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Career and Technical Education Ambreen Nawaz Tristan Bragg Pablo Londono Nestor Londono

University of St. Thomas EDUC 5396: Administration of Special Programs and Community Relations Dr. Rita Combs Richardson


 * __Introduction__**


 * __National standards for Career and Technical Education (CTE)__**


 * __Texas standards for Career and Technical Education (CTE)__**


 * __Houston Independent School District (HISD) standards for CTE__**


 * CTE in HISD:**


 * HISD’s Mission Statement for the CTE Programs:**

//**Empowering Students to Compete In a Global Society**//

HISD defines Career and Technical Education (CTE) as a framework and curriculum that “provides students with the academic and technical skills they need to compete in the global workforce and/or to continue their education at the post-secondary level after graduation”. The Career and Technology Education department of Houston Independent School District is designed and developed to help students develop and enhance their skills and abilities needed to strengthen the economic and social foundation of the city of Houston. It was also developed by the institution to provide their students the chance to obtain academic and technical skills that would help them enter into today’s highly demanding global workforce To make all of their objectives attainable, the Houston Independent School District has allowed their Career and Technology Education department collaborate with the regular education peers as well as other departments inside the institution itself. This collaboration is considered to make the career and technology planning, designing, implementing and assessing highly possible. And to make the student continuous achievement existing, everything related to it, including the students’ technical skills and their basic and advanced academics, are significantly integrated.

The HISD’s Career and Technology Education department now maintains a number of course and programs that are made available for their students to consider. The focus of their programs now include careers on agriculture science technology; art, communication and media technology; business and marketing technology; health science technology; human development, management, and services technology; personal and protective services; and family and consumer sciences. One hundred and sixty-five different CTE courses are offered at 67 schools in 29 high schools and 38 middle schools throughout the district.According to Houston ISD’s Research Educational Program Report (2010), the most popular career concentrations in the district for 2008−2009 were (1) Information Technology, (2) Health Science, (3) Human Services, (4) Marketing, Sales, and Services, and (5) Manufacturing. In a departmental memo, HISD Superintendent Terry Grier notes, “When analyzing the longitudinal graduation rates, the percentages of CTE students graduating from high school in a four-year period were higher than those of the district in the class of 2006(79.9 percent versus 67.1 percent), in the class of 2007 (79.4 percent versus 64.3 percent), and in the class of 2008 (84.7 percent versus 68.2 percent).”


 * Recommendations for the future of CTE in HISD:** In the CTE Evaluation Report from February, 2010, it was recommended that CTE continue to provide program offerings so students are able to select from a variety of paths and experience multiple career programs. It was also recommended that students use the EXPO as a platform so that students can showcase their work. In addition, students from elementary as well as middle school should be invited so they can an early exposure to what promise CTE may hold for them in the future. The percentage of high school graduation of students enrolled in CTE is higher than Non-CTE high schools students, and the goal is to continue to make progress in this area. One recommendation made was early enrollment so students can make earlier connections between school related activities and career related activities and that collage becomes a realistic and obtainable goal.


 * __Conclusion__**


 * __References__**

State of the Schools Address. February 26, 2010. Retrieved from: []

Career and Technical Education Portal. June 15, 2011. Retrieved From: []

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EVALUATION REPORT (Memorandum). February 21, 2010. Retrieved From: []