“Why don’t they bring back shop class?” Educators hear this question all the time because parents (and sometimes students) are not aware of the career and technical education (CTE) classes that schools offer. This gap in awareness can be costly to students and have significant financial implications. Therefore, many schools are looking for strategies to... Continue Reading →
CTE: Connecting Students with More Career Opportunities
Since the post-WWII era, students in the US have been encouraged to pursue a bachelor's degree. A four-year college education is considered by many to be the best route to a rewarding career and a secure financial future. Conventional wisdom holds that a college degree will lead to a middle-class lifestyle and a desired level... Continue Reading →
XAP Introduces New Component to Help Educators Scale Work-Based Learning
We’re excited to announce the launch of XAP’s new Work-Based Learning component, designed to help educators expose students to more opportunities and help them explore potential pathways, while increasing the quality of work-based learning outcomes. We conducted a survey at the 2021 ACTE Vision Conference to clearly define issues educators face within work-based learning management.... Continue Reading →
7 Tips to Communicate the Value of CTE Programs
CTE Pathways is not cheap. The investment from the federal government will top $1.3 billion for this year. Equipment, supplies, and training add up to a large price tag. But if this is the case, why are many legislators and school leaders so supportive of CTE programming? The answer is clear: when done correctly, CTE... Continue Reading →
Leading Students in Search of Alternatives to College
Traditionally, school career and college planning programs emphasized college readiness, focusing primarily on academics and admission requirements. However, it’s clear that college is not the best fit for all students—or the current job market—as more than half of occupations in the US now require specialized training but not a bachelor's degree. “Career training has been... Continue Reading →
The Costly Stigma around CTE Programs
Removing the stigma around career and technical education (CTE) benefits students, parents, and teachers. But to do so, districts must be mindful in creating a multi-faceted communication strategy. School districts can change the perception of CTE if they know how to address the misconceptions. When we look at other workforce stigmas, such as talking about... Continue Reading →
Facing CTE’s Most Common Challenges
When exploring the many options that public schools across the country offer, you will find that career and technical education (CTE) programs are unique and diverse in their guidelines and programming. However, there are common challenges among all programs. The first and possibly the most significant problem is the lack of trained teachers who are... Continue Reading →
A Brief History of Career Technical Education: Then vs Now
The history of career technical education (CTE) traces its origins to post-Civil War America, with the opening of the St. Louis Manual Training School in 1879 under the umbrella of Washington University. The school grew out of the non-traditional thinking of educator Calvin Milton Woodward, who believed that the traditional school model would struggle to... Continue Reading →
Why CTE Is So Important for Today’s Students
One of the best investments in any high school is in career and technical education (CTE) programs. Such pathways pay dividends for many critical factors, such as graduation rate and academic success. But parents and students who already expect good grades and a high school diploma might be surprised to learn that there are other... Continue Reading →
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