Strengthening CTE to Support Robust Pathways · secondary students via Perkins) in CTE, 40+ states provide billions in dedicated funding to support CTE programs and instruction. Examples

@ExcelinEd | www.ExcelinEd.org| © 2017

Strengthening CTE to Support Robust Pathways

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Pathways to Prosperity Institute

October 2017

Quentin Suffren, Director of Innovation, ExcelinEd

Danielle Mezera, Principal, DCM Consulting


Career and Technical Education

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Fast Facts

CTE celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2017: The federal Smith-Hughes National Vocation Education Act of 1917 marked the first nationwide investment in career training at the secondary level.

CTE remains the primary framework and source of funding for high school career pathways across the nation. Even recent innovative local initiatives and school models depend on this framework and its associated investments for long-term program stability and success.

In addition to the annual federal investment (approximately $1 billion for secondary students via Perkins) in CTE, 40+ states provide billions in dedicated funding to support CTE programs and instruction. Examples include:

– $573 million in Texas

– $280 million in Massachusetts

– $128 million in Indiana

In 2017, over 8 million high school students were enrolled in CTE programs in states across the nation.


1 million U.S. high school completers (2013)

potentially entered the workforce with only

a high school diploma.

Parent

expectation of

students at a 4

year college

Student

expectation of 4

year collegeActual 4 year

college rate

71%

42%

69%

1,079,681

388,111

383,237

424,289

U.S. 4-year institutions(Fall CY 2008)

U.S. 2-year institutions(Fall CY 2008)

Completers Non-completers Still enrolled

215,384

176,621

807,000 college students potentially

entered workforce with only a high

school diploma and some college credit.

Total

807K

Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll XVIII (2013)

National Center for Education Statistics (2013)

National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (2014)

392,000 still

enrolled 6 years

later

Career Pathways Are More Important than Ever

High expectations…low participation


Unprepared for workforce

Overqualified for position

Not working in chosen field

Would choose different field

or college

McKinsey & Company, Voice of the Graduate, 2013

Unprepared, out of field or overqualified

Survey results of recent graduates of 4-year colleges


Changes in Workforce Demand and Career Readiness

5

“

• Career Readiness for Today

• The fastest growing jobs in the U.S. from 2000 to 2010

reflect the demand for highly technical skills and those

lower-skill jobs that are hard to automate

• 65% of job openings in the U.S. by 2020 will require some

postsecondary education

• More than half of U.S. Millennials are unable to effectively

apply literacy or math skills in the workplace

• Career Readiness for Tomorrow

• Nearly half of the jobs American workers are paid to

perform – representing $2 trillion in wages annually in the

U.S. – could be automated in some way using current

technology

• 47% of all employment opportunities will be occupied by

machines within the next two decades

“Our education system is not keeping pace with the demands of a

twenty-first century, global, high-tech economy”

~Joel Klein


CTE Programs and Career Readiness

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Addressing Issues of Alignment & Quality

To ensure students are prepared for a lifetime of advancement and success in

college and career, state CTE programs must evolve.

1. Alignment to State and Regional Workforce Demand: CTE programs can no longer

continue to offer a “buffet” of options or only what current district and school staff can

support (or have always offered). This includes weeding out CTE pathways that lead to

low-skill and low-paying employment opportunities – and filling gaps in pathways aligned

with workforce demand and decent-paying jobs.

2. High Quality and Rigorous Academic and Technical Skills Preparation: Preparing

students for a career means providing them with the skills, knowledge, and experiences

that will ensure success in postsecondary and advanced career training programs. This

requires a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of existing courses and vertical

linkages to credentials and employment.


CTE Reform: Implementation Phases

7


A Commitment to No “Dead Ends”

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Non-negotiables for High Quality CTE Programs

1. All promoted programs of study align with state and/or regional industry and labor

market data.

2. Programs of study incorporate experiential learning and capstone experiences valued by

industry.

3. Secondary programs of study vertically align with postsecondary programs.

4. Courses are sequential and progressive in a given program of study.

5. Secondary programs of study incorporate courses and exams eligible for postsecondary

credit or hours where appropriate.

6. Course standards are robust and accurately represent the academic, technical and

employability skills learners must master.

7. Educators receive ongoing, progressive training and professional development to ensure

instructional quality is reflective of course standards and current industry work

environments.

8. Federal, state, and local funding are utilized ongoingly to leverage and drive

programmatic changes leading to the implementation of vertically aligned education-to-

career learning pathways.


Activity

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Evaluate your state’s CTE program against the list of “non-negotiables.”

Directions

For each “non-negotiable,” rate the level at which you feel your state CTE

program and pathways matches the description of a high quality program.

Use a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 representing the strongest level of agreement

with the statement and 1 representing the lowest.

You can complete this activity individually or with your state colleagues.


CTE Reform

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Implementation Phases

1. Engagement & Program Audit

• Convening Stakeholders

• Auditing Your Existing CTE Program

• Identifying Dead Ends and Program Gaps

4. Remaining Agile

2. Planning for System Change

• Ongoing Data Collection

• Annual Evaluation of Pathways

• Support for Regional Initiatives

• Keeping Stakeholders Engaged

• Understanding the Impact of Disruption

• Monitoring Progress and Adjusting

Course

• Timelines and Rollout of Activities

• Budget and Costs

• Communications and Messaging

• Staffing Expertise

3. Executing the Plan


Phase 1

Engaging Stakeholders and Conducting a Program Audit

Key Stakeholders

1. K-12, notably secondary education

2. Postsecondary, technical colleges and

community colleges

3. Labor and workforce agencies

4. Business and industry representatives

5. Economic development centers

6. Governor’s office

7. Key legislators and/or staff

Areas of a Program Audit

• Academic Offerings: Programs of study &

courses

• Program Funding: Federal, state, and local

• Student Achievement & Attainment: Program

outcomes

– Data related to accountability &

transparency

– Out of classroom experiences

– Credential attainment

– Matriculation and transitions

• Educator Training: Teachers & administrators

• Stakeholder Input: Industry, postsecondary,

educator, student/parent


Phase 2

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Planning for System Change

• Timelines and Rollout of Activities

What needs to begin immediately? What can come later? What steps require a significant

amount of time (i.e. program and curricular revisions) or require possible resources, such

as additional personnel or funding? What could have multiple rollout dates as part of a

comprehensive phase-in (e.g. new or revised programs of study and/or courses over

several academic years)? What may be retired or phased out and will that require

multiple dates?

• Budget and Costs

A revitalized state CTE program does not necessarily equate to new or additional costs.

However, there may be costs related to several agreed-to action items during the

process, such as a need to hire a consulting firm to assist the state with CTE course

standards revisions. Determining if these costs can be covered through an existing

operating budget or must be requested for an upcoming fiscal year budget will also

influence rollout and implementation timelines.


Phase 2

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Planning for System Change

• Communications & Messaging

A state’s strategic plan must have a section specific to overall communications and

messaging, as well as communications elements incorporated within specific initiatives

throughout the plan. For example, a state’s strategic plan should include a messaging

strategy for addressing changes in course and certification offerings and use “road

shows” that state staff will take to share these key messages with local educators and

the community.

• Staffing Expertise

A state must consider, and plan for, how an approved strategic plan will impact their own

staff members. What are the levels of content knowledge and ability – or bandwidth – of

those who will be charged with executing aspects of the plan? Are their skills sets where

they need to be for success? Successful changes will only be as good as the individuals

charged with overseeing the implementation of it.


Phase 3

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Executing the Plan Keeping Stakeholders EngagedA critical and oft-overlooked step to ensuring strong

execution is keeping all stakeholders firmly engaged in

the process. When changes span over multiple

calendar and fiscal years, the need for key

stakeholders to remain committed is essential.

Managing the Impact of DisruptionSchools and districts may see pathways in which they

have invested time, staffing, and money close or

sunset over time – not an easy pill to swallow.

Communicating what will change, how it will be

carried out, and when it will take place is critical to

mitigating the inevitable stresses of the process.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting CourseData collection should be ongoing and reporting of

progress and outcomes delivered at multiple points

during the process. Course corrections may be

necessary to achieve the plan’s ultimate goals.


Phase 4

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Remaining Agile in a Dynamic Environment

Core elements to an ongoing, responsive program include:

• Instituted evaluative processes to review the overall state CTE plan to ensure continued

relevance and efficiencies

• Annual review of programs of study and related courses to ensure postsecondary and

workforce alignment

• Highly-skilled staff who are content experts

• Ongoing, timely communications and messaging tools being delivered to stakeholders

• Robust department and state data systems reflective of high-quality data fields and

collection methods

• Highly engaged industry advisories and faculty advisories across the program delivery and

program evaluation continuums

• Regular cross-agency convenings to drive shared interests, policies, programs and funding

• Ongoing educator training and professional development “lifecycle” models reflective of

state CTE priorities

• Identified opportunities to regularly leverage and braid federal, state and local funding

to maximize (re)investment in the state’s CTE program and priorities


What’s Next

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Additional Guidance &

Resources for States This presentation is a “sneak preview” of an upcoming

publication on strengthening state CTE programs

• November 2017: Publication of the Full CTE Reform

(Overview)

Over the course of 2018, ExcelinEd will be publishing a

series of “playbooks” that examine each of the steps

discussed today in greater depth

• Practical How-to Approach

• Additional topics include:

– Stakeholder Engagement & Planning

– CTE Program Audits

– Course Evaluation & Postsecondary Alignment

– CTE Funding Strategies (including braided funding)

ExcelinEd looks forward to working with states as they navigate

this vital process to improve their CTE programs and provide

students opportunities for lifelong advancement and success.


Foundation for Excellence in Education

P.O. Box 10691

Tallahassee, FL 32302

850.391.4090

[email protected]

www.ExcelinEd.org

Thank You!

Quentin Suffren

[email protected]

Danielle Mezera

[email protected]

17

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.excelined.org/



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Strengthening CTE to Support Robust Pathways · secondary students via Perkins) in CTE, 40+ states provide billions in dedicated funding to support CTE programs and instruction. Examples