1. Creating a Nebraska CTE system without limits
How should Nebraska CTE be offered 2026 and how can we design our educational system to achieve this vision? Advance CTE, in collaboration with many state and national partners, recently released a shared vision for the future of CTE: “CTE Without Limits.” This session will engage participants in a discussion of how CTE should change and the supports educators will need to evolve their programs to deliver a “career preparation ecosystem that offers each learner access to and the means to succeed in any high-quality CTE program or experience that leads to success in their career of choice – regardless of where they live, their race or ethnicity, what education path they have taken so far, their circumstances, or how they self-identify”.
(Facilitator: DeLayne Havlovic, OPS; NDE Staff: Jacqui Garrison)
2. Using data to improve CTE programs.
A great deal of information about CTE is collected and published annually, but how useful is it? This session will engage participants in a consideration of the types of data that educational administrators and teachers need and the supports they will require to use it.
(Facilitator: Katie Graham, NDE; NDE Staff: Terri Donahue)
3. Leveraging postsecondary and employer partnerships to strengthen CTE.
Educators can benefit when postsecondary educators and workforce and employer partners collaborate. This session will engage participants in a discussion of how these external supports might be better engaged and the types of supports educators need to make these connections.
(Facilitator: Ken Spellman, retired from OPS; NDE Staff: Heather Norberg)
4. Pushing the envelope on innovative work-based learning practices.
Well-designed work-based learning experiences can help students learn more about their career options and develop critical career readiness and technical skills. This session will engage participants in consideration of how workplace opportunities can be designed and scaled to benefit all students and the supports educators need to create them.
(Facilitator: Therese Marzouk, NDE, NDE Staff: Sarah Heideman)
5. Ensuring equitable access to all CTE programs.
Not all students choose to participate in CTE programs, in some instances due to the type of programming offered or societal or social factors. This session will engage participants in considering the supports they need to overcome barriers to student access, equity, and inclusion in CTE.
(Facilitator: Jessie Coffey, NDE, Sydney Kobza NDE Staff)
6. Becoming an even more effective CTE instructor.
All teachers want to improve their practice, but how should they do so? This session will engage participants in an exploration of the types of supports and resources educators need to achieve their professional development goals.
(Facilitator: Alyse Pflanz UNK, NDE Staff: Donnie Wolters)
7. Growing our own: Recruiting and developing the next generation of CTE instructors
Districts often struggle to hire qualified CTE instructors. This session will engage participants in identifying the types of supports that they need to attract CTE instructors into classrooms and ensure they are equipped to succeed. *Suggestion is to direct this session to administrators who are involved in hiring instructors.
(Facilitator: Sheree Moser, UNL, NDE Staff Chelsey Green)
8. Retaining CTE teachers. What’s in it for us?
Due to their specialized technical skills, CTE teachers may be difficult to retain over time. This session will engage participants in a discussion of the forces that are causing them to consider leaving and the supports they need to keep them employed.
(Facilitator: Kristin Vest, NDE, NDE Staff: Stacie Turnbull)
9. Responding to Nebraska’s changing workforce needs – how can we help.
Nebraska workforce trends suggest that the future of employment is changing. This session will offer participants a glimpse of the future, based on employment trends, and engage them in a discussion of the supports they will need to transition their instruction for a new economy.
(Facilitator: Lorena Hernandez, Vivayic, NDE Staff: Teri Sloup)
10. Addressing the changing social conditions in our classrooms.
There is a renewed national focus on issues of social-emotional wellbeing, equity, and the need to address income inequality. This session will engage participants in a consideration of how societal change can be addressed in CTE classrooms and the supports educators need to hold these conversations.
(Facilitator: Ebony McKiver, NDE, NDE Staff: Mary Jansen)