Tentative paper

Tentative paper proposal

I would like to further investigate the purpose and standing of career and technical education. There seems to be a great deal of controversy as to the purpose and design of career and technical education in American schools, specifically in the State of Michigan, with many ill-defined problems revolving around education in general.
As an automotive technology instructor, it is a challenge to communicate with various members of our local society when perceptional discrepancies exist between their view and the school’s take on what is expected of successful students. With an increased demand by the federal government for accountability, it would be interesting to know where CTE has come from and where it is expected to go in the future; especially considering a shift in political power at the federal level. This knowledge would be beneficial in advising administration, parents, and students as to the reason behind the lessons taught in class.
Local school boards across Michigan have the opportunity to accept career and technical education classes as sufficient in fulfilling the fourth year math credit required by the new state graduation requirements. In addition to providing increased applied academics in coursework, many CTE programs have received higher technical skill and employability skill requirements that have elevated the rigor of programs. All of this has been placed upon teachers and students who operate in schools that have cut out many of the preparatory, middle school level classes that initially exposed students to career fields and introductory concepts such as safety, basic tool use, and shop etiquette. To be a successful teacher, it is important to anticipate changes in curriculum and to better inform those involved in education to keep learning consistent. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that changes in policy are not always created by those with the most knowledge pertaining to the subject and that they are subject to change. My goal is to get a better foundation as to the direction CTE is going and to affectively create a better lesson plan that is more resilient to fads in educational politics.