NCLA Podcast

We all deal with a small percentage of lives and work that is really hard. Sometimes it's 5% and sometimes it may feel much larger. In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Rachael Mann is joined by Dr. Jill Siler for a countdown of ideas to help you along your leadership journey and for tips on how to ensure that the percentage that is hard doesn't overshadow the purpose and portion that brings joy....

In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Evin Jarrett, aka The Dope Teacher shares his innovative approaches to teaching young minds. He is the Building Trades instructor at the Mayfair School. It’s the first and only Building trades program for Middle School Students in the Philadelphia School District. His program has been featured on:  6 ABC Philadelphia Tribune Forbes magazine American Plumbe...

Dr. Doug Darling has been President of Lake Region State College since May 2013. Dr. Darling has 34 years of experience in Higher Education, Career and Technical Education, Workforce Development and Work Force Training.  He has led the development of numerous CTE programs to meet industry employment needs in North Dakota. Dr. Darling believes strongly in the Community College mission and in p...

Dr. Kevin Fleming is a CTE administrator, keynote speaker, CEO of Catapult, and author. He has dedicated over 20 years to advancing the dialogue around eliminating the skills gap and helping students secure a competitive advantage upon graduation. He has produced multiple viral animation videos, including Success in the New Economy, and he has written four books, including the educational bestsell...

Sylvester is the CEO and founder of Global CTE, an online career and technical education publishing company. He is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with school districts and colleges to provide digital curriculum and books that serve over 50,000 students in over 600 school districts across the country. Sylvester keeps a busy schedule traveling the world as a keynote speaker and co...

Bonnie Brown and Krystal Atcheson are amongst the 14% of female construction professionals. In this episode of the NCLA podcast, Bonnie and Krystal share their journey at the Whiting-Turner Construction company and discuss misconceptions around gender-specific roles and how CTE programs can encourage more females to enroll in non-traditional programs and pursue careers in the construction industry...

Stanley S. Litow is a Professor at both Columbia and Duke University. At Duke University, he also serves as Innovator in Residence. Stan is the author of The Challenge for Business and Society: From Risk to Reward and co-author of Breaking Barriers: How P-Tech Schools Create a Pathway from High School to College to Career. He previously served as President of the IBM International Foundation...

Maureen O’Shaughnessy is on a mission to connect the dots between education, belonging, and youth empowerment. She is the founder of the human-centered micro-school, LEADPrep. This learner-focused middle / high school is a national model for micro-schools, helping students learn from a place of love and personal alignment. Dr. O’Shaughnessy is the author of Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mism...

Colin Seale was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where struggles in his upbringing gave birth to his passion for educational equity. Tracked early into gifted and talented programs, Colin was afforded opportunities his neighborhood peers were not. Using lessons from his experience as a math teacher, later as an attorney, and now as a keynote speaker, contributor to Forbes, The 74, Edutopia and Edu...

Larry Martinez, Ed. S. has been an educator for over 30 years, serving K12 students with a passion for improving academic achievement. He has had many roles in the educational environment as a teacher, administrator, educational consultant, and Director. His work has been primarily in high minority and low socio-economic schools. Larry retired as the Director of Curriculum in Queen Creek, AZ. Prio...

Jim Michlig is the Director of the Muskego-Norway School Districts CONNECT Academy. Through Muskego’s CONNECT Academy, Jim’s role is to build partnerships with local and national businesses, so students are able to develop their professional portfolios by gaining real-world experience. In one year, Jim increased opportunities for students by 200%. He believes this success is due to having a strong...

“The willingness of NCLA members to share their best practices and their willingness to host visitation teams was the launching pad for our grant application. It allowed us to visualize what it could be for us in our region. Seeing high-quality CTE centers in other areas across the nation was a very important step in getting our application developed and approved.” Eric Ripley Eric Ripley has...

Dr. William Sprankles currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Innovation, Teaching & Learning for Butler Technology Career & Development Campuses just north of Cincinnati, Ohio.  William oversees the instructional culture for Butler Tech’s 4 campuses, 11 associate school districts, and over 250 teachers. He collaborates with others to lead the district with strategic plann...

In this episode, Michael Herrera, Ed. D., shares how to refocus on the skilled trades to reduce the critical skills gap in a post-pandemic world. Dr. Herrera is a proven, innovative, collaborative, and nationally recognized school leader & workforce development professional. Served eighteen years as a successful and published CTE administrator in two states. Additional experiences include serv...

There are so many best practices featured in this podcast! Spoiler alert: the best is saved for last so be sure to listen all of the way through and catch the bonus tips at the end!  ACOVA, Arizona’s CTE Administrator’s professional organization, supports data-driven decision making and provides support through innovative means for district and regional CTE Administrators. This episode explai...

Khristen Massic www.khristenmassic.com @khristenmassic Let’s face it, you need to feature your CTE program. Your program is not naturally getting featured on the internet or social media. In my school district, sports dominate school websites and social media. Every once in a while, there will be an academic feature, but I rarely see something about CTE. Why is this? Your school social media manag...

As many college-age students will explain, when they reach their later years of high school, teachers, advisors, and counselors begin introducing them to possible career paths. This type of preparation serves as an introduction to the typical four-year college experience, which seems to be the mainstream expectation for planning after high school. The issue with this limited approach to career pre...

"If you can learn a name, you can change a life." "Rapport before reports."  "Open minds lead to open doors." Tune into this episode of the NCLA podcast for these actionable nuggets of wisdom and more! Aaron Polansky is the Superintendent-Director of Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester, MA and a speaker, author, and consultant who travels the US in his spare time...

When I was asked to teach grade 7 math for the first time, I had been working as a special education teacher for a few years, teaching at both the elementary and secondary level. Like anyone would do given a new position, I reached out to the people I would be working with and let them know that I would happily take anything and everything that they could provide. I was lucky. The whole curriculum...

Doug Merrill has been teaching Engineering Related classes at Wenatchee HS since 1989. Design and build is the core focus of his pre-engineering curriculum and creating unique experiences keep things fun for him and his learners. His newest class: Ski Design and Adaptive Play allow kids to design and build skis and snowboards along with hacking electronic toys and electric ride-on cars for special...

In this episode of the NCLA podcast, our host, Rachael Mann, is joined by guests Lindsey Balderaz and John Turcic to discuss the formation and related evolution of their Education-Business Partnership Development program. Tune in to hear about this innovative approach to transforming learning spaces in order to equip students for tomorrow.  To learn more about today's guests and these initiat...

Tune in to this episode to discover how to overcome the challenge of a "that's the way we have always done it" culture while pursuing what's best for students. Great Oaks Career Campuses increases flexibility in its offerings and delivery while expanding access through remodeling physical spaces and adjusting to on-campus, satellite, and adult ed programming. Simultaneously, they are adopting new...

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO IMPROVE STUDENT AND WORKFORCE OUTCOMES Cheryl Carrier, Executive Director, Ford Next Generation Learning We have all heard the saying, “It takes a village.” Nowhere is that phrase more applicable than in the case of educating and preparing our young people for success in college, career, and life. If you are an educator, you know just how critical and monumental an undertakin...

Highlights from this episode:  "We want all of our students to be exemplary communicators, collaborators, critical and creative thinkers, and to be able to self-direct their learning in any setting." "The diploma means more than a diploma, it means they are ready for their life, they are ready for their career, and they are ready for post-secondary if they choose to go to college." "It’s impo...

Today's Podcasts guests are Jessica Golden, Senior Director, K12 District Partnerships and Peter Kelpin, Director, K-12 District Marketing.  The educational journey includes so much more than traditional academic subjects. When young people learn about real-world skills in school, they’re equipped with the tools they need to navigate life’s daily challenges and set in motion skills that will...