CTE is one of the few areas of public education that has consistent bipartisan support among federal lawmakers, and its also favored by the public in national education polls. Massachusetts is one of a growing number of states boosting its investment in CTE: In recent years, it has distributed more than $78 million in grants to help expand CTE programs, including more classroom seats to accommodate students training for high-demand jobs.
The district has the resources for Essex Tech to adapt relatively quickly to remote learning; the school provided students with laptops or iPads at the start of the academic year, and administrators say theyve been able to help families in need get access to mobile hotspots for internet service. The schools leadership team also put together a thorough blueprint detailing processes and expectations for students and staff while distance learning is the norm, something teachers and parents say has eased the transition.
Not every CTE school will have the same supports to fall back on, Jarrod Nagurka, a spokesperson for the national Association for Career and Technical Education, told me. But CTEs emphasis on creative problem-solving could help students and teachers adjust more swiftly to this new reality, Nagurka said. Were seeing an incredible amount of resourcefulness, he said.
Thats been the case for Massachusettss CTE community more widely, which has responded rapidly to the remote-learning situation, Kevin Farr, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, told me. Teachers from the states 56 vocational programs are sharing lessons, video lectures, and ideas for activities. Were going to provide a solid bank of online resources from all over the country, as well as the state, Farr said. We have to fill that gap until we can get our kids back to school, and back to the hands-on piece.
In the meantime, being forced to adapt to distance learning means that schools such as Essex Tech have a chance to reimagine how CTE is taught, which could be a boon for communities where the cost of building and outfitting specialized schools is an issue or for rural areas where in-person classes arent possible. Necessity does breed invention, and this situation were all facing certainly qualifies as necessity, Robin Lake, the director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington, told me. Were very eager to watch what kinds of solutions people come up with and what kind of evidence we can collect to see which approaches work better than others.
For Benouardia, the Essex Tech freshman, the forced transition to remote learning has been both challenging and rewarding. Her classroom is now the two-story house that she shares with her parents, three siblings, and grandmother. The familys internet service has slowed down considerably with more people at home, and for some classes the workload is heavier than when school was open. There have been perks, too, such as setting her own schedule, and assignments like the litter survey. That was the best homework Ive ever had, Benouardia told me. I learned a lot from it about my neighborhood and the people who live around me. Thats going to stick with me.
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