Advocating for CTE

UFT President Michael Mulgrew spoke about the importance of career and technical education in closing the achievement gap and its value for workforce and economic development at an Advisory Council for CTE meeting held at UFT headquarters on Dec. 8. More than 60 stakeholders in the field were there, including small business owners, representatives from the financial sector and the Department of Labor as well as Department of Education officials, CTE teachers and representatives of various colleges and universities. The participants discussed how to ensure that CTE programs are renewed and worked on aligning the CTE curriculum with the state Common Core Learning Standards and assessments. “More CTE programs are being approved, including those in emerging fields like green technology, which is so important for our future,” said UFT Vice President for CTE High Schools Sterling Roberson. The council also hopes to expand the “Scholars at Work” program to 100 student workplace internships.

Miller PhotographySpeaking with Roberson (right) about transportation careers and the state of the economy are (from left) Florence Jackson, senior director of CTE for the New York City DOE; Paul Tropiano, assistant principal at Transit Tech HS; and Anthony Cooper, a CTE teacher at Transit Tech. Miller PhotographyMulgrew addresses a large group of CTE leaders as they discuss ways to advocate for the field at the state and federal levels.