This program seeks to advance the knowledge and skill necessary for career and technical administrators to advocate for their students in the “larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context”. Learners will work to leverage human and fiscal resources available in the external communities to improve their school operations, add to the equipment available for students to learn technical skills, and provide opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate leadership skills within the school and in the community.

This 30-hour asynchronous course will be composed of six online hours of instruction and pre-recorded interviews with career and technical administrators who have been successful with civic and legislative leaders, as well as joint operating committees, sending school district superintendents, and school boards and 24 hours of job embedded assignments.  There are three sections: (1) Using student achievement data in public relations documents; (2) Presenting to an external community organization; and (3) Meeting with a local, state, or federal legislative member and lobbying in support of career and technical education.

Learners will complete the course with a culminating project that seeks to leverage available financial and legislative resources to improve and advance career and technical education in their specific school setting.