Career and Technical Education Leaders – Updates – Participation Requested
Career and Technical Education Community:
Good afternoon, I hope this note finds you all well. As we are leaning out of fall and towards winter it is a great time for expressing gratitude. The BCTE team is grateful for all the work you each do to ensure high quality Career and Technical Education for learners across the Commonwealth. Since 2021 Career and Technical Education enrollment has been on the rise, in large part thanks to the high-quality education and welcoming community you cultivate in your schools.
The BCTE has been busy traveling the state support the CTE community through site visits, technical assistance, and community conversations. The BCTE was able to response to the recent public comment period on the potential changes to Perkins State Plan the Consolidated Annual Report (CAR). Our sample comments are attached. We are gearing up for additional comments that close in January.
The BCTE team is excited to share we had 8 schools and 18 nominees submitted for the Presidential Scholars Award. The BCTE submitted 5 nominations to the United States Department of Education. Thanks to all the schools that took the time to put forth their amazing students, as the selection of students who should represent Pennsylvania was even tougher than last year.
The BCTE team completed the Competitive Equipment Grant review last week. We are hopeful to announce the recipients in the very near future.
Please check out the Computer Science related opportunities for educators below. Their voice matters.
Please check out the resources below to help you think outside the box as we continue to grow Career and Technical Education in Pennsylvania.
Participation Requested to Support Educators:
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is collaborating with American Institutes for Research to better understand the professional needs of those educators teaching Computer Science related courses and programs. BCTE wants to ensure the Career and Technical Education community is represented in the sample data and subsequent program / policy solutions. Your educators may have received a personal invitation to participate, but we do not want to miss anyone’s voice. If they have already received the request, please encourage them to complete the survey. If they did not receive the request please complete this form.
Please complete this form so that your Computer Science related course(s) or program(s) instructors are represented in the survey.
As a thank you for participating in this survey, the first 1,000 respondents are eligible to receive a $50 electronic gift card, and the first 400 respondents will be eligible for a 1-year Computer Science Teacher Association (CSTA)+ membership. Additionally, respondents will be eligible to participate in three raffles for one of 10, $100 electronic gift cards; one of 100, 1-year CSTA+ memberships; and one of 45 micro:bit classroom sets.
If you have questions please contact the PAsmart Evaluation team (pasmartstudy@air.org).
Resources:
View two recent resources released by the United States Department of Education:
Supporting the Educator Workforce
As we begin to closeout 2024, consider ways you can continue to lead collaboration in your communities to open more opportunities for learners of all ages to access the promise of a career and technical education.
Judd R. Pittman (he, him, his) | Director
Bureau of Career and Technical Education | Pennsylvania Department of Education
607 South Drive, 5th Floor | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717.783.6977 | www.education.pa.gov
