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The Image of Career and Technical Education Essay

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The Image of Career and Technical Education

Parents, students, and employers still hold stereotypes about career and technical education (CTE). This Practice Application Brief presents strategies career and technical educators can use to present a new image of CTE as a viable strategy for education and work, including proactive approaches to enhancing the reputation of CTE programs, bringing parents up to date on labor market information, marketing CTE to the local community, and working with media to recognize exemplary programs and outstanding student achievements.

Strategy #1: Give Students Something to Brag About

High school students care about their image—what their peers and others think about them and what they do. One of …show more content…

The activities have been provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and were developed to serve students of varying grade levels.

The second in the series, an activity titled "Beacon Monitor Experiment on Deep Space 1" (Shope 1998), introduces students to "some of the latest and most advanced technologies being tested for use on space missions of the future...incorporating hands-on technology education and science experiences, language arts, and kinesthetic and art activities" (p. 31). Activities like this, which expose students to real-life advanced application of technology, give them the advantage of knowing something that most people do not know. The students become able to describe these newly designed, industry-based activities to their parents and peers and demonstrate how these activities have led them to solve problems that are relevant in the evolving workplace. Proud of their experiences and accomplishments, these students can provide testimonials that do much to improve the image of CTE.

Get State-of-the-Art Equipment or at Least Provide Students Access to It

Improving the image of CTE is greatly facilitated when state-of-the-art equipment is available for students to use when engaging in hands-on learning. Working with equipment that meets workplace standards and is used by industry workers not only improves the quality of learning, but is also perceived by students as being "cool" (Ries 1998). Some

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