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Charles Weis, Ph.D.
County Superintendent of Schools
If you would like a career activity from your district spotlighted in the CTE newsletter, or if you need CTE assistance, contact Director Alyssa Lynch at Alyssa_lynch@sccoe.org
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CTE steering committee launched with success
 A countywide steering commitee has outlined four priorities in a recently developed three-to-five year strategic plan for CTE in Santa Clara County: business partners development, CTE advocacy, identification of matrix for programs, and countywide professional development. The plan was developed through two meetings led by the county's CTE department with input from representatives of 15 school districts and community colleges. The group will meet quarterly to determine best resources, best practices, and what CTE will look like in Santa Clara County.
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21st Century Career Choices for All program |
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Get the flavor of an Advanced Culinary course at  Gilroy High School with the first video in our series. The class is one of several county CTE courses whose teachers, students and administrators welcomed a film crew to document what happens inside their classrooms as part of the 21st Century Career Choices for All program. The ongoing program will highlight one class in every industry sector, and also create a compilation video of all county CTE programs. The 21st Century Career Choices for All program includes K-5 career awareness, 6-8 career exploration, and 9-12 career preparation. |
CTE options improve learning at Novo Community School 
A new Construction Trades class was added to Novo Community School last fall. Since then, Principal Carey Johnson reported that student learning has increased. Students bring her samples of their work, and they are excited to let her know what they learned. She has even had students boast about the money they saved their families by using their new repair skills at home. In January, a computer graphic design class was added to Novo course options. Johnson said, "It is hard to get students to leave the Apple computer lab. Students are taking pride in their work and it is easy to see how CTE classes make a difference for schools and students." |
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| Gunn High School in Palo Alto opens new CTE Building |  Recently, Gunn High School held an open house to showcase its new CTE building. The building houses five programs: Engineering/Robotics; Digital Electronics, a Project Lead the Way program; Automotive Technology; Biotechnology; and Broadcast Video. Students and teachers are excited about the state-of-the-art building. |
Monta Vista career student organizations full of success
Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapters are alive and well at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino. Advisor Carl Schmidt has his hands full of success. In March, FBLA students were named the top finalist in the NASA Conrad Awards Project, which represents the "Spirit of Innovation." Watch the project video. The DECA chapter has 62 students who qualified to attend the International DECA Conference Competition. Overall, Monta Vista took home 19 first-place trophies. |
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Monteclaire Elementary: 21st Century Preparation for Careers  Career Technical Education focuses on preparing students with 21st century skills for 21st century jobs. Monteclaire Elementary school understands it is never too early to prepare students for the world of work.
In late February, three Santa Clara County COE leaders on a Distinguished School visit asked students why they liked their school. A student answered, "Because this is preparing me for a job." Studies show that when students can connect what they are learning to the real world, they become more interested in school.
Elementary Career Awareness resources: |
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Paws in Jobland
Kuder Galaxy
Earth Science Careers
Kids Corner - Health Careers |
| Middle School Career Course Options |
Middle schools throughout the country are using Career Exploration to assist with student enrollment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math classes. Research shows that CTE engages and motivates students by offering them real-world learning opportunities, leading to lower dropout rates and greater earnings for high school graduates. Many middle schools are using Project Lead the Way curriculum in eighth grade. |
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CTE definition of "Career Readiness" |
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Since the release of the K-12 Common Core State Standards, there has been much talk about "College and Career Readiness." The definition of Career Readiness includes academic skills, employability skills and technical skills. |
Business Partner Spotlight
Santa Clara County Office of Education CTE department has teamed up with Santa Clara County Federal Credit  Union. The credit union offers many supportive services that schools can take advantage of: student scholarships, free financial education, parent university, classroom presentations, student workshops and future internships. Their Bank on San Jose Program was designed to assist our local school communites. To partner with the credit union contact Angela Hughes at: ahughes@sccfcu.org. | |
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