Professional Development

Career exploration: How Washington schools are setting the course

New initiative allows districts to bridge the gaps in access to career exploration that aligns with student aspirations and meet the state's workforce needs.

These CTE trends bring the future workforce into focus

Let’s do our part as educators to leverage CTE to help today’s students experience life-affirming academic success and capitalize on that positive momentum.

Career-connected learning: It’s how to prepare all students for success

Career-connected learning is critical to keeping students engaged and building trust with the communities we serve.

How this principal is building big demand for career tech

Every year, Poteau High School Principal Joe Ballard sends more than 100 kids through Kiamichi Technology Centers, where students spend half of their school day exploring career paths that meet local workforce needs.

Lessons from Switzerland: How to bridge the real-world learning gap

Switzerland's schools offer insight into an education system that seamlessly integrates academic learning with real-world application.

CTE surge: How to act now to fill healthcare shortages

In education, an increased emphasis on healthcare-related career and technical education programs can help solve this critical issue.

From Classroom to Career: How Certifications Enable Practical STEM Learning and CTE Readiness

Date & Time: Tuesday, August 20th at 2 pm ET

A panel of experts will explore how to leverage school facilities and data as educational tools for integrating STEM and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, and share insights from Hardin County Schools, where district leaders have implemented STEM and CTE experiential learning opportunities and certification programs in their schools.

CTE surge: Sixth grade is never too early for welding!

Michigan's Orchard View Pubic Schools is boosting engagement by sending sixth-graders to a local career tech center to begin exploring—and experiencing—a wide range of potential careers. 

How to steer students toward “skilled-collar” career opportunities

Roles in fields such as wind energy, robotics, hybrid and EV repair and welding are expanding career choices beyond white- or blue-collar to include a new breed, the "skilled-collar."

School boards: The four keywords that keep coming up in the biggest districts

Do school boards share the priorities of their district's superintendents? Do they share the same priorities across the country? Burbio has been providing regular updates on the hot-button topics that are priorities at meetings right now.

Not enough Black students are being exposed to STEM careers

A substantial number of Black students have the aptitude but not the access to in-demand STEM and CTE fields. This exposure gap is even wider for Black girls, a new report warns.

These pathways are launching high schools past a college-only mindset

When our high school used to offer a college tour, students and their parents signed up in droves. In contrast, when we offered an industry tour, the response was lukewarm at best.

Superintendent spotlight: Learning from CEOs and defending public education

"We have not yet arrived but we are certainly on our way," is how Superintendent Michael Daria describes, enthusiastically and honestly, the progress students are making at Tuscaloosa City Schools in Alabama.

Education in 2024: Partners break down 8 big trends

Collaboration will grow between K12 and the business community as academic growth is carefully assessed as AI drives the edtech evolution.

What will drive more urgency around career prep in 2024?

Pressures on the wider U.S. workforce caused by a lack of workers with the requisite skills will drive more collaboration between K12 schools and employers.

How one big state is steering students toward higher-paying careers

California's forthcoming Master Plan on Career Education will, among other steps, help incoming high school students begin exploring well-compensated careers—including professions that don't require college degrees. 

Why this principal strives to be a ‘great simplifier’

The key to improving student outcomes is helping educators find a comfortable place to start working toward big goals, says Danny Mendez, Indiana's Principal of the Year. "This is the one profession that helps create all the other professions. It's being a storyteller about our kids—who they are, what they need, what they want to be and what their dreams are."

How strategic plan goals vary in urban, rural and suburban school districts

See which strategic plan priorities are most prominent in rural school districts and which get more attention in urban and suburban systems.

6 key moves for leaders who want to accelerate career pathways

If you've built a career pathways program, you know it's a complex undertaking that requires outreach and collaboration with local business and organizations. If you're only in the preliminary phase, the good news is those who have developed successful initiatives have plenty of lessons to share.

How this superintendent is harnessing the power of social media for good

"I try to be ever-present," is how Superintendent Brian Nichols describes his effort to stay connected and engaged with his students, staff and community at New Kent County Public Schools in Virginia. "When kids see me, they call me by name—I have 3,500 kids and I'm getting to where I can call them by name."

7 quick tips: Helping the class of 2023 find alternatives to college

More than half of the graduating class of 2023 is opting out of the traditional four-year college education, according to a survey released Tuesday. While these numbers are no cause for alarm, leaders should be concerned that nearly one-third of the graduates were not aware of the career and technical education programs that would have given them alternative paths.

How Township High School District 214 is embedding entrepreneurship

It’s true what they say: a traditional four-year college education isn’t for everyone. But virtually every kid who walks the hallways of Township High School District 214’s six schools will get a job at some point in their lives.

Nontraditional outcomes: Why schools are measuring 4 new types of student success

A loose coalition of 250 school leaders is experimenting with deeper learning, social-emotional skills, self-direction and career readiness as they and their teams seek new ways to equip students for success after high school graduation.

‘Secret sauce’: Top-notch administrators keep this superintendent’s stress levels at bay

What makes Ysleta ISD unique? Superintendent Xavier De La Torre allows his cabinet members to communicate directly with school board members on the full range of issues.

7 questions: Superintendent is prepping rural students for future success

Superintendent Steve Willard's extensive experience as a CTE teacher has helped him set a course for the Belle Fourche School District as a model CTE system.

7 questions: Tomball ISD superintendent is raising CTE to a new level

A groundbreaking CTE initiative torpedoed by COVID has turned into a big win—and a massive new innovation campus—for Tomball ISD outside Houston.

How rural Doddridge County Schools is leading with its localized curriculum

The West Virginia district's instructional innovations kicked into high gear when Superintendent Adam Cheeseman got his students involved in bringing broadband to his rural community.

Leadership snapshot: This superintendent believes community schools can keep K12 relevant

Superintendent Kirt Hartzler makes a bold claim about Union Public Schools that would fill any leader with pride or envy: "We truly are a high-poverty yet high-performing school district."

Superintendents should know the 4 reasons students give school a B-

Older students give their schools high marks for safety and respecting individual differences but the overall grade falls to a B- where several other aspects of education are concerned.

What one superintendent learned on a door-to-door tour of her district

When Verletta White became the superintendent of Roanoke City Public Schools at the height of the pandemic, she toured the community to ask families what was—and wasn't—working.

How this superintendent is fueling multidisciplinary learning with a food truck

A food truck will be a big part of Lincoln Public Schools' culinary program. But getting the truck going will require the skills of students studying graphic design, automotive repair, business and law, among other subjects.

How new CTE pathways are inspiring students to learn—and earn

Faced with rising enrollment, our rural district reconfigured electives as career and technical education pathways that put students on track for jobs in lucrative fields like computer science.

Improving the Effectiveness of PLCs

Thursday, May 25 at 2 pm ET

In this webinar, experts in PLC implementation will outline some practical strategies to improve the effectiveness of these collaborative communities in any school or district.

Why this superintendent is excited: He figured out how to improve career paths

Superintendent Carl Dolente is expanding of the “Skilled Trades Program” at the Cumberland Regional School District to train students as electricians and HVAC technicians.

Why you should let an edtech company live in your high school

While many districts have business partnerships driving their CTE programs, ISD 197 in Minnesota is home to a company that makes interactive STEM videos.