We have to show students that there is a real connection between what they learn in school and the world beyond the classroom. How can educators help students connect with real-world problems, and navigate them in a low-risk environment?

Engage students in many ways. One size does not fit all, and students need to hear and engage with content in many different ways. CTE programs are integral to diversifying students’ learning opportunities. EVERFI supports that learning with another method of practicing skills using interactive, online lessons and games. In EVERFI: Financial Literacy, students learn about personal finance, planning for the future, and protecting themselves through six 20-minute lessons, all at their own pace on their computer, Chromebook, or tablet.

Provide authentic learning opportunities. Learning through true-to-life simulations and real-world experience transforms a students’ understanding. EVERFI’s virtual lessons provide an opportunity to put those skills to the test. For example, if you want to give your students a foundation in entrepreneurship, Venture: Entrepreneurial Expedition guides students through designing and running their own virtual food truck business.  A virtual simulation can get the conversation started, while providing a foundation in concepts students need to be successful.

Read more here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hC7GbgaDnCeocSJI81pwqaG3hy8BNKxdO7dZAwMCgaA/edit?usp=sharing

Samantha du Preez is EVERFI's K-12 Community Engagement Manager. She has worked with EVERFI over the last five years to connect with educators and equip them with the resources they need to prepare students for the real world. A former elementary and ESL educator herself, Samantha has taught in communities in Los Angeles, Arizona, and South Korea. She has her M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from the American College of Education, two B.A. degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Arizona, and her research on early language acquisition has been published in the Korea TESOL Journal. Now a resident of Detroit, she continues to advocate for education locally, but spends most of her free time keeping warm and well-fed with her spouse and two dogs.

Erica Hart is a Senior Schools manager based in her hometown of Kansas City. She graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s in Education and earned her Master's degree in Educational Technology from the University of Central Missouri. Erica was an educator in MO for 7 years before joining EVERFI as a Schools Manager where she helps to train teachers, provide ongoing support, and share data with schools and districts about the impact of EVERFI’s resources.

In this episode of the NCLA podcast, our host, Rachael Mann, is joined by guests Lindsey Balderaz and John Turcic to discuss their proof-of-concept initiative with the Transformative Leadership Academy (TLA) in West Texas.  This project is part of an education/business partnership development pilot effort to test the effectiveness of the program’s methodologies, concepts, and curriculum approaches. Tune in to hear about this partnership, a discussion on disruptive technology, innovation, leadership, and more.

To learn more about today's guests, visit: 

John Turcic's Bio: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xcxwsl9V9FxeVreDiSTWXkDCuACG0kPCwZNKtm28J0w/edit?usp=sharing

Dr. Lindsey Baleraz's Bio: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s_46yQ_7Mvbe3ycHuwGOZEtI0SwLNh-M5xEZohbUa_Q/edit?usp=sharing

Transformative Leadership Academy: https://thetlacademy.com/

UTB Professor Starts Her Own School https://www.oaoa.com/news/education/utpb-professor-starts-her-own-school/article_d45b0478-d424-11ea-9a22-135f7827200a.html

Bio: Jon Quatman was Assistant Superintendent and Vice President for Great Oaks, the career-technical school district serving 30,000 youth and adults at four campuses in southwestern Ohio.  After earning his BA at Thomas More College and his Masters from Xavier University, Jon held administrative positions in a large Cincinnati suburb, Forest Hills. When Jon came to Great Oaks in 1996 as Director of the largest Great Oaks campus, he was immediately charged with restructuring the school into professional academies. After successfully completing this challenge, Jon earned a vice presidency position.

At Great Oaks, Jon successfully integrated assessment and accountability into the learning process. Jon required individual academic plans for each student which have led to improved graduation rates, employment and continuing education. He enhanced accountability through the integration of a more accurate and accessible student management system. He has also restructured assessment and professional development at Great Oaks to upgrade the accuracy and relevancy of assessments in each career program.  He oversaw all student services, secondary marketing and State data reporting for the district and the curriculum department.

Jon’s expertise has been recognized and valued by his peers.  He was tapped for Leadership Cincinnati – the first non-superintendent.  He was selected to work on the Ohio Taskforce to set standards for supporting students with special needs in a rigorous academic environment. He served on the Ohio Taskforce to define performance measures for Ohio CTE; he has been the Chair of the Ohio North Central Accreditation Association, President of the Ohio Association of Career and Technical Education, President of the National Council of Local Administrators, and Vice President of Region I for Association of Career and Technical Education, representing the Northeastern States from Maine to West Virginia to Michigan, including Washington DC. He received the Ambassador Award from the Special Needs Division of Ohio Association of Career and Technical Education, the Stanley Fox Excellence in Education Award in 2003 from Ohio NCA-CASI and Ohio Excellence in Education Award in 2010 from Advanced ED.

Blog Post: https://www.acteonline.org/professional-organization-membership-engagement-and-leadership/

In this episode of the NCLA Podcast, Dr. Aaron L. Smith reminds listeners to remember that academia must bridge careers (ABCs) through CTE and STEM and discusses building a robust workforce in these areas through collaboration. Aaron is an author and international speaker, and an active educator leading one of the most award-winning STEM magnet schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specializing in advanced workforce development, Dr. Smith brings an inspiring message all over the nation on the transformation of STEM Career and Technical Ed public education.

Visit the following links to learn more about Dr. Smith's work:

https://www.aaronsmithphd.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Check-Novel-Reinvent-Schools/dp/1642798851/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Blank+Check+Aaron+Smith&qid=1585740734&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Your-School-Aaron-Smith/dp/1633930610/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Awakening+Your+STEM+School&qid=1586862286&sr=8-1

Eric Ripley has 18 years of professional experience in Career and Technical Education (CTE) including his current roles as the Director of CTE for the Grand Forks Public Schools (North Dakota) and Director of the Grand Forks Area Career & Technology Center. A graduate of the University of North Dakota, Eric’s educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education and a Master's Degree in Career & Technical Education/Educational Leadership. Prior to his current administrative position, Eric previously taught as a middle school CTE computer teacher and high school information technology instructor. Eric is passionate about the importance of Career and Technical Education within public education and expanding opportunities for all students to partake in CTE. Eric is married to Sadie, and has three sons, Toby, Grady, and Ethan.

Podcast Subject: K-12 and Post-Secondary Collaboration

Fran Bromley-Norwood is the Computer Science and Cybersecurity Lead for the Clark County School District in Nevada, where she trains teachers and prepares Career and Technical Education students to be career-ready for industry positions. Fran earned her Bachelor's Degree at Towson State University in Maryland and her Master's Degree at Dowling College in New York. She continues to earn college credits and industry certifications in order to stay up-to-date with industry standards. She is a 2020 ACTE Fellow and Nominating Committee member representing the eTED Division. She was also selected to be part of the ACTE LEAD program in 2019. Fran currently sits on the Nevada ACTE executive board.

Fran is a member of the Nevada State K-12 Computer Science Standards writing team and a standards development member for the CTE Cybersecurity program of study. She is a member of the CTE Computer Science and Cybersecurity assessment teams and continues working with colleagues to increase the rigor for the CTE Computer Science standards.

Fran moved from New York to Las Vegas in 2001, where she now lives with her husband and two sons. Fran has a passion for all kinds of sports including aquatics, hockey, and auto racing, where she met her husband.

https://linkedin.com/in/fran-bromley-norwood-932b46148

https://twitter.com/itchcompsci

Del Johnson is the Vice President of Business Development at Orgametrics. Del’s education and corporate experience, most notably running the college and career center for Minneapolis Public Schools, gives him unique insight into understanding the challenges of organizations wishing to develop truly effective and aligned teams and leaders.

https://orgametrics.net/ 

Dave Keaton began his current CTE Regional Director/Superintendent position at Region Two School of Applied Technology located in Houlton, Maine, in July 2012. Previously, Dave was CTE Director of Somerset Career & Technical Center in Skowhegan, Maine for 6 years, was a Pre K -12 Principal at Ashland Schools, Director of Learning at Loring Job Corps, CTE Director at St. John Valley Technology Center, and K - 12 Principal at Limestone Community School. Dave earned his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, his Master's and Certificate of Advance Studies Degrees at the University of Maine in Educational Leadership. Dave has recently completed a three-year term, as Vice President of Career & Technical Education National Association for Region I comprising of 15 states and the District of Columbia. While a member of the ACTE Dave recently was a finalist of ACTE’s Administrator of the Year Award and winner of Region I Administrator of the Year. He also was selected for the Scott Westbrook III Humanitarian Award and the Jim Hanneman Award. Dave is the President-Elect of National Council of Local Administrators of CTE (NCLA) and will assume the President position in school year FY18. Dave is the Chair for Northern New England CTE Consortium comprised of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Dave also serves on the state committee of the Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve since his military retirement in 2000 as a Field Artillery Captain. Serves on the Board of Directors of Aroostook County Action Program. Dave also serves on serves on several other state and local committees. He lives in Caribou, Maine with his wife and two daughters.

In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Chris Bailey shares the importance of CTE to economic development and how teachers need to think of themselves as industry trainers and recruiters. Tune in to hear why every student should be required to take a Career and Technical Education class and how his daughter's experience in CTE saved him potentially $200k in a potentially wrong career decision. 

Learn more about his CTE program in Onslow: https://www.ednc.org/not-your-fathers-shop-class/

Chris Bailey is the Career & Technical Education Director for Onslow County Schools in southeastern North Carolina. Beginning his career as an agricultural education teacher, Chris has served as a CTE teacher, career development coordinator, elementary assistant principal, high school assistant principal and CTE Director. Chris served Craven County Schools for eight years as CTE Director and has recently returned to Onslow County Schools to lead CTE. He was the recipient of the Dave Berryman Leadership Scholarship in 2016, NC Southeast Region CTE Director of the Year in 2015 and 2018, and the North Carolina CTE Director of the Year in 2019. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education from North Carolina State University and a Masters of School Administration from East Carolina University. His wife, Beth, is an Agricultural Education teacher in Onslow County. They have one daughter, Caitlyn, who is a freshman at Western Carolina University.

Pat Edmunds is the Director of Arkansas Tech Career Center in Russellville, Arkansas. Spending more than 25 years in CTE, she has accepted the role as an educational administrator, leader, and mentor excitedly. She took a 1972 vo-tech model and modernized it by facilitating a merger with a two-year institution, updating programming, incorporating industry credentials, and growing enrollment by 200%. She brought industry to the table to have real conversations about growing a local modern workforce. Her motto is, “If you’re not improving, you’re backing up.” When she’s not in her garden, she and her husband, Jerry, love spending time with their precious grandbabies or traveling to her favorite haunts in New Orleans.