If you're like me, then you've searched for guidance and information for CTE principals and or directors and have come up empty handed. There is not much information easily accessible to help us do our jobs effectively. Hopefully, my successes and fails will help you to not feel like your on an island alone. Yes, I am aware of that overwhelming feeling of making the best decisions when you don't have anyone to consult with.
I'll start with a little history about myself. I am a Registered Nurse by trade, and worked in the Emergency Room for 5 years. Boy, could I tell you some stories about those experiences, but that's for a different blog! I wanted to start a family and wanted to pass on the vampire hours so I applied and was hired to teach Health Science in the great state of Kentucky! I became department coordinator, and then moved to co-op coordinator. After a few years, I took on college and career readiness where I obtained a wealth of knowledge on accountability and data. Last, but not least, I have been the CTE Principal for the last 8 years and have 2 years before I retire!
Now, I will give you a little background information about our CTE department. This department is attached to our high school. The high school has an approximate enrollment of 2000 students, and our CTE department services approximately 1400-1600 non-duplicated students and 2000-2200 duplicated students, which means that some students are there for multiple periods. Yes, you heard that correctly! Large is an understatement! In Kentucky, some CTE schools are called ATC's, or Area Technology Centers, which are ran by the Kentucky Department of Education and some are Locally Operated, which is ran by their local district. The CTE unit that I work at is locally operated. The CTE Department has 15 program areas: Agriculture, Automotive, Business, Child Development, Construction, Culinary, Education and Training, Engineering, Health Science, Information Technology, Machine Tool, Marketing, Media Arts, Pre-Law and Welding. In addition, there are 28 pathways embedded in these program areas.
In the upcoming posts, we will discuss Managing Staff, State Accountability, Perkins, Funding, Advisory Committees, Program Improvement Plans, Smart Goals, Work Based Learning Opportunities, Building Community Partners, and more! I hope that you continue to follow, leave comments, and ask questions. I will try to help you in any way that I can. Until next time, signing off!
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