Eric.ed.gov – Integrating CTE and Academics: One Teacher’s Account

The author teaches a high school program called Commercial Foods which is designed to prepare students for careers in the food service industry. The majority of students are special needs youth who generally will not go on to postsecondary education, so her emphasis is placed on workforce development and life skills. Students have resource classes; they do not have many academic classes in the areas such as the core four: science, math, social studies and English. In this article, the author shares how she integrates these areas of education into her foods curriculum. As a career and technical education (CTE) teacher, the author believes that integration of academics is necessary to promote education across the curriculum with practical applications of math, science, social studies and English. It also reinforces classroom learning so students make the connection through real-world experiences.