Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education should not be viewed as a separate enterprise from Career Technical Education (CTE). While a state’s CTE programs may not encompass everything within a state’s STEM strategy, high-quality CTE programs can provide a strong foundation for and serve as a delivery system of STEM competencies and skills for a broader range of students. Too often, STEM strategies are created separate from and without a clear understanding of how CTE can support and strengthen such efforts.
This paper aims to bring this disconnect to the forefront and demonstrate the natural connection for the many stakeholders working to advance CTE and STEM in their communities. This resource can be used to help identify connections between STEM and CTE, to learn from other state strategies, and to develop strategies to connect STEM and CTE in policy, practice and rhetoric.
