Eight actions for building rigorous, relevant career pathways and increasing young adults’ educational attainment are recommended by the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB’s) Commission on CTE in a new publication.
The SREB Commission on CTE is composed of a variety of state education leaders and state lawmakers. Their eight recommended actions for states include the following:
- Create bridges from high school to postsecondary education and careers through rigorous, relevant career pathways based on industry demand, incorporating integrated academic and technical curriculum; alignment and acceleration strategies such as dual enrollment, work-based learning and industry credential attainment; and career and college guidance systems
- Make college and career readiness an expectation for all high school graduates
- Identify technical and career readiness assessments that offer value to students
- Provide teachers with the professional development needed
- Restructure low-performing high schools around career pathways
- Align technical center curricula with home high schools and postsecondary education and provide options for accelerated credential attainment
- Incentivize attainment goals through statewide readiness standards, among other strategies
- Develop accountability systems that recognize and reward districts and institutions who double the number of young adults who earn postsecondary credentials and have secured high-wage, high-skill employment by age 25
Many of these suggestions will be familiar to CTE advocates, and states are already making moves to strengthen education through CTE and career pathways strategies, as described in State Policies Impacting CTE: 2014 Year in Review from ACTE and the National Association of State Directors of CTE Consortium.
Comments