Richard Kincaid, the State Director of Career and Technical Education for the District of Columbia, shares his journey to becoming a passionate advocate for educational equity and opportunity. His career spans over two decades, during which he has dedicated himself to building systems that drive meaningful impact in K-12 public schools, government, and educational non-profits.

Kincaid's focus is on Career and Technical Education (CTE), providing students with access to diverse pathways beyond traditional academia, whether directly into college, the workforce, or national service.

The conversation delves into the establishment of Washington, DC's first Advanced Technical Center (ATC), aimed at providing CTE courses that were previously out of reach for many students. The ATC offers programs in nursing, cybersecurity, and more, providing students with industry-recognized credentials and dual credits, saving them thousands of dollars in future education costs. Kincaid highlights the center's inclusive transportation model, ensuring access for all students regardless of location.

Moreover, Kincaid discusses the significance of CTE programs in addressing workforce shortages, particularly in high-demand fields. He emphasizes the need to dispel stigmas surrounding trades and vocational education, showcasing success stories of students finding fulfilling careers through CTE pathways.

Resources:

Today's sponsor, Xello is the only career development program built with the entire district community in mind. Xello provides every student of all pathways the freedom to create meaningful future plans, while giving educators the resources they need to help students.

With a carefully designed, student-centered experience, Xello meets accessibility standards and offers age-appropriate career development for every student K-12. Xello creates effective educator workflows so you can spend less time checking boxes and more time helping students. Learn more here or here.

Read about Strengths-Based College and Career Exploration Strategies for K-12 Educators

Hear from hear from Laura Benisch, the Director of Career Planning and Partnerships at the Lincoln Academy Public Charter School in Beloit Wisconsin, about real-world and career-focused learning, and the platform that is supporting all of the educators and K-12 scholars in the state of Wisconsin in career exploration.

Learn the story behind Xello from CEO and co-founder Jeff Harris.

Reach out to Richard W. Kincaid

State Director, Career and Technical Education

Pronouns: he / him / his (why pronouns matter)

Click Here to Schedule a Meeting

Twitter: @careertechninja

Web: careertechdc.org

Micro Professional Learning ExPLorations - fun and free, 1-hour digital Professional Learning for teachers from all content areas and grades levels

EdCuration's Blog: Learning in Action

In this episode we learn from Andrea Becker, the lead instructor at the Virtual Learning Academy Consortium (or VLAC) in Michigan, and her colleague Amanda McKay, the supervisor of student services with VLAC. While virtual learning was happening prior to 2020 but it has certainly been normalized as a viable option for many more students since the pandemic. We wanted to learn from Andrea and Amanda, veterans in the field of virtual learning, about how to do it well, and the components that make it most effective, and the curriculum program that is bringing huge success to students at all levels of need and ability.

Resources:

Learn more, or reach out to Lincoln Learning here

Check out Lincoln Learning's podcast and Lincoln Learning's blog

Hear how Lincoln Learning is partnering with Urban Green Education to reach learners across the globe

Learn more about Michigan's Virtual Learning Academy Consortium

Micro Professional Learning ExPLorations - fun and free, 1-hour digital Professional Learning for teachers from all content areas and grades levels

EdCuration's Blog: Learning in Action

Dr. Charles Dana Hall, co-founder of Sterling Literacy Consulting, works with schools and districts across the country, many of which have been identified for improvement, to bring them to recognized levels of high performance in reading. In this episode he shares his passion and the research-backed strategies that serve every student - offering many examples of what is possible when using the science of reading systematically.

Resources:

Reading Eggs is the multi award winning online reading program for grades PreK-5. Fully aligned with the Science of Reading and utilizing the five essential keys to reading success, the program unlocks all aspects of learning to read for students.

Reading Eggs is trusted by teachers for its curriculum alignment to state standards and proven effectiveness, earning ESSA Level III evidence certification. Learn more at EdCuration.com

Sterling Literacy Consulting works to provide . . .

• all students with equitable learning experiences and access to rigorous instruction that develops foundational and life-long literacy skills so they can be successful in their education, life, and career experiences.

• educators with professional learning experiences that are accessible, valuable, and immediately applicable to their instructional repertoire.

How the Brain Learns to Read - Professor Stanislas Dehaene

#TurnThePageProject - Emily Hanford

Sold a Story podcast with Emily Hansford

Micro Professional Learning ExPLorations - fun and free, 1-hour digital Professional Learning for teachers from all content areas and grades levels

EdCuration's Blog: Learning in Action