The Landscape of Middle School Career and Technical Education in Nebraska
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| Title: | The Landscape of Middle School Career and Technical Education in Nebraska |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Thomas Torre Gibney, Pamela Fong, Joy Lewis, David Maduli, Marisa Castellano, WestEd |
| Source: | WestEd. 2024. |
| Availability: | WestEd. 730 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107-1242. Tel: 877-493-7833; Tel: 415-565-3000; Fax: 415-565-3012; Web site: http://www.wested.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 86 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Junior High Schools Middle Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Middle School Students, Career and Technical Education Schools, Enrollment Trends, Career Development, Licensing Examinations (Professions), Educational Quality, State Departments of Education, Access to Education, Teacher Surveys, Specialists, Teacher Attitudes, State Policy, School Schedules, Equal Education, Faculty Development, Career Exploration |
| Geographic Terms: | Nebraska |
| Abstract: | The middle grades are aptly named: They sit between childhood and adolescence, when children are growing physically, psychologically, and developmentally in new ways that will shape many aspects of their adult lives. The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is exploring how to design career and technical education (CTE) delivery models for middle schools that provide students with both career development and high-quality, content-rich CTE instruction. This landscape analysis report is the culmination of a six-month effort to understand how middle school CTE is structured and delivered in Nebraska and what can be done to improve the ways in which students access career development and CTE experiences in the middle grades. WestEd's report uses data collected from educator surveys, interviews with national experts, and focus groups with local practitioners, in addition to data on CTE course enrollments and state policies, to group findings into four topics underpinning middle school CTE practice: (1) courses, programs, and contextualized learning; (2) career development components; (3) teacher licensure and staffing; and (4) middle school scheduling. For each topic, the authors examine how local leaders structure and deliver career development and CTE programming, highlight examples of related or alternative practices from selected states, and offer considerations for how Nebraska can enhance early career development opportunities in the middle grades. The authors follow these analyses with a cross-cutting discussion about ensuring equitable access to middle school career development and CTE programming. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED673552 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The middle grades are aptly named: They sit between childhood and adolescence, when children are growing physically, psychologically, and developmentally in new ways that will shape many aspects of their adult lives. The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) is exploring how to design career and technical education (CTE) delivery models for middle schools that provide students with both career development and high-quality, content-rich CTE instruction. This landscape analysis report is the culmination of a six-month effort to understand how middle school CTE is structured and delivered in Nebraska and what can be done to improve the ways in which students access career development and CTE experiences in the middle grades. WestEd's report uses data collected from educator surveys, interviews with national experts, and focus groups with local practitioners, in addition to data on CTE course enrollments and state policies, to group findings into four topics underpinning middle school CTE practice: (1) courses, programs, and contextualized learning; (2) career development components; (3) teacher licensure and staffing; and (4) middle school scheduling. For each topic, the authors examine how local leaders structure and deliver career development and CTE programming, highlight examples of related or alternative practices from selected states, and offer considerations for how Nebraska can enhance early career development opportunities in the middle grades. The authors follow these analyses with a cross-cutting discussion about ensuring equitable access to middle school career development and CTE programming. |
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