It was so exciting to kick off this year’s Spring Meeting – after not having a full Advance CTE meeting in almost two years! – with sessions on Advance CTE’s new vision, Without Limits: A Shared Vision for the Future of Career Technical Education. The opening session helped set the stage for the rest of the meeting, with its focus on equity, innovation and skills, while remaining anchored in what learners most need for success. The themes were present and prominent in the two days of the meeting as our members reset, reconnected and reimagined CTE.

Hearing from members of Advance CTE Board of Directors on what the vision and its principles mean to them was so inspiring, as was seeing all of the ideas and enthusiasm from members in the chat.

Among my favorite sessions were the “Turning the New CTE Vision into Action” breakout sessions. Organized around the five principles in the new CTE vision and led by the five regional representatives on the Advance CTE Board of Directors, these sessions gave participants the opportunity to learn more about the vision and begin to identify strategies for implementing the vision at the national, state and local levels.  Across these five breakouts, some major themes emerged:

• The need for more regional and cross-state collaboration to expand access and innovation.
• Investments need to be made in resources, professional development and other supports that promote equity and inclusion.
• The importance of data – in telling the CTE story, identifying and closing equity gaps and empowering learners.
• The need for buy-in across and within states to continue to advance this vision.

To help build awareness within our members and the broader community around CTE Without Limits, Advance CTE has already developed and shared a promotional toolkit, short thought pieces that elevate certain stakeholders’ roles in advancing the vision, and a one-minute video that provides a brief overview of the vision.

Looking ahead, Advance CTE will:

• Share a “session in a box” to help members present the vision at upcoming events and meetings
• Launch a blog series, elevating the work of vision supporters, a lunch and learn series focused on the vision, and a member kitchen cabinet to advise Advance CTE on how best to support members
• Release the first part of a vision roadmap to unpack the vision and identify critical early steps to begin implementation, which will be accompanied by a repository of national initiatives and investments aligned with the vision.

Stay tuned for more resources and supports coming your way soon!

Kate Kreamer, Deputy Executive Director