Friday, February 4, 2022
From the Connecting Activities Notes in the December DESE CCTE newsletter. Often educators will ask.... ...Friday, February 4, 2022
An interview with Kerry Akaskian about the Connecting Activities program is featured in a recent American Student Assistance blog post. In the blog, they write: [We] have been digging deeper into best practices and policies employed by states to expand and improve high school work-based learning programs.... In this next installment, we chat with Dr. Kerry Akashian, Career Development Education Lead at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Read the interview:
...Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Learn more about the Massachusetts Connecting Activities initiative by reading our Annual Report. The report shares news about our projects, initiatives and accomplishments, as well as highlights and stories from Connecting Activities programming from local programs around Massachusetts.
View or download the FY21 report: PDF
...Wednesday, April 14, 2021
A new Did You Know? information sheet offers a brief invitation to school leaders to connect with the many resources that Connecting Activities provides, including online resources, the Work-Based Learning Plan, the database and our virtual events. Share this information sheet: Did You Know?
...Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Make history and take part in the first annual MAKE IT IN MASSACHUSETTS: Manufacturing the Future Event! MassHire Workforce Boards across the state are providing an opportunity for students to experience how STEAM ...Friday, February 26, 2021
...Friday, January 15, 2021
Enjoy and share our FY2020 annual report! The report highlights our work in...
...Monday, December 21, 2020
DESE’s Connecting Activities and the Commonwealth Corporation’s Youthworks have developed an educator internship project open to all districts for high school seniors in good academic standing for the Spring of 2021. Districts will be able to place high school seniors in paid education internships within their districts. To learn more about the HSSIEP project and to answer the questionnaire, please review the information sheet and feel free to attend one of three information sessions on December 23rd at 12:30 PM, January 4th at 11AM, and January 5th at 11AM. CLICK TO READ MORE.
...Tuesday, September 22, 2020
The Connecting Activities network creates opportunities for students throughout Massachusetts to participate in Massachusetts STEM Week, with local workshops, industry speaker events and more. Learn about STEM Week at https://www.massstemweek.org/ and connect with your regional Connecting Activities liaison to learn how your school can get involved.
...Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Enjoy these tips for using Twitter as a communcation tool for Connecting Activities. ...Tuesday, July 28, 2020
We are happy to share Version 2.0 of the Career Development Education Guide. This guide provides fresh examples and perspectives to the popular CDE Guide... ...Friday, June 5, 2020
As we move into summer and fall, we have developed a brief summary describing Connecting Activities models during the pandemic ...Friday, May 29, 2020
In the midst of all of the events of the year, Connecting Activities staff continue to collaborate ...Friday, May 29, 2020
With days full of online meetings, we are all starting to gather thoughts about how ...Friday, May 8, 2020
We are collecting resources for working with youth during the COVID-19 pandemic in the following Google Doc. We will continue to share these as new resources are added.
...Thursday, April 30, 2020
During the summer of 2019, 45 teachers participated in the DESE Perkins Teacher Externship Program. Teachers worked on projects... ...
Saturday, March 28, 2020
A re-post and update of an earlier article about "What Can Students Do?" In this time of school shut-downs, there is a natural sense of worry about the future, and students may feel this worry if they try to think about their future steps. As career development professionals, we can share some of the positive things that students and families can do to nurture lifelong learning skills, focusing on the present while also continuing to be ready for future career steps. While we are in this time of worry, it may be helpful to realize that most real-life career paths are built gradually over time, often with set-backs and changes of course. ...Friday, October 18, 2019
The Lowell Sun recently published a profile of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education`s Perkins Teacher Externship Program, a project of the College Career and Technical Education (CCTE) Unit, ...Thursday, May 16, 2019
From the May 9, 2019 Conference:
Connecting Activities Mini-Presentations - 3-5 minute presentations from ...
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
In April 2019, we are welcoing Kerry Akashian into the Connecting Activities network as our new statewide coordinator. Kerry joins the DESE Office of College, Career and Technical Education as Coordinator of Career Development Education. Kerry is transitioning into our office from the Center for Instructional Support where she was ...Tuesday, April 16, 2019
In the coming summer and school year, we are lauching a new 10-module version of the Signal Success curriculum, which has been widely used and enjoyed in ...Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Learn more about the Massachusetts Connecting Activities initiative by reading our FY2018 Annual Report. The report shares news about statewide projects, initiatives and accomplishments, as well as highlights and stories from Connecting Activities programming in each of the sixteen MassHire workforce regions. ...Tuesday, April 16, 2019
We are pleased to share with your our newest guide, Elements of Model Internship Programs. This resource guide, from the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training, Office for College, Career and Technical Education, provides advice, forms, letters and other materials to support the creation of ...Tuesday, May 15, 2018
At the May 15, 2018 Connecting Activities conference, participants enjoyed a presentation celebrating the 20th anniversary of the initiative. Connecting Activities was formally launched in the 1997-1998 school year, to sustain the work started in Massachusetts in the five-year-long National School to Work Opportunities Act.
...Tuesday, May 2, 2017
The Commonwealth has embarked on a high level, ambitious effort to increase the career readiness of many of its students, both in high school and adult settings. Under the guidance ...Tuesday, January 12, 2016
This year, the online Massachusetts Work-Based Learning Plan (WBLP) adds a new feature - an option for tracking the Career/Vocational Technical Education (CVTE) competencies. ...Saturday, November 14, 2015
Through Connecting Activities, ESE has recently published a new Primer and related materials about Labor Market Information (LMI). ...Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Recently, the importance of better career preparation for students in high school has been the subject of national attention due to a new report by the Council of Chief State School Officers titled ...Friday, October 10, 2014
Success after High School is the over-arching goal of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE). Making sure that our students are ready for both college and careers is at the heart of our work. Connecting Activities (CA) drives the career readiness part of the college and career readiness agenda and is one of the leading ways ...Monday, July 14, 2014
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has published a guide and glossary about Career Development Education (CDE), to help school staff and other educators develop ...Thursday, July 24, 2014
The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, through its Connecting Activities initiative, has just developed a new training video for worksite supervisors about ...