Leadership Matters Archives

Up the mountain: A practical guide

Posted on April 8, 2024May 30, 2024 by acte

This article itself is a journey in some ways; ergo, it provides a practical guide for CTE educators to use in their classrooms and with students.

At the beginning of each semester, I ask my students to imagine they are standing at the bottom of a mountain. There is a waterfall. They are surrounded by wildflowers and dragonflies, and bees are buzzing about. The students learn that I am their guide. I will lead them up the mountain to discover a wonderful treasure.

As they stand on the ground, the first week of the term is their time to become accustomed to things. Because we will start climbing the mountain soon. But it’s not at the summit where we’ll find the treasure. The instructor and their students will develop stamina, courage and confidence on the path. The point is this: We have a long journey, and we have much to learn from each other along the way. Then, as the sun’s light shines down and quiet streams snake through the valley, they will begin to see all the possibilities that lie ahead.

The CTE student

CTE does not speak to one set or type of individual. However, these students have a similar goal: They all want an education and skills that will better prepare them for careers. Another common trait among many CTE students is that they want to know the value of what they are learning (Knowles et al., 2005). They understand the basic need for technical skills and knowledge, but instructors should seek to connect all coursework to its real-world impact.

The CTE instructor

Prior to my role as a clinical instructor in the College of Technology at Idaho State University, I was a student. This statement seems obvious, but it’s a fact that students can easily forget. My background is in English, but I began my educational journey at 25. I was a nontraditional student. I was, and am, a writer. But I had no interest in teaching or helping people become better at writing.

Then something changed. I had an opportunity to teach a course, and the moment I was standing in the class, with all eyes on me, I knew. Being able to help students achieve their dreams and be successful was the bug that bit me. Over the years I’ve been teaching, I’ve learned five ways to improve and become more effective. Now I want to share this practical guide with other educators.

1. Establish a rapport.

Building a rapport with your students is about establishing a relationship; it is about trust. Rapport does take time, but in the condensed atmosphere of the semester, it may happen quicker than you think. Engage in informal conversations prior to and after class, during office hours, through email, or on Zoom calls. I work to establish those connections with my students from day one. I tell them stories of my journey as a student, which I pepper throughout the term. These stories humanize me and help the content make more sense.

2. Make the coursework relevant.

Students want to know how the coursework relates to their studies or to life outside the classroom. There are no signposts on the mountain path, so, as guides, we must show students where they’re going and how to get there. I tackle this challenge with writing and communications content by relating it to functional literacy. For example, one semester, the elevator was broken. My class was on the third floor, so to connect the point of living in a literate world, I asked students how they arrived at the class. That is, how did they know the elevator was broken?

3. Show students that you care.

To care for your students is to be engaged and interested, not only in their goals, but in their success. When I first started teaching, I treated teaching like a side hustle. I already had a full-time job, so adjuncting was a way to earn extra income. Then I met an educator who was also my mentor, and he taught me the principle of caring. Students can tell when an instructor is sincere or not. So, now, I try to always be sincere. I share my experiences as a student. I apologize to students when I make a mistake, and I hold students accountable for their mistakes.

4. Plan. And then plan some more.

Personally, my secret to teaching is overplanning. With extensive planning, you build your regular coursework for the semester, then develop extra assignments or lessons that can be used to extend a lesson or in case of an emergency. And the beauty of overplanning is students won’t know it was extra unless you tell them. Overplanning can also help when students grasp a concept faster than expected.

5. Trust your process.

Finally, we must trust our process. The semester is a mountain, but it is a mountain we have climbed before. If you are just starting teaching, lean into the more experienced instructors in your department. I would also recommend reading Peter Filene’s The Joy of Teaching. This book offered a really great practical guide when I first started teaching. Creating a process, like walking up that mountain, takes time, but you will get there, little by little, as you gain experience and engage with students and the curriculum.

What I have learned

What I have learned from CTE and teaching CTE students is to never give up. CTE students are determined and focused. And they have grit. They are eager and willing to learn; they are engaged in their learning process. So, as I guide them up the winding path and through obstacles, I never give up. Because I want to see them succeed.

Timothy O. Davis, AOS, MS, MFA, is a clinical instructor in the College of Technology at Idaho State University.

Lead with evidence to support instruction

Posted on March 11, 2024May 30, 2024 by acte

Instructional leadership in career and technical education (CTE) must be transformational. Leaders are tasked with creating solutions based on problems, questions, and needs and developing processes that work for their schools, districts, and regions. Their role is multifaceted and complex. One end of a CTE leader’s work is anchored in developing the knowledge and skills of their teachers. And on the other end, the need to ensure students are prepared to enter the workforce.

CTE teachers bring a wealth of experience into the classroom, having taken many different approaches to professional teacher preparation. Likewise, students have varying backgrounds, understandings and motivations for taking CTE courses.

“How can we develop instructional leadership strategy in a way that will positively affect student learning?” Researchers have proposed that we must focus on three critical elements: changing views of learning, sharpening teachers’ instructional knowledge, and enhancing students’ knowledge and abilities related to academic and industry standards (City et al., 2009). These three themes may provide evidence-based direction for CTE leaders. This article illuminates how to promote the instructional core by making clear connections to how students learn best.

Apply strategies of effective student learning.

The cognitive sciences help explain the conditions needed to create optimal environments according to how students learn best (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018; National Research Council, 2000). Three key components are critical in changing how we view instructional leadership.

Learner

The most effective lessons are not just informational. They are experiences that deeply embed concepts, evoking questions and curiosity and fostering a sense of lifelong learning.

Knowledge

In knowledge-centered classrooms, students should know how ideas connect and scaffold. Clear standards are set for what students should learn, and industry establishes fundamental theoretical and practical knowledge.

Assessment

Assessment-centered classrooms prioritize high learning standards and provide frequent feedback. Feedback comes in various forms, helping students self-monitor their progress at every stage. It is an ongoing dialogue, a constant navigation toward improved understanding.

Develop high-quality instructional materials.

We must ensure that we use instructional approaches derived from cognitive science research.

Design clear, coherent units of instruction.

Understanding by Design (UbD) procedures can help educational leaders identify lesson and unit learning outcomes related to science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM). UbD emphasizes that units should focus on goals that specify what students should do with their learning in the long run (Wiggins >amp; McTighe, 2005). Using UbD, we can create more coherent instructional units.

Activate student thinking.

Opportunities to apply CTE skills and knowledge in real-life circumstances can help situate learning. Asking about their ideas and experiences can help focus students’ attention and creates a “need-to-know” situation for learning (McTighe >amp; Willis, 2019). For example, leaders can use problem- and needs-based scenarios to spur student thinking before tackling projects and teaching procedures.

Promote crosscutting concepts.

This can help take rote learning activities to a deeper conceptual level. For example, CTE teachers should explicitly teach procedures and safety, but students may also benefit from thinking about patterns (a crosscutting concept) that exist when using different equipment. They gain more sophisticated knowledge when they think about cause-and-effect relationships (a crosscutting concept) between the actions they perform and the implications. And they develop deep conceptual understanding when they think about scale, proportion and quantities (a crosscutting concept) (NGSS Lead States, 2013).

Encourage visible thinking.

Providing ample and ongoing opportunities to think about their learning can help students become more independent problem-solvers (National Research Council, 2000). Leaders can promote specific strategies with teachers to share with their students. Consider the following examples.

Accurate self-assessments: “How well did I perform?” “What was most difficult?”
Reflections on learning: “What was most interesting or surprising about this (topic or project)?” “What strategies worked well for me during this learning experience?”
Goal setting: “What will I try next time to improve?”

Infuse literacy in CTE practices.

Make connections between CTE and other areas explicit. The reading associated with CTE offers some of the most complex technical information students will encounter. And thus students may develop advanced reading skills.

These key instructional design elements place students at the center of learning. They must be incorporated regularly in our classrooms, in our professional learning communities, and in our schools and districts. If we build these ideas into our instructional leadership strategies, we can expect to profoundly impact student motivation, learning and achievement by building teachers’ collective efficacy (Hattie, 2023).

Pat Brown, Ph.D., is the executive director of STEM and CTE for the Fort Zumwalt School District in St. Charles, Missouri. He has a range of K–12 and postsecondary teaching experience. Known for his scholarship on instructional approaches that place students at the center of learning, Brown makes frequent presentations at international, regional and state conferences. He is the author of Instructional Sequence Matters, a best-selling book series from the National Science Teaching Association.

Focus on global learning

Posted on February 5, 2024May 30, 2024 by acte

Digital Promise, a global nonprofit, has partnered with ACTE to offer support for secondary and postsecondary educators seeking to integrate global learning into their curricula. Heather Singmaster, director of career and technical education (CTE) for Digital Promise, recently chatted with a few community college faculty members to discuss how they are creating more inclusive, engaging experiences for their students.

Those interviewed include:

Laure Burke, Department Chair and Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Education Department, Kapi’olani Community College
Takehiko Kozue, Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Education Department, Kapi’olani Community College
Janette Roy, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, Hospitality Management, Harper College
Arthur Salmon, Professor and Program Director, Cyber Security, College of Southern Nevada

What are the skills of global competence?

Laure Burke: The skills of global competence are important for hiring. They include communicating with diverse audiences, being curious, recognizing other perspectives, and taking action to make a difference both locally and globally. These are good human competencies. For example, we want to be curious instead of jumping to conclusions.

What connections can you make between your local and global industries?

Arthur Salmon: I teach data security and live and work in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sometimes people think that we only need to know local regulations. That’s not true anymore. The payment card industry is a good example of global impact. Companies like Visa and Mastercard have data security standards that vary. And we’re starting to see this need reflected in our accrediting bodies, which drive the industry. For instance, CompTIA now requires knowledge of European standards.

Takehiko Kozue: Globalization is standard in the hospitality industry. Employers want to hire people who understand customers from different global perspectives. Hospitality is all about face-to-face interaction, so human skills are incredibly important.

How do you integrate global learning into your courses?

Salmon: In a networking course, one assignment asked students to identify what standards are required to run cables into a small, new office. They needed to find all the national fire codes and the measurements required in the U.S., then they had to do the same for a different country. Because not only are power requirements different, but building code requirements also vary. Students have to consider factors they have never thought about before, and they are asked to think outside the box. Students may not end up working internationally, but these skills will help them in new environments.

Janette Roy: We talk about global competencies in all of my classes. Once, my students had an assignment with a scenario in which they had to open a new hotel in Spain. This gave students an opportunity to see how important it is to communicate and work with people from other backgrounds. And they learned an important lesson about gestures and body language meaning different things in different countries.

Burke: I built a global career exploration component into our Career and Customer Service class, which is required for all students. I connected them to international recruiters and helped them assess their skills using a gap analysis. A video interview with Kimo Kippen, formerly of Hilton International (included in the online tools from Digital Promise), served as a starting point. It was helpful to raise awareness of the value of skills like communicating with diverse audiences, being curious, and recognizing other perspectives.

How can global learning affect student development?

Kozue: When you first embed global learning into your courses, it may feel overwhelming. So I begin with simple assignments, and then we go into more complex or detailed issues. When students come to our campus, I want them to become engaged with the world around them. They need more opportunities to learn different perspectives.

Salmon: I think they find it to be interesting but also challenging. Many students approach global topics thinking they know a lot. Then they quickly realize it’s not as simple as they originally assumed.

Roy: They get very excited about the fact that they’re doing something that’s different. Once they’re aware of it, they really want to do it. But if nobody’s ever told you about something, it could seem difficult to understand.

How can global competence affect educators and the learning environment?

Burke: The Digital Promise training on global competencies helped me grow my own confidence as a professor and now as a department chair. I can be more supportive of international endeavors. And I’m better able to participate in building international partnerships.

Salmon: Within the field of cybersecurity, global knowledge is more important than ever. Consider, for example, how many people don’t understand where their data is and how that affects the way it is used. If the server is in the U.S., it’s governed under U.S. law. If the data is housed in Australia: Australian law. And while the cloud made things easier, it also made things harder. Because who would have jurisdiction over a server farm placed in international waters?

Roy: I just created a new destination marketing class where students will create a marketing campaign to promote an international city to tourists. The training we did really helped me make those connections easily. I also keep sharing at faculty meetings, because global competence really does fit into any course. There’s room for everybody.

Do you have advice for other faculty who want to add global skills and content to their courses?

Salmon: Keep going. The ability to think globally is crucial for our learners’ success. I know that revising curricula comes with a time commitment, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor. First, I looked at my existing assignments to figure out which ones were the easiest to integrate with global content, and I started with one. Once I took that first step, then I could take the next, and the next.

Burke: I recommend the training offered by Digital Promise. The program creates a supportive learning environment, alleviating any sense of pressure. And it enhanced my awareness about global learning.

Kozue: Our students are diverse. And their understanding of what is happening in the world could vary greatly from ours. This means we need to understand diverse perspectives and model that for our students. Trends change so fast that it’s hard to keep up, but as a faculty member, I try.

Roy: Don’t knock it until you try it. I was nervous at first because change is hard! Now I know I can do it, and I’m excited. So, learn more and report back to colleagues. They will get excited too. As a new department chair, I can model global competence and share how it benefits all students. It’s catching on!

Digital Promise, in partnership with ACTE, offers free, online, interactive self-paced training modules for secondary and postsecondary educators through CTE Learn. In addition, Digital Promise offers free tools and resources (and workshops for a fee).

Focus on equity & support student success

Posted on January 8, 2024May 30, 2024 by acte

Equity in education was a major focus of ACTE’s Postsecondary CTE Summit 2023. “Increasing access to postsecondary education can lead to economic mobility,” said Earl Frederick, department head of cuisine management at Clark College. “With access and affordability, individuals from all backgrounds have a fair chance to improve their economic prospects. This, in turn, can reduce income inequality. I also took away that a more equitable postsecondary education system can contribute to a more diverse and skilled workforce.”

In September 2023, ACTE hosted its Postsecondary CTE Summit in Denver, Colorado. Educators Earl Frederick and Brian Rick — both of whom participated as fellows in the NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Leadership Program — attended the Summit. And they both feel strongly about its impact on postsecondary career and technical education (CTE).

“The Postsecondary CTE Summit is a great event for those who are in the postsecondary education field or work with the postsecondary sector,” wrote Brian Rick, a CTE Project Team instructor at Northern Illinois University “Many in the postsecondary sector have felt like professional development is primarily geared toward K–12. When ACTE launched this national conference in 2022, it was meant to provide a space to support the wide variety of work in the Postsecondary, Adult and Career Education (PACE) Division.”

Postsecondary CTE leaders are dedicated to student success.

The event began with preconference sessions, including a visit to Emily Griffith Technical College and a workshop about creating engaging instruction for all. “It is always great to see what other programs are doing,” commented Rick. Attendees’ visit to Emily Griffith Technical College started with a warm welcome from Vice President of Education Linda Van Doren, followed by a student-led tour through the Cosmetology and Barbering programs. Both areas featured fully immersive, hands-on learning environments that are also open to the public.

“The students seemed very happy to have seasoned industry professionals as their instructors. And they expressed the importance of this when applying for jobs after graduation,” wrote Frederick. “The Culinary program tour featured a state-of-the-art professional kitchen, which the students used to prepare and stage a three-course meal for our party,”

“The antipasto, with a perfectly poached egg, was very elegant and tasty. A hearty portion of lasagna was flavored with a zesty marinara sauce and a house-made pesto that balanced the richness. Dessert was a chocolate torte that had a deep, rich flavor and was surprisingly light. But the best part of the whole meal was watching how attentive the students were and how much pride they took in what they were doing.

The next day began with a compelling keynote speaker: Joe Garcia, chancellor of the Colorado Community College System. He elaborated on the structure of the system in Colorado as an extension of K–12 education. And he discussed the equity and diversity challenges that face his state. This led into a panel discussion on how to support special populations students. Panelists discussed racial and economic barriers and how they have helped students through these issues. Later, concurrent sessions tackled the achievement gap, data and using technology to support postsecondary CTE leaders. And a workshop-style session conducted in small groups encouraged participants to reflect on what they had learned about equity in education so far.

ACTE’s events are tailor-made to support educators in their institutions.

Another panel discussion featured a group of diverse education leaders who discussed the role of data collection. Data can expose disparities in access to high-quality career and technical education. “This information is crucial when advocating for equity in education,” said Frederick.

“For me, coming from a rural area, the panel on how to recruit and retain faculty and staff was a really helpful discussion,” said Rick. “I am learning how to think outside the box to develop a diverse talent pipeline, which in turn helps all students feel represented and accepted. And that can increase student learning.”

Topics of interest

Creating inclusive pathways for apprenticeships
Implementing culturally responsive teaching
Increasing access to improve success
Supporting new CTE teachers
Empowering nontraditional students in CTE programs
Exploring the future of postsecondary CTE

Are you a member of ACTE’s PACE Division at the national and state levels? If your state doesn’t already have a PACE Division, please reach out to ACTE for more on how to start one. Then make plans to attend the Postsecondary CTE Summit 2024, Sept. 18–20, in Chicago, Illinois.

Forge a path to funding

Posted on October 9, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

The 2022 Kentucky General Assembly essentially doubled funding for secondary career and technical education (CTE) in the 2022–24 biennial budget. The increased funding will support CTE programs at state-operated area technology centers (ATCs) and local school district-operated career technology centers (CTCs). And it will also direct a change in funding previously restricted to ATCs and CTCs to permit funding of any high-quality CTE program in any public school. It funds programs, not schools. Plus, the budget added millions more for the construction of new CTCs.

Hard work remains to develop the distribution model. But the path to achieve adequate and equitable funding is made clearer. This success results from many steps taken over 20 years. As the last significant increase to CTE funding occurred in 2002.

Documenting the effort and process encompasses a litany of people and events. In reporting the history, no slight to any person or event is intended. This article relies on the written notes and memory of the author. This is a Kentucky story. What worked here may not work everywhere, but perhaps readers will gain some insight or an idea that may be helpful.

Be the advocate you seek.

Kentucky ACTE (KACTE) made a strategic decision to seek partner advocates for CTE. If legislators heard messages about the importance of CTE from seemingly unrelated businesses and associations, attention would increase. That was the plan, and the hope. The Kentucky Farm Bureau, the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, the Kentucky Retail Federation, the Kentucky Nurses Association, Associated General Contractors of Kentucky, the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants, labor unions, and others supported CTE.

KACTE joined the state chamber of commerce. Because there it could take a seat on the education council and interact with the larger business community. The Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board adopted a sectors strategy to enhance economic development: advanced manufacturing, business and information technology, construction, health care, and transportation and logistics.

Embrace change.

As the first decade of the 21st century neared its end, Kentucky’s CTE system was in an administrative jumble. The ATCs were managed by a dedicated staff in the Workforce Development Cabinet. The CTCs and CTE programs in comprehensive high schools received oversight from the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE). There were no common standards. A business course in an ATC and one in a CTC could be very different.

In 2010, then-Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday, Ph.D., announced that KDE would be restructured and an independent OCTE eliminated. At the same time, Gov. Steve Beshear formed a task force on transforming education in Kentucky. They recommended merging ATC management and oversight of CTCs and CTE programs into a single office in KDE.

To increase knowledge and understanding of CTE

Further, Holliday challenged us to develop career readiness standards for CTE. The Association accepted the challenge. And we developed a three-part definition of career readiness, two of which were adopted by the state board of education.

Later, they restored OCTE within KDE, which would be led by an associate commissioner of education. KACTE Past-president Dale Winkler, Ed.D., who rose from a local CTSO member to principal of an ATC and now is executive vice president of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), was tasked with the job. The direction was positive, the support growing, and recognition of CTE’s importance had traction. But funding was stymied by other budgetary issues facing the state.

Develop awareness.

Then in 2020, the state received federal pandemic relief funds it could use to support new and existing projects. Thus, a General Assembly task force examined the role and adequacy of CTE, stressing to KDE that it could recommend a funding plan and model. Announced economic development projects would create thousands of jobs, many of which relate to CTE pathways. Awareness was building, and funding was available.

KACTE formed a task force that included Leslie Slaughter, a KACTE member who then served as OCTE policy adviser. OCTE and postsecondary partners were consulted throughout as stakeholders developed a 22-page report on the historical background and current directions for CTE in Kentucky. It included recommendations on adequate funding and access and equity. It included a recommendation for the future to fund CTE programs based on student full-time-equivalents (FTEs) participating in high-quality CTE programs wherever the programs were located. The GA received this report in January 2021. And OCTE fully endorsed its conclusions and recommendations.

Budget and plan for the future.

In truth, the KACTE task force only hoped they would adopt its modest funding recommendation. It was committed to the more expansive access and equity funding recommendation but felt it would take years to move toward that. Then came a precipitating event.

Ford Motor Co. and BlueOval SK announced a $2 billion investment in a battery plant in central Kentucky. That would employ 2,000 construction workers and 5,000 permanent employees. The reality of CTE’s vital importance to the state became very clear. A homegrown, skilled workforce was critical for business and industry to be successful, and CTE pathways were on the road to building that workforce. And ultimately, the Kentucky House and Senate passed a roughly 50% increase in CTE funding, which the governor signed.

Now what?

In a sense, the funding victory was just the beginning. CTE must deliver on the promise of equitable access to all CTE programs no matter their location. That effort is ongoing. Already, the new budget has resulted in an increased number of secondary schools receiving state funding for CTE — from 96 to 316. Success will be achieved through the dedicated CTE teachers and administrators in the state’s public schools. Success will be measured by the achievement of CTE students and their contributions to a dynamic, healthy and growing economy.

Mike Stone is the executive director for Kentucky ACTE.

Meet local business needs

Posted on September 10, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

Cleveland Community College (CCC) is situated in a vibrant region of North Carolina. There, the advanced manufacturing, aerospace and automotive industries are growing rapidly. Our mission is to drive student success and to make a strong economic impact on the community through diverse education and training opportunities. For more than 50 years, we’ve helped students earn diplomas, degrees or certificates, or learn the trades.

Over time, it became clear that as our local business community grew, we needed to develop high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs in manufacturing. The employers needed prospective employees who possessed basic technical skills. So, to fill this identified educational gap, leaders from area manufacturers met with CCC faculty to discuss creating pro.grams that would benefit students, the college and the companies. We took six steps to achieve that goal.

1. Involve local businesses.

Cleveland Community College has an industry advisory board that includes representatives from local manufacturing firms. These companies partner with the college to develop meaningful training, which al.lows graduates to move immediately into careers in the community. The advisory board suggested that CCC teach programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Because they can be integrated into a variety of industrial applications. For example, PLC courses teach students how to program for use in manufacturing applications, such as electro-pneumatics or controlled hydraulic systems.

2. Choose a learning platform that aligns with your goals.

Working with Carl Latini at Learning Labs, we reviewed several platforms that would allow us to teach students multiple topics (e.g., hydraulics and pneumatics) in one system that could culminate in a capstone project. We implemented Intelitek’s PLC courseware and labs — a solution that pro.vides students with a solid grasp of industrial PLCs, ladder logic programming, input and output devices, and electrical control. Using the platform, students learn to pro.gram a PLC and simulate applications that require electrical control.

3. Emphasize hands-on learning.

We’re also using the same company’s industrial maintenance training, which teaches mechatronics and industrial maintenance. While there is some classroom lecture and theory, the training course is mostly hands-on. Students learn most material while working on the platform itself.

4. Embed new skills into existing programs.

The PLC curriculum is embedded in automation, engineering and industrial systems programs. The automation program requires the first two PLC courses. And there are four PLC courses in the engineering program, so basically one per semester for two years.

5. Create career pathways.

Many students receive job offers before graduation, from companies they’ve interned with. The workplace employs them for an internship, and they get college credit for working there. Those companies may then offer them full-time jobs.

6. Ask your local business partners what they want.

Being able to match CTE programs to the needs of the local manufacturers was a key factor in our programs’ success. Were not teaching students how to be experts on specific equipment. We’re giving them a base of knowledge that will get them in the door. From there, the employers will train their new hires.

We now feel well prepared to train as many students as local employers need. Our team is committed to educating the next generation of manufacturing industry leaders.

Donna Moore is an automation instructor at Cleveland Community College.

Water Spurling is an industrial systems instructor at Cleveland Community College.

Mental health & school safety

Posted on May 24, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

It is essential to address the trauma experienced by students, faculty and staff in the wake of school shootings. The negative consequences of these events becoming more frequent include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and other mood disorders. Schools must implement trauma-informed programming to care for their community members’ safety and well-being.

Educators, students >amp; their families are sounding the alarm. School should be a safe environment in which to learn, grow and develop. “When violence or disaster affects a community, teachers and school administrators can play a major role in the immediate recovery process by providing specific structured and semi-structured activities.” As such, school leaders may deem it necessary to integrate school safety measures into the curriculum, whereby such protocols and practices are taught explicitly. Just as educators expect students to perform well on assessments, learners should be able to demonstrate proficiency in school safety.

Background

Reports of active shootings can be traced back to the 1700s. The first recorded mass shooting occurred on July 26, 1764, when the schoolmaster and 10 students were killed. In the 1800s, 12 school shootings were reported. And the 1970s later became known as the second most violent period in U.S. school history. By the mid to late 1980s, gun violence was steadily increasing. From 1986 to 1990, 71 people (65 students and six school employees) were killed with guns on school campuses throughout the United States. And mass shootings continue to paralyze communities worldwide. Fifty-one school shootings in 2022 resulted in 40 deaths and 100 injuries. In 2023 (as of May 24, according to Education Week), 12 people have died and more were injured as a result of gun violence in schools.

Not all school shootings receive mass media coverage. But the damage caused within these communities will have lasting effects.

Legislators and school leaders are exploring ways to make schools safer. Related programs and initiatives must address safety protocols as well as the school culture and community. An effective school leader makes decisions that affect the school in a positive manner. Thus, leaders must act to prioritize school safety. But what steps are required to increase school safety?

Effective communication >amp; transparency

All potential threats are serious and worthy of investigation. If individuals see something, they must say something. Information must be delivered to the appropriate authorities in a timely fashion. Safety and security practices begin by creating a secure, trusting environment through communication, vigilance and being proactive. Studies have shown that communication is vital for school safety (Burton, 2020).

The dialogue around school violence is increasing in intensity. When will it happen next? When will it stop? Tragedy occurs in the blink of an eye. Media coverage has heightened awareness of horrific tragedies associated with mass shootings. Active shooter drills have become ubiquitous for educators and students these days, with more than two-thirds of schools conducting them throughout the year (Burton, 2020). Proponents of the drills argue that they can lay the groundwork required to save lives, by emphasizing the behavior students and faculty should display. They believe demonstrating how to lock doors, turn off lights, and move out of sight improves feelings of preparedness. However, others believe such practices are traumatizing. Discussions about lockdown drills will continue, and viewpoints are mixed, but we share a collective goal to ensure students and educators remain safe on campus.

Conclusion

Teachers and school leaders must work together to promote school safety. This requires adequate tools and training programs and an individualized approach to community building. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to combating the problem. But one shooting is too many. School shootings disrupt the learning process and have profoundly adverse psychological effects on students. In addition, the local community can be scarred from such horrendous acts of violence. The offenders’ family and friends experience trauma as well. Collectively, we all must seek ways to reduce violence, especially on school campuses. The loss of a sense of safety affects everyone. After all, Maslow told us that safety is a basic human need.

Tamara Coley is a business education teacher and an FBLA advisor at Sumter County High School in Americus, Georgia. She credits former teachers for making a difference in her life, and that is why she became a teacher. Coley’s goal is to ensure she is a guiding light for all students, which starts with a safe environment and an inviting classroom. Currently, she is pursuing a specialist degree in secondary education at the University of West Georgia.

Cultivate strong postsecondary partnerships

Posted on April 20, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

Dedicated educators work to improve the quality of postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) in many ways. At Mississippi State University (MSU), in 2020, President Mark Keenum felt called to act. You see, Keenum is a community college graduate. And he felt MSU could do more for its stakeholders.

Develop partnerships to meet the needs of educators and the workforce.

For learners interested in the applied sciences, an associate in applied science (AAS) was once considered the terminal degree. But in 2023 and looking forward, many related industries need higher-level skills in the workforce. Thus, Keenum proposed creating a new degree program: the bachelor of applied science (BAS) at MSU.

Education leaders responded by soliciting feedback from community college and industry partners to gauge the most critical workforce needs and consider labor market projections. MSU then developed areas of emphasis for BAS degree programming that included advanced manufacturing, trades supervision, public management and cybersecurity.

New degree programs like MSU’s BAS can expand the CTE pathway ecosystem in a manner that is responsive to industry needs for more management-ready graduates in all career clusters (Goger, 2019). Further, opportunities to develop and validate new skills will benefit postsecondary CTE faculty as well as community college students in high-quality CTE programs. In fact, as the MSU’s BAS program has matured, university administration has begun offering tuition discounts for postsecondary CTE instructors to incentivize their enrollment. Mississippi State recognized that postsecondary CTE faculty are vital in the development of tomorrow’s workforce. With a reduced financial barrier, more CTE educators will seek to obtain advanced degrees (Giancola >amp; Davidson, 2015).

Postsecondary partnerships promote success.

Community and technical college faculty who engage in MSU’s BAS degree programs gain new and relevant skills as their fields evolve. These efforts toward continuing education also provide validation of the merit of career and technical education pathways. This sentiment is echoed by CTE leaders at Mississippi State’s partner schools, including Dwayne Casey, associate vice president of workforce solutions and CTE, and Katie Broadway, director of CTE and program advancement, at Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWCC). Faculty enhance their own technical skill development, and they also may learn new instructional methodologies to use in their courses.

Postsecondary partnerships support access >amp; equity goals

Educational entities should strive to work cooperatively to build a dynamic educational ecosystem that can adapt. Also, they should create learning environments that promote equity and inclusion for all. Casey and Broadway view their partnerships with MSU as a way to reduce the stigma of CTE. They also agreed that the BAS degree has expanded education options for their CTE faculty and students in a way that was not available in the past. Another unintentional, positive effect of this partnership work: It has helped bolster community colleges’ CTE recruitment efforts by demonstrating that a postsecondary CTE degree is and always has been on par with other academic degrees.

Takeaways

Creating purposeful partnerships with community colleges and universities is one strategy CTE leaders can use to meet the demands of a dynamic landscape in 2023 and beyond. Educators at all levels must have the humility to be introspective. Evaluate current offerings to ensure that programs provide value to everyone involved.

After engaging in such reflection, Mississippi State University created the BAS degree to strengthen its postsecondary partnerships — fully embracing its mission to provide opportunity to all citizens. MSU seeks to provide value in creating a resilient workforce, meeting students’ needs so they might be prepared to meet the industry’s needs. Further, granting this access to educators will convey to their students the value of continued education.

Sean Owen, Ph.D., is director of career and technical partnerships at Mississippi State University overseeing the BAS degree program. Previously, he led Mississippi’s statewide CTE assessment initiatives. And he also served as president of the Consortium for Research on Educational Assessment and Teaching Effectiveness.

Fighting burnout in agricultural education

Posted on March 13, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

On one hot summer day in August 2001, I walked into my first classroom as a teacher. I had been waiting my entire life to have a class of my own. And though this was a little different than what I had expected, I was excited to get started. I trained to be an agricultural educator, but geography limited my options and I began my educational career as a middle school science and social studies teacher.

But, true to my agricultural roots, I needed to have something alive in my classroom. So I went to the local discount store and purchased a small jade plant in a four-inch pot. Though succulent plants are a huge trend today, years ago this strange looking plant intrigued the seventh-grade mind. I would come into class and notice that leaves had been pinched, broken or punched with holes. And soon I realized that if my plant was to survive, I had to move it behind my desk where students could admire it from afar but not touch it.

After two years of teaching middle school, I received a call; I was being considered for a position teaching agriculture at a local high school. This also happened to be the same school where my newlywed husband was already teaching agriculture. It was a perfect situation for my career and our tiny little family.

I packed up my jade plant, which had begun to fill up its little pot, and we moved to high school.

Life was great. Our course numbers were growing, and our FFA chapter was a success. The greenhouse was thriving. And we were fundraising to build an on-campus livestock facility. Our family was growing as well. I actually found out that I was pregnant with our first child while I was at the National FFA Convention in 2005.

After my daughter was born, I began to notice that things like time and attention became much more uncomfortable to balance. I started to feel guilty because I couldn’t devote the same amount of time to my students and my school. At the same time, I felt as though I was sometimes putting my job ahead of my new baby. I was only one person, but I felt like I had to be a dynamic teacher, a superstar FFA advisor, a doting and attentive mother, and a loving wife. All of the things in my life pulled at me, and I was suffocating.

Even my little jade plant felt the strain. Its leaves began to turn yellow and wilt because I hadn’t had time to upgrade the pot. When I finally approached this task, I found a tangled mess of roots that just wound around and around the soil. It was as though they were trying desperately to spread out and survive. But they had been
bound by the small space to which they were confined. I felt so guilty, or at least I thought I did.

Guilt vs. shame

You bring a sensible and frugal lunch from home only to have your coworkers talk you into ordering takeout. But then, with each french fry, you feel a little worse about yourself. That’s guilt. It’s a little nudge that tells you that maybe the decision you’ve made wasn’t the right one for right now. In the appropriate quantities, a little bit of guilt may be a good thing because it can help us make more thoughtful decisions. Shame is another thing altogether, though, and that’s where I found myself.

Brené Brown, Ph.D., defined shame as an “intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” There it was. That was me. I wasn’t feeling guilty because I missed out on an FFA officer meeting or fell asleep before the bedtime story one night. No, I was ashamed because I wasn’t enough. I no longer felt worthy of the attention and success that our FFA chapter received. My husband and teaching partner should receive those accolades. I saw my children’s accomplishments as things that they were able to do despite me, not because of me.

So, I started expanding my roles and responsibilities and trying to grasp at things that would make me worthy of the reputation I had built and the accolades I had been given. I felt like that plant, rootbound and desperate to find a safe space.

The funny thing about repotting a plant, though, is the pain involved in the process.

Back when I was a high school student, several poor-looking plants were donated to our school. But I was assured that time and effort would make them beautiful. I wasn’t sure. I thought they would never recover. Then I watched as my teacher took a sharp razor blade and sliced right through the roots, ripping and tearing them apart before resettling them gently. I was horrified! How in the world was this poor, broken and now injured plant going to survive? Little did I know that the brief pain would lead it to grow and flourish.

Burnout

Using what I’d learned in high school, I broke up the roots of that little jade plant and placed it into a bigger pot, where it thrived until it became rootbound again. I took a similar approach to my career. The more dissatisfied I was with myself, the more I grasped at every opportunity that came across my desk. I was looking for fulfillment. I tried to find something that would make me worthy, to make me feel like enough. In doing so, I became so entangled in activities and responsibilities that I felt rootbound. My carefully choreographed life left no room for mistakes and no time for self-care.

The social scientist Christina Maslach, Ph.D., has done extensive research on burnout, defining it as “a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job.” Clinically, it’s measured by a burnout inventory scored on three domains:

Emotional exhaustion
Depersonalization
Low personal accomplishment

I recognized myself in this research. I was experiencing burnout. Life had become about going through the motions of doing more and more, year after year, in an attempt to fill the growing void. The thing about fire, though, is that at least one element of the fire triangle — fuel, heat or air — must be removed to stop the burning. I had to figure out how to take something away.

Stopping the burn

In early 2020, I decided that the following school year would be my last in the classroom. I didn’t know where I intended to go, but I knew that I wanted to help others. At first, that meant stepping aside to allow for new growth. And since then, two former students have returned to the community to teach. There’s a new sense of vigor in both the middle and high school agriculture programs.

As for me, I accepted a job as a career development coordinator in a neighboring school. Now I have the opportunity to support students and teachers along pathways to fulfilling careers. Further, because I had always wanted to go back to school, I enrolled at a local university and plan to receive a doctorate in education with a focus on school leadership in the spring of 2024. I’m learning to make sure that my actions align with my goals. Because my favorite part of my job is mentoring young teachers as they pave their own paths in education.

Oh, and what about the jade plant? It’s still in the greenhouse at my former school. I stopped trying to find newer and bigger pots because it grew so big that it was difficult to manage. Giving each of my students a leaf from the plant had more impact on my life and theirs. They placed the leaves in pots and, through care and nurture, created new plants of their own. That one little four-inch jade I purchased 22 years ago has produced literally thousands of new plants. This is the type of influence we should strive for — leaving little pieces of ourselves with each person we encounter. Only then can we find true satisfaction.

Kaye Harris is a career development coordinator at Kings Mountain High School in North Carolina. Prior to her current position, she taught agricultural education at Crest High School. She has served as both president of the North Carolina Agriculture Teachers’ Association and the North Carolina Association for Career and Technical Education. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education at Gardner-Webb University.

Spark a revolution in manufacturing

Posted on January 9, 2023May 30, 2024 by acte

Students, educators and the workforce in more than 170 countries benefit from a digital apprenticeship in computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing technology. Backed by industry partners, and used in more than 2,500 educational institutions, the TITANS of CNC: Academy leads to certification and high-paying careers.

The TITANS of CNC: Academy is changing the way manufacturing is taught. And it’s offered free of charge.

Titan Gilroy, a professional boxing champion who was formerly incarcerated, is the chief executive officer at TITANS of CNC, an advanced manufacturing facility in Flower Mound, Texas. He shared his story of perseverance and overcoming obstacles on a national television show of the same name. And during its third season, Gilroy took cameras inside San Quentin State Prison and built an elite CNC academy. It was through this experience that he developed the digital TITANS of CNC: Academy.

Work-based learning beyond barriers

A team of subject matter experts was gathered to develop an innovative, learner-centric platform to serve as the Academy’s home. At the same time — with knowledge, problem solving and communication at the core — a group of engineers, designers, modelers, machine operators, and finishing and fulfillment team members came together to develop content and curriculum.

To support the learning is a community that offers support around the clock. Help is available on social media, where community members share successes and challenges, gain creative inspiration, and discuss the power of digital internship and the Academy. This work creates opportunities where they didn’t exist before. Because socioeconomic and geographic barriers can limit the efforts of even the most enthusiastic students. But providing experiences that students can complete on their own schedule allows busy working professionals to grow in the trade or learn new skills.

Then, in Academy Small Groups that meet at various sites around the world, students connect what they’ve learned to the real world while gaining hands-on experience. They model and program code using the same programs, tools and machines as professionals. So, as students progress through a series of videos or develop sophisticated aerospace parts, they can postprocess the code they created.

“This feeds my soul. Allowing others to experience the magic of bringing their creations to life…,” said Bobby Brewster. “Giving people pathways to careers, that’s what the Academy does.”

Bobby Brewster is a Small Group facilitator in South Florida. He and his family operate WMR Competition Performance, a state-of-the-art motorcycle racing shop and motorsports dealership. There, Brewster designs motorcycle parts with an aerospace mentality, holding strict tolerances and setting high standards. And on Saturdays, you will find him and his golden retriever in the shop — ready to teach. Small Group hosting is one way his family gives back to the community; they donate everything to this cause.

How to implement a digital apprenticeship

Digital apprenticeships can offer significant benefits. Spaces wherein curriculum is readily available, anytime, anywhere, grant flexibility and freedom for students to learn on their terms. They allow students to acquire knowledge in accordance with their learning preference when time allows.

Employ social media to develop a global community.

Listening to the diverse perspectives of learners, educators and experts from around the world promotes education and ultimately job growth. Participation in a digital apprenticeship program should be collaborative, where students reach out to others to share and grow. Further, social media allows for outreach and advocacy. Get the word out. Tell the world what you have to offer and start a movement!

Extend the learning in small groups, where students meet to apply new knowledge in a real-world context.

Small group work allows students to build new skills — using the same tools, equipment and software as experienced professionals. This helps connect the cognitive to the kinesthetic learning. An added benefit is networking beyond social media and online communities.

Develop a path to certification and employment.

First determine what skills and certifications your students need. How can your students attain them with more flexibility? Any high-quality certification process will offer students the opportunity to validate a unique set of skills with identified parameters and with clear expectations of what success looks like. Then assess students evidence based on industry standards and expectations set by industry subject matter experts.

Matthew Bornak, M.Ed., is a former CTE teacher, TITANS of CNC: Academy student, and an aerospace specialist at the Boeing Company.