February is CTE Month. This is a designated time when Career and Technical Education teachers, administrators, and advocates are encouraged to proclaim the value of CTE. Schools often pursue proclamations, events, banners, and brochures. You can locate resources and ideas from the ACTE website. CTE is often under-appreciated, and focused publicity events during CTE month serve to draw attention to the valuable contribution CTE programs make to future student success.
Special events are nice, but small gestures are often made repeatedly that make a difference in changing perceptions. So, consider conducting a splashy CTE Month event, but also consider small gestures you can do daily to build awareness of the educational value of CTE.
Following are 28 little things to do during the month to promote CTE. Try one each day during February.
- Capture a video of remarkable student work
- Identify a new employer partner in the community
- Call a parent to compliment good work by their child
- Write a news item for the school website
- Write a note to the principal thanking him/her for support
- Offer to help a school parent association or booster club
- Invite a teacher colleague to observe your class
- Invite an employer to speak to students
- Invite a school counselor to talk to the class about post-secondary technical colleges.
- Arrange for students to speak to middle-level students about CTE
- Invite a parent to observe your class
- Take photos of students with their work-based learning supervisor
- Set up a display of student work in another area of the school
- Have students text a message to family members highlighting student work
- Offer CTSO leaders to speak at local service club breakfast
- Prepare a poster of what former students are doing – college, work, etc.
- Invite a middle-level teacher to visit the program.
- Post pictures of student work on school social media
- Prepare your students to give a clear “elevator speech” when asked bout CTE
- Invite a former student to speak to the class
- Invite a non-instructional colleague to observe your class
- Write a note to a political leader thanking him/her for fiscal support
- Have students share a photo of their CTE projects on their social media (avoid other student images)
- Identify a community not-for-profit in which students can assist.
- Have students brainstorm a list of “Why I like CTE?”
- Invite school board members to visit the program
- Thank a school counselor for assisting a student
- Encourage a student to enter a new CTSO competition