Career clusters are part of a response to changing work and a changing workplace, a way of broadening the focus of secondary career and technical education (CTE). The following are some of the changes in work and the workplace: the nature and structure of work; leadership styles and organizational structures; the knowledge and skills needed;…

Teaching is a very difficult field to master, and the challenges faced by beginning career and technical education (CTE) teachers are especially great. Teacher induction, which usually takes 5-6 years, is the total of all the teacher's experiences from the moment the first teaching contract is signed until the teacher is comfortably established as…

To many educators, Web-based training (WBT) is the constructivist ideal--learners can construct meaning through self-directed inquiry, guided activity, and group collaboration on the information highway, the digital library, cyberspace, or the global village. Although research on the effectiveness of WBT as a vehicle for constructivist learning is…

Dykeman and colleagues developed a taxonomy of career development interventions used in United States secondary schools that can help career and technical education (CTE) practitioners evaluate and improve the effectiveness of guidance programs. The interventions include introductory, advising, curriculum-based, and work-based interventions.…

A study investigated the influence of information technology (IT) industry-sponsored credentials commonly called IT certifications (ITCs) from both organizational and individual perspectives. Findings indicated that there was increasing acceptance, prevalence, and benefits of ITCs in business and industry. Both executives and employees reported…

Again today, as 40 years ago, the idea of setting standards for career and technical education (CTE) has come to the fore. CTE practitioners have learned some lessons about implementing standards, among them that there is no "standard" standard; instead, there can be a confusing variety of standards. An analysis of standards reveals that there are…