Welcome to part three of our rural CTE series. In part two, we spoke with Washington state CTE expert Dan Read about strategies for successful rural CTE. In today’s blog, statewide CTE director Laura Scheibe shares her insights.
Scheibe is South Dakota’s CTE Director and the Director of the Division of College, Career, and Student Success at the South Dakota Department of Education, where she oversees secondary CTE programs and coordinates with the Board of Technical Education to supervise the state’s four public technical colleges. She also led the development of South Dakota’s Vision for CTE under Perkins V and previously served as Advance CTE’s President of the Board of Directors.
Laura Scheibe
How do you measure the success of CTE pathways in South Dakota?
As the state agency overseeing the federal Perkins grant, we closely track and publish required data around performance measures and enrollment patterns. Beyond those required accountability measures, we look at districts’ ability to offer their students a broad array of CTE programs. We also follow enrollments in and success at the postsecondary level, in particular at our four state’s public technical colleges. Less easily quantified, we also look at the quality of programs based on quality applications, industry-grade equipment in the classroom, and high percentages of students engaging in work-based learning.
What labor market data do you look at when planning CTE programs?
We enjoy close collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. We routinely use their data at the state level to help inform content standards and where there may be a mismatch between the number of CTE programs in a particular industry area and the demand. We also help schools connect and use Labor Market Information Center data to drive decision making at the local level.
Tell us about CTE partnerships within the state. What makes them work so well?
We are fortunate in South Dakota to have strong champions for CTE all across the state and at all levels. Districts are required to have industry partner advisory boards, but we see so many of our districts have developed deep relationships that serve the entire community.
At the state level, we have highlighted districts doing this well through professional development opportunities. Every year we work with three or four districts in various areas of the state to host their peers for a “CTE Connect” day. The district showcases a part of their CTE program that they do really well. We find that during those best practices showcases, it always includes robust community and industry partnerships.
For districts not sure where to start, we have a number of resources available to them, including marketing materials tailored to the audience, a website devoted to toolkits and guides for work-based learning, and a partnership with our Department of Labor and Regulation that helps connect schools with industry.
Have you noticed some student groups have less participation in your CTE programs and if so, what strategies have you implemented to improve their access?
South Dakota students participate in approved CTE at a high level—two-thirds of public high schoolers take CTE courses every year and half of any given graduating cohort are CTE concentrators. That said, we know that gaps remain and not all students have as wide access to CTE opportunities as their peers.
Often this comes down to an inability to find an educator to fill that role. We have pathways into the classroom for both traditionally prepared teachers and those coming from industry. We work closely with administrators to try to get to “yes” on offering CTE teacher certification when they have identified a candidate from the community. From there, we have supports including a mentorship program, CTE-specific training, and a strong network of state-level staff in our CTE office to help new teachers succeed in those crucial first years.
How do rural CTE programs in the state balance online learning with hands-on work in CTE?
Districts, in particular in rural areas, absolutely find they need to supplement course offerings with those available virtually. However, a school cannot have only online courses and still be approved for CTE. CTE is a system, not just a class, that involves career exploration, career and technical student organization (CTSO) opportunities, lab time, work-based learning, and career counseling. All of these components are integral to approved CTE, and students in rural communities deserve that access just as much as their counterparts in more populated areas.
We also have four outstanding technical colleges—including one Aspen Prize winner and the others have been among the eligible institutions. Secondary students have access to the more advanced CTE coursework available at our technical colleges through the state’s dual credit program. This not only helps supplement what rural schools can offer but allows students to get a jump on their pathway to postsecondary.
Beyond regular funding, how are rural districts in South Dakota getting resources or expertise for CTE?
We have two competitive grant programs for secondary CTE programs annually. These programs are a great way for school districts, particularly those that do not receive a large amount of formula funding, to equip their programs and access opportunities to improve those programs. Over the past three years we have been fortunate to be able to award more than $18 million in competitive grants.
Outside of what we can offer for state-level funding, I would go back to postsecondary and industry partnerships. They can donate equipment, provide consumables, or support a district’s competitive grant application.
If a rural district is just beginning to develop or expand their CTE offerings, what is the most important advice you would offer to their leadership team?
Gone are the days when you start a business program because you can hire a business teacher, or an ag program because you only had an ag teacher apply for your opening. High quality CTE needs to include a long-term vision and a path to sustainability.
I would advise administrators ready to expand their CTE program to open up that conversation with your community and think broadly about the geographic areas to include. Talk to your students about what offerings they want and analyze your data about where their interests lie. Engage local business about what their needs are—not only in content areas, but skills they need students coming out of your educational system to have. Survey your alumni and talk with postsecondary partners about how well-prepared students coming out of your district have been, and what they wish your students could have access to while they are still in K–12.
Once you have that information, you can build an informed plan about how to get there. And know that it won’t happen overnight, but you will have a solid foundation that gives your students the opportunities they need to successfully launch.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
