The guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Dr. Tyler Love from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The show starts with Tyler explaining the pathways for non-traditional teachers, including CTE teachers, to become certified to teach. He describes the types of courses that CTE teachers take in the State of Maryland.

Tyler talks about the value of a state wide program that supports CTE teachers so that they can learn from one another regarding the different initiatives across the state rather than just in the districts local to them.

Dr. Love discussed the teacher shortage and what it means to find and hire teachers from industries like computer science.

He talks about the supports that are in place at the university level so that second career teachers don’t burn out, especially as they go back to school at night to earn their credential.

Tyler discusses a study about teacher preparation when it comes to CTE teachers. First, the quality of the preparation program matters. Second, teachers who go through traditional programs feel more prepared than those who go through these alternative routes.

He talks about the efficacy of career coaches and counselors who have to help students with making college and career choices. He explains some of the problems with hiring teachers to be career coaches who don’t have a CTE background.

Tyler discusses the difference between R1 schools and schools like UMES and other historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He mentions a documentary published by PBS.

His call to action to end the show is to ensure that 4-year institutions are at the table for the K-12 pathway, WBL, and general college and career readiness conversation.

If you want to discuss CTE with the host of the show, book a time here.

If you want to see a solution that supports career exploration for the career coaches that Tyler mentions, book a demo here.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Kristy Volesky.

Kristy starts by defining work-based learning and explaining why other definitions might be too broad, limiting the outcomes of a specific WBL experience.

Don’t miss what she says about the “before, during, and after” of WBL that educators and business partners should be clear about to prepare students for the experience.

She says that we ought to implement WBL in elementary schools, and she gives some detailed examples of how to do that.

Project-based learning in schools is a great scaffold for WBL. It’s not just about sending kids to work; they need preparation ahead of time. Kristy describes some of the durable skills that students can learn before they go to work.

She says that anyone who wants to start a WBL program should find the easiest entry point. We don’t need to scale it until some of the partnerships are operating without a lot of support.

Listen to what she says about using a current CTSO to apply a project to a local business.

One of the outcomes that Kristy explains is the social capital that students gain from WBL, including their network that they’re building on-the-job and the growth they experience for further upward mobility in the future.

She talks about missed opportunities associated with “fake” WBL experiences versus real internships and solid placements. We call this “the network effect of WBL.”

Kristy provides examples of how WBL can unfold at every level–elementary, middle, and high school.

She redefines what a middle school career fair can be, providing them exposure before they make their four-year academic plans.

Her final thoughts about the support that schools need to do this work are important. We have to overcome the barriers to WBL to progress the work for students.

If you want to discuss work-based learning with the host of the show, book a time here.

If you want to see a solution for working with business partners and tracking WBL for students, book a demo here.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Sylvester Chisom.

Sylvester says that experiential learning is the future of career and technical education.

He tells listeners that interest assessments are critical to help students think about career options, and using assessments and other exploration tools should start in elementary school.

Sylvester brings up the concept of skills-based hiring, and schools can train and verify students in skills that they can use in their career path. The answer is not the grading system but rather a portfolio of work and competency-based learning.

Don’t miss what he says about portrait of a graduate (PoG) and grading changes associated with the skills on the PoG.

Listen to the conversation about measuring skills and earning badges in all disciplines.

Sylvester says that we need to highlight the durable skills that students are gaining so that everyone understands when they’re using certain skills, what they are, and how to transfer them in the future.

He reveals some of the key uses of AI in education, and tells listeners that we can’t be so loyal to some of the old ways of teaching in schools.

He gives an entrepreneurial example of how students can use AI to help them with their business development. And, he says that AI can help free up more time in the curriculum.

Sylvester says that as industries progress, education has to change too. We have to prepare students for a future world, not today or yesterday.

Don’t miss what he says about building curiosity and learning to ask really good questions.

Sylvester references the College & Career Readiness Radio episode with Adam Welcome where Adam talks about schools blocking important tools and the need to be more progressive with technology.

He shares several great examples of using project-based learning and notching it up to entrepreneurialism.

His notion about building students’ confidence through authentic projects is incredible.

A highlight from the conversation is the benefit of having students travel for work-based learning, which was a finding in a dissertation published by Principal-EL.

Book a time to discuss college and career readiness with the host of the show, Dr. T.J. Vari.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Don Wettrick.

Don starts the show by giving credit to Dan Pink, who was one of the pioneers of the motivation movement–exploring what motivates people to learn new things.

He explains the 20% theory in terms of giving students time to work on things that they care about that might not necessarily be aligned to a school-based unit of study.

Don’t miss what he says about school getting in the way of learning and the difference between how C and D students respond to freedom versus A and B students.

Don says that the freedom to learn whatever you want isn’t just a personal project. It comes with learning new skills and presenting to an audience beyond the classroom.

He’s reframing the concept of “innovation” at the high school level to be more about an “entrepreneurial mindset.”

Don dives deep into the definition of motivation: autonomy + mastery + purpose = motivation.

He tells a story about a student who challenged his thinking about 20% time in schools and that it should be 100% of the time dedicated to interesting problems to solve versus the curriculum.

Don has incredible examples of work-based learning, including two students who worked together to solve a fast-fashion waste problem with dog toys.

He says that a teacher’s most precious resource is their network. One of the best things we can do is to share what our students are doing and creating on social channels and more.

Don explains the type of durable skills and outcomes that students gain from identifying a problem and developing a solution for it.

Don’t miss what he says about community engagement with the local chamber of commerce and the concerns that mayors have with talent retention.

Listen to the difference between the traditional model where students get a problem to solve versus the skill of identifying the problem.

Don talks about an innovative teacher fellowship, and he describes a best case scenario when departments are working together on the same problem.

One call-to-action from Don is that teachers should have more conversations with employers: “what are you looking for in our graduates?”

Book a time to discuss college and career readiness with the host of the show, Dr. T.J. Vari.

Our guests for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Peter Hostrawser and Alli Dahl.

Alli starts by talking about what it means to disrupt education, which she says is all about how to reach learners in the 21st century.

Peter says that innovative schools are changing the narrative of what schools are and what they can provide for students.

Don’t miss what Alli says about the work-based learning program that Jason Van Nus runs in Georgia.

Peter says that “durable skills” should be taught “K through gray.”

Alli tells listeners that the best school leaders are the ones who get out of the way of really innovative ideas, and they facilitate innovation by removing any red-tape.

Peter talks about his admiration for Don Wettrick’s work, and Alli mentions Sylvester Chisom as someone who is really doing innovative things, including building houses as work-based learning.

Alli says that all teachers need coaches, and we often need a precipitating event to get us out of our own way when it comes to change. Listen to her connection with skydiving.

Peter tells listeners that LinkedIn is the space to go if they want to share or learn. Please connect with all of us there. He says that we should all be telling stories about the great things that are happening in our schools and classrooms, especially innovative teachers and CTE programs.

Alli ends the show by saying that there’s no better way to invest in the community than to expose students to all of the wonderful things that are happening in it. “Get them out of the school and into local businesses and organizations.”

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness is Jeannie Burlowski.

Jeannie starts off the episode with her passion for getting students through college without debt. She has been an academic strategist for the last 25 years.

Don’t miss what she says about her clients who have $180K worth of debt with time left in school.

Her advice for students and families is priceless–helping students to avoid loan debt.

She tells listeners that a lot of what students are told about college is simply a lie.

Jeannie says that her book is always being updated because she learns new ideas all the time for saving themselves from college debt.

She’s a proponent of career assessments to help students learn more about what they want to do, and no one needs to go to a fancy school to have a happy life.

Jeannie says that counselors are the lifeblood of the college and career readiness conversation, but they don’t have enough time to do that part of the job, which is why they need a tool. Jeannie suggests the use of MaiaLearning to help counselors accomplish this.

Don’t miss the tips and tricks that she outlines for counselors to use with students and families to use at home, including career assessment and tuition assistance.

You’ll want to hear what she says toward the end of the show about CLEPs exams and Modern States.

Finally, go to debtfreecollege.us for help with a debt-free experience.

If you want to learn about a technology platform that Jeannie references during the show, book a demo with MaiaLearning.com.

Book a time to discuss college and career readiness with the host of the show, Dr. T.J. Vari.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness Radio is Cyekeia Lee.

Cyekeia starts by explaining the work she does in 58 high schools with the Detroit College Access Network (DCAN). She wants to ensure that “despite zip codes, students get what they need.”

DCAN does professional learning with school counselors so that they’re aware of opportunities for access to college and universities for their students.

Cyekeia emphasizes the fact that school counselors are often pressed for time and their focus is not always on college and career readiness, which is why DCAN is working to equip them with the tips and tools to maximize their effectiveness.

Cyekeia talked about FAFSA completion and students’ sense of the purpose of college. DCAN has goals around FAFSA completion in Detroit, and you can’t miss the strategies that they’re using to connect with the communities. Listen to what she says about the FAFSA Blitz.

She mentions some of the barriers to FAFSA completion and what they’re doing to try to overcome them.

Cyekeia discusses policy implications in terms of what they’re intending to do and some of the hurdles in place to achieving better outcomes.

She calls for more policies that bring the counselor to student ratios down and that the ownership of college and career readiness can’t just be on the school counselor.

Cyekeia talks about ways in which students can access funding beyond the FAFSA to support college attainment in an affordable fashion. Students should be looking for every dollar possible.

She says that the work of DCAN, and even the schools, wouldn’t work without strong community ties and community engagement at every level.

Don’t miss what she says about Graduate 313 and college students around the nation who are champions in this effort to get more students to access postsecondary education.

She mentions the many resources for schools and parents at the National College Access Network website.

Cyekeia ends by telling listeners that college access is easier than you think. We need to communicate a new message to students that everyone can go to college and there are avenues to make it possible for all students.

If you want to learn about a technology platform that solves a ton of the problems that Cyekeia talks about in the show, book a demo with MaiaLearning.com.

Book a time to discuss college and career readiness with the host of the show, Dr. T.J. Vari.

Our guest for this episode of College & Career Readiness is Adam Welcome.

Adam starts with the fact that technology is ubiquitous and every profession from a mechanic to a medical doctor uses it. That’s why it’s so important to learn by using technology tools in school.

He tells listeners that technology use in schools has to be effective because it’s typically not effective in the home.

He says that school leaders need to rethink how they run their school and the types of technological advancements that are available to students at least every 3-5 years because of the way that technology changes and evolves.

Adam says that he hasn’t been totally impressed with the use of AI tools in schools yet, and we should stay tuned to more effective uses of it.

He talks about a more student-centered approach being the future, and that the adults need to learn to get out of the way, especially with technology because the kids already know how to use tools that the teachers haven’t yet mastered.

Adam tells a story about how his daughter used a technology tool in a way that he would never have thought to tell her to do.

He says that technology use in the classroom has potential to be the ultimate differentiation strategy because every student can work at their own pace using platforms and learning tools.

Although he’s an advocate for CTE, he thinks that CTE has a branding problem and that kids need more opportunities to explore careers that they might not know about.

Adam mentions a number of new pathways that students can take in their postsecondary journey.

He talks about LinkedIn as a place for students to learn about jobs, but he’s referring to the need for college and career exploration in schools.

When it comes to college and career readiness, he recommends Inc. Magazine and Fast Company Magazine as resources that he uses to stay informed.

Adam’s final message to all educators, especially those who say that they don’t have time is: “What can you get rid of that is not relevant anymore?”

If you want to learn about a technology platform that solves a ton of the problems that Adam talks about in the show, book a demo with MaiaLearning.com.

Book a time to discuss college and career readiness with the host of the show, Dr. T.J. Vari.