This week, W/A’s Head of K-12 Communications and editor of What We’re Reading, Thomas Rodgers, is filling in for Ben. Please note, the Whiteboard Notes team will be off next week for the 4th of July holiday in the U.S.
It's the end of June, which for many of us means one thing—ISTELive and the ASCD Annual Conference. The Whiteboard Advisors team is heading to Orlando, where tens of thousands of educators and school and district leaders gather for one of the field's biggest weeks of the year.
You'll find us across a handful of sessions this year, all centered on the student experience and what's improving teaching and learning. We've pulled it all into one place on our landing page: the sessions we're watching, where to find us, and how to reach out.
Programming kicks off on Sunday with the Solutions Summit, which we're co-hosting with ISTE+ASCD again this year. It brings together education executives, product leaders, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs working on the harder problems in teaching and learning. Anna Edwards will be emceeing alongside ISTE+ASCD's Joseph South.
Hillary Rinaldi is moderating "Lost in Translation: Talking About Product Impact with Education Leaders," with BrainPOP's Paul Johansen, Quill.org's Peter Gault, and district leaders from Philadelphia and Ladue.
Dave DeSchryver is leading "Market Trends: Funding Shifts, Compliance Pressures, and the Future of the EdTech Market," with Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres, Aldine ISD Superintendent LaTonya Goffney, and Jeff Livingston of EdSolutions.
The programming is shaping up to be the best yet, and the event is nearly sold out, so if you've been on the fence, register now.
The panels keep coming once the main conference opens.
On Monday, Anna is moderating "Driving Innovation when Budgets are Tight," with Kirsten Baesler, now Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education; Rhode Island Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green; Science Leadership Academy's Chris Lehmann; and Brittany Miller of the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting.
Later that same day, Hillary is back on stage to moderate "Solving the Math Problem," where leaders from Houston, Miami, and Philadelphia show how large districts are scaling high-quality math instruction through the National Math Improvement Project.
And on Tuesday, June 30, from 3 to 4 p.m., I'm moderating "Trusting AI in Schools: Putting Students at the Center," with Jennie Magiera of Google, Karim Meghji of CodeAI, Yvette Renteria of Common Sense Media, and Tammy Wincup of Securly. They see the trust gap between schools and technology companies from very different seats.
If you're heading to Orlando, come find us in sessions, on the exhibit floor, and almost certainly in line for coffee. If you can't make it this year, stay tuned. We'll be sharing what we hear and see in the editions ahead.
In this week’s edition, we round up the “Top 10 Articles of the Week” and take a closer look at:
States Are Expanding CTE Access. The Harder Work Comes Next
Why Do Regional Universities Exist? A Conversation with Risepoint CEO Fernando Bleichmar
School Districts Move to Rein in AI Use in Classrooms
In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students at Risk in Kansas
Top 10 Articles of the Week from W/A’s What We’re Reading Newsletter
What the International Debate Over School Choice Can Teach Us at Home [Education Week, subscription model]
🎧 How ClassDojo Built Network Effects to Reach 95% of US K-8 Schools [Subversive Podcast]
When Does College Actually Pay Off? Texas Has The Most Honest Answer [Forbes, subscription model]
Revised approach to math yields results [Community College Daily]
The 43 Million Americans Higher Education Forgot [The EDU Ledger]
Persistence, Retention Among Black and Hispanic Freshmen Reach Decade Highs [Inside Higher Ed, subscription model]
Gen Z: if you want to succeed at work, you need to start friction-maxxing [Fortune, subscription model]
States Are Expanding CTE Access. The Harder Work Comes Next
Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library
Career and technical education (CTE) is having a policy moment. Governors across the political spectrum have highlighted their state’s efforts to improve CTE programs and workforce pathways, and state legislatures take action. At the federal level, Workforce Pell takes effect July 1, extending Pell Grant eligibility to short-term credential and CTE programs. The direction of travel is consistent—and, by most accounts, welcome.
But a new wage analysis from Matt Barnum at Chalkbeat offers important context. Federal salary data shows that the highest-earning non-college pathways are narrower than prominent examples suggest (that is, relatively few workers in these fields are making the $100,000+ salaries commonly featured in stories about non-college pathways), and may skew heavily toward male-dominated fields.
This doesn’t undercut the case for CTE—if states can meaningfully expand access to the pathways that do reliably lead to economic mobility, stackable credentialing, and/or lower-cost training opportunities. But it does mean that the policy conversation must evolve to ensure that students have the information and guidance they need to plan for life after high school, especially when we can’t predict what the future of work looks like.
The Access Problem Is Getting Attention
States have been active this session in support of CTE access:
Ohio has seen a 10% increase in CTE participation over the past four years, adding more than 13,000 students. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (OHDEW) acknowledges that demand continues to outpace availability, with some programs maintaining waitlists—illustrating that growth in participation does not automatically mean growth in access. Gov. Mike DeWine has responded with a $7.1 million Career Pathway Support Networks investment and an additional $3.2 million in grants to expand manufacturing-related CTE programs. Additionally, the state legislature has also advanced S.B. 328, which would require 60 hours of career exploration instruction in grades 6-8 and career coaching beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
Vermont S.B. 313 (effective July 1) creates universal CTE access for every high school student. The law prohibits waitlists, requires flexible delivery models including hybrid and school-based options, directs programs to align with Vermont labor market data, and specifies that no student may be prevented from accessing CTE.
California A.B. 805 would establish a Career Apprenticeship Bridge Program to coordinate apprenticeships for young people ages 16-24, create a streamlined youth apprenticeship data system, and build connections across K-12, adult education, and registered apprenticeship programs.
Michigan lawmakers introduced H.B. 6108, which would allow students to substitute a CTE program for a foreign language graduation requirement. The bill is now in committee.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed a $200 million annual investment in CTE and apprenticeships in his 2026-27 budget—a 50% increase compared to when he took office, according to his administration.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently issued agency directives to expand apprenticeship opportunities and build unified career planning resources for Texans facing barriers to employment.
National CTE enrollment has grown roughly 10% in recent years, from 7.8 million to 8.6 million students between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. For school counselors, keeping up with this shift in demand has proven challenging. Nationally, the average counselor case load is 372 students, compared to the American School Counselor Association's recommended ratio of 250 to 1. Nearly half of CTE educators say their school counselors spend less time on CTE advising than on college preparation.
The result is a gap between the availability of programs and counseling. Students are increasingly being asked to make consequential choices about programs, credentials, and career trajectories with limited access to wage data, labor market information, or adult guidance.
Two recently enacted bills from Louisiana offer a state-level example of how to support more students on their career paths.
Louisiana S.B. 376 (Act 100) authorized paid, credit-bearing career practicums on public high school campuses that integrate financial literacy and workforce readiness alongside technical training.
Louisiana S.B. 482 (Act 413), effective August 1, embeds career coaches directly into the Individual Graduation Plan process, authorizing coaches to work alongside school counselors to assist 8th and 10th graders in developing academic and career plans.
Investing in Programs is Not Enough
The research base is consistent: High-quality CTE programs offer a clear throughline to postsecondary pathways or good jobs, strong employer relationships, and rigorous integration of academic and technical skills. High-quality programs are most likely to be associated with the measurable gains in earnings and employment outcomes that governors want to see.
But without sufficient counseling, students may enroll in pathways that do not align with their goals, strengths, or the wage realities of their local labor market.
The states that invest in both student access and navigation are better positioned to make good on the promise that CTE, done well, opens the door to economic opportunity.
Why do regional universities exist?
At a time when much of higher education—and technology more broadly—is driven by scale, local and regional universities remain the academic and economic engines of communities across the country.
W/A VP and Editor of The EdSheet Matt Tower sat down with Risepoint CEO Fernando Bleichmar to learn how regional institutions are adapting to the rapidly shifting higher ed landscape, and what they’re doing to meet workforce needs, support local economies, and provide opportunities that might not otherwise exist in their communities.
Quick Takes
School Districts Move to Rein in AI Use in Classrooms
New York City delayed its guidance after a coalition of parents, teachers, and students rallied at City Hall for a two-year moratorium. [Chalkbeat; AMNY]
Portland Public School’s board voted unanimously to stop buying new generative-AI software until staff inventory what's already in use. [The Oregonian, subscription model]
San Diego Unified approved restrictions that, starting in August, bar YouTube and "non-instructional gaming" on student laptops and move AI to district-approved apps only. [Axios San Diego]
Cleveland Metropolitan School District passed a district-wide AI policy ahead of Ohio's July 1 deadline. [Signal Cleveland]
In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students at Risk in Kansas
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal judge this week to invalidate a state law that allows eligible undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition rates at public colleges. DOJ argues that Kansas’ law violates a federal statute that prohibits states from giving undocumented students access to higher education benefits based on state residency if those benefits aren’t also available to out-of-state U.S. citizens.
This lawsuit marks the 10th of its kind filed by the DOJ since President Trump took office, and is aligned with a bill narrowly passed by the Kansas Legislature to repeal the law; Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed this bill in April. [KCUR; The Kansas Reflector]
The Gwinnett County Public Schools (Georgia) Board of Education approved seven leadership appointments this week: Dr. Shawn Bird as chief academic officer; Alison Breedy-Johnson as deputy superintendent; Niccolo Dua as chief communications officer; Dr. Kimberly Erickson as executive director of visioning and strategy; Dr. Rodney Jordan as cluster superintendent; Lissette McRea as cluster superintendent; and Mary-Anne Sheppard as chief of schools.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) announced on Wednesday Dr. Joshua Starr as its new CEO; Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, the organization’s chief knowledge officer, was also appointed as chair of the CASEL’s Board of Directors.
JPMorganChase named David Croom its inaugural HBCU strategy director. Croom previously served as the firm’s vice president of global philanthropy; he also worked at the Aspen Institute, Education Design Lab, and Lumina Foundation.
Check out W/A Jobs, which features 3,677 career opportunities from 319 organizations across the education industry. A few roles that caught our eye over the past week:
InStride is hiring a Los Angeles, CA-based Senior Partnership Manager to manage relationships with strategic tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment providers.
Degreed is hiring a Director of Revenue Enablement to design and oversee the organization’s revenue enablement program portfolio.
National University is hiring a Release Manager to coordinate and execute the end-to-end execution of production system releases.
New Classrooms is hiring a New York City-based Senior Manager of Implementation Success to support schools and districts in the New York City metro area with program implementation.
Opportunity@Work is hiring a Senior Director to lead the growth, revenue strategy, and evolution of its Tear the Paper Ceiling Coalition.
Upcoming Events and Convenings
ISTE+ASCD: ISTELive 2026, June 28 - July 1, Orlando, FL.
ISTE+ASCD: ASCD Annual Conference, June 28 - July 1, Orlando, FL.
CGCS: Curriculum, Research, and Instructional Leaders Conference, July 7-10, Atlanta, GA.
Education Commission of the States: 2026 National Forum on Education Policy, July 8-10, Washington, D.C.
Jobs for the Future: JFF Horizons 2026, July 13-14, Washington, D.C.
ACT: ACT Summit: Where Policy and Practice Meet Purpose, July 13-15, Nashville, TN.
NAESP: National School Leaders Conference, July 13-15, Orlando, FL.
BrainPOP and Digital Promise: What Does AI Literacy Actually Look Like in Classrooms?, July 15 at 11 a.m. ET, Virtual.
Pearl Education: Responsible AI in K-12: What Districts Are Learning, June 17 at 2 p.m. ET, Virtual.
Behavioral Health Tech: BHT2026, September 22-24, Nashville, TN.
C-BEN: CBExchange 2026, September 30 - October 3, Orlando, FL.
Ad Astra: ASPIRE26, October 11-14, Kansas City, MO.
Complete College America: CCA Annual Convening, December 1-3, San Diego, CA.
