Rural IL CTE Project
Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs bolster the capacity of rural and small schools to provide students with high-quality and individualized education. Rural students who follow these CTE pathways can have the opportunity to forge the bedrock of their future social and professional lives all while supporting local businesses and industry. With this hope, the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) have partnered together to create the Rural IL CTE Project. The primary goals of this effort are to better understand the needs of rural CTE programs, highlight the equity gaps in funding and support, and voice recommendations for future growth of rural schools to ISBE.
To accomplish these goals, AIRSS will conduct a series of surveys, host conversations and focus groups, and support rural CTE programs through the tools and resources presented on this page.
Strong, equitably funded CTE programs are an imperative for rural and small schools, and AIRSS is excited to advocate for such programs through this unique project with ISBE. If you would like to have your district’s CTE experiences seen and heard, or if you would like to learn more about the Rural IL CTE Project, please reach out to AIRSS Program Director John Glasgow.
Resources for Rural CTE Programs
Finding, keeping, and enriching outstanding educators is a central problem to building strong CTE programs. To help, this Rural CTE Resource Database compiles tools, tips, and assistance websites into one, easy-to-use and understand source. This database is intended for any CTE educator, school administrator, and community partner to find the inspiration and support they need to launch or grow their CTE programming. New resources will be added over time, so be sure to check back frequently. To recommend or revise a listing, please contact us.
- Tools, Guides, and Research for Creating Student Groups
- A Framework for Supporting High-quality CTE Programming
- Testimonies and Guidelines for Sustaining High-quality CTE Pathways
- Self-guided Program of Study Expectations Evaluation
- Career Development Experience Toolkit
- Apprenticeship Resources
- Illinois Pre-apprenticeship Program Supports
- Grant Writing Basics
- Illinois State Board of Education CTE Curriculum
- Profession-based Learning Basics
- Illinois Apprenticeship Program Search
- Curriculum Resources by Career Cluster (Paid)
- Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectation (PaCE) Framework Support
- Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectation (PaCE) Framework Webinars
- Take Flight: Using Drones to Engage Middle School Girls in STEM – Rural Focused
- CTE Learn: Comprehensive Professional Development from the Association for CTE
- Testimonies and Perspectives from Illinois CTE Teachers
- Illinois State Board of Education CTE Educator Office Hours for Support and Questions
- Illinois State Board of Education CTE Professional Learning Events
- New CTE Teacher Workshop
- Illinois Business Education Association New Teacher Mentor Program
- Workforce Development Webinars
- Guides and Tools for Building Equity in CTE
- Illinois Agricultural Education & FFA Educator Resources
- Illinois State Board of Education Career Connections Conference
- Integrated Career and Academic Preparation System CTE Learning Communities
- Illinois Association of CTE Annual Conference
- Association for CTE Region III Conference
- Illinois Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers Association Summer Conference
- Association for CTE Annual CareerTech Vision
- WIOA Illinois Workforce State Summit
- CTE Forward Summit
- Rural-Focused Networking Model: Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN)
- National Profession-based Learning Network with Rural Members: The CAPS Network
- Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support CTE Resources
- Advance CTE Resource Library
- National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) industry partner CTE program list
- Trane, Inc. K12 Education Programs
- Snap-on Industrial Certification Program
- Snap-on “Makers and Fixers” CTE Testimonies
- Northern Illinois University EdSystems College and Career Pathways Resource Library
Rural IL CTE Advisory Council
This high-level group brings together CTE educators, rural school administrators, nonprofit advocates, national experts, and industry partners to discuss the present state and future growth of rural CTE programs. Their reflections and reviews are instrumental in forming the recommendations for equitable program growth shared with the Illinois State Board of Education. Learn about each of the council members below.
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-2-e1719501838229.jpeg)
Sally E. Arnett
Professor & Coordinator, Illinois State University Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education Program; Past President, Illinois Association of CTE
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-4-e1719501880878.jpeg)
Garrett David Hunter
Engineering & Technology Professor, Western Illinois University
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-1.jpeg)
Matthew Klaska
Superintendent, V.I.T. CUSD #2
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Brooke-May-1.jpg)
Brooke May
CTE Career Pathway Coordinator, Vienna HSD #133
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-5.jpeg)
David Messersmith
Director, Education for Employment Regional Delivery System #265
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-1-e1719501948120.jpg)
Blake Noland
Founder, Birddog Careers
![](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image-3.jpeg)
Mariah Suddarth
Education & Industry Partnerships Manager, Trane, Inc.
![Dan Whisler](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Dan-Whisler.jpg)
Dan Whisler
Educator in Residence, Trane, Inc.
![Joe T. Wood](https://airssedu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Joe-T.-Wood.webp)
Joe T. Wood
CTE Educator, Advocate, and Expert