Community of Practice Groups

ACTE Community of Practice Groups to Support You!

ACTE’s communities of practice serve as a platform for CTE professionals to foster a collaborative environment where they can share insights, exchange ideas and collectively address practice-specific challenges. These communities provide a network of professional peers and serve as dynamic hubs for staying updated on the latest trends, innovations and best practices within CTE. By actively engaging in these communities, educators can enhance their performance, stay informed about industry developments and contribute to the continuous improvement of the CTE discipline. 

ACTE community of practice groups are centered around practice-specific commonalities. Group members, typically colleagues with interconnected job functions, collaborate to explore and test solutions to common issues.

Each of the communities of practice will include online spaces for professional growth where members can share information, resources and best-practices around shared job functions. Virtual conversations as well as in-person networking activities at ACTE events will also be held by each group. Please note these groups are open only to active members of ACTE.

In fall 2024, we are launching a few communities of practice, with more to come in the future!

Read below to learn more and get involved! Questions? Contact Michelle Conner.

Communities of Practice

This community of practice is dedicated to tackling common issues and developing innovative solutions to enhance postsecondary outcomes, CTE advocacy, and the quality of CTE programs for students in urban communities. This group brings together educators, administrators, policymakers, and other partners committed to improving educational opportunities and outcomes in urban settings. By fostering collaboration and sharing best practices, the Urban Education Alliance for CTE Excellence aims to address the unique challenges urban educators and students face, promote equity and access, and support the development of high-quality, relevant CTE programs that prepare students for successful careers and lifelong learning. 

Leaders: Dr. Sharon Baksh & Harold Chapman

Access this group directly at https://www.careeredlounge.com/pg/groups/7844251/urban-education-alliance-for-cte-excellence-community-of-practice/.

The community of practice for Work-Based Learning (WBL) professionals is dedicated to advancing the professional learning and success of all CTE educators involved in the creation and execution of WBL activities. This group aims to address unique challenges of creating and managing WBL from both industry and educator perspectives and to celebrate achievements by providing a platform for networking, mentorship and professional development. Through these efforts, the group seeks to empower all WBL professionals, enhance their career growth, and contribute to an effective educator community.

Leader: Jan Jardine, ACTE WBL Division Vice President

Access this group directly at https://www.careeredlounge.com/pg/groups/7845705/workbased-learning-community-of-practice/.

This group is dedicated to advancing the professional learning and success of early service instructors within career and technical education (CTE). This group aims to address unique challenges of early service instructors from both industry and traditional teacher preparation programs and celebrate achievements by providing a platform for networking, mentorship and professional development. Through these efforts, the group seeks to empower early service CTE instructors, enhance their career growth, and contribute to an effective educator community.

Leader: Donna Rain-O’Dell

Access the community directly at https://www.careeredlounge.com/pg/groups/7843016/early-service-cte-instructors-community-of-practice/.

The Community of Practice for administration professionals is dedicated to advancing the professional learning and success of all administrators involved in the creation and execution of CTE programs and activities. This group aims to address unique challenges of creating and managing CTE programs from multiple perspectives and to celebrate achievements by providing a platform for networking, mentorship and professional development. Through these efforts, the group seeks to empower all administration professionals, enhance their career growth, and contribute to an effective educator community.

Leader: Sandra Adams, ACTE Administration Division Vice President

Access the community directly at https://www.careeredlounge.com/pg/groups/7849445/cte-administrators-community-of-practice/.

How To Join

ACTE Communities of Practice are housed on our CTE Learn platform and are open to all ACTE members. To join, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to ctelearn.org/community-groups.
  2. On the CTE Learn login page, click the “Login” button underneath “Login with your ACTE Account” and enter your login credentials.
  3. On the Community Groups page, click the group you would like to join. This takes you to the group page in the Career Ed Lounge.
  4. On the Group page, click the green “Request Membership” button.
  5. Review and accept the terms of the ACTE Affinity Groups & Communities of Practice: Participation and Community Standards Agreement.
  6. Please allow up to 10 business days for membership requests to be reviewed and approved.

If you have any issues with your membership request, or have not heard back on your request after 10 business days, please contact Michelle Conner.