Straus, Bauer and Ulbrich to examine ways to promote career technical education in high schools

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to announce that Michigan State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus, along with board members Elizabeth Bauer and Casandra Ulbrich, has been chosen to serve on a year-long NASBE task force to promote excellence in career technical education.

As part of the 26-member national panel, the three board members will meet with other state policymakers, career technical school leaders, and business executives to discuss ways states can integrate career and technical education opportunities into the nation’s high schools.

“The high-tech, high-skills requirements of many of today’s most in-demand jobs have given students, educators, workers, and employers a new appreciation for a career technical education have made obsolete the notion of vocational education as a poor alternative to a college prep track,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director. “A career and technical education is now understood to be an integral part of a rigorous and comprehensive high school curriculum to prepare students for the 21st Century workforce.”

Participants will examine many issues that have policy implications for State Boards of Education, such as access, teacher preparation and licensure, curriculum, standards and assessments for CTE, industry certifications and school business partnerships, and alignment to high school redesign efforts.

The task force will issue a comprehensive report in October 2008 at the NASBE Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The state policy recommendations will also be distributed to all governors, state superintendents, other state and local education policymakers, national education groups, Congress, and federal officials.