Volume 30, No. 2: Flattening the Curve and Pressing On
Welcome to Vol. 30 , No. 2 , of Connections , the newsletter of the National Career Pathways Network. Thanks for all you do to keep our nation's education system running smoothly as the world deals with COVID-19. NCPN 2020 Virtual will be hosted on October 15-16. Check ncpn.info often for the latest information.
Articles
COVID-19, Higher-Ed, and What the Future Holds: The View from RCNET
Kevin Cooper , Principal Investigator, Regional Center for Nuclear Education and Training, Indian River State College
 
"The rapid online response in education to the COVID-19 crisis was nothing short of amazing. Seemingly overnight, all levels of education were required to shift from using a variety of methods to delivering instruction remotely. The instantaneous learning curve and ramp for students, teachers, and administrators displayed the true will and adaptability of humankind. We adapt, we overcome, and we prosper."
What Just Happened? Looking Back on the Spring 2020 Semester
Responses to a questionnaire about strategies for dealing with the coronavirus outbreak

"Because of COVID-19, educators across the U.S. and around the world have recently had to make radical changes in the way they do their work. With the spring 2020 semester now complete, we asked four professionals in education and workforce development to tell us how things went, what lessons they learned, and how they anticipate proceeding in the future."
STEM Technician Students Surveyed About Remote Instruction
Marilyn Barger , Executive Director, Florida Advanced Technological Education Center; and  Lakshmi Jayaram , President, Inquiry Research Group

"During the recent 'virtual' Spring Meeting of the Florida Forum on Engineering Technology, participants expressed concern about technician students’ experience in moving to remote instruction this semester due to COVID-19. Based on early reports from community college partners, the transition has been challenging, and some programs indicated students are even considering withdrawing from their programs. As one faculty member explained: 'They have given up. [Students] feel they can’t do this online without support.' There was interest in discussing this topic further at the next ET Forum due to both the uncertainty related to the return of in-person instruction and the perceived need to improve student comfort with and confidence in online learning. To help inform that discussion, the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE) and the Inquiry Research Group LLC teamed up to create a small pilot survey to collect some initial feedback from Florida technician students about their online experiences this past semester."  
Resources
A Blueprint for Back to School
American Enterprise Institute, May 2020

From the executive summary: “ Families and communities need schools to be ready to reopen as soon as public health officials signal that it is safe. After all, the nation has recently been reminded just how vital schools really are. Schools connect students with peers and mentors, channel youthful energy into productive pursuits, teach essential academic skills and knowledge, and give overwhelmed parents room to breathe and work. Reopening schools in a manner that is safe and responsive to the needs of families and communities will involve novel challenges. Leaders must begin planning immediately. ”
COABE JOURNAL
The journal of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education is the resource that adult educators turn to for learning and inspiration. The COABE Journal is now available for download on Amazon Kindle.
TPM Resource Guide: A Compendium for High-Quality CTE
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, May 6, 2020

From the introduction: " The purpose of this guide is to build stronger partnerships between employers and the CTE community—bridging the communication divide by providing each with an orientation of the other. Another goal is to demonstrate how TPM [Talent Pipeline Management] can be used as a framework to improve employer-led partnerships with CTE system leaders and practitioners."
Items of Interest
Employer Engagement Toolkit Offers Wealth of Resources for Community Colleges
The Advancing Credentials through Career Pathways Employer Engagement Toolkit is a free, web-based resource offering a host of tools to help community and technical colleges identify new areas for employer engagement, implement engagement activities, and manage their partnerships. Based on research, observation, and experiences, the Toolkit offers employer viewpoints, college best practices, and case studies of successful engagement activities. The Toolkit also includes a collection of resources dedicated to creating a Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT). The Toolkit was developed by the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD), NCPN’s parent organization, with funding from the ECMC Foundation.
Investing in American Workers to Expedite Economic Recovery
A Call-to-Action by the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board , May 2020
“The COVID-19 crisis continues to impact the U.S. economy in unprecedented ways, putting millions out of work, forcing businesses large and small to make drastic cuts, and fundamentally remaking every aspect of U.S. productivity. The unparalleled nature of the pandemic has profound consequences for the American workforce ... But amid this seismic shift in the landscape of work, the American economy and spirit are resilient.”
Here’s the Syllabus for Your Summer Crash Course in Online Education
Rebecca Koenig , EdSurge, May 7, 2020
“You learned how to Zoom, or Hangout, or Team up. You read all the quick tips about emergency remote teaching. You recorded your lectures or gathered via video call with however many students you could reach each week … Congratulations, you made it through the virtual semester. Now what?”
Catch Up on NCPN Conference Sessions
Did you miss the last NCPN Conference? Or have trouble picking just one session from a time slot with many options? Summer is a great time to rediscover conference content. Check out the 2019 Conference Archive for a wide array of presentations and session resources.
Upcoming ...
Apply for NCPN’s Career Pathways Partnership Excellence Award
Deadline: July 15
The Career Pathways Partnership Excellence Award emphasizes the importance of career guidance and advising, professional development for educators and employers, and the employer role in providing work-based learning opportunities for students. The award is sponsored by IMCA, an international company with a reputation for innovative social investments in technical education.
COABE National Conference
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the COABE 2020 national conference is happening now! The event has been retooled to a virtual format that includes general sessions, 400+ presentations, 17 networking events, and so much more! Conference dates: June 29-30, July 1-2, and July 6-9.
NCPN 2020 Virtual, October 15-16
NCPN will host its first virtual conference on October 15-16. The NCPN conference is one of the best professional development opportunities in the country, offering informative presentations, keynote speakers, and other timely information for professionals in Career Pathways, CTE, and workforce and economic development.
©2020 CORD. Connections is published by the National Career Pathways Network ( ncpn.info ), an organization of CORD ( cord.org ). NCPN assists educators, employers, and other stakeholders in planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving workforce education programs. Questions? Mark Whitney, 254-741-8315, [email protected]