This section puts a spotlight on a number of promising strategies underway in Pennsylvania's Career and Technology Centers (CTCs), regional schools that offer intensive career and technical education (CTE) for high school-aged and adult students.
The strategies are organized by the key practices identified as part of the Pennsylvania CTE Best Practices Initiative. These "spotlight profiles" complement a similar series of intensive case studies about particular CTC schools.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Career and Technical Education (PDE/BCTE) launched a statewide initiative to increase the quality and impact of CTE programs, while ensuring that they are aligned with the Commonwealth’s economic and workforce development priorities.
The Pennsylvania CTE Best Practices Initiative, carried out by the Meeder Consulting Group on behalf of the PDE/BCTE, is documenting the strategies used by CTE programs to create standards aligned systems and to support those systems with people, processes and partnerships. All of these strategies are aligned to the goal of increasing academic and technical achievement among students.
Additional Best Practices, contributed by individual schools, are linked at left.
Integrate Literacy and Numeracy Strategies into CTE
Provide Extra Help to Strengthen Academic and/or Technical Skill Achievement
Deliver Personalized Student Support and Guidance
Develop a Standardized and Aligned Curriculum
Use Assessment Results to Target Instructional Strategies
Build a Culture of Targeted and Ongoing Professional Growth
Develop a Cohesive Team
Be Intentional and Systemic About Change
Make Program and Instructional Decisions Based on Data
Cultivate Relationships with Community, Business and Industry Partners
Strengthen Relationships with Education Partners
Supporting Adult and Displaced Workers
Profile glossary (PDF)
