Monday, 19 April 2010 14:01
Recently, DMC developed a factbase of current and historic trends for Career and Technical Education (CTE) to learn about alternative pathways for driving student achievement and bridging the growing unemployment gap in many states. In addition to our research, we are curious about where school districts in general, and DMC member districts in particular, stand with this area of their education repertoire. How do you regard your school district's CTE program? How has your district integrated CTE programs with the rest of your offerings?
From a federal perspective, CTE is one of many initiatives to keep kids in school and raise graduation rates. Funding streams come directly from the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, which is renewed every five years or so. While federal funds for vocational education have been available for well over a century, it is only in the last fifteen years that the government has mandated the allocation and accountability of those funds within states. Many school districts rely on federal and state funding to maintain their programs and have complied with the federal requirements. The latest renewal of the Perkins Act requires states to submit student performance data that indicates the effective use of the grant money. Other stipulations include greater integration between secondary and post secondary CTE programs to maximize efficiency and success.
Advocates believe that CTE programs prepare students to be competitive in a 21st century global economy. The government has focused CTE courses around 16 career clusters that sync with growing industries such as agriculture, business administration, and information technology, among others. Though CTE participation has been relatively flat in recent years, most students take at least one CTE course during their academic career. And in fact, many CTE concentrators (students who take three or more CTE courses) have seen better graduation rates than non-concentrators.
Whether you have a robust CTE program or a fledgling offering, we at DMC will be continuing our conversation about the value of CTE in your district and in the wider spectrum of education and an increasingly diverse 21st century job market.
