Folder: College Readiness

In Arizona as elsewhere, the future belongs to the skilled. Education and training are the stepping stones to individual development and economic self-sufficiency. Trained entrepreneurs, professionals and workers fuel business growth, attract prized employers and drive statewide prosperity in all sectors. As Arizona emerges from the Great Recession, its future success requires an education system that provides future workers with the skills and credentials to meet the rising challenge of glob...Read more

Folder: College Readiness

ACT provides this first look at student performance relative to
the Common Core State Standards and college and career readiness. The
report establishes a baseline of performance on the Standards by using a
sample comprising a quarter-million typical high school students, and then
discusses how states, districts, and schools can support the implementation
of the Common Core State Standards going forward.

Folder: Leadership

The best high schools in America are creating stronger blueprints for success through the use of career and technical education (CTE) concepts and applications: model CTE programs are already embracing their role in delivering academic skills and knowledge; likewise model academic high schools are already embracing traditional CTE program components to improve student achievement.

You can download the most recent whitepaper from the Career and Technical Education Technical Assistance Cent...Read more

Folder: Adult Education

The purpose of this white paper is to provide information on commonly encountered challenges to improving and extending the reach of CTE as a tool for school improvement and for preparing students for college and careers. By identifying these impediments, policy formation can be informed by the state of CTE in our schools and the resources and relationships needed to enhance CTE as a means to increased student engagement and success. The opinions provided are the work of the CTE TAC and Succe...Read more

Folder: Adult Education

Nearly a decade ago, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) presented states with a daunting mix of challenges that supported the creation of statewide standards and assessments and rigorous accountability requirements. Yet, as a nation, the United States still lags behind other countries in student academic achievement and in preparing its young people to succeed beyond the classroom. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education expects the gap between American students and students from top performing co...Read more

Folder: Transitions

Overview:
Achieve
May 24, 2012

With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by 46 states and the District of Columbia, there is a tremendous opportunity to rethink the role of literacy and mathematics not only within academic classes but also in CTE courses and pathways, encouraging more collaboration and integration between educators across disciplines.

Details:
Common Core State Standards & Career and Technical Education: Bridging the Divide between College and Care...Read more

Folder: Transitions

In the United States, postsecondary education and training has become more necessary than ever.
For recent high school graduates, life is tough. In the past year, one in four young high school
graduates was unemployed and over half were underemployed.1 In the past decade, recent
high school graduates’ wages have fallen by 12 percent to just $19,400 annually in 2011,
below the poverty threshold for a family of four.

The downward plight of high school graduates did not begin yesterday....Read more

Folder: Leadership

Converging Challenges

As Western nations struggle to recover their economic equilibriums after the financial crisis of 2008, China and India are leveraging their size and human capital to become global economic powerhouses. Emerging economies such as Vietnam, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, and Panama are increasingly capable of winning greater shares of international business. The ability to compete in the interconnected global economy is primarily leveraged by technical innovation and a hi...Read more

Folder: Student Engagement

The Center for American Progress’s new publication, Do Schools Challenge Our Students? What Student Surveys Tell Us About the State of Education in the United States, examines student-reported survey data from the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The researchers draw the conclusion that, for many students, school is insufficiently challenging. For instance:



•37 percent of fourth-graders report that their math work is too easy.
•39 percent of senior...Read more

Folder: Teacher Effectiveness

The National Research Council just released this mammoth study. It addresses the research on and standards developed for 21st century competencies, which the authors further break down into cognitive, interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies, and the need for more research on the relationship between these competencies and adult outcomes.


Interestingly for CTE, the report calls attention to the practical and applied dimensions of deeper learning. The authors recommend policies that s...Read more