Tech Directions - August 2007 - (Page 5) direct from washington Anne C. Lewis anneclewis@earthlink.net CTE and the Governors Career and technical education (CTE), according to a new policy paper from the National Governors Association (NGA), is at the nexus of governors’ efforts to improve K–12 education and build a base for an innovative economy. Released this summer in time for the annual NGA meeting, the paper provides a welcome balance to the two-year-long initiative of NGA and Achieve, Inc., to reform high schools into a college-prep program. The governors still want all students to have college options, but they now seem to recognize that students may get there in different ways. At its best, says the policy brief, “CTE programs that combine rigor and relevance are a promising high school redesign strategy.” Increasing academic rigor is only half of the equation needed for high school reform, NGA says. Policy makers also must design strategies “that make learning interesting and relevant to today’s students.” CTE has the power to do this because it gives students chances to learn in applied settings. The paper cites research on the popularity of CTE courses and their ability to reduce dropout rates and increase academic performance when they are integrated with academic standards. NGA draws a comparison between traditional vocational education and the “new CTE.” The latter bundles discrete CTE courses into clusters that give students a broad perspective of career opportunities, which also may link to industry certification or a community college degree. In fact, an impetus for the policy paper may be the requirements of Perkins IV for states to Anne Lewis, one of the country’s most respected writers on education policy, works in the Washington, DC, area. design CTE programs so that they lead to a degree or industry certification. Although CTE programs are shifting away from “an old voc-ed mentality,” several challenges remain to state policy making. Governors have many policy levers to enact the CTE is at the nexus of changes needed, says the governors’ efforts to improve paper, including the use of K-12 education and build a base K-16 Councils. The paper for an innovative economy. recommends several starting points: ● Connect education to programs as pathways to college and/ economic growth industries. CTE or high-paying jobs and set a tone programs should reflect emerging for high academic expectations in job opportunities, and several states the programs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzhave made this alignment, using caenegger of California, for example, reer clusters identified by the Nahosted a summit on CTE and this tional Association of State Directors year proposed $52 million in new of CTW. Maryland enlisted the de- partments of education, business, labor and the governor’s workforce investment board to identify 10 clusters important to the state’s economic future. More than 350 employers designed the clusters. In 1993, only 14 percent of CTE completers qualified for enrollment at the University of Maryland. By 2006, the percentage had jumped to 51 percent. ● Use the bully pulpit to promote CTE. Governors can promote CTE www.techdirections.com WASHINGTON 5 http://www.HomesOfOurOwn.org http://www.HomesOfOurOwn.org http://www.techdirections.com
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