Creating Career and Technical Education Pathways That Support Equitable Opportunities for Students

Guests Doug Henderson, Director of STEAM and Career and Technical Education, Val Verde Unified School District (CA) (@dhenderson_sci) Michael McCormick, Superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District (CA) Tom Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools®, Alliance for Excellent Education (moderator) (@thomascmurray) Future Ready SchoolsⓇ (FRS) believes that every child, no matter the child’s zip […]

Guests

Doug Henderson, Director of STEAM and Career and Technical Education, Val Verde Unified School District (CA) (@dhenderson_sci)

Michael McCormick, Superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District (CA)

Tom Murray, Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools®, Alliance for Excellent Education (moderator) (@thomascmurray)

Future Ready SchoolsⓇ (FRS) believes that every child, no matter the child’s zip code or family income, can graduate from high school and deserves access to a clear pathway to postsecondary success and robust learning experiences that prepare students for an increasingly technology-driven workforce and world. Districts around the country are doing this by creating innovative career and technical education (CTE) opportunities to provide students with technical skills, academic skills, and employability skills. According to SkillUSA, CTE is important for all students “regardless of whether students are headed for college or the workforce. [T]his type of education will help them prepare for the future. In fact, college-bound students can get job experiences to help them define their career plans, identify an appropriate course of study, and help pay for tuition.”

In this webinar, Superintendent Michael McCormick and Doug Henderson, director of STEAM and CTE, shared how Val Verde Unified School District (VVUSD) in California “provid[ed] students with a comprehensive education that includes critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare them with technical, academic, and employability skills for success in the workplace and in postsecondary education.” VVUSD’s students choose an interest-based CTE pathway.

Panelists

provided an overview of why and how they developed the CTE program;
showed how labor market information drives CTE pathways;
shared the VVUSD CTE pathways;
discussed program successes and the importance of industry-recognized certifications;
shared how all of the district’s CTE courses satisfy California’s A–G requirements for admission to the University of California and California State University systems;
discussed strategies for increasing the number of CTE teachers and the role of student choice in pathway selection; and
explained how the district expanded its CTE pathways across grades K–12.

This webinar is made possible with the support from Konica Minolta | All Covered. Learn more about the unique opportunities available for district partnerships.

Please direct questions concerning the webinar to [email protected]. If you are unable to watch the webinar live, please register to receive the video archive directly to your inbox.

Future Ready Schools® is a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed), a Washington, DC–based national policy, practice, and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, particularly those underperforming and those historically underserved, graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship. all4ed.org

Follow FRS on Twitter (twitter.com/FutureReady) and Facebook (facebook.com/futurereadyschools) or visit our website at futureready.org.