African American Registry Teacher's Forum training coming to high school and college career and technical instructors across Southeast Minnesota
Red Wing, MN (November 2, 2021) - To help strengthen the diversity of the region's workforce, Red Wing Ignite, the Southeast Perkins Consortium, and Minnesota State College Southeast are working together to bring the African American Registry's Teacher's Forum(r) to career and technical instructors in Southeast Minnesota.
"CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs provide exposure and experience for students who are interested in exploring work opportunities across many occupations," said Brian Cashman, Secondary Coordinator of the Southeast Perkins Consortium. "CTE programs are the gateway to many high-demand, high paying careers, providing students with transferable skills and firsthand experience."
The Southeast Perkins Consortium, consisting of high schools in in Goodhue, Wabasha, Winona, Fillmore, and Houston Counties, helps provide quality technical education, career development, and increased opportunity for students.
Opening up CTE career pathways to all students is a major goal of the Perkins Consortium, Minnesota State College Southeast, Red Wing Ignite, and all of the participating school districts.
"Southeast Minnesota needs to strengthen the diversity of our workforce. There exists a low participation rate of students of color in these career pathways," said Burke Murphy, Workforce Lead, Red Wing Ignite. "To address the lack of diversity with students in career and technical programs, we are working together to bring a more diverse curriculum into high school and college classrooms."
To that end, Minnesota State College Southeast, Red Wing Ignite, and the Southeast Perkins Consortium have secured a grant to provide professional development training by the African American Registry for local high school and college career and technical instructors.
The Teacher's Forum is a service launched by the African American Registry, the most comprehensive online database resource of African American heritage in the world. From October 2021 through January 2022, the Teacher's Forum will provide professional development training workshops to schools in the five counties of the Perkins Consortium.
With an emphasis on career preparation, the workshops will introduce instructors to culturally relevant curriculum across all subjects. Attendees will also have year-long access to an archive of lesson plans and resources to use in their classrooms.
"Educators know that seeing is believing. Providing our teachers with a more diverse and inclusive representation of occupations across many professions and careers is a great step in supporting our students, our employers, and our communities," said Jeannie Meidlinger, Director of Secondary Relations, Minnesota State College Southeast.
For further information, contact Burke Murphy, Red Wing Ignite ([email protected] or 734-478-0521).
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The African American Registry, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, is the most comprehensive online database resource of African American heritage in the world. Its Teacher's Forum(r) subscription service features culturally relevant curriculum that enhances all subjects, a 24/7 accessible online video tutorial, lesson plans, discussion board, coaching for groups, safe distance options, data tracking and more. For more information, see www.aaregistry.org.
Red Wing Ignite is an Innovation Center fueling economic development by working with key sectors of the community and by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, and students. The nonprofit organization was founded by the community of Red Wing in 2013, with the support of local foundations and the City of Red Wing. For more information, visit www.redwingignite.org.
The Southeast Perkins Consortium is comprised of 21 high schools, two education districts, and one post-secondary institution. Staff and faculty from these 23 secondary school districts and Minnesota State College Southeast work together with each other and key stakeholders to provide quality technical education, career development, and increased opportunity for students. For more information, see www.gced.k12.mn.us/perkins.
Minnesota State College Southeast is a two-year technical and community college that prepares students for a lifetime of learning by providing education for employment, skill enhancement, retraining, and transfer. The Winona campus opened its doors in 1949; the Red Wing campus opened in 1973, merging with Winona in 1992. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of Minnesota State. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.