Career and Technical Education for College and Career Readiness —
Convergence of Academics and CTE
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Education without meaning is quickly forgotten. Career and technical education (CTE) provides students with real-world applications of skills and knowledge that is often lacking in classrooms focused solely on academics. Thus, CTE enables students to retain their knowledge, which typically improves their performance on state academic tests.
The purposes of Career and Technical Education for College and Career Readiness — Convergence of Academics and CTE are to:
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The ability of students to apply their knowledge will be tested on the assessments that will accompany the new Common Core State Standards, making the convergence of academics and CTE imperative.
Overview of Contents Chapter 1: Changing Skills for a Changing Economy describes the rich history of CTE and the role it has played during difficult economic times. It stresses the importance of updating CTE programs to provide students with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of a technology-oriented society. Career pathways are introduced as a means for aligning rigorous and relevant education for all students. Chapter 2: Evolution from Vocational Education to Career and Technical Education explains the need to align the CTE delivery system with the changes in the global economy and to involve all stakeholders in planning education reform. The chapter explores the need to integrate rigorous academic content with relevant CTE content. Educators can evaluate their programs to determine the level of integration in place. Chapter 3: Redefining CTE in the 21st Century explores the changes needed at the classroom level. Teaching contextually is teaching the way the brain learns best. Literacy initiatives at the secondary level and school leadership that embraces CTE are key to improving the achievement levels for all students. Chapter 4: Career Pathways K-14 answers the question. What does career education look like, and when should it start? Career pathways hold much promise for guiding restructuring efforts. Classroom strategies are introduced that help teachers move students beyond recall of information to metacognition, i.e., thinking about thinking. Contextual teaching and learning is aligned with the Rigor/Relevance Framework, and strategies are described for aligning curriculum and instruction. Chapter 5: Partnerships for Program Improvement focuses on developing partnerships for improving education. Creating a career counseling system is one important partnership component; the chapter describes who should be engaged in this system and the role of each member. Educators have tremendous experience to draw upon, but until they share what they know and how they know it, they can never hope to create an effective system to meet the education needs of a new generation. Chapter 6: Aligning Curriculum and Assessment addresses the need for schools to develop a continuous improvement model to focus on student achievement. The chapter describes the components of mastery learning and explains the value in using a criterion measure to demonstrate the level of mastery. Using formative as well as summative assessments is essential when teaching for mastery. Understanding how to use disaggregated data for making decisions about teaching is critical in a continuous improvement model. Also described is the International Center process for aligning career clusters and pathways with state standards and assessments, Common Core State Standards, and the National Essential Skills Study (NESS). Chapter 7: Perkins Reauthorization is a must read for all CTE educators and administrators. In language familiar to educators, this chapter provides information critical to CTE programs seeking federal funding through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. Templates are provided that will help state and local administrators guide faculty in developing programs that meet the federal requirements. The Appendix provides additional resources to support a strong CTE program. Included are case studies of high schools that are organized around CTE and are highly successful for all students. DVD and CD: The DVD presents the Keynote Address at the 2010 Model Schools Conference by Willard R. Daggett, CEO of the International Center. Entitled Our Changing Education Landscape, it describes the challenges facing schools and suggests how to be proactive in dealing successfully with them. The CD has electronic copies of the activities, checklists, and questionnaires presented the kit, which can be printed and adapted for use. Career and Technical Education for College and Career Readiness — Convergence of Academics and CTE showcases many strategies and action plans that CTE teachers and leaders can use to strengthen the academic content embedded within all CTE skills. The kit can also be a guide to providing in-service and pre-service education to CTE teachers. #K-11-RCT $295 388 pages Excerpt Order Form Online Store |
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