DESCRIPTION:

This program seeks to advance the knowledge and skill necessary for career and technical administrators to advocate for their students in the “larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context” (PA Inspired Leadership Standards).   This will help participants to leverage human and fiscal resources available in the external communities to increase the efficiency of their school operations, add to the equipment available for students to learn technical skills, and provide opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate leadership skills in externships and cooperative education placements.  To accomplish this, the program will be composed of six online hours of instruction and pre-recorded interviews with career and technical administrators who have been successful in their communications with civic and legislative leaders, as well as their joint operating committees and sending school district superintendents and school boards.  There are three sections:  (1) Using student achievement data in public relations documents; (2) Presenting to an external community organization to gain goodwill and garner support for career and technical education; and (3) Meeting with a local, state, or federal legislative member and lobbying in support of career and technical education.  The first section and job embedded assignment #1 will require participants to gather data about student achievement and performance, including NOCTI performance, industry credentials earned by secondary students, dual enrollment credits, etc., where career and technical students have demonstrated high levels of academic and leadership skills.  Participants will collaborate with career and technical teachers, primarily those in the graphic communications, commercial art, website design, and other related career and technical programs, to aggregate and display this data into a professional-style public relation document or documents.  In the second section and for job embedded assignment #2, participants will deliver effective communication and advocacy skills by using student achievement and PR data in a presentation to a civic or community group, such as a sending school district, Rotary or Kiwanis Club, PTA/O, other civic or social welfare organization in the community.  In the final section, participants will meet with a local, state, or national legislator, promoting the benefits of and lobbying for career and technical education because of the benefits to the social and economic communities that the legislators serve.  Participants will seek to leverage available financial and legislative resources to improve and advance career and technical education.

   Administrators will gain skill and evidence for components of the Framework for Leadership in Domains 1a, 1b, 1c, 1e, 2a, 2e, 2f, and 4a.