These experiences must be approved by the State Board of Education, and all teachers are required to have a background check. Each extended learning program will be evaluated at the end of its first year; if it meets the requirements, it may be approved for an additional five years. Students may receive transfer credits for extended learning programs.

Principle 5: Each learner can access CTE without borders

Kentucky established a virtual computer science career academy, implemented by nonprofit group WeLeadCS, to prepare high school students for careers in computing, particularly in the field of data science. The program will be delivered by teachers in a virtual, synchronous manner and will provide opportunities related to dual college credit, industry certifications and work-based learning. WeLeadCS must recruit and train certified teachers; collaborate with the Kentucky Center for Statistics to define workforce needs and opportunities; partner with employers, K-12 and postsecondary educations to develop initiatives to raise awareness of the program; and advise students in the academy about postsecondary degree opportunities, among other responsibilities.

Read the report to explore 18 state policy highlights and a longitudinal view of CTE policies passed in the last ten years. To celebrate this milestone, Advance CTE will be taking a look back at some of these policies and analyzing their effect on their CTE landscapes specifically through our CTE Without Limits vision framework throughout the year.

The 2022 Year in Review can be found here. Previous Year In Review reports may be found here.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate

By Stacy Whitehouse in Advance CTE Resources, Public Policy, Publications
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2022 Advance Fall Meeting Recap – Forward Together: Amplifying Voices of CTE Leaders

Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

Advance CTE’s 2022 Fall Meeting included five breakout sessions that connected timely topics of advocacy of CTE, equipping attendees with strategies to elevate their voice and the voices of learners and partners to advance high-quality, equitable policies. 

This post provides a recap of top strategies and resources shared in each breakout, which featured speakers from state teams, national non-profits, philanthropy and education research and communications.

Engaging Policymakers to Create CTE Champions

With over 30 gubernatorial elections and legislative elections in all but four states, 2022 will likely lead to major changes and transitions in the year ahead for education leadership. Speakers from Education Commission of the States, Advance CTE and the state of Washington provided guidance and tips to successfully prepare for and navigate these transitions. In particular, state CTE leaders should focus on identifying their core messages on the value of CTE, conducting research on what newly elected leaders care most about (and what CTE success stories can be shared from their home districts or communities), and leveraging ambassadors and partners to help carry forward priorities and get the ear of new leaders and their transition teams. 

Moving Beyond a Seat at the Table: Advancing CTE through Partnerships and Collaboration

The intersectionality of CTE leads the creation of high-quality partnerships to be not just good strategy but a necessity. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Achieving the Dream, both national partners of Advance CTE, shared best strategies to create partnerships that will better deploy and connect federal state and philanthropic resources, and ultimately address gaps that impede the success of learners. Speakers emphasized that successful partnerships must have shared objectives and mutual needs. When asked about the conditions philanthropic organizations seek when investing in a new partnership, three main areas are identified: flexibility, having the right individuals at the table and bought in, and an understanding that the partnership is not a product bought but rather an opportunity to create connections.

Connecting Data and Learner Voice for Next-Level Storytelling

This session featuring Advance CTE and Edge Research inspired attendees to amplify learner outcome data and testimonials to create impactful data stories. Attendees were reminded to be in the driver’s seat on creating data ‘headlines’’ and to be proactive in addressing assumptions others might make about data. First step routines were also provided, such as mapping schedules for quantitative and qualitative data collection, quantitative data reporting and qualitative data access opportunities and comparing timelines with storytelling opportunities. 

Edge Research provided storytelling tips — one included creating three to five headlines that encompass a data point audiences might not expect, highlight the most urgent findings, and provide a call to action. It is important to humanize qualitative data through phrases such as ‘1 out of X families’ or ‘X number of children need Y’. 

 

Advancing Your State’s CTE Goals through State Legislative Policy

Georgia and Advance CTE discussed effective processes and tools to leverage state legislative policy to advance CTE initiatives. You can find the high-level trends of 2021 state CTE policies documented in Advance CTE and ACTE’s Year in Review. Georgia shared the importance of having a concrete policy agenda and consistently involving stakeholders including the state’s ACTE chapter and state CTSO leadership, in its formulation and execution. They also emphasized the importance of leveraging the learner voice in demonstrating CTE’s value to legislators: “Figure out what they want, and show it to them.”

Supporting Visionary Local CTE Leadership

“Relationship building is the foundation of a robust CTE leaders onboarding system,” stated Dr. Valeria Williams, Director of CTE at the Mississippi Community College Board when explaining the key to successful support of local CTE leaders. Dr. Williams and Cathie Raymond, the State CTE Director in Arizona, provided insight on developing strong onboarding programs for local CTE leaders. Attendees were encouraged to plan early for onboarding to start before the new school/academic year and remain accessible to CTE leaders year-round through intentional technical assistance and convenings. Although CTE leader turnover is high, best practices were shared with the reminder of how retention starts early through identification and empowerment of outstanding teachers to stay in the field and eventually transition into CTE leadership roles, with a critical focus on diversifying leadership pipelines. 

Advance CTE provides a plethora of resources to support CTE leaders in amplifying their voice and impact, including tools to communicate data, communicate with families and engage with policymakers and employers. 

Stacy Whitehouse, Senior Associate Communications and State Engagement 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Advance CTE Fall Meeting
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State CTE Policy Update: Exploring Louisiana’s Back on Track Pilot Program for Justice-Connected Learners

Thursday, September 1st, 2022

State Career Technical Education (CTE) policy initiatives and programs vary across the nation; innovations across states can offer helpful insights for state CTE leaders to continue to support each learner’s path to success in the career of their choice without limits.  

This post provides an overview of Louisiana’s recently enacted Act 370 (H.B. 323) 2022 Regular Session, known as the “Back On Track Louisiana Pilot Program”, and how it connects with CTE programs to support justice-connected individuals.

The “Back On Track Louisiana Pilot Program” aims to reduce recidivism in Louisiana by offering incarcerated individuals the tools they need, such as driver’s licenses and bank accounts, to skillfully navigate their reentry into the workforce. It also provides a CTE funding mechanism and establishes a mandate for data accountability within correctional education spaces.

Program Background 

This legislation stands out as an innovative means to not only incentivize high-quality correctional education programs by rewarding outcomes with additional funding. It allows for the flexibility needed to make the program effective for individual populations and meet each program’s needs. With the appropriate connections between state agencies such as the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) and the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC) can leverage industry partnerships and maximize the effectiveness of the credential programs they offer within their correctional facilities. 

With the “Back On Track Louisiana Pilot Program”, justice-involved learners who are incarcerated will have the opportunity to earn multiple credentials of value that align with Louisiana’s Industry Based Credential (IBC) Focus List compiled by the Louisiana IBC Council. These credentials of value ensure learners are prepared for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations that support the future workforce of the state. This effort aligns with other funding mechanisms to support correctional education and high-quality programs such as the state’s utilization of Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) federal funds. In Louisiana, the state allocates a portion of its Perkins funds to DPSC to ensure learners experiencing unique circumstances such as incarceration have access to relevant workforce education and training. Offering learners in correctional facilities the opportunity to explore career pathways will not only allow them to reenter the workforce and their communities as a whole but will also strengthen CTE programming in an often overlooked population.

Funding Flexibility 

The legislation provides guidelines for funding and accountability while also establishing a framework for sheriffs to personalize their programs. The language of the law requires jails and prisons to collect the information of participating incarcerated and paroled individuals regarding specific success metrics. While these metrics track measures for these individuals to successfully reintegrate into their communities, there are several explicitly targeting CTE initiatives, namely whether the inmate: 

To ensure each sheriff has a scalable funding system for their program, DPSC calculates half of the average number of days of incarceration of the enrolled individual multiplied by the amount the Department pays the sheriff each day for the housing of inmates in parish jails. As an additional incentive for the successful execution of the program, sheriffs will receive a bonus stipend per incarcerated individual based on the percentage of targets successfully attained. Funds will be used for equipment, instructional materials and instructors, allowing smaller programs to flourish as well as larger programs. 

Program Customization 

Authority for this legislation is housed at the DPSC, which already offers ten programs eligible for Perkins V funding: Automotive Technology, Building Technology, Carpentry, Collision Repair, Construction Project Management, Electrician, Heavy Equipment Operator, HVAC, Small Engine, and Welding. The prison system has employed a method to train and hire correctional facility instructors for the Industry Based Credential (IBC) classes offered at each facility. Each participating facility ensures that all justice-connected tutors/instructors remain up to date in their training by providing funding to renew all pertinent certifications, as needed. CTE instructors are supervised by a prison education coordinator who is responsible for maintaining the cohesiveness of the entire education department.

The “Back On Track Louisiana Pilot Program” is a new initiative seeking to provide more accessible and equitable CTE credential programs to justice-involved learners. The following resources provide additional on connections between CTE and corrections education: 

Brice Thomas, M.Ed, Policy Associate

*Special thanks to Dr. Brittney Baptiste Williams, State Director for Career and Technical Education, Louisiana for her insights that contributed to this post. 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Public Policy
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Welcome Amy Hodge to Advance CTE!

Tuesday, June 28th, 2022

My name is Amy Hodge, and I am excited to part of the Advance CTE team as a Policy Associate. In my role, I will support a variety of projects such as as the state policy strategy and data initiative and the Postsecondary State CTE Leaders Fellowship at Advance CTE⁠—Sponsored by ECMC Foundation. I will also contribute to member engagement and outreach activities.

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and I earned my undergraduate degree in general social science from the University of Oregon. After graduation, I taught middle school writing and social studies at KIPP Texas-Austin. Working in the classroom was immensely formative for my professional aspirations, as I saw a distinct need for hands-on learning that allowed students to make connections between their experiences in the classroom and real-world careers.

In 2019, I moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue my Masters in Public Policy at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Through my coursework and professional experiences working as a Graduate Assistant with the Tennessee Board of Regents, I had the opportunity to build my knowledge of the postsecondary pathways that are so vital to the health and longevity of state economies. After graduation, I had the opportunity to serve as a Policy and Advocacy Fellow with the Urban Leaders Fellowship in Kansas City, Missouri. This experience was invaluable as it allowed me to work as both a policy consultant and conduct advocacy research for the Kansas City Social Innovation Center (KCSIC) around micro-credentialing.

As a policy consultant for State Senator Lauren Arthur, I conducted research and led state-level stakeholder interviews to formulate policy recommendations for her legislation on school accountability reform. My work with KCSIC focused on analyzing peer program outcomes to identify high-impact practices that drive competency-based systems within formal education systems.

Last summer, I moved back home to Oregon to join Education Northwest as an Associate in Project Management and Applied Research. I am eager to begin this exciting new chapter with Advance CTE!

Outside of the office, I enjoy live music, exploring Oregon’s wine country and forcing affection on my two cats.

Amy Hodge, Policy Associate 

By Stacy Whitehouse in Uncategorized
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Welcome Brice Thomas to Advance CTE!

Tuesday, May 17th, 2022

Hello!

My name is Brice Thomas and I’m excited to be a part of the Advance CTE team. I serve as a policy associate directly supporting Advance CTE’s state policy initiatives. I lead state policy tracking for legislation impacting Career Technical Education (CTE) while also contributing to projects including research and resource management associated with building high-quality career pathways. I also manage the Learning that Works Resource Center.

I received my undergraduate degree in Business Administration but was immediately drawn to working in education, serving as a college registrar. I also worked as a membership associate for a trade association and served as a regional organizer for a major political campaign. After which I realized education was truly my passion. Most recently, I was as an elementary school teacher for five years. During this time in my professional career journey, I completed my Master’s in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. I’m excited to bring my varied experiences and perspective to support Advance CTE’s members and CTE learners.
Outside of work I’m known to sing a bit of karaoke, explore museums, discover new restaurants, write poetry, or go on misadventures with my friends.

Brice Thomas, Policy Associate

By admin in Uncategorized
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Equip, Empower, Elevate: Advance CTE’s 2021 Annual Report

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

In June 2021, the Advance CTE and The Center to Advance CTE’s Boards of Directors unanimously approved a new three-year strategic plan with three key strategic priorities — to EQUIP Advance CTE to lead with a focus on quality and equity, EMPOWER members to realize the CTE Without Limits vision, and ELEVATE high-quality and equitable CTE.

As we reflect on 2021, we are excited to share the collective progress we made towards accomplishing these strategic priorities. In 2021, Advance CTE and its members: 

Looking ahead to 2022:

View Advance CTE’s 2021 Annual Report: careertech.org/who-we-are 

Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director 

By admin in Advance CTE Announcements
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