When you read as much news as I do, sometimes things start to blend together. However, every once in a while a story catches my eye along with that of the broader community, and effectively highlights what great CTE looks like in the context of all the broader policy discussions currently underway.
If you missed James Fallows' piece in the Atlantic last Thursday,"'High School in Southern Georgia: What 'Career Technical' Education Looks Like," I encourage you to take a look. The article outlines the way that Camden County High School in St. Mary's, Georgia, delivers high-quality CTE to its students by providing them with career exploration opportunities and employability skills through a "wall-to-wall" career academy model. Fallows goes on to outline how the public misconceives "non-college" education opportunities, and often doesn't know about the career pathways that CTE makes available in high-income, respected fields.
The article received significant feedback from readers across the country, all of whom wanted to weigh in on their experiences with CTE and the significant need for well-trained, technically minded individuals in their workforce. They echoed Fallows' point that it's important for parents and students to understand that CTE is part of an academically rigorous curriculum, and correctly noted that CTE students can and do go on to college to pursue their career aspirations.
Fallows' piece does a great job of educating his readers about CTE and illustrating it in action, and it's exciting to find examples of media coverage that raises awareness of this important topic. As always, please don't hesitate to send me examples of great CTE stories from your area!
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