Special thanks to Robert Van Dyke, CACTE President-Elect, for compiling this information! And thanks to CACTE Division Presidents Lawson Miller and Kim Reiser for creating the viral campaign lesson plan for use in your classrooms and workplaces!
CACTE members at ACTE’s National Policy Seminar – advocacy in action!
One of the most effective advocacy tools CACTE has is you! Becoming an advocate is one of the most important actions you can take to secure the future of CTE.
CACTE and ACTE have developed a wide variety of tools to assist you in your advocacy activities, keep you informed and promote ongoing support for CTE. The tools here provide step-by-step directions and examples that will help you reach out to policymakers at the local, state and federal levels, as well as your community and the media.
From your Members of Congress to your state and local policymakers, these individuals all make decisions that impact CTE. With your help, we can ensure the strength and future of CTE!
ADVOCACY Lesson Plan
CACTE thanks members Lawson Miller and Kim Reiser for creating the ADVOCACY for CTE lesson plan! This lesson plan is designed to engage your students in advocating for CTE with policymakers and is aligned to the National CTE Common Core Standards and all CTE program area standards. Be sure to use it to promote CTE during CTE month! And refer to the 2017-2018 CTE Fact Sheet for talking points!
CTE Month Activities
Career and Technical Education Month®, or CTE Month®, is a public awareness campaign that takes place each February to celebrate the value of CTE and the achievements and accomplishments of CTE programs across the country.What can I do to celebrate CTE Month?
- Encourage your students to participate in the CTE Month and NASA HUNCH Video Challenge: Working Out of This World
- Host a school visit and invite members of your local community to learn about your school’s strong CTE programs firsthand
- Reach out to the media to encourage them to attend events and advise them of the benefits of CTE, or use social media to do the same
- Work with business and industry leaders to ensure they understand the role CTE plays in readying their future workforce
- Purchase pens, pencils, lanyards and other CTE Month Merchandise to use at events or at your school
- Download our CTE Month logo for use with any print or digital outreach
Please note that the term “CTE Month” or “Career and Technical Education Month” must be followed by the trademark sign (®) the first time it appears in a document or visual presentation.
Working With Policymakers
Policymakers work for you and your students! CACTE encourages you to visit your local, state, and federal policymakers often and remind them of the value of CTE. Below are some resources on how to plan and carry out these visits.
- Visiting Policymakers
- Calling Policymakers
- Building Relationships With Policymakers
- Corresponding With Policymakers
- Hosting a Site Visit for Policymakers
- Testifying Before Policymakers
- Social Media Advocacy
- Congressional Directory
- Congressional CTE Caucus
- ACTE’s Legislative Alerts
Media and Community Outreach
You are doing amazing things in your program and you should be sharing them with the media and community. Use the following tips to engage the media and community to become advocates for your program.
Policy and Advocacy Publications
Be sure to use the following publications and fact sheets to support your program and your CTE advocacy efforts.