Mayor Bloomberg Promotes Career and Technical Education Innovation

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently released Next-Generation Career and Technical Education in New York City, the final report of the Mayoral Task force on Career and Technical Education (CTE) Innovation. In his January 2008 State of the City speech, Bloomberg announced plans to create a task force which would focus on better preparing New York City high school students for technical careers, where such education had been traditionally seen as dead-end. In its report, the task force makes these recommendations:

• Transform CTE into a desirable, respected, and accessible option for New York City high school students
• Improve student achievement through new and enhanced career and technical pathways
• Ensure that CTE prepares students for post-secondary education and the workforce.

The Mayor accepted the recommendations of the task force in full. In accordance with the recommendations, as many as five model CTE schools will open in September 2009. The model schools will serve as demonstration sites where the City will pilot the task force's recommendations. The task force was co-chaired by former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins and New York Life Chairman Sy Sternberg.

"We're going to dramatically change how we prepare high school students for technical careers in a number of growing fields," said the Mayor. "Traditionally, career and technical education had not been given strong emphasis, but thanks to the work of the task force, New York City will now be at the forefront of addressing this challenge. We are committed to providing high school students with opportunities that will improve their achievement through new and enhanced CTE pathways that will ensure that they are prepared for post-secondary education and the workforce. I commend the co-chairs David Dinkins and Sy Sternberg, and look forward to working with the New York State Board of Regents and our industry and higher education partners to begin implementing these recommendations."

Last year, approximately 110,000 New York City students were enrolled in career and technical education, either in stand-alone schools or programs, or in elective courses at their high schools. About 30,000 of these students were enrolled in the City's 21 CTE schools. Overall, current performance at City CTE schools varies widely. Half of the 18 CTE high schools that received grades under the Department of Education's progress reports received either an A or a B, but three CTE schools received Fs. In order to provide students with more and better secondary school choices that will prepare them for successful careers and higher education, the task force identified 5 goals for future career and technical education in New York City:

• Meet 21st-century standards: prepare students to meet rigorous academic and industry-based skills defined by the State Board of Regents incorporating recommendations from industry partners.
• Expand pathways to graduation: create rigorous courses of study that integrate academics, internships, and hands-on experience.
• Engage and empower industry leadership: develop a well-defined partnership structure for industry that ensures CTE programs remain relevant as industry evolves.
• Prepare graduates for post-secondary success: prepare more students for post-secondary education and training by ensuring secondary-level CTE coursework is well-aligned with expectations for post-secondary degrees and certificates.
• Increase opportunity and access: Provide students and families with the necessary information to make informed choices about their educational options, including CTE, and ensure that all students-regardless of race, gender, disability or national origin-have access to high schools that give them both post-secondary work and educational options upon graduation.

"Every student deserves an opportunity to succeed in the career path he or she chooses," said Dinkins. "The report makes it clear that every CTE school in the City must be a place where all types of