The CTE Teach-In
Hands-on science sparking young minds.
Every child starts school with a natural drive to tinker, build, collaborate, and figure out how the world works. By middle school, that early curiosity and confidence are often pressured out of them by a single storyline about “getting into college” that rewards sitting still and cracking the books.
The CTE Teach-In changes that story.
What the CTE Teach-In Does
The Teach‑In brings CTE high school and post‑secondary students, into elementary and middle school classrooms to reveal the applied science behind the skills they use every day. Through interactive lessons, younger students see how loads and forces shape construction, how biology underpins health programs, how logic and algorithms drive IT, and how precision and materials science power modern manufacturing and other CTE pathways.
Those encounters do more than introduce career options. They give younger students a chance to feel that familiar spark of discovery—the moment when something clicks, connects to their own lives, or opens up a new question. At the same time, the CTE Teach‑In helps families, educators, and media see CTE classrooms, studios, and labs as places where serious science lives—right alongside college lecture halls and university research labs.
Why It Matters Now
There is a very real shortage of construction workers, nurses, and manufacturing technicians. But students don’t choose a career path because there’s a gap in an industry; they choose it because they can see themselves doing the work. CTE Teach‑Ins are designed to shift the story—from abstract shortage language to concrete examples of science‑rich careers students can explore, understand, and feel proud to pursue.
What Happens at a Teach-In
Live demos by CTE students and teachers.
Career conversations linking specific courses and credentials to in‑demand local jobs.
Simple, replicable activities that show the science behind everyday work—mixing “concrete,” running a simulation, using diagnostic equipment, or programming a robot.
Who Makes It Happen
Elementary, middle, and high schools looking to inspire curiosity and clarify options.
District and school leaders who want a visible way to showcase their CTE programs.
Associations, employers, and unions that want to connect with the next generation of technicians, technologists, and nurses.
