Overview
To be competitive in an increasingly global economy, students entering the workforce will need more than just academic knowledge to be successful. Employability skills are becoming a critical component of making students truly ready for success in the work place.
On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, the College and Career Readiness and Success Center (CCRS Center), the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center), and RTI International hosted a webinar showcasing a new, interactive learning module, Integrating Employability Skills: A Framework for All Educators. Building off of the Employability Skills Framework, the module prepares all educators to integrate employability skills into their everyday instruction. During this webinar, presenters discussed the value and uses of the employability skills framework and complimentary module including its development, pilot efforts, and potential uses.
Presenter Biographies
Kate Blosveren Kreamer is the Associate Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc), leading policy and communications efforts to ensure all students have access to high-quality Career Technical Education. From 2006 to 2013, Kate worked at Achieve, beginning as a policy analyst and leaving an associate director, leading a range of policy, research, and communications projects to support states’ college- and career-ready agendas. Kate also managed Achieve’s career readiness and CTE-related initiatives. Before that, Kate was a policy advisor at Third Way, and spent a year as a research assistant at the Progressive Policy Institute. Kate co-founded the non-profit organization Young Education Professionals-DC (YEP-DC) and served as president from 2007 to 2013. Kate also helped co-found and acts as a strategic advisor to YEP National, supporting the now twelve YEP chapters across the country.
Ellen Cushing is a Research & Policy Analyst at American Institutes for Research (AIR). with expertise in supporting states and districts in the implementation of policies and processes related to educator evaluation and college- and career-readiness. She serves as the Deputy Director for the College and-Career Readiness and Success Center. In this role, Ellen supports the conceptual design and implementation of the Center’s technical assistance, works with Regional Comprehensive Centers and State Education Agency stakeholders on topics related to career and technical education, and leads the development and facilitation of training modules that connect state and local policies with research-based and/ or emerging practices from the field.
Catherine Jacques is a Researcher in the Education Quality group at American Institutes for Research. Her work focuses on systems and supports for educator effectiveness and development and for college- and career-readiness. Jacques provides technical assistance to states and districts and develops resources for the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders and the College and Career Readiness and Success Center, supports the implementation of educator evaluation and development systems in several states, and leads work on Career and Technical Education at AIR through the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. Jacques also conducts qualitative research on educator effectiveness, student learning objectives, and teaching and learning standards. Previous to her work at AIR, Jacques has conducted research on classroom quality and curriculum in multiple urban and suburban school districts.
Dr. Scott P. Myers serves as the Director of the Teacher Licensure and Accreditation team at the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Prior to coming to the KSDE four years ago, Dr. Myers worked in Kansas public education in a variety of roles. He served as an assistant professor of leadership, as a superintendent of public schools for eleven years, as a high school principal and was a high school English teacher for a decade. Dr. Myers earned his Associates Degree in Psychology from Cloud County Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in secondary English from Kansas State University, a Master’s Degree in Building Leadership from Washburn University, and his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Kansas State University. Dr. Myers also serves as the Board President for his local school board.
Laura Rasmussen Foster is Program Director of Adult Education Studies at RTI International, where she manages research projects on topics related to workforce development, adult education, and career technical education (CTE). For the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, Ms. Foster developed and disseminated the online Employability Skills Framework resource. She partnered with staff from the Center for Great Teachers and Leaders and College and Career Readiness and Success Centers to create the training module on employability skills. Ms. Foster is currently providing technical assistance to reentry education grantees and has developed products for the National Center for Innovation in Career Technical Education, including a report on state CTE finance strategies and an online training on career pathways terminology. Ms. Foster received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stanford University and an M.ED from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Employability Skills Framework
Integrating Employability Skills: A Framework for All Educators
The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market and related CNN article
20 Skills to Learn Before High School (Developed by a Kansas high school)
Presenter Information:
Kate Blosveren Kreamer
Associate Executive Director
National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc)
8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 320
Silver Spring MD 20910
Ellen Cushing
Deputy Director
College and-Career Readiness and Success Center
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
Catherine Jacques
Researcher
Center on Great Teachers and Leaders/ College and Career Readiness and Success Center
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
Dr. Scott P. Myers
Director
Teacher Licensure and Accreditation team at the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE)
900 SW Jackson Street
Topeka, Kansas 66612-1212
Laura Rasmussen Foster
Program Director
Adult Education Studies
3040 East Cornwallis Road
Post Office Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194