Vegas Schools Bet on Technology

Las Vegas High Schools' Clark County School District: Leaders and innovators in culinary arts education.

Clark County School District (CCSD), located in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, is a leader in educational innovation. CCSD is answering a question that faces educators today: How do teachers and administrators reach the modern millennial learners in a multimedia driven world? Students today spend most of their time 'plugged in'. They communicate, interact, and learn differently than any other generation. CCSD used this theme as the guideline for redesigning and reinvigorating their high school culinary arts programs.

Las Vegas is home to a booming restaurant industry. The cheap all-you-can-eat buffets on the Vegas strip are being replaced by fine dining establishments that boast renowned chefs and unique cuisine. Just as the change is occurring to the Vegas facade, the educational landscape is undergoing a "makeover" as well. For Clark County, the top priority is designing curricula that will engage today's millennial learners and develop tomorrow's industry professionals.

Led by Nancy Hamilton, CCSD's forward-thinking Career & Technical Education (CTE) Director, CCSD has pioneered the integration of the latest technologies, trends, equipment and methodologies into their culinary arts classroom. With Hamilton's guidance and support, every Clark County culinary arts teacher worked together to create joint lesson plans that would be integrated at a district-wide level. These lessons were built using the same computer-based culinary arts resource.

The process was simple and ingenious. CCSD took the 28 units of study that directly correlate to Nevada’s competencies for the Hospitality and Tourism Career Cluster and distributed them among 24 of their teachers to write a complete lesson plan for their assigned unit. In less than six months, the team had completed the entire process of developing unit plans, lessons, worksheets and activities. Then, they took the information from each teacher and fully integrated them into a culinary arts computer program in less than a week.

Now CCSD has a cohesive and unified culinary curriculum. Every teacher is on the same page and is teaching the same material. Furthermore, by fully utilizing a computer-based educational framework, teachers in CCSD schools now access all of their tools and materials from one convenient location. The software integration has fostered a media-rich curriculum that is ideal for administrators, teachers, and students:

• For administrators, CCSD is presently realizing the benefits and measuring the results of a successful program.
• For teachers, the transition is a dream come true, and it has never been easier to train culinary arts professionals from a high school classroom.
• For students, the CTE classroom has never been more dynamic, enjoyable, and relevant to the needs of the food service industry.

Technology and education change as rapidly as the Las Vegas skyline. As the culture of the city, its students, and its industries evolve, it is clear that CCSD will continue to lead the charge.

Transition to Standards Based Curriculum

It is an exciting time in our country for Career and Technical Education (CTE).

Our transition to a service-based economy over the past few decades has had both its ups and downs. However, as we move forward in a time of economic uncertainty, it is clear that both as individuals and as communities, Americans are going to have get back to creating and innovating new products and services in order to be competitive in a global market.

It seems like all trends are pointing towards a significant increase in exposure and demand for quality workforce and vocational education. Students today require skills that will prepare them for a successful career, and that education doesn't just start in college anymore.

High school programs across the country are beginning to fully realize the value of career education and the teachers that are committed to vocational education. Carl D. Perkins technology grants are back this fiscal year, not to mention that a large percentage of the 100 billion dollar education stimulus in accordance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has been earmarked for soultions that will create jobs, and emphasize workforce education and relevant assessment methods for all types of learners.

As the educational spectrum continues to change, states are taking initiative by issuing standards and competencies for each of the 16 career 'clusters' that are designed to provide benchmarks for secondary and post secondary education. From 2004-2009, our research has shown numerous states publishing detailed objectives for CTE educators. These standards are clearly being used to reinvent and revitalize CTE programs across the nation.

In addition to transitioning to a competency-driven curriculum, state and national institutions are pushing for the integration of core academics and career education. The goal is to create a learning environment that is both realistic and relevant to all students. As this trend continues, CTE education in America will undoubtedly see greater recognition and funding, which willy not only provide a greater range of opportunities to students, but will pave the way for a productive and competitive American workforce.