Award Winning Strategies

...from Linda Mitchell, Principal, Carson Creek Jr./Sr. High School, Sacramento County Office of Education, California

Winner of the 2009 Best Practices for Educational Association
Working with At-Promise Students Award

RAPSA: Explain what you consider to be the most important strategy for integrating academics and vocational education.

Linda Mitchell:  Two strategies are vital. The first one is to build career-technical education classes into and throughout the master schedule so they are accessible to all students. The second strategy is to team academic teachers and career-technical teachers, give them planning time together, and have them develop lessons and student projects that incorporate both academic and career-technical standards and skills into both classes.

RAPSA: Explain why your program is successful and offer ideas for other schools seeking ways to embrace the idea of “vocademics.”

LM:  Integrating career-technical education and academics accomplishes three things: 1) It answers the question from students "Why do I need to learn this?" It's hard to justify to at-promise students why they should work on problems 1 - 30 on some page in a text book but obvious to students why they need to calculate circumference, area, etc. of the garden they are fencing, or the wall they are designing, for example. Students of vocademics learn concepts in context. 2) It requires the formation of effective, synergistic partnerships with agencies, community-based organizations, Probation, employers, post-secondary schools and colleges, and apprenticeships which become the backbone of the program and build transitional opportunities for students. 3) Our school, both staff and students, use the LINKS philosophy to drive and inspire us. The staff never gives up.
        L  = Leadership in everyday life
        I  = Ingenuity in thought and practice
        N = Navigating choices
        K = Keeping the promise
        S = Sufficiency in preparation

RAPSA:  Explain any strategies you learned at the National Conference and how you are implementing them in your class.

LM:  The keynote speakers were outstanding and inspiring. The opportunity to talk with the Senators made us feel like we had a voice. Networking with other educators from around the country gave us new ideas and other thoughts and ways of addressing like issues.

RAPSA:  What resources would you suggest for others wanting to improve their vocational programs?

LM: Talk with community colleges, apprenticeships, employers, community agencies working with at-promise youth and get something started!