Atlanta, GA — The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education has joined forces with the Southern Regional Education Board, bringing together two leading organizations focused on improving the quality of career-technical education in public high schools. 
Now called the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education at the Southern Regional Education Board, the program conducts research on career-technical education and brings it into classrooms. NRCCTE at SREB will apply its expertise and research on best practices to systematically strengthen SREB’s school improvement efforts.
 
Both organizations share a commitment to help schools engage students through career-technical studies so students learn more and are ready for college, career and advanced training.
 
“The Center’s research will strengthen SREB’s school improvement models. And SREB’s school networks will bring applied research into the classroom more quickly and more widely,” said Gene Bottoms, SREB senior vice president.
 
James Stone is the Center’s director, a position he has held since 2002. In addition to Stone’s expertise in career-technology curricula and policy, the Center brings a cadre of researchers and consultants available for SREB projects. 
 
The new SREB center will develop an advisory board and pursue additional funding for research and development projects. Upcoming areas of work:

Continue curriculum-development research on essential features for quality career-tech programs

Evaluate which certification exams have value to states, students and companies

Build bridges between school districts and community colleges

Work with public schools that have career-technical academy models to implement SREB Advanced Career programs

“The only way we will reach our goals for high school graduation and college and career readiness is to get more students engaged,” said SREB President Dave Spence. “High-quality CTE with a solid academic core is one good way to motivate many teens, by showing them how what they are learning relates to the world outside the classroom.”