- The Youth Development Foundation Committee met through a conference call on January 30 to discuss major funding priorities. The majority of committee members participated, and we were joined by two new members, Taryn McKenzie of Delmar, Cengage Learning and John Kett of Insurance Auto Auction International. The next YDF meeting is scheduled for April 16-17 here in Leesburg.
- I had a great telephone conversation with SkillsUSA Champion of the Year and Snap-on CEO, Nick Pinchuk, on January 31. Nick says he’ll be making some high-level contacts for SkillsUSA, and he’s willing to travel on a couple of occasions this year to visit partners and high-value prospective sponsors. I also thanked him for his generous personal contribution to the Skills Build America campaign.
- As you may recall, I served on the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE) Independent Advisory Panel. I recently received word that the interim report from the NACTE was sent to Congress on February 8, way ahead of any serious talk of reauthorizing the Perkins Act. The more comprehensive final report is due to be released in the fall of 2013.
Highlights
February 14th, 2013National Assessment Meeting at the U.S. Department of Education
September 30th, 2011On September 12 and 13, I met in Washington, D.C. with the Advisory Committee for the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE). The committee is charged with research and reporting on the impact of Perkins IV legislation. The NACTE Final Report to Congress will be released in a few weeks. I wrote a significant portion on the impact of education reform on CTE and was also responsible for including language in the report about employability skills in reform efforts through career and technical student organizations.
NACTE Meeting in Washington
December 1st, 2010From Atlanta, it was back to Washington, D.C. for two days of meetings at the U.S. Department of Education. I serve on an independent advisory panel for The National Assessment of Career and Technical Education (NACTE) created under the Perkins legislation to monitor implementation of the legislation. Top university researchers, CTE leaders and Washington, D.C. think tank and foundation representatives study research from the field that will help us report on the state of CTE. We heard in-depth reports on how states are spending federal dollars on programs of study (career pathways programs), lab equipment and leadership activities (including student leadership organizations such as SkillsUSA). We also received research reports on CTE’s effectiveness and challenges in Philadelphia and San Diego and we took a deep dive into how programs of study and technical skill assessments are being managed in the states and local schools. Finally, we approved an outline for our report to Congress. I was honored to be appointed chairman of the committee charged with writing the independent panel’s report on aligning CTE with broader education reforms.
