February 15 2008
For Immediate Release
The following is being released by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). For more information, contact David Griffith, 703-740-4824
STEVE ABRAMS TO LEAD NATIONAL PANEL TO PROMOTE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN HIGHSCHOOLS
Alexandria, VA—The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to announce that Steve Abrams, a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, has been chosen to lead a year-long NASBE task force to promote excellence in career technical education.
As co-chair of the 26-member national panel, Dr. Abrams, will meet with other state policymakers, career technical school leaders, and business executives to discuss ways states can integrate career and technical education opportunities into the nation’s high schools.
“The high-tech, high skills requirements of many of today’s most in-demand jobs have given student, educators, workers, and employers a new appreciation for a career technical education and made obsolete the notion of vocational education as a poor alterative to a college prep track. A career and technical education is now understood to be an integral part of a rigorous and comprehensive high school curriculum to prepare students for the 21st Century workforce,” said Brenda Welburn, NASBE Executive Director.
Participants will examine many issues that have policy implications for State Boards of Education, such as access, teacher preparation and licensure, curriculum, standards and assessments for CTE, industry certifications and school business partnerships, and alignment to high school redesign efforts.
The task force will issue a comprehensive report in October 2008 at the NASBE Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The state policy recommendations will also be distributed to all governors, state superintendents, other state and local, education policymakers, national education groups, Congress, and federal officials.
The panel’s work is being supported through a generous contribution by Crossland Construction, one of the premier construction companies in the country based in Columbus, Kansas.
###
NASBE, www.nasbe.org, represents America’s state and territorial boards of education. Our principal objectives are to strengthen state leadership in education policymaking; advocate equality of access to educational opportunity; promote excellence in the education of all students; and assure responsible lay governance of education.