While Career Technical Education (CTE) continues to struggle against outdated perceptions resulting in a stagnant enrollment rate over the past decade, Advance CTE, with the support from the Siemens Foundation, has tackled this stigma issue head on in an effort to better communicate the value of CTE to parents and students.
The first step in this important work was conducting research with parents and students to explore their attitudes towards CTE. Detailed in our recent report,  “The Value and Promise of Career Technical Education: Results from a National Survey of Parents and Students,” we now know that students involved in CTE, and their parents, are extremely happy with their education experience – from the quality of their courses to the opportunity for work-based learning. Additionally, those not involved in CTE want more of these same opportunities, which we know CTE can provide.
To put this research into action, Advance CTE has developed a series of tools to help CTE leaders better sell CTE to parents and students, and increase enrollment in CTE programs of study. The resources include advocacy and case-making materials, information about how to use the research in your recruitment efforts at the state and local levels, and a guided tool to assist you and your team in thinking through strategies to engage parents and guardians to convince them CTE is a fantastic option for their child. Find more information about these resources here.
Katie Fitzgerald, Senior Associate, Communications