Announcing the Winners of the Excellence in Action Award for Outstanding Career Technical Education

PHOENIX, June 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, six programs were recognized as "Excellence in Action" award winners, representing the best Career Technical Education (CTE) has to offer. These programs of study were selected based on their uniquely inventive and effective approaches to stimulating student learning, raising student achievement, offering extensive work-based learning experiences, and increasing student postsecondary and career prospects, as described in Reflect, Transform, Lead: A New Vision for Career Technical Education.

The inaugural Excellence in Action winners are:

• Tolsia High School Carpentry Program, Fort Gay, WV (Architecture & Construction Career Cluster)
• Union County Academy for Performing Arts, Scotch Plains, NJ (Arts, A/V Technology & Career Cluster)
• Medical Sciences Program, Bollman Technical Education Center, Thornton, CO (Health Science Career Cluster)
• Computer Information Technology, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Shelbyville, TN (Information Technology Career Cluster)
• Jack E. Singley School of Law and Public Service, Irving, TX (Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Career Cluster)
• Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental, and Marine Science, Foy H. Moody High School, Corpus Christi, TX (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Career Cluster)

NASDCTEc Executive Director Kimberly Green said, "These Excellence in Action award winners are incredibly successful – graduating their students at above average rates, building strong business and community partnerships and setting a course to increase students' attainment of postsecondary credits and degrees and industry-recognized credentials. These high-quality programs of study are leading the way, improving both the practice and perception of CTE."

The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) honored the award recipients at the 2014 Achieving Excellence in Career Technical Education: The National Career Clusters Institute.

Two-page, printable profiles of each winner, detailing their unique strengths and justification for their selection are available at the newly-launched NASDCTEc/NCTEF website. For further updates from the Achieving Excellence Institute, including a recap of the award ceremony, visit the CTE: Learning that Works Blog.

SOURCE National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium