Teacher Internships as Professional Development in Career & Technical Education

The Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 creates a need for secondary school administrators to plan differently for professional development activities for Career and Technical education (CTE) teachers. No longer can professional development activities be comprised of short-term workshops or conferences. The legislation calls for professional development activities to be sustained and directly related to the instruction being provided by the CTE teacher. Teacher internships can provide a viable option for ensuring teachers participate in this level of professional development. This article explores how CTE teacher internships, in occupationally related workplaces, can be used to satisfy the requirement. A review of related activities that incorporate Advisory Committees and Cooperative Education placements is discussed. The concept of work-based Teaching Teams that include academic teachers is also explored.