Program Schedule

This interactive preconference workshop supports counselors, guidance leaders, and administrators in redesigning high schools into equitable, student-centered pathway systems. Grounded in helping students understand who they are, where they are going, and who can support them, the session focuses on connecting vision to action through purposeful student support. The workshop draws on decades of experience expanding access to rigorous CTE, increasing early college opportunities, and strengthening counseling and leadership systems. Participants will explore practical strategies to design, implement, and scale high-quality pathways aligned to student success. Designed for diverse settings—including small districts, charter schools, new administrators, and counseling teams—the session addresses challenges in implementation and sustainability. Through hands-on activities, attendees will apply design thinking tools to their own contexts and leave with actionable plans, practical frameworks, and tools to expand access and improve alignment.

Why do students thrive in the lab but struggle in the classroom? The answer lies at the intersection of adolescent brain science and instructional design. In this session, we move beyond "standardized compliance" to explore how the teenage brain is uniquely wired for high-stakes, authentic learning. We will shift the focus from passive behavior to active agency, providing a roadmap to transform your curriculum into a professional environment where students lead their own development. Attendees will dive into connecting theory to practice, ensuring pedagogical concepts are anchored in real-world milestones. We will tackle differentiation through low, medium, and high prep strategies that support every learner without compromising rigor. Participants will engage through interactive "Industry Audits" and collaborative "Lesson Hacks" to ensure immediate scalability. You will leave with a tangible CTE Toolkit, including digital templates, differentiation rubrics, and actionable strategies to ignite excellence in every student who enters your room.

Warren Easton Charter High School invites ACTE conference attendees to experience an immersive look into innovative Career and Technical Education in action. This guided tour highlights our rich history, dynamic learning environments, and student-centered approach to workforce development. Guests will engage with school leadership, observe hands-on learning labs, and hear directly from students and instructors about real-world applications, industry partnerships, and career pathways. The experience is designed to showcase how Warren Easton prepares students to be college-ready, career-ready, and community-minded.

 

Itinerary

8:30am: Attendees board bus at convention center

8:45am - 8:55am: Bus departs and heads to school

9:00am - 9:30am: Welcome & Historical Tour

- Guided historical walkthrough of Warren Easton’s second-floor Hall of Fame

 - Led by the Principal

 - Concludes in the school auditorium with a brief overview of the school’s legacy and impact

9:30am - 10:15am: Learning Lab Rotations

- Attendees are divided into small groups

 - Groups rotate through three Career & Technical Education learning labs

Each session includes:

 - Overview of the program and industry alignment

 - Demonstration of student learning and lab usage

 - Instructor-led Q&A

10:15am - 10:45am: Student & Instructor Panel

 - Groups reconvene in the auditorium

 - Facilitated Q&A session featuring students and instructors

 - Focus on student experiences, certifications, internships, and career pathways

10:45am - 11:00am: Closing & Departure

- Final remarks and networking opportunity

11:05am: Attendees board bus at school

11:15am - 11:35am: Bus departs and heads to convention center

Join us for an engaging tour of Cuillier Career Center, part of Jefferson Parish Schools, highlighting its dynamic programs in Construction and Advanced Manufacturing. This visit will showcase how students are gaining hands-on, industry-aligned experience that prepares them for high-demand careers.

A key focus of the tour will be the strong collaboration among partners who make these opportunities possible, including Jefferson Parish Schools, the Greater New Orleans Construction Sector Partnership, Local 60 Plumbers & Steamfitters, and Nunez Community College. Guests will learn how this cross-sector partnership model supports workforce development, creates seamless education-to-career pathways, and strengthens the regional talent pipeline.

This tour offers a firsthand look at how education and industry are working together to build the future workforce.

Credentials / dress code requirements: 
Government issued ID, closed toe shoes, no shorts, no ripped/torn clothing.

New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Tour
Join us to visit the operations at the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.   Opened in 1915, the New Orleans Branch is the first branch office established in the Federal Reserve System.  Its operation has an important role in our nation’s financial system and its establishment and location are deeply rooted in New Orleans’ economic history.  Come see cash process, learn a little history and some fun facts about Federal Reserve System’s very first branch. This is a unique tour experience that isn’t open to the general public.

All visitors must present a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license or passport) to enter the facility. Everyone and their personal belongings will pass through metal detection screening, so bringing minimal items will help speed up the process. Coats, hats, bags, backpacks, and similar items are not permitted in Cash Operations and will be left in the conference room. Cell phones are allowed; however, photography and video recording are strictly prohibited. Weapons of any kind, including pepper spray, are not permitted on the premises.

8:15am: Attendees board bus

8:30am - 8:40am: Bus departs convention center & travels to Federal Reserve

8:45am: Attendees arrive at facility and completes  security check

9:00am: Group is divided into two subgroups (A and B) of 15 participants each.

  - Group A is escorted to the cash department to learn about operations from a cash expert.

  - Group B is escorted to a conference room to learn about the history of the branch and view a coin collection and the boardroom.

9:30am: Groups switch locations.

  - Group A moves to the conference room.

  - Group B moves to the cash department.

10:00am – Tour concludes

10:10am - Attendees board bus

10:20am - 10:30am: Bus travels to convention center

The Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) under Perkins V is more than a compliance requirement—it is a powerful opportunity to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and better align them with student needs and workforce demand. In this interactive 4-hour workshop, district and school teams will learn how to translate CLNA findings into clear, actionable strategies for program improvement. Participants will engage in practical exercises focused on asking the right questions, analyzing key data, and identifying meaningful gaps across programs and learner groups. By the end of the session, teams will leave with practical tools, ready-to-use templates, and a structured planning approach they can immediately apply in their local context. Led by Hans Meeder, this session equips participants with the knowledge and confidence to strengthen their next CLNA cycle and drive sustained, long-term program success.

New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Tour
Join us to visit the operations at the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.   Opened in 1915, the New Orleans Branch is the first branch office established in the Federal Reserve System.  Its operation has an important role in our nation’s financial system and its establishment and location are deeply rooted in New Orleans’ economic history.  Come see cash process, learn a little history and some fun facts about Federal Reserve System’s very first branch. This is a unique tour experience that isn’t open to the general public.

All visitors must present a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license or passport) to enter the facility. Everyone and their personal belongings will pass through metal detection screening, so bringing minimal items will help speed up the process. Coats, hats, bags, backpacks, and similar items are not permitted in Cash Operations and will be left in the conference room. Cell phones are allowed; however, photography and video recording are strictly prohibited. Weapons of any kind, including pepper spray, are not permitted on the premises.
 

9:30am: Attendees board bus

9:45am: 9:55am: Bus departs convention center & travels to Federal Reserve

10:00am: Attendees arrives at facility and completes security check

10:15am: Group is divided into two subgroups (A and B) of 15 participants each.

  - Group A is escorted to the cash department to learn about operations from a cash expert.

  - Group B is escorted to a conference room to learn about the history of the branch and view a coin collection and the boardroom.

10:45am: Groups switch locations.

  - Group A moves to the conference room.

  - Group B moves to the cash department.

11:15am: Tour concludes.

11:25am: Attendees board bus

11:35am - 11:45am: Bus travels to convention center

Visit Reconcile to see a 14-week workforce training program in action. This site visit highlights how culinary training, paid work experience, and supportive services prepare young people ages 16–24 for employment and career growth. Attendees will observe program activities and learn strategies for engaging youth and connecting training to industry.

This dynamic and engaging workshop is designed for new, emerging, and aspiring secondary Career and Technical Education administrators who are ready to lead high quality, impactful programs. Grounded in the ACTE High Quality CTE Framework and aligned to the CTE Total Program Model, participants will explore the essential components of effective program leadership, including curriculum design and mapping, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement. Through interactive activities, real world scenarios, and collaborative discussion, participants will apply key concepts to their own contexts and walk away with practical strategies they can use right away. Led by a seasoned CTE professional with more than 20 years of experience in teaching and administration, and current national work with ACTE, this session brings both deep expertise and a broad perspective on the challenges and opportunities shaping CTE across states. Participants will also benefit from meaningful networking and shared learning with peers from across the field.

New CTE instructors don’t all start from the same place—and their onboarding shouldn’t either. This session focuses on building effective mentoring and onboarding systems for both industry professionals entering education and teachers transitioning into CTE. We’ll unpack the key differences in their needs, explore strategies for supporting hands-on, differentiated instruction, and reframe classroom “chaos” as purposeful, engaging learning. Participants will leave with actionable ideas to better prepare and retain new CTE educators, and gain practical strategies to ensure new instructors not only survive—but succeed

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is one of the most powerful pathways to meaningful employment, yet many neurodiverse learners, including students with autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, and other cognitive differences, continue to face barriers to entering and completing CTE programs and transitioning into the workforce. This interactive pre-conference workshop will equip educators, administrators, and workforce partners with practical strategies for preparing neurodiverse learners for employment in CTE-supported fields. Participants will explore how to align instruction, accommodations, work-based learning, and industry partnerships to support student success while maintaining rigorous technical standards. Drawing on emerging research and national models of accessible CTE programs, this session will highlight strategies that integrate universal design, structured skill development, and employer engagement to create stronger pathways from training to employment. Participants will leave with an actionable framework and tools they can immediately implement to strengthen employment outcomes for neurodiverse learners in their CTE programs.

This hands-on session shows how community colleges can use Generative AI to automate real operational work, create instructional materials, and strengthen pedagogy to improve student outcomes. Participants will build practical assets such as standard operating procedures, compliance instruments, simulations, dynamic dashboards, and curriculum-ready teaching materials aligned with technical programs. They will also learn how to evaluate and select appropriate AI tools for specific tasks and design AI-driven workflows that mirror real industry pressures. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use AI-generated models, frameworks, instructional resources, and evaluation tools they can immediately adapt to support student readiness for the AI-driven workforce.

Career and Technical Education classrooms are increasingly multilingual and culturally diverse as programs prepare students for a global workforce. This interactive workshop equips CTE educators with practical strategies to support English language learners (ELLs) while building intercultural and global competence in technical learning environments. Participants will explore the stages of second-language acquisition, the context and experiences of multilingual learners, and how cultural communication styles influence classroom interactions and teamwork. Using AI-generated video scenarios, educators will examine real-world situations and practice strategies such as tiered questioning, culturally responsive communication, and cross-cultural conflict resolution. Participants will draw from their own professional experiences and collaborate with colleagues to identify inclusive teaching approaches that support both technical skill development and language growth. Participants will leave with practical tools and AI resources they can immediately apply to create more inclusive, globally responsive CTE learning environments.

Explore how Jefferson Parish Schools, the Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO), and Delgado Community College are preparing the next generation of skilled manufacturing professionals.
This tour highlights the Advanced Manufacturing Certificate of Technical Studies (CTS) programs available to dual enrolled high school students — offering a direct pathway from the classroom to a high-demand career. Participants will see firsthand how students earn industry-recognized credentials while still in high school, positioning them for employment or continued education upon graduation.
A key feature of this model is the partnership with JEDCO, which plays a vital role in bridging school to career. Through JEDCO, students benefit from on-site industry interactions with local manufacturing companies operating within Jefferson Parish, giving them real-world exposure to the careers their training supports. For students in their senior year, JEDCO co-hosts hiring events that connect CTS completers directly with employers actively seeking skilled talent.
Together, these partners have built a workforce pipeline that serves students, schools, and the regional economy — making Jefferson Parish a model for career and technical education done right.

12:10pm: Attendees board bus at convention center

12:25pm - 12:55pm: Bus departs and heads to school

1:00pm - 1:10pm: Introductions, welcome, overview of CTS programs

1:10pm - 1:20pm: Connecting programs to local industry (advanced manufacturing week)

1:20pm - 1:30pm: Instrumentation Control Walkthrough:

1:30pm - 1:40pm: Machine Shop Walkthrough:

1:40pm - 1:50pm: Welding Walkthrough:

1:50pm - 2:00pm: Engineering Design Walkthrough

2:00pm - 2:10pm: Diesel Mechanic Walkthrough

2:10pm - 2:20pm: Small Industrial Electric

2:20pm - 2:30pm: Q&A, farewell Delgado, JP, JEDCO swag bags

2:35pm: Attendees board bus at school

2:40pm - 3:10pm: Bus departs and heads to convention center

Step inside Nunez Community College’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program and discover how students are trained for careers in one of Louisiana’s most advanced industries. This tour highlights the program’s curriculum, industry-aligned credentials, and hands-on learning environment, while showcasing the state-of-the-art equipment used to train students in precision assembly and manufacturing. You’ll see how Nunez students gain the skills needed to help build real rocket components.

Tour itinerary: An overview of Nunez Community College’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program, followed by a tour of the Aerospace Manufacturing training facility.

 

Attendees must wear close toed shoes.

 

Tour Itinerary

9:20am: Attendees board bus at convention center

9:35am - 9:55am: Bus departs and heads to school

10:00am - 10:30am: Overview of Nunez Community College’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program

10:30am - 11:00am: Tour the Aerospace Manufacturing training facility

11:05am: Attendees board bus

11:15am - 11:30am: Bus departs school and returns to convention center

Education and workforce leaders are being called to elevate their work to be transformational, scalable, and sustainable for all students. Join Ford NGL for a dynamic one-day convening at ACTE designed for decision-makers shaping career-connected learning. 

Through engaging sessions, participants will explore topics such as 

• how communities move Portraits of a Graduate into system-wide implementation; 

• how to develop strong cross-sector partnerships that deepen business engagement; and

• how to bring all community stakeholders together to achieve 100% of students completing a CTE program of study. 

Connect with leaders from across the country and gain actionable strategies grounded in Ford NGL’s Community Connected Framework for Transformation to drive meaningful impact.

Enhance your ACTE CareerTech VISION 2026 experience with an engaging professional development opportunity designed specifically for Family and Consumer Sciences educators.
Join the ACTE Family & Consumer Sciences Division at the renowned New Orleans School of Cooking for a hands-on culinary experience that combines professional learning, collaboration, culinary education, and New Orleans culture. Participants will work in teams to prepare a complete New Orleans-inspired meal, including a starter, entrée, and dessert, while learning culinary techniques from experienced instructors.
Beyond the kitchen, this experience provides valuable opportunities to network with FCS educators from across the country, exchange classroom ideas, and explore connections to culinary arts, hospitality, nutrition, experiential learning, and career readiness. Attendees will gain inspiration and practical takeaways that can be adapted for use in their own programs and classrooms.
Whether you teach culinary arts, hospitality, nutrition, or broader Family and Consumer Sciences courses, this excursion offers a unique blend of professional development and hands-on learning in one of New Orleans' most iconic educational destinations.

Your Registration Includes:
• Three-hour hands-on cooking class
• Preparation of a starter, entrée, and dessert
• Professional instruction from New Orleans School of Cooking chefs
• Opportunities for collaboration and networking with FCS educators nationwide
• Recipes to take home and use as classroom resources
• Commemorative apron
• Enjoyment of the meal you help create
Transportation Information
Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the New Orleans School of Cooking. The venue is located in the historic French Quarter and is easily accessible by taxi, rideshare services, walking, or other local transportation options.

This interactive pre-conference experience equips administrators with scalable, ready-to-implement strategies to build emotionally intelligent, high-functioning teams across classrooms, schools, and CTE pathways. Participants will actively engage in three IMAGO experiences: emotional intelligence for the future of work, practical leadership tools for communication and feedback, and storytelling to strengthen culture and connection. Rather than passive learning, attendees will practice tools in real time, to create stronger climates with clarity, feedback, and trust. Each strategy is designed to transfer seamlessly across K–12, postsecondary, and workforce settings. Participants will leave with tangible resources, including facilitation templates, plug-and-play discussion protocols, and easily implemented tools. The session emphasizes immediate application and long-term scalability, helping leaders embed human skills into daily practice, professional learning, and organizational culture, without adding complexity to already full systems.

Navigating Difficult Conversations is an interactive workshop designed to help school professionals build confidence and skill in handling challenging interactions, whether in person, over the phone, or by email. Explore real-life scenarios, de-escalation techniques, and the power of non-verbal communication. Engage in hands-on activities to co-create communication norms and dive into strategies. Participants will also reflect on personal and team support systems, self-care, and the importance of being heard. Walk away with practical tools, a stronger sense of team support, and greater clarity for navigating tough conversations with professionalism and empathy.

Have you ever thought, “We need to engage students in CTE earlier”? This interactive workshop equips educators with the foundational knowledge and practical tools needed to design impactful professional development for the middle grades. Participants will explore the CTE Delivery Model and learn how to intentionally integrate career awareness, career exploration, and professional skills into existing middle school academic instruction. Through guided discussions, hands-on planning activities, and real-world examples, educators will analyze national career pathways, align instruction with middle school career standards, and create a clear, actionable plan to implement this work within their own schools or districts. The session empowers participants to build a strong foundation of career literacy that prepares students for future pathways while enhancing engagement and relevance in everyday instruction.

Join education and workforce development visionary Mark C. Perna for the cutting-edge strategies to inspire, focus, and engage students in their education and career journey! Amid challenging levels of chronic absenteeism and student apathy, CTE has a unique opportunity to reconnect with the Z and Alpha generations. Discover how to: • Unlock students’ motivation by leading them to build a personal competitive advantage • Inspire consistent attendance by creating ongoing, compelling relevance and purpose • Implement a comprehensive engagement culture that wins students’ hearts and minds • Attract, retain, and graduate more of the right students in the right programs, pathways and careers • And more! Mark’s dynamic message has garnered thousands of rave reviews from educators across North America, who call it a “can’t miss” experience. Register now to experience the proven tools to engage younger generations, build compelling relevance and purpose, and unlock their highest performance!

CTE systems should take on the personality of its economic region, and our Satellite Center is a true reflection of Southeastern Louisiana workforce development with programs to address our region's targeted economic sectors including advanced manufacturing, logistics, energy, information technology, and health sciences.  We are continually working to strengthen our business and industry partnerships through such initiatives as expanding our advisory boards, adopting and integrating industry procedures into our skilled crafts programs, and hosting job fairs for our seniors, among others.  On the horizon, we will be developing Industry Partner PLCs by partnering with our industry partners to help us identify essential learning, develop formative assessments, and help to design interventions and extensions. 
 

8:20am: Attendees board bus at convention center

8:40am - 9:25am: Bus departs and heads to school

9:30am - 10:00am: Overview: Aligning CTE Courses, IBC Opportunities, and College Credit Opportunities to Regional Economic Drivers

10:00am - 10:05am: Attendees board bus and head to second location

10:05am -11:20am: Tour of SCPPS Satellite Center CTE Programs

11:20am -11:25am: Q & A

11:30am: Attendees board bus at school

11:40am - 12:25pm: Bus departs and heads to convention center

Step inside the New Orleans Career Center to see how industry-informed training spaces, employer partnerships, and work-based learning are preparing the city's young people for high-demand careers.

The Energy Pathway at Carlsbad High School is an innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) program for students in grades 9-12, centered on project-based, hands-on learning. This pathway helps students develop technical and employability skills. Working in teams, students gain experience in project and time management, effective collaboration, and professional communication with industry partners. Through close partnerships with the local community, we integrate industry professionals into the Energy Pathway in a variety of ways. Industry partners serve on the CTE advisory board and participate actively as guest speakers, sharing insights from a range of careers and offering feedback on student projects. They also join field trips, providing students with a firsthand understanding of oil and gas equipment, and act as an audience for final project presentations. This workshop will provide practical examples and strategies for involving industry partners in your own CTE pathway to enhance student learning and career readiness.

This session explores practical strategies for building and sustaining strong partnerships between businesses and Career Academies to enhance student learning and workforce readiness. Participants will learn how intentional collaboration between education and industry can create meaningful opportunities such as mentorships, internships, and project-based learning experiences. The presentation will focus on proven approaches for identifying, engaging, and onboarding business partners; aligning workforce needs with curriculum and Career Academy goals; and developing partnerships that deliver long-term value for both students and employers. Through real-world examples and implementation-focused discussion, attendees will gain tools and strategies they can immediately apply to strengthen business and industry engagement within their own CTE programs and communities.

Discover how to build a thriving high school internship program that connects students with real-world opportunities while minimizing legal pitfalls. Key concerns include child labor laws, wage/hour compliance (FLSA primary beneficiary test for unpaid roles), supervision needs, liability/safety, time investment, student maturity/professionalism, and adult employee conduct around minors. Attendees will gain actionable best practices to start or strengthen programs in their schools, plus ready-to-share tools for mentor companies: risk mitigation guides, supervision checklists, compliance templates, and orientation resources. Leave equipped to apply strategies immediately to enhance student career readiness, scale partnerships district-wide, and foster safe, educational experiences. Engage through interactive Q&A, share your program challenges, and hear proven solutions from peer schools.

It is time for academic subject teachers and CTE teachers to break down silos of isolation and work together to support students. The most efficient opportunity to build a school wide curriculum that prepares students for a challenging world beyond high school is to develop connections between academic courses and Career and Technical Education (CTE). Teaching for both academic rigor and CTE relevance is a win/win experience for all education stakeholders. The resulting convergence helps students improve their performance and assists in the transition to post-secondary education and careers. There are many options for creating connections in collaboration among teachers. A question for school leaders aspiring to prepare students is not whether to connect academic and technical skills but which collaboration model works best with existing staff and the school organization. ACTE has joined Dr. Jones and Dr. Ranucci in publishing a resource that describes 17 models of successful examples.

Get the keys to unlocking efficiency and profits with a school-based enterprise. This workshop will provide a blueprint to running a successful school store/school-based enterprise that students love and generate real revenue. This step-by-step guide shows you how to turn your school store into a profitable business that teaches students real-world retail skills. Discover the secrets to: creating student systems, adopting multiple touchpoints and payment systems to track and monitor sales and expenses, selecting and buying the right products to price and sell, marketing and promoting to attract & retain customers, creating an organized space and enjoyable shopping experience for customers. Implement these keys and transform your store from a fun project into a money-making operation with consistent cash flow.

We are preparing our students for a rapidly changing workforce, and CTE educators play a critical role in equipping them with the skills they need to succeed. In this session, discover five practical, technology-driven strategies to transform your classroom, with a focus on best practices such as building engagement, designing learning with purpose, and providing student-specific feedback. Participants will engage in hands-on demonstrations with powerful tools, including Formative, Gemini, NotebookLM, Canva, and Magic School, and learn how to implement these technologies immediately to support meaningful learning and postsecondary success. Educators will leave with ready-to-use resources that can be applied across a variety of CTE subject areas. The session also includes structured planning time, allowing participants to begin designing how to integrate these strategies and tools into their own programs, ensuring students are prepared for the demands of the modern workforce and postsecondary pathways.

What separates average college and career readiness systems from exceptional ones? In this interactive session, participants will explore 10 key differences that distinguish systems focused solely on graduation from those that intentionally prepare every student for success after high school. Through practical examples, participants will examine strategies for building earlier career exploration, expanding work-based learning, designing meaningful transcripts, and aligning course offerings with student interests and workforce pathways. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies they can implement immediately in their schools, districts, or CTE programs. The session will include reflection prompts, peer discussion, and quick self-assessment activities that help participants evaluate where their own systems fall on the “average to exceptional” continuum. Participants will receive a resource toolkit including reflection protocols, implementation ideas, and links to tools that support student-centered college and career exploration beginning in the earliest grades.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) has long been a pathway to employment, yet for much of its history, people with disabilities were excluded from full participation in technical training and workforce preparation. Over the past century, legislative reforms, shifts in educational philosophy, and evolving workforce expectations have transformed access to CTE programs. This session will examine the historical development of CTE access for individuals with disabilities, highlighting key policy milestones (Perkins, PELL, WIOA, HEOA, IDEA, Section 504/ADA), changing instructional practices, and the emergence of inclusive postsecondary CTE programs. Participants will explore how past barriers shaped current systems and will leave with a clearer understanding of how historical trends continue to influence program design, funding, and employment outcomes today.

How can schools leverage technology to make career exploration meaningful, personalized, and actionable for every student? In this interactive roundtable, participants will explore the MAP-IT framework—a practical approach that helps students Match their interests and strengths, Analyze career opportunities, Implement action steps, and Track progress toward postsecondary goals. Through facilitated discussion, attendees will examine how technology tools such as career assessments, labor market data platforms, and digital portfolios can support scalable career exploration and planning across grade levels. Participants will discuss real implementation strategies used by schools and CTE programs to guide students toward informed career pathways. This roundtable is designed for active participation, allowing educators and leaders to exchange ideas, ask questions, and reflect on their current practices. Attendees will receive a MAP-IT planning handout, implementation examples, and links to technology tools and resources they can immediately apply in classrooms, counseling programs, and districtwide college a

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is one of the most powerful equity levers in CTE—yet most colleges struggle to implement it consistently, equitably, or at scale. This session showcases the Los Angeles Regional Consortium’s (LARC) groundbreaking approach to building a region-wide CPL strategy across 19 community colleges, including a comprehensive landscape analysis, a CPL Community of Practice, and the development of the CPL Implementation & Expansion Guide, a nationally recognized framework that provides step-by-step guidance, tools, templates, and tiered readiness levels. Participants will learn how LARC built shared capacity, aligned processes across institutions, and supported colleges through coaching, cross-campus mentorship, data-informed planning, and structured professional development. Attendees will receive tangible templates, planning tools, and implementation resources and will engage in interactive activities to assess readiness and map out next steps for their own institutions. The session delivers a fully replicable model adaptable to any region or college system.

CTE is at a tipping point, enrollment is surging, public interest is at an all-time high, and the workforce demands the field was built to meet have never been more urgent. Join CTE Collective Founding Members Sandra Adams, Mark Covelle, Alli Dahl, Peter Hostrawser, Chris Nesmith, Jason Van Nus, TJ Vari, and Kristy Volesky for a candid panel discussion about the future of career and technical education. The question is no longer whether CTE matters, it's whether the field can organize itself to lead. The CTE Collective is a newly formed community designed to amplify voices, incubate bold ideas, and grow the field from within. Audience participation is built in. Attendees will leave with connections to the Collective and actionable strategies for becoming part of the movement shaping the next chapter of CTE.

Healthcare systems face growing workforce shortages while demand for care continues to rise. In this roundtable discussion, leaders from UW Health and regional school districts will share how employer–education partnerships are building healthcare talent pipelines through work-based learning and apprenticeship pathways. Participants will briefly explore the model and outcomes before engaging in a discussion about strategies, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen regional workforce partnerships and expand healthcare career pathways. This will be a shorter, more intimate discussion from our concurrent session.

Most educators know AI exists, but struggle to teach students how to use it efficiently in real-world business applications. This session provides a complete, ready-to-implement AI Prompt Engineering unit specifically designed for Marketing classrooms and DECA competition preparation. Attendees will learn industry-standard prompt shortcuts that reduce typing time by 70% while improving output quality across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. You'll receive immediate access to the "AI Prompt Engineering Hub" Google Site containing lesson plans, student worksheets, and assessment tools. We'll demonstrate advanced techniques including JSON prompt generators that communicate directly in LLM language for superior results. Bring your device for hands-on practice writing basic prompts, then applying shortcuts to real Marketing scenarios. Walk away with a complete implementation plan, shortcut cheat sheet (20+ techniques), and Google Drive resources you can use Monday morning in your classroom.

CTE teachers know quality technical performance when they see it. But employers want more—they want graduates who can think critically and solve real-world problems. So how do we assess thinking as performance? This session shows how to move beyond tests and worksheets by using academic standards and performance-based rubrics to make student thinking visible. Learn how to design clear, practical rubrics that measure technical skill, critical thinking, and problem-solving—while aligning with grading systems and helping students translate their skills into résumé-ready language. Walk away with tools to assess what truly matters.

CTE assessment centers are traditionally viewed as testing locations, yet have the potential to become much more. This session explores how rural centers can evolve into community outreach hubs that support both current students and the broader workforce. By reimagining assessment services as a bridge between education, industry, and the community, institutions can expand credentialing opportunities, increase program visibility, and strengthen workforce pipelines. Participants will learn strategies for transforming assessment centers into accessible credentialing spaces that serve all students, adult learners, industry partners, and community members. The session highlights innovative approaches for expanding credentialing services, using technology to increase accessibility, and marketing assessment opportunities beyond traditional student populations. Attendees will also explore how assessment centers can strengthen collaboration across CTE programs while serving as gateways to industry engagement and workforce development. Practical examples will demonstrate how assessment services can become powerful tools for outreach, credential attainment, and community

Work-based learning is expanding rapidly across schools, colleges, and communities. As programs grow, maintaining quality, meaningful employer engagement, and strong learning outcomes becomes increasingly challenging. Without strong leadership, work-based learning systems often struggle to sustain momentum and impact. As opportunities expand without strategic guidance, the result can be inconsistent student experiences, weakened employer partnerships, and missed opportunities for communities seeking to develop and retain talent. This session explores the urgent need to cultivate the next generation of work-based learning leaders. Participants will examine how leadership influences program quality, partnership development, and long-term sustainability as WBL continues to grow. Attendees will gain practical insight into how educators and administrators can strengthen leadership capacity, ensuring work-based learning remains a powerful strategy for student success, industry partnership, and community growth.

Career and Technical Education is experiencing unprecedented momentum, yet many educators and leaders feel unprepared to advocate effectively for their programs. Advocacy does not require a government relations background or a communications team. It requires clarity, confidence, and practical strategies that can be implemented immediately. In this highly practical session, experienced CTE leaders Scott Rogers, David Livengood, and Mark Covelle will share five advocacy strategies that anyone in the field can begin using right away. Participants will learn how to engage lawmakers and community leaders, communicate the value of CTE to stakeholders, and develop compelling stories that demonstrate real impact for students, employers, and communities. Rather than focusing on theory, this session provides actionable tools and examples drawn from real advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national levels. Attendees will leave with simple frameworks for explaining the impact of CTE, building relationships with policymakers, and strengthening support for programs.

Students in Career and Technical Education are preparing to enter professions shaped by workforce shortages, public policy, and community needs. Yet students are rarely included in conversations that influence the future of their fields. This session highlights how students in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology moved beyond traditional classroom learning to become informed advocates for their profession and for CTE. Through engagement with community partners, advocacy organizations, and legislative leaders, including hosting state representatives and discussing workforce challenges, students gained a deeper understanding of the systems shaping the early childhood field. Participants will explore how opportunities such as policymaker engagement, community partnerships, and guided reflection help students develop professional identity, civic awareness, and leadership skills. While examples come from ECE, the strategies can be applied across CTE programs. Attendees will gain strategies to help students become professionals, leaders, and industry advocates.

In an era when many states are focused on lowering safety standards in the name of deregulation, how can CTE educators advocate for rigorous program standards, strong industry engagement, and a focus on life safety? As the trades workforce continues to inch closer to retirement, what can your program do to ensure we don't lower the bar for the next generation of trades professionals? Ultimately, how does a balanced regulatory approach help protect the future of CTE trade programs? This session will highlight key steps educators can take to work with administrators, industry, and policymakers to help ensure that CTE trade programs continue to be treated as premier educational opportunities. Attendees will walk away with key talking points, resources for their classrooms, and better advocacy strategies to help their programs strong, students engaged, and the public safe.

As artificial intelligence reshapes how we learn, teach, and work, collaboration across educational levels and industries is more essential than ever. This session highlights a regional AI initiative connecting K–12 districts, community colleges, universities, employers, and community organizations to build equitable, future-ready talent pipelines. Presenters will share how cross-sector teams are co-designing AI curriculum pathways, industry-aligned projects, and experiential learning opportunities that prepare learners for emerging careers. Participants will learn practical approaches to establishing shared goals, governance structures, and communication plans to sustain AI education ecosystems. Through interactive planning activities and resource sharing, attendees will leave with frameworks and templates to replicate similar collaborations in their own regions.

Not all CTE programs face equal AI disruption risk. The ones that look safest on paper are often the most exposed. This session introduces a replicable methodology for scoring any CTE program's AI displacement and augmentation exposure using O*NET and BLS occupational data, then puts that methodology in attendees' hands. Built on analysis of 62 postsecondary CTE programs, the AI Displacement Exposure Tool lets administrators drop in their own program mix and generate an institutional portfolio analysis in real time. A quadrant view shows where each program sits on displacement versus augmentation dimensions. No data science background required. Attendees leave with access to the tool, a framework for interpreting results, and a set of program review questions their data should be prompting. This is not an AI awareness session. It is a planning session. Every attendee leaves with their own institution's numbers.

As demand surges across data centers, biotechnology, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, meeting the need for highly skilled talent requires more than expanding existing programs, it requires a strategic reorientation of workforce and education systems. In this dynamic panel discussion, global industry leaders and educators will explore how the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies is driving unprecedented demand for a skilled technical workforce. From technicians who install and maintain critical infrastructure to specialists who support advanced manufacturing and automation systems, the trades are essential to powering the next generation of innovation. At the same time, these very technological advancements are transforming how technicians and skilled professionals perform their own work, integrating AI-enabled diagnostics, smart automation, data-driven maintenance, and digitally connected systems into everyday trade occupations.

Artificial intelligence is not eliminating careers; it is reshaping them. Students who embrace AI as a tool rather than a crutch will thrive in an ever-changing workforce landscape. This session helps CTE educators, administrators, and workforce partners understand how AI is changing skill demands across industries and how schools can respond. Participants will explore workforce examples, identify AI-augmented tasks within their pathways, and learn how to redesign lessons that emphasize human skills such as critical thinking, adaptability, communication, and ethical decision-making. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use resources including an AI Workforce Impact Mapping Template, a lesson redesign protocol, sample AI literacy activities, and a career pathway reflection tool aligned to workforce standards. Strategies can be implemented immediately in secondary, postsecondary, and rural settings without expensive technology. Participants will engage in a live task transformation activity, collaborate to redesign a sample assignment, and identify actionable next steps for their programs.

As AI infrastructure and data centers rapidly expand nationwide, community colleges face the challenge of leading high-cost, high-impact regional responses. This session explores the evolving data center industry, current market trends, and their direct implications for technician competencies (KSAs). The session will offer a strategic roadmap for colleges in the early stages of data center project development and access to a data center community of practice. Key topics include (1)Managing pre- and post-construction talent pipelines, (2) Leveraging and adapting existing curricula to meet industry demands, and (3)Analyzing project timelines for workforce readiness. Participants will gain actionable insights and access to shared resources developed through successful NSF ATE projects.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming education and workforce development, but many community and technical colleges are unsure how to implement AI tools effectively within career and technical education programs. This session will explore practical ways postsecondary CTE programs can leverage AI to improve student engagement, advising, and retention. Participants will learn how AI tools can support early alerts, automate student communication, assist with advising, and help identify at-risk students in workforce programs. The session will also address ethical considerations and responsible use of AI in student support services. Attendees will explore real-world examples of how AI tools can be implemented at community and technical colleges and will participate in a guided planning activity to identify opportunities for AI integration at their own institutions. Participants will leave with an AI implementation checklist, recommended tools, and practical strategies they can immediately apply to support CTE student success.

Career and technical education classrooms prepare students for the workforce while also serving diverse learners with individualized education plans (IEPs) and other learning supports. This session demonstrates how educators can align IEP accommodations, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and career readiness skill development within everyday instruction without lowering expectations. Presenters will share practical examples from both academic and CTE classrooms that show how accommodations can be embedded into lesson planning, lab instruction, and student reflection activities. Using Next Ready Skills, our district’s framework for college and career readiness, as a lens, participants will explore how supports such as visual schedules, task chunking, flexible assessments, and structured feedback help students develop communication, adaptability, accountability, and critical thinking skills valued by employers. Through interactive scenarios, guided reflection, and ready-to-use tools, participants will leave with strategies they can implement immediately to improve access, equity, and student success across CTE programs.

This session will explore how California’s Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) outcomes can guide stronger alignment between K–12 and postsecondary systems to support student success and regional workforce development across diverse communities. Presenters representing rural and urban regions will share how a common outcomes-based framework can drive pathway design while allowing for different local strategies based on labor market demand, partnership capacity, and student needs. The first half of the session will provide an overview of the GSPP model, with emphasis on outcomes related to postsecondary alignment, industry partnership, access, and sustainability. The second half will feature a panel discussion highlighting how regional context influences implementation and how cross-sector partners can work together to create responsive, equitable college and career pathways. Attendees will leave with practical examples, discussion tools, and adaptable ideas for strengthening secondary-postsecondary collaboration in their own settings.

This session is for all educators and industry partners who want to get everyone on board with Work-Based Learning. Whether you are at the beginning steps of starting a WBL program or have a well-established program, this session is for you. We will focus on how to get EVERYONE within your organization aligned with the benefits of work-based learning. We will give you ideas and concepts on how to grab the attention of your staff, students and local business partners as well as creating lasting relationships with your work-based learning sites. We will focus on celebrating successes taking place in work-based learning and how to make those work for you! When looking at your Work-Based Learning Program your main objective is to engage your student with a real-life experience outside of the classroom that enhances the student’s educational experience.

Student ambassador programs are valuable tools for developing student leaders while strengthening connections between career techs, local high schools, and their communities. This session will explore practical strategies for creating and sustaining an effective student ambassador program that supports institutional outreach and community engagement. Participants will learn how to design a purposeful program structure, recruit and select diverse student leaders, and provide training that builds communication, leadership, and professional skills. The session will also highlight ways ambassadors can support recruitment efforts, participate in community outreach, and serve as authentic representatives of their institution. In addition, attendees will gain ideas for motivating and supporting ambassadors through mentorship, recognition, and leadership opportunities. The presentation will also address methods for assessing program success and measuring community impact. Participants will leave with practical strategies and tools to develop or enhance a student ambassador program that benefits both students and the community.

Ready to move beyond the headlines about AI and discover its true creative potential in your classroom? Come see how AI can be a creative partner, not a cheating machine! In this hands-on workshop you'll see how AI is already being used to enhance student projects in FACS classrooms at Lemont High School. This session reframes AI as a powerful partner for amplifying student voice, not replacing it. Then, you’ll step into your students' shoes for a fun, seasonal challenge! You'll use AI to invent a fun holiday treat, design a promotional flyer for your creation, and share it with the group. You'll leave this session not only with a new tasty creation but with a practical framework for using AI to boost creativity, break through creative blocks, and empower students in your classroom. This is one session you won’t want to miss!

This session shows how rural schools can use aptitude data and workforce trends to guide students from career exploration to real internships. Participants will learn how Fairfield Local Schools built a Grades 7–12 career pipeline that starts with aptitude assessments and career exploration in middle school and progresses to career pathways and internships in high school. Attendees will see how student aptitude data helps match students to career clusters and internship opportunities aligned with local workforce needs. The session will include examples of student career projects, internship placement strategies and digital systems used to track work-based learning. Participants will receive templates, project ideas and strategies they can immediately implement. Interactive discussion will help attendees adapt the model to their own schools and communities.

Come connect with other educators across the Arts, Entertainment, and Design career cluster (formally known as Arts, Media, and Entertainment). This is your chance to network, find support systems, exchange ideas, and, most importantly, feel you are not alone in your endeavors.

Growth in education occurs when we move beyond our comfort zones. “Ascending Through Adversity: Bold Moves that Lead to Culture Shift” encourages us to reflect on the risks we take—whether trying new instructional strategies, redefining student success, or building industry partnerships that enrich learning. Are students experiencing productive struggle? Are we preparing them to face challenges, persist through setbacks, and develop the resilience needed for the workforce? As educators, we understand struggle—adapting to change, experimenting with new approaches, and overcoming resistance. This session will highlight the risks we have taken, the lessons we have learned, and the ways industry partnerships support student growth. Together, we will explore strategies for creating a culture where productive struggle is valued, risk drives innovation, and failure becomes a stepping stone to success. Where do we go from here? Let’s move forward with courage and intention, embracing risk as a catalyst for meaningful change.

Perkins V performance indicators shape how states evaluate Career and Technical Education program effectiveness, yet the accuracy of these measures depends on the quality of underlying data systems. In North Carolina, indicator calculations draw from multiple sources including student information systems, CTE course enrollment data, work-based learning documentation, and postsecondary outcome tracking. Misaligned definitions, inconsistent reporting practices, and fragmented systems can lead to unreliable results. This interactive session explores the key data sources used to calculate Perkins V indicators in North Carolina, examines common data challenges, and shares practical strategies that state and local leaders can use to strengthen data collection, improve reporting consistency, and ensure more reliable accountability outcomes.

Middle school is where career identity begins—but too often career exploration is limited to career days or one-time speakers. This session introduces a redesigned approach to middle grades CTE that builds social capital through tiered, high-impact experiential learning. Participants will learn how to move students from curiosity to career awareness through structured experiences such as industry challenges, workplace simulations, career-connected projects and early work-based learning opportunities. Attendees will leave with practical tools they can implement immediately, including a tiered middle grades career exploration framework, employer engagement roadmap, experiential activity templates and a student exploration tracking tool. Through interactive prompts and rapid peer exchange, participants will assess their current career exploration efforts and identify strategies to expand industry connections, deepen student engagement and build a stronger pipeline into high school CTE pathways.

Many of us want strong business partnerships, but it can feel like we are always starting from scratch or relying on the same guest speaker every year. In Southern Vermont, we decided to rethink that approach. Through collaboration between our CTE center and our regional development corporation, we built three connected events, the Reality Fair, Practical Skills Fair, and High Demand Job Fair, that now serve as anchors for sustained employer engagement and expanded work-based learning. In this session, we will share what worked, what did not, and how we moved from one-day events to long-term partnerships. We will walk through how we recruit and prepare employers, align events to workforce data and program goals, and intentionally design for equitable student access, especially in a rural region. Participants will leave with ready-to-use planning tools, outreach templates, timelines, and reflection resources, along with practical next steps they can adapt.

Over the past eight years, Clover School District’s Center for Career Innovation has significantly increased its annual number of CTE Completers. Today, 51% of the high school seniors graduate with an Industry Recognized Credential (IRC), completing CTE pathways across 22 programs. In this session, principal Carrie Bolin and computer science instructor Allison Gainey will share what they've learned and outline their advice for designing CTE around completion, not just enrollment, resulting in: • Clearer, more navigable programs of study • More visible and attainable pathways and end goals • Flexible options that overcome scheduling obstacles The average high school graduation rate for CTE concentrators—students who take multiple courses in one CTE program area—is 97%, much higher than the national rate. This session clarifies how virtual coursework and a deeply personalized approach to that goal can bring about genuine career readiness through a CTE program that students are excited to complete.

CTE programs depend on prepared and effective instructors, yet many systems struggle to retain and meaningfully recognize these educators—particularly those transitioning from industry. This session focuses on low-cost, high-impact strategies that strengthen instructor retention and professional satisfaction while supporting high-quality CTE programs of study. Participants will explore practical approaches for recognition that can be implemented with existing resources. The session will highlight how system support and targeted professional development can reinforce educator support without adding significant financial burden. Designed as an interactive experience, the session will include guided discussion, scenario-based problem solving, and peer sharing across secondary contexts. Attendees will leave with tangible tools, examples, and multiple immediately actionable strategies to improve retention and recognition of CTE instructors within their own programs.

This panel explores how shared accountability between aligned workforce entities improves outcomes for program participants with high barriers to employment. Rather than operating as parallel systems, the session examines how intentionally aligned roles, expectations, and supports create consistent access to high-quality workforce pathways across settings. Drawing from Home Builders Institute’s carpentry training implementation experience at Century Correctional Institute, panelists representing strategy, operations, and instruction will discuss how the approach was designed, what adjustments were required during implementation, and how shared accountability added value and legitimacy without increasing complexity or risk. Examples include coordinated participant screening, integration of academic and employability supports, and instructional practices that mirror real-world work environments. The discussion will conclude with an open Q&A to support collaborative problem-solving. Participants will leave with adaptable insights that apply across workforce programs serving high-barrier populations.

Online peer engagement fails by default. Discussion boards produce hollow participation, and unstructured group work collapses when students have no shared time or place to anchor it. Most online instructors know this from experience and most have stopped trying. This session presents a replicable, evidence-backed system for structured synchronous small group meetings that work without the instructor in the room. Developed and tested at NAU in both a Media Communications and a CTE course, the model features rotating student roles, structured deliverables, and accountability mechanisms that transfer across subject areas and platforms. Student survey data validates every component and will be presented. Attendees will evaluate the framework against their own teaching context, discuss implementation challenges with peers, and leave with a complete set of ready-to-use templates, role guides, and an implementation pathway adaptable to any online course or format.

Networking is often viewed by students as awkward, transactional, or reserved for “other people.” This session reframes networking as a teachable, inclusive career-readiness skill that educators can confidently embed into classrooms, advising, and career programming. Participants will learn a clear, step-by-step approach to teaching students how to introduce themselves, ask purposeful questions, build authentic connections, and follow up in meaningful ways. Through real-world examples and plain language, this session breaks networking into manageable actions that work for all students, including those who are introverted or first-generation. Attendees will actively participate in short reflection activities, role-play scenarios, and discussion prompts they can immediately replicate with students. Participants will leave with ready-to-use conversation frameworks, follow-up templates, sample activities, and adaptable strategies that can be scaled across K–12, postsecondary, and workforce development settings—turning networking into a practical skill students can use with confidence.

This session explores how the convergence of Colorado’s “Big 3", the national “Big Blur,” and the demand for clear learner pathways creates both urgency and opportunity for districts. Participants will examine how to reimagine strategic planning, adopt innovative staffing models, and strengthen communication to ensure CE/CTE pathways are equitable, coherent, and future-ready. Presenters will highlight practical strategies such as leveraging 5th- and 6th-year programs, aligning with existing CTE offerings, and deepening postsecondary and industry partnerships. A case study of a district CTE program will illustrate how intentional design led to successful student apprenticeship placements. The presentation will feature the tiered layers of leadership involved in bringing this vision to life, illustrating how coordinated leadership drives meaningful, scalable change. Participants will leave with actionable strategies and resources to design or redesign pathways that connect passion to pathway and prepare every learner for success—whether the next step is enrollment, employment, or enlistment.

As Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) educators prepare the next generation of learners, integrating technology through blended learning has become a powerful tool for enhancing engagement, personalizing instruction, and supporting student success. This presentation explores blended learning as an evidence-based instructional model that combines face-to-face and online learning to create flexible, student-centered classrooms. Drawing on experiences from Brigham Young University’s FCS Education program, presenters will share practical strategies for designing blended lessons, developing online modules, and managing hands-on labs that align with both secondary and postsecondary teaching environments. Participants will discover how blended learning supports the AAFCS 2025 Body of Knowledge, particularly the influencing elements of Technology & Innovation, Capacity Building, and Wellness by empowering students to become active learners and reflective practitioners. The session includes digital examples, classroom-tested ideas, and a discussion of how blended learning strengthens FCS educators’ ability to meet diverse learner needs across the lifespan.

For decades, the "Legacy Perception" of Career and Technical Education (CTE) has cast a long shadow over school boardrooms, often relegated to the literal and figurative basement of school design. Join former Superintendent Dr. Todd Stirn for a high-energy "conversion story" as he shares the moment he was "blinded by the light" of modern Work-Based Learning (WBL). Moving from a basic understanding of vocational training to a deep advocacy for its transformative power, Dr. Stirn demonstrates why CTE is no longer just an "alternative path" but rather the premier strategy for equity, student engagement, and regional economic growth. This session explores how authentic student experiences and strategic internships rev up engagement. Attendees will gain a practical roadmap to navigate "negotiable" barriers and the insights necessary to experience the true, life-changing impact of 21st-century career pathways.

A high-octane collaboration between Culinary Arts and Technical Drawing. Attendees will get a lesson on how to engage culinary students by creating menus and branding while drawing students transform those specs into precise floor plans and 3D exterior models. Attendees will learn how to implement "client-contractor" simulations, how to scale the project based on available software (CAD and sketching) and kitchen facilities. Attendees will walk away with a "Collaboration Toolkit" featuring: Joint grading rubrics and AI prompts, Video links and flip charts, Equipment spec cheat sheets and Mock client interview templates. Attendees can participate in a "Flash Design Challenge" to solve a real-world spatial constraint, experiencing firsthand how we facilitate communication between designers and chefs.

Branding the CTE Classroom demonstrates how a Graphic Arts program can transform a CTE program through cohesive, student-created branding. Attendees will explore how graphic arts students designed logos, stickers, t-shirts, door decals, uniforms, and promotional materials for multiple CTE programs, building consistency and professionalism. Participants will gain practical strategies to implement cross-program branding projects that are scalable for schools of any size or budget. The session will engage attendees with visual project examples and takeaways, offering actionable ideas to help them identify branding opportunities in their own programs and begin implementation immediately.

Join Denise Velasco and Heather Hickcox (Good Moon Rising and Network Charter School) for an immersive workshop transforming traditional instruction into inclusive, high-engagement Career & College Readiness (CCR) activities. By leveraging Universal Design for Learning (UDL), we provide a scaffolded, culturally competent framework that removes barriers for multicultural, neurodivergent, and special education learners. Participants will gain scalable strategies to revitalize any CTE or CCR program, ensuring employability skills are attainable for all. This session prioritizes "learning by doing"—attendees will engage in hands-on modeling and test-drive classroom activities in real time to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Tangible takeaways include ready-to-use templates, activity handc xazwouts, and exclusive early access to our digital curriculum library. You’ll leave with an actionable toolkit to reshape lessons, empower staff, and inspire every student toward a successful post-secondary transition.

Black and Brown students and multilingual learners (MLL) remain underrepresented in STEM and STEM-related Career and Technical Education (CTE), limiting access to some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying careers. National data continue to show persistent gaps in both participation and representation in the STEM workforce. Join us for a dynamic, interactive panel discussion featuring school leaders, CTE teachers, former students, and industry partners from Brockton High School—the largest high school in Massachusetts. Panelists will share how they are intentionally dismantling barriers that have historically limited access to STEM and CTE pathways for global majority students. Through guided discussion and audience engagement, participants will explore real-world strategies used to expand access, strengthen recruitment and retention, and support successful postsecondary and career outcomes. Attendees will leave with concrete, ready-to-use strategies they can implement immediately to strengthen equity and access in their own STEM and CTE programs.

CTE enrollment growth cannot be sustained when responsibility lives in a single office. Institutions that successfully grow programs build shared ownership across departments including CTE leadership, grants management, marketing, enrollment services, and advising. This session explores how one institution intentionally broke down departmental silos to create a coordinated approach to CTE recruitment and enrollment. Presenters will discuss how cross-department collaboration, aligned messaging, shared timelines, and data-informed decision-making helped strengthen enrollment outcomes while maximizing the impact of Perkins-funded initiatives. Participants will learn how institutional culture, leadership support, and clearly defined roles influence the success of collaborative enrollment efforts. Presenters will also share practical tools, planning strategies, and lessons learned when shifting from isolated efforts to a campus-wide enrollment mindset. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to align departments, build shared accountability, and strengthen recruitment efforts that support sustainable CTE program growth.

o Upper-level CTE students need more than technical skill to succeed—they need confidence, communication, professionalism, and a clear sense of leadership identity. This session shares a practical, low-cost leadership development framework that begins with a high engagement book tasting and continues through a structured book study using titles previously selected for HOSA’s Medical Reading competition. Rooted in Health Science but adaptable across all CTE clusters, this system helps upperclassmen choose a text aligned to their interests and pathway, then connect what they read to real workplace experiences. Participants will learn how to launch a book tasting, organize a weekly reading and reflection rhythm, and integrate “Leadership Challenges” tied to clinical or work-based learning settings. The session also highlights discussion strategies and a final project choice board that allows students to demonstrate leadership growth. Attendees will leave with templates, tasting cards, pacing guides, and project options ready to implement.

Educator externships offer a powerful way to reconnect CTE instruction with current industry practice. This session highlights a grant-funded educator externship initiative supported by the Texas Workforce Commission and led by Sam Houston State University’s Polytechnic College. The project engaged CTE faculty members from a Central Texas region in short-term, immersive industry experiences designed to strengthen instructional relevance and workforce alignment. Participants will learn how the externship model was structured, funded, and implemented, and how educators translated real-world industry exposure into classroom-ready lessons, projects, and assessments. The session emphasizes scalable strategies that can be adapted by secondary and postsecondary institutions across pathways, regions, and resource levels. Attendees will engage in guided reflection and small-group discussion to apply externship concepts to their own contexts. Tangible takeaways include a planning checklist, educator reflection template, sample industry outreach language, and implementation resources that can be immediately used to launch or strengthen externship programs.

New CTE educators often enter classrooms as industry experts but pedagogical novices. This session demonstrates how to use Google Gemini Gems and NotebookLM to bridge that expertise gap. Attendees will explore Gems, customizable AI assistants that transform technical knowledge into structured lesson plans and assessments that are based on research-based best practices. Also showcased is NotebookLM, an AI tool grounded in district-specific content to provide on-demand mentoring for classroom management and instructional strategies. The session features real-world implementation strategies from Ohio CTE districts, including modeling AI use to create efficiencies, enhance teacher performance, and extend learning opportunities. Participants will engage in interactive demonstrations and leave with a digital toolkit of pre-prompted Gems and a roadmap for building a district AI library to support teacher retention and instructional fidelity.

Join Sean Crevier for an evolved method of teaching & learning accounting through the lens of storytelling and practical application. This session introduces a philosophical and field-tested approach to teaching accounting. By leveraging the powers of concept mapping and kinesthetic learning, educators can enrich their instruction with useful examples for immediate implementation. Participants will gain valuable insights into the evolution of accounting and how our classrooms can stay relevant to the industry by making accounting education relatable and accessible through narrative and perspective-driven methods, ensuring students’ ability to apply accounting concepts.

This session will provide strategies for educators to increase future teachers’ confidence and self-efficacy as they prepare to enter the teaching profession. Participants will engage in activities that allow them to give student feedback, exhibit leadership, build relationships, and hear their own voices through an interactive experience. They will leave the session with strategies they can implement to promote personal growth in the students they teach. Resources will also be provided to help educators reflect and develop action plans to strengthen their Teaching as a Profession programs.

This session demonstrates how any high school can build a high-quality Supply Chain & Logistics Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway aligned to ACTE’s High-Quality CTE Program of Study framework. Participants will learn how to design a standards-aligned, sequenced program that integrates stackable industry-recognized certifications, including Lean Six Sigma (White, Yellow, and Green Belt), OSHA 10, forklift safety, Worklete safe lifting, and commercial truck driving pathway. The presentation highlights strategies for curriculum development, articulation, student assessment, work-based learning, business partnerships, and equitable student access. Attendees will explore how industry collaboration supports internships, equipment access, certification delivery, and real-world Lean Six Sigma capstone projects. The session also addresses facilities planning, instructor preparation, data-driven program improvement, and sustainable system support. Participants will leave with a scalable implementation roadmap and practical tools to replicate a certification-driven logistics pathway that prepares students for high-wage, high-demand careers in transportation, operations, and supply chain management.

Transform your Digital Media capstone into a professional grade sports creative agency. This session demonstrates how to partner with varsity athletics to execute professional "Media Days," capture game photography, and produce dynamic Instagram Reels. We will detail a secure "Creator-to-Publisher" workflow where students build assets including graphics and video but the instructor retains final posting control, solving the challenge of student access to official school accounts. Attendees will learn how to structure this high engagement curriculum and will leave with tangible resources, including Media Day shot lists, asset organization templates, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for student-led content teams. Ideal for educators looking to bridge the gap between graphic design principles and real-world media production.

Attendees will learn a practical, partnership-driven strategy to strengthen secondary-to-community college pathways by accelerating credit and placement recognition in two high-demand areas: business/finance and cybersecurity. Using AP Business with Personal Finance and AP Cybersecurity as case examples, the session will walk through a “partner-to-policy” approach that can be applied to any program of study: (1) align competencies to community college outcomes and industry-valued skills; (2) define the right postsecondary option (course equivalency, elective, Gen Ed, placement, or articulation credit); and (3) coordinate the stakeholder process across faculty, deans, curriculum/approval teams, and employer partners. Participants will leave with a partnership action plan, including an evidence checklist and a 30–60–90 day outreach sequence to initiate or advance local credit/placement conversations.

This session explores innovative strategies for strengthening employer engagement within community college Career Education programs. Participants will learn how to design scalable work-based learning (WBL) pathways that align with industry skill needs, student career goals, and regional workforce priorities. Using real case studies from California community college collaborations, we will discuss techniques for identifying high-value employer partners, structuring mutually beneficial agreements, and tracking impact through measurable data outcomes. Attendees will leave with a partnership toolkit that includes engagement templates, communication maps, and data tracking models to replicate or adapt locally. The presentation will feature an interactive partnership design activity and live peer sharing on overcoming placement and coordination challenges.

The Clean Energy industry is projected to create 5 million jobs globally in the next decade. How should educational institutions develop effective strategies to train the next generation of skilled workers and design models that will weather political and economic winds? Baltimore Trains for Wind is a program funded through the Maryland Energy Administration and administered by Baltimore City Schools. Since 2022, this program has exposed teachers and students to careers in sustainable energy by targeting existing “wind related” CTE pathways (such as construction, engineering, and manufacturing). This replicable model has increased enrollment and investment in these CTE pathways through summer programming, Industry Recognized credentials, and clean energy competitions. Attendees of this session will learn about the design and outcomes of this program. Rather than developing new programs of study, they will consider a strategy that adapts and elevates existing CTE pathways for increased relevancy in the coming “Green Economy.”

Join us to discover a community-connected model that bridges classroom learning with real-world career pathways for students in transition programs. This session showcases how to design a trades exploration course that integrates durable skills empowering students ages 16–18—including those with IEPs—to gain confidence and industry-aligned skills. Attendees will receive a "Toolkit for Success," featuring planning templates, site-visit checklists, and strategies for engaging local trade professionals. You will learn to scale this model to fit your district’s unique workforce needs. Through interactive polling and a collaborative "Roadmap Workshop," participants will identify local industry partners and map out a mini-transition unit. Whether you are a teacher or district leader, you will leave with actionable strategies to ensure students emerge as capable, workforce-ready contributors. Gain the tools to transform transition goals into tangible career outcomes.

This session shares a collaborative approach to redesigning a CTE teacher evaluation system using the state (California) Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTPs) embeds the ACTE’s High-Quality CTE Framework. Presenters will demonstrate how teachers and administrators co-developed an evaluation model that builds shared language, increases trust and buy-in, and produces actionable feedback that improves instruction and student engagement. Attendees will examine a crosswalk aligning state teaching standards with ACTE High-Quality elements, explore sample pre- and post-observation conference questions, and review a revised scoring framework with performance examples. Participants will leave with adaptable tools, templates, and implementation strategies to strengthen evaluation practices, support professional growth, and align teacher evaluation with high-quality CTE program outcomes.

Rural districts often struggle to introduce students to career pathways before high school. This session will highlight practical strategies for building a middle school CTE career exploration pipeline that prepares students for future career and technical education opportunities. Participants will learn how one rural district implemented hands-on career exploration experiences through STEM challenges, industry partnerships, and schoolwide career awareness events. The presentation will include examples of career exploration activities, engineering design challenges, and community partnerships that connect classroom learning to real workforce opportunities. Participants will leave with practical resources, including career exploration activity ideas, partnership outreach templates, and planning tools that can be used to develop or strengthen middle grades CTE programs in their schools or districts.

This session will share how the ACE Mentor Program of America, a national mentoring network connecting industry professionals with high school students interested in architecture, engineering and construction, is expanding its model to intentionally integrate skilled trades into student pathways. Participants will learn practical strategies for connecting students with industry mentors through ACE and providing work-based learning opportunities such as externships, internships, and pre-apprenticeships. Through case studies, video testimonials from students and mentors, and implementation tools, attendees will leave with actionable ideas for strengthening partnerships with industry and creating scalable pathways that move students from classroom exploration to skilled trades careers.

Building Soft Skills: Beyond Technical Training explores how Career and Technical Education (CTE) instructors can intentionally embed soft skills development—such as communication, professionalism, teamwork, and self-regulation—into daily instruction without sacrificing technical rigor. Grounded in real-world CTE and healthcare education experiences, this session moves beyond theory to practical classroom application. Attendees will learn how to identify teachable moments for soft skills, align expectations with industry standards, and use simple instructional strategies that reinforce employability skills alongside technical competencies. Participants will engage in interactive scenarios, reflection prompts, and brief peer discussions to model strategies they can immediately implement. Scalable tools including lesson-planning templates, classroom routines, assessment rubrics, and ready-to-use strategies will be shared. The session is applicable across CTE pathways and educational settings, equipping educators to better prepare students for workforce success beyond technical proficiency.

Discover how San Dieguito Union High School District (#1 in San Diego County for CCI) and Robolink built a scalable STEAM-to-CTE pipeline. This session explores bridging middle school exploration with high school mastery using robotics and drone technology. Attendees will learn to replicate this framework in any setting to boost student engagement and career readiness indicators. We provide a "Partnership Toolkit" featuring templates, curriculum alignment maps, and industry-outreach checklists. Engagement is central: the session includes a live drone demonstration and a "Strategy Sprint," where participants brainstorm solutions for their specific local industry gaps. Applicable to diverse districts, this content offers a roadmap for aligning student passion with high-demand technical skills. Participants leave with actionable strategies to integrate industry-informed curriculum and foster sustainable partner ecosystems that drive measurable student success.

Tired of "mimicking" behaviors in CTE classrooms? Join us to explore how the Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) framework disrupts institutional norms of passive learning. This session focuses on Toolkit 1: implementing Thinking Tasks, Visibly Random Groups, and Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces specifically within CTE settings. Attendees will learn to transform standard demonstration-led sequences into high-engagement "Doing First" prompts that necessitate cognitive struggle. Participants will actively engage in a live Thinking Task and leave with tangible resources, including a CTE-specific task bank, a Productive Struggle Reflection Survey, and a framework for localized coaching support. Join us to learn how to decentralize control and mobilize knowledge, shifting students from mere "answer-getters" to capable active thinkers.

What if the walls between classroom and community disappeared entirely? What if students didn't just learn about careers, but actively solved real problems alongside industry professionals while still in school? What if every graduate left with professional networks, leadership experience, and compelling reasons to build their future locally? This session introduces The Impact Project—a proven process from Nekoosa, Wisconsin, that creates an unbreakable alliance between education and community vitality. Discover how this rural district built a strategic ecosystem where students become innovators, businesses gain invested talent, and education drives economic development through: Collaborative partnerships via cross-sector advisory councils transforming isolated efforts into coordinated impact Community immersion into schools as co-designers bringing industry expertise to academic pedagogy Student immersion into community assuming professional roles and solving real problems as current contributors Future-focused design creating scalable, purpose-aligned experiences Leave with actionable strategies for talent retention, reciprocal value creation, and strategic workforce investment.

Many business and marketing teachers want students to do real work, but struggle to design projects, manage teams, and maintain accountability within traditional class structures. This session explores profession-based learning as an instructional approach that can be applied in business and marketing classrooms, catalyst centers, and stand-alone CTE programs. Drawing from real classroom practice, attendees will learn how to design authentic projects, shift student work from assignments to professional deliverables, and establish systems that mirror workplace expectations without requiring internships or external placements. Participants will leave with practical tools they can immediately adapt, including project planning templates, team management structures, sample timelines, and assessment strategies aligned to course standards. Engagement will include guided reflection prompts, small-group discussion, and opportunities for participants to map one current unit or course into a profession-based learning experience during the session.

Join us to discuss strategies to engage business students in real-world exercises centered around Business law that include: creating a class code of conduct, analyzing how state court systems work, evaluating the escalation of cyber-crimes, and how contracts are changing in the digital world. Attendees will be exposed to samples of the lessons as they are experienced by students in the classroom. In addition to encouraged participation in these practices, I invite open interactive dialogue to not only ask questions of the presenter but share collective intelligence and experiences from across our colleagues. The attendees will leave with handouts that include links and techniques shared.

As CTE marks 100 years of workforce preparation, sustaining the professionals who lead this work is essential to the next century of success. CTE educators prepare students for high-demand careers requiring emotional regulation, adaptability, and resilience, yet educator wellness is rarely positioned as a workforce strategy. This interactive session reframes wellness as a professional competency and retention tool for CTE programs. Participants will engage in guided stress-regulation practices and develop a personalized Wellness Kit using a structured framework. Attendees will also receive a ready-to-use classroom mini-lesson template to integrate wellness and professional self-regulation into their programs. Moving beyond self-care as a trend, this session positions modeling wellness as essential for career readiness, classroom climate, and sustainable program leadership. Participants will leave with their own Wellness Kit, practical tools, and implementation guides to support educator longevity and student success.

Community engagement plays a critical role in ensuring CTE programs remain aligned with workforce needs and responsive to local communities. In 2023, South Louisiana Community College (SoLAcc) launched Campus Advisory Boards (CABs) across its nine-campus, multi-parish footprint to strengthen relationships with business and industry leaders, community stakeholders, and education partners. These advisory boards serve as the college’s “eyes and ears” in the community, helping identify workforce needs, strengthen program alignment, and expand student opportunities—particularly in rural areas. Through this model, SoLAcc has strengthened community trust, increased stakeholder advocacy, and supported enrollment and program growth across its campuses. This innovative approach recently earned national recognition as SoLAcc was named a Bellwether Top 10 institution in the category of Planning, Governance, and Finance. Participants will learn how to establish CABs, engage industry partners as advocates, and translate community insight into actionable strategies that strengthen CTE programs and regional workforce alignment.

Career readiness begins with connection and care. In today’s educational and workforce environments, students across achievement levels are navigating anxiety, overwhelm and identity stress that can affect persistence and long-term success. This session empowers CTE educators to strengthen student outcomes by first strengthening themselves. Grounded in clinical mental health practice, research and lived experience, participants will explore how educator self-regulation, felt safety and connection-centered practices create the foundation for skill development and workforce readiness. This session introduces practical tools educators can embed into existing instruction, including structured coping skills menus, brief classroom brain breaks, grounding techniques and reflection worksheets. Participants will leave with resources and clear strategies to build trust, increase engagement and support student regulation in ways that enhance both learning and career preparation.

Work-Based Learning should not begin in high school—it should grow intentionally throughout a student’s educational journey. Building a WBL Pipeline will demonstrate how schools can create meaningful career exploration experiences from elementary through high school. Participants will learn how programs can introduce careers through events such as 5th Grade Ag Day, 6th Grade Health Science experiences, 7th Grade Trade and Industry exploration, and an 8th Grade Career Fair. The session will also highlight how high schools can expand learning through 9–12 field trips, guest speakers, and large-scale job shadow days that connect students with real industry professionals. Attendees will explore strategies for organizing engaging events, building strong business partnerships, and creating a sustainable system of work-based learning experiences that continuously expose students to career pathways. Participants will leave with practical ideas to build a strong K–12 career exploration pipeline that supports CTE pathways and workforce readiness.

Too many career programs feel disconnected or “one-off.” In this session, I’ll show participants how to build a Career Hub that students actually use by turning career excursions, speakers, and hands-on experiences into a coordinated, student-centered system. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use tools for planning, scheduling, and running their Career Hub day-to-day. Through hands-on activities, they’ll map current career experiences, spot gaps, and redesign them into high-impact, scalable opportunities that keep students engaged and learning.

This session explores how regional Career Pathway Support Networks can move beyond fragmented initiatives and compliance-driven work to create coherent, sustainable systems that align education, workforce, and post-secondary partners around shared outcomes. Grounded in real implementation experience, the session highlights practical strategies for middle grades CTE expansion, regional planning aligned to labor market demand, and building trust-based partnerships that outlast grant cycles. Participants will leave with a clear framework they can adapt to their own state or region — regardless of governance structure. This approach directly reflects the goals and required outcomes outlined in Ohio’s FY26–27 Career Pathway Support Network model.

Dual enrollment is most impactful when courses are intentionally aligned rather than random acts of dual enrollment in high schools. This session highlights a K–12 and community college partnership in Virginia focused on mapping two-year high school CTE programs of study to Career Studies Certificates, yielding 14–17 credits per student and a potential cost savings of $3,100–$3,800 in tuition fees. Presenters will share the alignment process from both secondary and postsecondary perspectives, including advising from high school to CSC to associate degree and the role of industry-recognized credentials. Participants will engage in a small-group pathway planning conversations to analyze alignment viability, access and equity, and sustainability considerations and chart key insights. The session will conclude with a facilitated synthesis highlighting common barriers, essential stakeholders, and first-step actions identified across all groups.

CTE educators don't need to be convinced that gaming matters to students; they need the connective tissue between student passion and workforce pathways. In this session, Peter Polygalov, host of the Careers in Esports podcast, and Jill Ranucci, Ph.D., a CTE leader with nearly 20 years of experience, map esports careers directly to four national career clusters from the updated national framework. Attendees will explore pathways across game design, broadcasting, marketing, cybersecurity, and event production and leave with a practical cluster mapping tool ready to use on Monday morning. Drawing from real K-12 esports and CTE program case studies, the session shows how educators can connect student interest in gaming to credentials, work-based learning, and postsecondary opportunities. Interactive discussion prompts and a downloadable resource guide ensure every attendee walks away with something concrete to bring back to their program.

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) has shaped the workforce for more than a century—and its impact continues to grow. This session celebrates 100 years of the impact of FCS on the World of Work (WOW) by highlighting the extraordinary breadth of careers connected to FCS and their powerful contributions to the economy, communities, and the future workforce. Educators will learn practical strategies to integrate career exploration, workforce data, and credential pathways in their classroom, help students recognize viable, high-impact career pathways through FCS, and strengthen program advocacy. Attendees will receive classroom-ready resources, including career connection strategies, talking points, and curated FCS WOW resource links. Interactive moments will engage participants in identifying career connections within their own courses and exploring how FCS prepares students for careers that strengthen families, communities, and the global economy.

Discover how students became “Cereal CEOs” by creating their own cereal brands, designing boxes in Adobe Illustrator, creating commercials, and marketing their products. This fast-paced session shows how one project blends media, marketing, and leadership to prepare students for real-world careers in multiple industries. Advisors leave with a hands-on engaging unit they can implement right away.

What happens when students are given the tools and trust to tell their own stories? At a CTE program in Muscogee County, Georgia, a student-led film and broadcasting class is transforming lives and changing perceptions of the school and community. Using the technology already in students’ hands, learners capture and share authentic stories highlighting the positive moments happening across campus. Their content now generates more than three million views, building pride, confidence, and real-world media production skills. This session demonstrates how empowering students to document their experiences through digital storytelling strengthens school culture, develops career-ready communication skills, and amplifies the voices of students in socioeconomically challenged communities. Participants will gain practical strategies for turning student creativity into a powerful tool for engagement, community connection, and program visibility while seeing how one CTE program is reshaping the narrative for students, schools, and the community.

Career and technical education programs thrive when students connect classroom learning to real workplace experiences. This session will demonstrate a practical framework for building sustainable classroom-to-career connections through industry partnerships, internships, and community-based projects. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and approaching industry partners, structuring authentic student projects aligned to workforce needs, and managing partnerships in ways that benefit both students and organizations. The presenter will share examples from an Arts, Media and Entertainment pathway and demonstrate how the model can be adapted across CTE sectors including health science, engineering, business, and skilled trades. Attendees will receive a ready-to-use toolkit that includes partnership outreach templates, project planning frameworks, student role sheets, and partner feedback forms. The session includes short industry and student perspectives along with discussion opportunities. Participants will leave with practical tools and a clear process for implementing scalable work-based learning experiences in their own CTE programs.

This session explores how intentional collaboration between CTE instructors, co-teachers, and paraprofessionals can strengthen both technical instruction and students’ career readiness skills. Participants will examine practical strategies for building effective classroom partnerships through clear communication, defined roles, and shared instructional responsibility which are key elements of successful co-teaching and collaborative instruction. Attendees will learn how collaborative teaching structures can model and reinforce workplace skills such as teamwork, communication, and accountability for students. The session will include real classroom examples from an actual CTE program and provide actionable tools that educators can immediately implement in their own settings. Participants will leave with practical resources surrounding collaboration in CTE, communication best practices, and role-definition strategies for teachers and paraprofessionals. Interactive discussion, guided reflection, and small-group scenario analysis will engage attendees and help them apply the strategies to their own classrooms, programs, or institutions no matter their position within them.

FCCLA Competitive Events are aligned with Family and Consumer Sciences standards and provide a structured approach to project-based learning. This session demonstrates how educators can use Competitive Event frameworks as classroom instructional strategies rather than treating them as extracurricular activities. Participants will examine how existing assignments and projects can be aligned with FCCLA event guidelines, performance indicators, and evaluation rubrics. Through interactive discussion and quick planning exercises, attendees will identify opportunities to adapt their own classroom projects for competitive event preparation. Educators will explore strategies for structuring project timelines, supporting student accountability, and coaching students through idea development, project refinement, and presentation preparation. Participants will leave with planning templates, rubric alignment tools, and classroom strategies that help integrate Competitive Events into everyday instruction. These resources support scalable project-based learning while reinforcing rigorous Family and Consumer Sciences instruction and career readiness skills.

Arkansas legislation and policy impacting K-12, higher education, and workforce development has led to unprecedented collaboration among systems and expanded opportunities for students to earn meaningful credentials. This session will explore developing labor market-driven, workforce education programs; aligning funding to workforce demands; and high school diploma pathways with accelerated learning through concurrent credit, industry-recognized certifications, and work-based learning.

In this interactive session, attendees will learn a simple, and repeatable way to connect business and marketing classrooms with real industry professionals while helping students build stronger résumés through meaningful class projects. Participants will leave with a clear outreach process for recruiting guest speakers, mentors, and industry partners—plus classroom routines that turn those connections into real student outcomes (portfolio pieces, mock interviews, networking practice, and résumé-ready achievements). These strategies work in middle school, high school, college, and CTE settings, and can scale from one teacher to an entire department or school. Attendees will receive ready-to-use resources, including: email and LinkedIn outreach templates, an industry partner tracker, a guest-speaker checklist, a project guide, and a résumé rubric for students. To keep the session active, we’ll do a quick outreach role-play, a partnership-mapping activity, and a short “build your next project” discussion so attendees leave ready to implement immediately.

Participants will learn about and receive curriculum ideas and resources specifically targeted to new CTE teachers that can be applied to any CTE pathway. Resources and Ideas will be explained and shown from the skilled trade of Construction, with opportunities for the participants to imagine how those can translate to their own practice and CTE program. Concepts of clarity in teaching and assessment practices will be discussed and examples provided. The idea is that professionals coming from industry who are new to the teaching profession walk away with a “starter pack” of resources. Physical handouts will be available as well as electronic versions of all resources and materials posted in the conference app.

This is a session for sharing, collaborating, encouraging, and giving general updates of new items coming down the pipeline in the Construction and Woodworking fields. We will cover a very minimal agenda and information and then we will have time for tips, tricks and lessons learned for/from teachers in attendance about woodworking and construction (We will take plumbers and electricians as well ;-) ). Finally a chance for singleton teachers to collaborate with others who teach the same subject!

Discover a fun and flavorful way to blend introductory entrepreneurship with junior high foods curricula. Cookies have taken the spotlight across the nation so why not let students tap into that sweet success? In this session, you’ll learn how to guide students in creating their own cookie companies, from concept to kitchen to “customer.” Combine introductory entrepreneurship with your FCS classes and walk away with engaging, ready-to-use resources as you join in on the cookie craze! (This project was created for 8th grade) Want to do this at the high school level? With some creativity this project can be elevated to fit the needs/standards of your class! Don't teach foods? This project can easily be adjusted to the pathways you teach!

This presentation covers several tools students can make in a typical HS CTE course with various tools. HS and JH teachers will find the projects covered useful as they can use the ideas to challenge their students to design and build their own versions of custom tools and tool storage devices. Some of the tools- sanding blocks, mallets, screwdrivers, marking knifes, sliding t bevel, kitchen tools, etc. Storage solutions- Tote, toolbox, etc. Several examples will be brought with to show student designs and teachers can look at the samples and drawings. Discussion of design and tool making experience with attendees will provide greater context for options to include in future courses for many teachers. These projects can be done with modern CAD & CNC or paper and pencil with traditional woodworking machinery.

Career or School Counselors can help High School students be successful in the working world by teaching them how to deal with stress. This session will focus on how School/Career Counselors can help students be ready to work by dealing with stress that they may confront in the working world and strategies that will help them to survive and be successful at work. The speaker will discuss a school-wide stress work-readiness workshop that she facilitates at her school across all CTE programs and disciplines. Strategies, lesson plans and resources on helping students cope with stress will be shared.

In 2019 our school met with our local fire district and created a pilot program. Our goal was to have students earn their Emergency Medical Responder certificate.

In Texas, we are facing a sobering reality—the majority of high school graduates in Houston are not earning a living wage 6 years after graduation. This prompts the question: Are our CTE credentials truly leading to economic mobility? This session outlines Houston ISD’s multi-step process to redefine Credentials of Value — aligning programs of study with high-wage, in-demand occupations while balancing state accountability requirements and employer expectations. Attendees will audit current certifications, define living-wage criteria, stack industry-based credentials beginning in 10th grade, and sunset programs that do not lead to economic mobility. The model is scalable for districts of any size and adaptable to regional labor markets. Participants will leave with practical tools, including a High-Wage, In-Demand (HWID) criteria template, credential crosswalk example, and stacked pathway planner. Engagement includes a live credential audit activity, peer discussion on “sunset or scale” decisions, and a guided planning exercise to begin implementation immediately.

Do you struggle with pacing your classes? Do you want an easy to understand pacing guide? This work session is designed to help you with just that. We will be working to create an interactive pacing guide for whatever class you are struggling with. We'll work from the ground up to give you a pacing guide designed to help you keep up with the end of the quarter, days you are absent, lessons linked to standards, and remember which lessons work and which need some help. Using a base template, we will begin creating a pacing guide strategy that you can use for years to come. Please bring your own computer to fully participate in the work session.

Designing a meaningful, Perkins-aligned health career pathway can be complex. In this session, participants will discover a proven model for connecting secondary CTE health programs with postsecondary health programs, guiding students from interest to informed decision-making. Participants will explore a structured framework that integrates campus engagement, dual enrollment, career exploration, admissions preparation, credential awareness, and selective program readiness into a cohesive pathway. Through reflection and discussion, attendees will consider how the model can be adapted in their own institutions. Participants will gain practical tools, sample timelines, and strategies for measuring impact, while learning how to foster collaboration across departments and institutions.

Effective classroom management in CTE programs starts with intentional routines that build positive behaviors and support student learning. Designed for new CTE teachers, educators transitioning from industry, instructional coaches, and CTE program leaders, this workshop shows how purposeful routines create collaborative, safe, and respectful classroom environments. Participants will explore research-based strategies to strengthen classroom culture, boost academic performance, and support continuous improvement. Attendees will leave with practical, easy-to-implement routines that improve classroom management and can be adapted to any CTE program.

As a process and strategy, recognition of prior learning bolsters opportunities that advance CTE. While credit for prior learning (CPL) is not a new tool, recognition of its power and benefits is on the rise. This session is designed to explore assessment of experiential learning and how CTE program providers can develop programs that are comparable to college-level learning to help learners access credit for prior learning. With the goal to help learners access college credit for their learning, and advance partnerships between CTE programs and higher education institutions, this session will engage participants in a mock evaluation process to actively engage in applying criteria to CTE programs, work based learning experiences, and assessments including proficiency examinations.

As highlighted in the ACTE publication “Synergizing Success: Academic and Career Integration for CTE” by Richard D. Jones and Jill Ranucci, innovative CTE and math teachers collaborated to teach two distinct courses that integrate math standards into CTE programs. Join us in exploring AMPED on Algebra and Geometry in Construction. Each program combines the best aspects of Project-Based and Work-Based Learning, awarding math credit through CTE. Since 2005, this contextual/integrated model has positively impacted students nationwide and is utilized within our school district as the exemplary model for High School Reimagined work and attaining students' Durable Skills. These programs include robust, hands-on activities that go beyond simple simulations. Participants will also receive links to curricular materials, enabling them to experience these proven activities and teaching strategies firsthand. Our mission for every student is mastery through authentic projects that bring learning to life and positively impact the community.

This session shares Vista Verde Middle School’s CTE Connections Program, a blueprint for expanding career awareness and student choice by reimagining existing electives to ensure all students have access to explore and prepare for High School CTE Pathways. The session will highlight how the program strengthens alignment, increases opportunity, and fosters college and career readiness at the middle school level. This model will show how to intentionally connect middle school students to high school pathways by providing introductory CTE courses with the goal to increase CTE Completers at the High School level. Attendees will collaborate to share ideas through structured activities and explore their current staffing, master schedule, and high school CTE pathways to develop a customized action plan for implementation. Practical strategies, adaptable tools, and concrete examples will be shared to assist in the development of similar programs, strengthen collaboration, and connect students to high school, college, and career.

When asked what they will do after high school, 73% of students identified as special populations responded “I don’t know.” Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offer powerful opportunities for exploration, yet many educators need practical strategies to help students connect career interests with meaningful pathways. This session shares successful strategies piloted through a three-year Perkins V grant designed to expand access to CTE pathways for special populations. Participants will learn practical approaches that help schools connect the right student with the right CTE course and the right supports. Attendees will explore middle and high school career exploration experiences, and learn how collaboration among CTE educators, special educators and counselors strengthens pathway access. Participants will also learn how to connect students with free resources that support career exploration and work-based learning preparation. Participants will engage in guided discussion and leave with practical strategies and resource links they can implement immediately.

Attendees will leave with usable strategies to support students in passing industry certifications for their respective programs. Integration of test preparation into coursework as well as targeted support and tutoring are ways to increase pass rates for technical skills assessments. Online and flexible resources for practice, hands-on experiences, in addition to partnering with industry professionals can increase students’ ability to complete assessments successfully. Active discussions, activities and practices of strategies will be utilized during this presentation.

This session introduces a two-year, classroom-tested Real Estate CTE curriculum designed to build industry-aligned knowledge, workplace readiness, and student confidence in navigating real-world real estate processes. Attendees will explore modular lessons, project-based activities, and assessment tools that can be immediately integrated into high school CTE programs, academies, or adult pathways. The curriculum’s structure is scalable for districts launching new programs or strengthening existing Business, Marketing, or Architecture & Construction pathways. Participants will receive turnkey resources—including unit guides, student task templates, pacing samples, and digital tools—to adapt for their own classrooms. The session will be highly interactive: attendees will participate in sample student activities, analyze authentic scenarios, and collaborate in small groups to design program-ready implementation steps. Educators will leave with actionable strategies to enhance engagement, expand career exploration, and open a high-demand pathway aligned with workforce needs.

What happens when skilled career commitments get the same spotlight as athletic signings? CTE Signing Day 2.0 shares how a Florida celebration grew into a multi-state movement honoring students committing to technical colleges, apprenticeships, certifications, and high-demand careers. This session highlights how strategic partnerships, coordinated planning, and strong messaging helped expand CTE Signing Day nationally. Attendees will learn practical strategies for planning impactful events, engaging stakeholders, elevating student stories, and shifting public perception of CTE. The expansion was made possible through a generous grant from the ECMC Foundation, which supported event growth, branding, and cross-state collaboration. Participants will leave with a replicable framework to launch or enhance their own CTE Signing Days in their own state, because when students sign for their futures, it deserves lights, cameras, and celebration.

What happens when schools, businesses, and community organizations unite as superheroes for student success? Join EFE Region 110 and the Alignment Collaborative for Education to discover how we built a regional “CTE Superhero League” transforming Northern Illinois. Attendees will learn to identify local "superheroes", key partners who champion career exploration and paid internships, using scalable frameworks for cross-sector alignment. You will walk away with tangible resources, including recruitment templates, partnership "utility belts" (toolkits), and actionable strategies to activate sustainable employer networks in any setting. Join the Mission: This high-energy session features a live "Hero Mapping" activity where you’ll plot your community’s assets and participate in interactive polling to crowdsource solutions for common partnership barriers. Leave empowered to recruit, align, and activate your own league to drive student achievement and workforce readiness.

Rural communities face a growing challenge: keeping talent local and putting students on pathways to today's most in-demand careers. Across rural America, remote work is unlocking opportunity—allowing students to thrive in high-wage careers without leaving their communities. However, many residents still lack access to the technical training and certifications needed to qualify for these jobs. In this interactive discussion, we’ll explore how digital CTE programs are a practical and scalable solution to expand access to career pathways, close local skills gaps, and build thriving rural workforces. You’ll learn: * Practical strategies for creating career pathways connected to local and remote opportunities. * How industry-recognized credentials can open doors to meaningful employment. * High-demand and remote-ready careers opportunities available for your students * Ways to leverage digital CTE to scale career access and opportunity for rural learners

Attendees will learn how PGSD continuously identifies innovative CTE opportunities that serve all students. The presentation will highlight unique third-year experiences, the role of CTE in the Bridge to Career course, inclusive pathways for students with IEPs and TIER supports, and recruitment strategies that have driven sustained enrollment growth over the past decade. Participants will also gain insight into scheduling, testing, staff development, and high school partnerships.

This session outlines concrete strategies for CTE educators and administrators to align programs with maritime manufacturing and defense supply chain needs. Participants will explore how advanced manufacturing, welding, machining, additive manufacturing, engineering technology, and supply chain programs directly connect to Navy readiness. The U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base requires 250,000 new skilled workers across 20,000 suppliers in all 50 states to meet submarine and shipbuilding demands critical to national security. Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are essential to closing this workforce gap. Attendees will receive classroom integration examples and career literacy messaging tools to immediately strengthen alignment with maritime workforce needs. Interactive discussion will allow participants to map their local programs to the national defense ecosystem and identify next steps for partnership, work-based learning, and pathway development.

This session will work through CTSO student engagement strategies, from adding content to curriculum to growth and management of the chapter. This will be a case study looking the the growth of the Del Norte DECA program. We will showcase ways we have incorporated DECA in the classroom. We will also show strategies in which we have built student leadership programs and ways in which we manage a growing chapter.

The Culinary Excellence Pathway is a high-standards culinary CTE program designed to provide all students, including those with IEPs and 504 plans, meaningful access to professional kitchen training without lowering performance expectations. Rather than modifying outcomes, the program removes barriers through structured instructional supports such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), task analysis, predictable routines, and positive behavioral strategies. This session will demonstrate how educators can design rigorous culinary programs that align with industry expectations while supporting diverse learners in safety, teamwork, and production environments. Participants will explore how culinary instruction can be aligned with IEP transition goals, food safety certification preparation, and work-based learning experiences. Attendees will leave with practical tools including sample routines, station role systems, safety adaptations, assessment strategies, and program design templates that can be implemented immediately in secondary CTE settings to expand equitable access to high-quality workforce preparation

This interactive session shares culturally relevant, research-based strategies for designing college and career readiness programming that centers Black and Brown students’ motivation, confidence, and sense of belonging. Drawing on year-long models such as HBCU and HSI Delegations and shorter-day programs like Brighter Future Summer and Adelante, participants will examine how to braid mentorship, identity-affirming curriculum, and family engagement into existing college and career frameworks without needing new funding streams. Attendees will leave with tangible tools, including planning templates, sample reflection prompts (e.g., identity mapping, photovoice, “Where I’m From” activities), and program design checklists, to adapt to their classrooms, schools, and institutions. Through structured dialogue, small-group problem-solving, and scenario-based design, participants will actively apply these strategies to their own contexts and identify scalable next steps for increasing equitable postsecondary outcomes.

We all know the importance of inclusion in the classroom, but sometimes it can feel like an unattainable goal! Together we will build a plan of action to increase diversity awareness into your program. With just a few small changes you can transform your Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) classroom into an inclusive environment where every student feels represented. This session explores practical, "take-home" strategies for integrating cultural heritage into culinary arts and other FCS programs. Participants will examine successful project examples, such as student-created authentic cultural dishes for heritage months and collaborative classroom displays that celebrate diversity. We will discuss how to shift curriculum from standardized to culturally rich, empowering diverse learners through representation.

The workforce is changing—and so are the students entering it. Are we preparing them for the realities of modern industry? This dynamic session explores how educators can move beyond technical instruction to intentionally develop professional skills, adaptability, and communication abilities employers say are missing in many new hires. Participants will examine how generational differences and growing cultural diversity shape motivation, expectations, and workplace readiness. Through real industry insights, attendees will discover strategies to better align instruction with what today’s employers truly need. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies and ready-to-use handouts, designed to scale across classrooms, schools, and career and technical education programs—helping build a stronger, more prepared workforce pipeline.

Many districts collect large amounts of Career and Technical Education (CTE) data,yet struggle to translate that information into meaningful conversations that drive program improvement. This session will demonstrate how administrators can use structured data dialogue protocols to move beyond reporting numbers and toward strategic decision-making. Participants will learn how to facilitate productive conversations with school leaders using metrics such as enrollment trends, concentrator status, credential attainment, CCRI indicators, and return-on-investment data. The session will showcase practical tools used in a large urban district to help administrators quickly identify high-performing programs, programs needing support, and opportunities for growth

**Data to Direction: Turning Program Quality Indicators into Strategic Action** CTE leaders must make strategic program decisions that balance student interest, workforce demand, and responsible use of resources. This session will share how Mid-America Technology Center uses Program Quality Indicators (PQIs) as a practical framework to evaluate program effectiveness and guide continuous improvement. Participants will learn how PQIs help analyze enrollment patterns, completion and certification data, labor market alignment, and stakeholder feedback to determine when to sustain, expand, redesign, or phase out programs. The session will also highlight strategies for engaging instructors, advisory committees, and district partners in meaningful program review conversations. Attendees will gain adaptable tools to use data intentionally, strengthen program relevance, and ensure CTE offerings effectively serve students, industry partners, and community workforce needs.

Strong employer partnerships are a cornerstone of high-quality career and technical education. When schools and industry collaborate effectively, students gain meaningful exposure to careers while employers help shape the future workforce. This session introduces a data-driven employer engagement system that helps schools move students from career exploration to hiring outcomes. Participants will learn how one district implemented a scalable process across 15 high schools serving 20,000 students and more than 280 business partners to recruit industry partners, plan career exploration activities, track engagement data and identify gaps in student exposure to career pathways. The session will also explore how traditional career fairs can be redesigned into hiring-focused events, connecting graduating seniors with employers who have real open positions. Attendees will gain practical tools—including partner recruitment strategies, activity planning systems and hiring event design models—to strengthen employer partnerships and create clearer pathways from classroom learning to workforce opportunities.

Georgia's CTAE system supports 145 career pathways, but traditional methods could only produce curriculum resources for 5-10 per year. A complete refresh would take decades. In 2024, CTAERN, the Georgia Department of Education, and GACTE piloted AI-assisted curriculum development. By 2025, the team went full scale — on track to complete resources for over 100 pathways by year's end, covering lesson plans, pacing guides, assessments, and instructional materials. Early teacher surveys show 79% have accessed the new resources, with feedback actively shaping improvements. This session covers how Georgia built its statewide collaboration model, how AI changed what a small team could produce, and the real challenges of driving teacher adoption at scale. Attendees work through diagnostic questions together, assessing their own readiness, and leave with a one-page project framework and question set to bring back to their teams.

Do you ever wish you could communicate more effectively with your students and create an impact that lasts longer than the latest TikTok trend? Join us as we explore how to design an EPIC classroom experience that truly connects with today’s learners. “Decoding Gen Z” will guide you through strategies from Tim Elmore’s Marching Off the Map, helping you craft lessons that are Experiential, Participatory, Image-Rich, and Connected (EPIC). Together, we’ll look at how to reach students who are often caught in the cycle of doom-scrolling and comparing their everyday lives to someone else’s highlight reel. Let’s create learning experiences that break through the noise and stick with students long after the class bell rings.

Education and workforce leaders are often asked to expand training options without a clear understanding of how different workforce pathways align to student needs, funding sources, and employer demand. This session clarifies the key differences between registered apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, Integrated Education and Training (IET) models, and industry certification programs. Participants will examine how each pathway functions, who they best serve, and how they connect to employment and career advancement. Through practical examples and discussion, attendees will gain a clear framework for selecting, designing, and communicating workforce pathways that are effective, compliant, and aligned with local labor market needs.

In this session, a single counselor from a small school shares how they transformed ideas from ACTE into a reverse career fair tailored to their students’ needs. Using design thinking, students focused on who they want to be, rather than simply what career they want, fostering deeper self-awareness and goal setting. Attendees will learn practical strategies to scale these ideas to fit their own classrooms, schools, or districts, regardless of size or resources. Participants will receive a step-by-step guide for implementing design thinking in career planning and executing a reverse career fair, including tips, templates, and lessons learned from real-world highs and lows. The session is highly interactive, with opportunities to brainstorm, share ideas, and adapt approaches to their own students, making the content immediately actionable.

Bring the engineering design process to life in secondary and postsecondary technology and engineering classrooms through engaging electronics engineering design challenges. In this session, a high school and community college electronics instructor will share practical strategies for embedding authentic engineering challenges into electronics or engineering courses to help future-proof students’ skills in an AI- and skills-based economy. Participants will explore how core concepts in electricity and electronics can be taught through hands-on projects such as a 2-LED blinker circuit, a lightsaber, and a functional cellphone charger. Each challenge emphasizes circuit design, prototyping, fabrication, iteration, troubleshooting, and documentation. The session will also highlight how these projects build workplace competencies—including communication, teamwork, problem solving, and perseverance—while strengthening technical knowledge. Attendees will leave with practical strategies and resources for designing engaging engineering challenges that connect technical learning with career-ready skills.

CTE classrooms are designed for hands-on learning, but many instructors struggle with how to effectively support students with disabilities while maintaining rigorous, industry-aligned instruction. This session explores how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) can be applied in CTE settings to remove barriers and improve access for all learners. Participants will learn practical strategies for adapting instruction, assessments, and lab activities without lowering expectations or changing course standards. Through real CTE classroom examples and guided activities, attendees will examine common barriers students encounter and identify ways to redesign lessons using UDL principles and SDI strategies. Participants will leave with ready-to-use resources including lesson adaptation templates, accommodation strategy guides, and planning tools they can immediately implement in their classrooms or programs. Interactive discussion, scenario-based problem solving, and audience polling will allow participants to collaborate and share ideas that can be scaled across programs, pathways

Too much group work looks like this: students show up, divide tasks, and leave without a meaningful exchange of ideas. This session presents a practical framework for designing group activities where students genuinely wrestle with content, take positions, and learn from each other. Two professors from NAU share how they built a full semester of engagement-centered group activities for a Mass Media and Society course covering topics from the business of media to advertising, television & film, journalism, and the music industry that were intentionally aligned to unit learning outcomes. Attendees will experience one of the activities firsthand, see a curated library of examples, and learn how AI was used as a student-simulation tool to stress-test activities before deployment. Student survey data and participation outcomes that support the framework will be shared. Participants leave with adaptable examples and a design process applicable in any subject area or teaching.

High-quality Family and Consumer Sciences programs require intentional alignment among standards, assessments, instruction, and career-readiness outcomes. This session demonstrates how educators can strengthen unit design using a backwards design framework supported by ethical, instructional uses of artificial intelligence. Participants will explore how AI tools can assist, without replacing professional judgment, in clarifying learning outcomes, aligning assessments, identifying gaps, and refining instructional strategies. Using real FCS unit examples, attendees will practice applying targeted revisions. Interactive activities and guided reflection will help participants determine where AI can support planning efficiency while maintaining instructional integrity. Attendees will leave with editable unit-planning templates, AI-supported reflection prompts, and a quality-check framework that can be implemented immediately in FCS classrooms and programs.

Work-based learning is a cornerstone of high-quality CTE, yet many programs are designed with traditional students in mind and do not fully account for the realities of working adult learners. This interactive session examines how work-based learning experiences function differently for working adults compared to traditional-age students and what design features most strongly support meaningful learning outcomes. Drawing on national survey data and practitioner examples, participants will explore key work-based learning design elements such as supervision quality, task alignment, scheduling flexibility, and structured reflection. Attendees will engage in guided activities to assess their current work-based learning models and identify design adjustments that better support adult learners balancing employment, family, and education. Participants will leave with practical tools, including an Adult-Friendly Work-Based Learning Design Checklist and implementation prompts, that can be adapted across postsecondary CTE and workforce training programs.

Teaching students to work safely in the shop is a major concern for any teacher who uses tools and machines, especially when lawsuits are so prevalent in our society. This presentation will take instructors through the reasons a formal program is needed and how to develop a safety program specifically for their subject matter. A formal safety program keeps the students safer and will better prepare them for a career after high school. Although there are programs available for purchase, developing a program specifically for their school shop and obtaining approval by the school board gives the entire organization a safer shop, both physically and legally. Discussion will provide a lot of variation in practices and participants will be given sample materials to use as a basis for developing their own materials. The use of AI and online training will be discussed to determine legal ramifications of in-person vs. recorded.

Building a thriving Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) requires more than just high enrollment; it demands a structured pipeline for leadership development. This 45-minute interactive workshop provides educators and administrators with a blueprint to move students from passive participants to proactive leaders. We will explore how to integrate leadership training directly into the CTE curriculum, utilize peer-to-leadership mentorship models, and create a culture of student-led governance. Participants will walk away with a "Leadership Ladder" framework designed to identify high-potential students early and equip them with the soft skills—communication, project management, and conflict resolution—necessary to excel in competitive events and future careers. Whether you are revitalizing a struggling chapter or refining an elite one, this session offers scalable strategies to empower your students to take the wheel.

Social media, online portfolios, and digital communication are essential to success in the cosmetology industry, yet many students are not explicitly taught how to use these tools professionally and ethically. This session highlights a collaborative model for embedding industry-specific digital citizenship into a high school cosmetology program. Participants will explore classroom-tested lessons addressing client privacy and consent, professional online branding, ethical image sharing, and workplace communication. Attendees will leave with adaptable lesson structures, real-world scenarios, and assessment ideas ready for immediate classroom use.

Imagine starting with a single-school STEM program and watching it grow into a districtwide K–12 career and technical education (CTE) initiative. This session explores one district’s real-world journey of how they expanded early STEM exposure across all elementary grades while creating a seamless progression that connects elementary exploration with middle and high school CTE experiences. Representatives from Steubenville City Schools will share how they built districtwide buy-in among educators and administrators, leveraged curriculum resources effectively, and differentiated instruction to meet the needs of learners from elementary through secondary grades. The session will also highlight strategies such as project-based learning, co-teaching models that support both students and teachers, and intentional alignment with literacy initiatives and broader STEM efforts to reinforce learning across subjects and grade levels. Presenters will share lessons learned about program implementation, teacher collaboration, and measuring success through student engagement, participation, and program growth.

AI tools are often introduced as planning or grading assistants, but their real classroom power lies far beyond those tasks. This interactive session invites participants to explore innovative, classroom-ready applications of chatbots that support authentic learning and real-world problem solving. Participants will examine use cases such as student-facing customer service tools, inquiry-based discussions, and enterprise-style, cross-curricular challenges that mirror workplace scenarios. Participants will engage in guided discussion and hands-on collaboration to walk through the full design process: identifying authentic problems, curating and structuring source data, and iteratively refining prompts to shape chatbot behavior. The session is intentionally tool-agnostic, focusing on transferable concepts rather than specific platforms. Together, the group will co-create a functional chatbot model and leave with practical frameworks, templates, and resources to design their own AI-powered solutions for teaching and learning.

What happens when students move beyond slides and begin designing immersive digital experiences? In this engaging session, educators will explore how augmented and virtual reality storytelling can transform CTE courses into powerful platforms for student voice, creativity and innovation. Participants will see how students can design interactive 3D environments that communicate ideas, tell stories and showcase learning in ways traditional projects cannot. Classroom examples will include virtual portfolios, community storytelling projects, career exploration experiences and immersive marketing concepts. The session will highlight instructional strategies that support project-based learning, creativity and digital communication while introducing students to emerging technologies shaping today’s workforce. Attendees will experience a short demonstration of immersive storytelling tools, explore examples of student work and leave with ready-to-use project ideas and resources that can be adapted across multiple CTE pathways to build future-ready skills.

Adult education, workforce training, and postsecondary programs often operate separately-even when they serve adults who need the most access to accelerated, career-focused opportunities. This session highlights why CTE and Workforce dual enrollment must extend beyond high school students to include the Adult Education population, who need even more flexible on-ramps to high-wage careers. By reframing the High School Equivalency (HSE) as a starting credential and confidence builder, and positioning Integrated Education & Training (IET) as a bridge, we show how adults can build foundational skills while earning stackable, workforce-aligned credentials. Participants will examine how pathways succeed when systems are integrated and when adult learners can see the full roadmap from day one. Attendees will leave with scalable strategies, advising tools, and implementation models that strengthen alignment, navigation, and persistence across adult education, workforce, and postsecondary settings-ultimately expanding opportunity for entire families and communities.