CAREER & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
Letter From The Director
Welcome to CATE 2005!
Welcome back to a new school year full of opportunities, challenges and rewards. I hope that your summer break has been relaxing and rejuvenating or at least a welcome change of pace. I look forward to working with you to continue the vision to offer quality Career and Technology Education (CATE) programs for our Richland One students.
The mission and vision of CATE direct our programs and initiatives toward success in a competitive global economy. Therefore, the challenge before us as CATE practitioners is to cultivate successful and quality CATE programs. By converting our vision into action and actions into individual responsibilities, we face the challenge of self-examination as we align our resources with new and challenging goals.
The major goals of CATE in Richland One are linked and intertwined with the Perkins Standards and the High Schools That Work (HSTW) network. The mission of CATE is to prepare students for the seamless transition from high school to postsecondary education and a career by having students complete a solid academic core and either an academic, a career tech or blended concentration.
The major goals of CATE are to:
- Raise the mathematics, science, communication, problem-solving and technical achievement of our students to the state and national averages and above;
- Blend the essential content of traditional college preparatory studies with quality career/technical studies by creating conditions that support school leaders, teachers and counselors in carrying out key practices; and
- Advance state and district policies and leadership initiatives necessary to sustain a continuous school improvement effort for both academic and career/technical studies.
I believe that everyone in our district, including parents and the community, must work together to align polices, resources, initiatives and accountability to support classroom teachers, as we strive to increase student achievement. Finally, we need courage to implement new strategies, to forge new partnerships and to abandon the old bath water syndrome. The rewards of this courage are unlimited. Through careful strategic planning and proper utilization of resources, CATE practitioners can help Richland One students gain essential knowledge, skills and higher levels of success and achievement.
I wish you much success for the 2005-2006 school year!
Robert L. Kirton Ed.D, CATE Director |
