Category: Celebrating CTE

ACTE is celebrating 100 years of CTE with the anniversary of the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act in 1917. This legislation authorized federal funds for supporting secondary vocational training, beginning a century of investment in progress in career and technical education. The legislation has changed over the years, and so has the CTE classroom. I wanted to share my journey as an educator having experienced these changes within the CTE field over the past 30 years.

1980s
I entered my first year of college in 1984, the same year that vocational legislation was renamed the ‘Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act,’ which went on to fund the expansion, improvement and modernization of quality programs to meet the needs of the workforce and promote economic growth.

1990s
After obtaining a degree in Occupational Education, my first job teaching was as an adult education instructor providing competency-based instruction to adults wanting to complete their high school education. When I started my first teaching job in 1990, Congress also reauthorized Perkins with new amendments that provided greater opportunities to students through increased integration of academic, vocational and tech prep programs.

1998 brought the passage of Perkins III, which provided flexibility to develop career and technology education programs while making them more accountable for student performance. The act also focused on funding formulas, tech prep, and school-to-work. 1998 is also the year that I became a school-to-work coordinator in the heart of Texas.

2000s
2006 and Perkins IV aimed at focusing on the academic achievement of career and technical education students, strengthening the connections between secondary and postsecondary education, and improving state and local accountability. 2006 is the year I became a career facilitator in a local school district working with 8th grade students to create four-year plans and working with high school students developing dual credit opportunities and completing six-year tech prep plans.

2010s and Beyond
In July 2017, I will begin my service to ACTE as the Vice President of ACTE Region IV. This year, I hope to see Congress restore the cuts that were made to CTE funding, which has become a critical issue for schools. Even in years when funding decreases, we remain under pressure to continue to develop, improve, and expand the use of technology in our CTE classrooms. As long as schools continue to initiate and modernize quality CTE programs, CTE will continue to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage and high-demand occupations that lead to self-sufficiency and productive citizenship. I look forward to seeing the legislative process in action as the Congressional session proceeds over the next year and beyond.

Reference: Scott, J. L., >amp; Sarkees-Wircenski, M. (2004). Overview of Career and Technical Education (3rd ed.). Homewood, IL: American Technical. Retrieved from: http://cte.unt.edu/about/cte-history-of-legislation

Christine Holecek
ACTE Region IV Vice President-Elect
Education Specialist, CTE and College >amp; Career Readiness
Education Service Center Region 12
Waco, Texas

One of the most eye-opening and rewarding experiences I’ve had so far as an assistant principal in the Connecticut Technical High School System (CTHSS) was when we conducted a district-wide professional development event for all our schools’ faculty and home office administration. We are a district of 17 high schools across the state of Connecticut with one home office. We service approximately 11,200 students and employ over 1,000 teachers and pupil personnel, in addition to each building’s administrative team and our home office staff. So, gathering all those professionals together in one place for an organized professional development event is no small feat. However, our district performed the task with flying colors, and on November 3^rd of 2015 all of CTHSS was gathered at the XL Convention Center in Hartford, CT for what would be an informative, inspiring, and collegial PD opportunity.

In remembering this event, however, I do not recall the name of the motivational speaker who addressed us, or even the many titles and topics of the PD courses that I attended or that were being offered. I remember it was all extremely high-quality, and I know there were many takeaways, but those are not the highlights of the day that stuck out to me. Instead, what I remember most are the displays and showcases that each school had created. Before the PD, our superintendent Dr. Nivea Torres asked each school to compile artifacts from their different Career Technology departments and create a showcase booth whereby the rest of the districts’ faculty could view and get a sense of each school. At the time, I worked at Platt Tech in Milford, CT and I was put in charge of this great task. I went around to all our career technologies and asked each instructor and their students to provide an artifact that speaks to what they do and who they are. The first response I got from everyone was, “Just ONE artifact??” And even though I knew it would be impossible for each shop to capture its essence is just one artifact, I knew I had limited space with which to work, so my reply was, “Yes, and make it good!”

It was an honor to collect these artifacts and display them at Platt’s booth on the day of the district-wide PD. However, what was even more inspiring was being able to walk around and view all the other schools and their booths and to see what other students and career technologies around the district were doing. It was truly awesome to see all the “cool” things that CTHSS students were doing: building robots, designing web layouts, manufacturing items, 3D printing, creating TV shows, building electrical circuits, building houses, installing HVAC and plumbing into residences, fixing and maintaining automobiles, styling hair and performing cosmetology, creating blueprints, printing materials….the list is truly endless. And all this was captured at our district-wide PD; it was beyond inspiring.

The memory that stuck with me the most was the moment I saw Abbott Tech’s display (one of Platt’s regional sister schools) and thinking to myself, “Wow, that school really has it going on.” Their display was the best of them all, and it placed top among the 17 schools. I said to myself on that day that I’d be proud to be a part of the Abbott family, and just a short year later, I was lucky enough to find myself among them.

CTE schools should take every opportunity to showcase themselves, display student work, and come together as a family to share practices, technologies, and artifacts. We all have so much to learn from one another, and I give a lot of credit to our CT district for coming together and celebrating the work we do on behalf of our industries and our students.

Submitted by Ms. Jayme Beckham, Assistant Principal at Henry Abbott Technical High School, Danbury, CT

As I reflect on my teaching career as a Marketing Education and DECA Advisor for the past six years at North High School in Akron, Ohio, I consider my DRIVE for Career Technical Education (CTE) and how it got me where I am today.   As a former human resources executive in the automotive industry, I often tend to have an automotive pathway mindset.

D = Decision

R = Routine

I = Information

V = Vision

E = Everything

So let’s begin the journey.  Seven years ago, I made a DECISION to become a substitute teacher with Akron Public Schools (APS).  This was not the most glamorous position, but I had a passion for helping young people become career-ready.  This one decision led to a full-time employment opportunity as a replacement for a retiring Marketing Education and DECA Advisor at North High School.

As I developed a ROUTINE for teaching my subject matter on a daily basis along with taking CTE courses at Kent State University, I gained the necessary competencies to be successful in the classroom. Students learn best in CTE through a hands-on approach that gives them opportunities to implement what they learn; the same was true for me in perfecting my new teaching career. I had to routinely implement the instructional strategies I learned from my professors in the classroom, which are critical for a new teacher to adapt early on.

The INFORMATION gained from my teacher-mentor and State/National ACTE conferences would propel my teaching competencies to another level.  The information I learned from attending various workshops at state and national ACTE conferences was vital in my development as a new CTE teacher.  At these conferences, you learn best practices from some of the best CTE instructors in the world.  Without these opportunities to develop, I would not be the teacher that I am today.

When I began working at APS as a substitute teacher, I had a VISION of being a successful teacher and a strong desire to make our leadership team proud of my work.  We call it being ‘APS Proud’! I gave my new career EVERYTHING I had.  As a result of my passion to prepare students to be career- and postsecondary-ready, I have been rewarded in so many ways. The ultimate achievement for me thus far was being invited to the White House by President Obama on May 3, 2016 to be recognized as the National 2015 ACTE New Teacher of the Year.

As I further reflect on the 100 year anniversary of the Smith-Hughes Act, adopted in 1917 for vocational education in agricultural, industrial trades and home economics, I am thankful for the pioneers who have gone before us and the DRIVE that they had to pave the way.

Eric Mathews at a White House event held in conjunction with Teacher Appreciation Week 2016 to honor great educators from across the country.

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Eric Mathews
2015 ACTE New Teacher of the Year
Marketing Education Instructor >amp; DECA Advisor
North High School
Akron, OH

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