Read the the full conference recap excerpt here.
“S. Kwesi Rollins, vice president for leadership and engagement at the Institute for Educational Leadership, described an Alabama community school’s partnership with an organic farm and restaurant: Kids learn about farming, farm-to-table restaurants and food preparation; and their families get to eat at a great restaurant. ‘Not only is this about learning,” he said, “but it’s also about connection and it’s about community.’
These sorts of programs encourage students to stay in school as well. In fact, experiential learning programs stemmed from a desire to keep kids in school, said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers in New York City, where 130,000 students are enrolled in CTE classes. Teachers thought, “This style of learning will allow us to get more children to graduate on time,” he said, and statistics show it works: Graduation rates are about 93 percent for students who take at least two classes in high-quality CTE programs.”