Nashua technical education programs’ cutting edge has dulled

When Nashua High School North was being built a dozen years ago, the city was on the cutting edge of career and technical education, placing its programs – literally – front and center at the new building.

Many students viewed technical education programs as alternatives for students not planning to attend college, but city educators wanted to change that perception.

“It was all part of the idea that students will be more engaged in education if it’s viewed as relevant to their future,” Superintendent Mark Conrad said. “We were focused on making CTE programs not seen as programs for only one type of student.”

And while Conrad said both city public high schools have worked hard over the last 10 years to keep that mission alive, it’s time to review the district’s practices.

“It’s been 10 years,” he said. “There are times when, due to rapidly changing environments or student interest, you need to step back and evaluate. This is really the first time we started to do that in a serious way.”

The Board of Education heard from members of a new committee last month that was formed to review the career and technical education programs in the city, discussing plans to review and revamp some programming.

While the changes to the programs are still being discussed, Conrad said the review is an important step toward maintaining the city’s focus on career readiness for students.

In 2001, when Nashua North was being designed and plans for a renovation of Nashua South were coming together – a $143 million project – both schools featured a physical focus on their technical education programs.

Many schools tucked their career centers at the back of the building or in a separate center, but the designs for the new schools had those programs right through the front door.

North’s cosmetology and graphic arts programs are to the right of the main entrance, and its cafe and culinary arts program is located off the lobby.

Nashua South features the Purple Panther Preschool, staffed in part by students from its early childhood education program, a television production studio and laser marking machine lab.

The city planned to have a system that would guide freshmen and sophomores toward a career path, encouraging them to select a career academy and CTE program during their junior and senior years.

“I do think in the early years we met that goal,” Conrad said. “At that point in time, the high dropout rate was a concern, and CTE was viewed as something that could be a significant way of reducing the dropout rate.”

But the last few years have seen a lot of changes and challenges for the technical programs, he said, including turnover in the director position.

And while the high schools have successfully enrolled students of all backgrounds and ability in the programs, there hasn’t been enough of a focus on getting students to think about career opportunities at a younger age, Conrad said.

The city will begin those conversations in middle school to allow for better planning for technical education enrollments in high school.

And he said he’s confident the work will help maintain the city’s focus on helping all students, no matter their higher education plans.

“The last couple years, we lost focus a little bit because of turnover,” Conrad said. “But we have a very strong team now that will help move us forward.”