Next-Level Career & Technical Education Instruction That Works
Transforming CTE classrooms through literacy, leadership, and authentic work-based learning. Workshops, professional development, consulting, and books designed for Career & Technical Education teachers, leaders, and systems ready to elevate instruction, strengthen PLCs, and prepare students for real work and real futures.
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CTE Professional Development
Workshops & training for CTE teachers
PLC in CTE Support
Building high-functioning teams
Literacy Strategies
Embedded literacy for CTE classrooms
Work-Based Learning
Industry-aligned instruction
Who This Is For
Professional learning built specifically for Career & Technical Education. This work is designed for educators who believe CTE is more than skills training—it's powerful instruction, language development, and thinking in action.
CTE Teachers & Instructors
Technical educators ready to elevate their instruction with literacy strategies and industry-aligned teaching practices.
District & Regional CTE Programs
Program leaders seeking professional development that strengthens instructional quality across pathways.
Career Academies & Pathways
Academy teams building coherent programs that prepare students for both college and career success.
School Improvement & Perkins V
Leaders aligning CTE instruction to accountability goals without losing authenticity or industry relevance.
Recommended Reading from Dr. Sandra Adams
Dr. Adams recommends these influential books on leadership, career advancement, and personal empowerment that have shaped her consulting philosophy.
Next Level
Classroom Instruction for CTE Teachers
Career and Technical Educators know students come alive in the lab, where work is relevant, practical, and hands-on. Career and Technical Education (CTE) labs engage learners and let students see a path for their future. But what about the other half of the CTE experience, the classroom?In this quick read, CTE instructional coach Sandra Adams brings to light four attributes that make the lab such a success and shows teachers how to bring them into the classroom. In sharing stories of real CTE teachers who took their classroom instruction to the next level, Adams comes alongside readers to inspire practical, manageable changes to improve student engagement and learning in the CTE classroom.
Fluent Work
Bringing CTE Literacy to Life for the Age of Acceleration
In a world where industries are evolving at lightning speed, our classrooms must keep pace. Fluent Work: Bringing CTE literacy to life for the age of acceleration is both a workbook resource and a call to action—for educators and industry partners alike. Drawing from years of experience in Career and Technical Education, I wrote this book to share what works—but more importantly, to spark curiosity. Today’s workforce demands more than technical skills; it requires professionals who think, speak, and problem-solve with the fluency of their chosen field. That fluency starts in the classroom. Fluent Work is organized into three interconnected parts designed to help you embed literacy in Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms in a way that is rigorous, relevant, and aligned to real-world expectations. It’s not about layering English class onto hands-on programs—it’s about transforming literacy into a tool for thinking like a professional in your industry. Every part of this book builds toward that goal by helping you align instruction with modern workforce demands and stronger partnerships with employers.
PLC in CTE
The power of professional learning communities
PLC in CTE is the answer to how we create thriving cultures of achievement within career and technical education. This book provides the antidote to teacher and student apathy by highlighting how CTE experiences allow students and adult learners alike to realize new potential within themselves. The answer lies in teacher-driven change. Dr. Adams contends that in order to build efficacy in students, CTE teachers need support to build their own efficacy around instruction. This book moves beyond why we need change. PLC in CTE details how adult learners strengthen both individual and collective efficacy as educators—following the PLC frameworks of inquiry, research and the science of learning. Adult learners learn best when they transition between individual reflection and small group collaborative sessions. We need collaboration around high evidence-based instructional practices that embody career and technical experiences. PLC in CTE details how to achieve teacher-driven change by following each framework. Adherence to these teacher-driven frameworks will empower CTE teams to achieve collective efficacy and transform your whole approach to professional development. How do learning communities accelerate change in student achievement within CTE? In traditional K–12 schools, establishment of PLCs with teacher groups normally focuses on a deep study of standards. Teachers are often encouraged to create common assessments and track student performance toward standard mastery. Standardized assessments then reveal how well the PLC work is driving student achievement gains. CTE teams face a different mission—one of technical and performance skill mastery, professional growth and career field literacy. If we follow the three models for PLC in CTE, we can redesign the purpose of collaboration and achieve cultures where adult and student learning both thrive. This book explains how PLC in CTE requires a shift from our typical content-focused approach to collaborative instructional-focused work. Within CTE learning communities, teachers sharpen their focus, refining instructional practice across all program areas. This is the work that will help adult learners transform student learning experiences — reflecting second-order change. We want our CTE teams to experience professional learning in a decidedly different way than they have before. Learning communities are an essential tool in reaching transformative change because, by nature, they focus on process over outcome.
But I'm Not a Reading Teacher
Literacy Strategies for Career and Technical Educators
A practical guide for practical teachers at career & tech schools, this collection of adaptable strategies is embedded with QR codes to videos and other digital support media. Understand disciplinary literacy, improve vocabulary learning, and increase student engagement while integrating literacy skills in the lab and classroom. The advantage of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is its relevant, practical, hands-on approach to learning. Harness the CTE advantage for the sake of literacy--not just conventional reading and writing, but also the real-world communication skills required on the job.
What I Help CTE Programs Do
From compliance to craft. From activities to instruction. Through CTE-focused professional development, coaching, and consulting, I help schools and districts transform Career & Technical Education.
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Literacy in CTE
Embedded strategies that work
Embed Literacy, Language & Thinking into CTE Instruction
Literacy grows when it's embedded, not bolted on. I help CTE teachers integrate reading, writing, and critical thinking into hands-on instruction—making student thinking visible in technical environments while honoring industry expertise and the realities of CTE classrooms.
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PLC in CTE Support
From logistics to learning
Build High-Functioning PLCs in CTE Programs
Shift your PLCs from logistics to learning. I guide CTE teams in building effective Professional Learning Communities that use student work and industry standards to drive collaboration, strengthen instructional leadership, and improve student outcomes.
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Work-Based Learning
Industry-aligned instruction
Design Authentic Work-Based Learning That Mirrors Industry
Embedding WBL into daily instruction—not just placements. I help programs design industry-aligned projects and performance tasks, partnering with business and industry to strengthen learning and improve postsecondary placement.
Leadership & Systems
CTE instructional coaching
Strengthen CTE Leadership & Align to Perkins V
From program improvement to pathway development, I provide CTE instructional coaching that aligns literacy, instruction, and accountability—helping you meet Perkins V goals without losing authenticity. This is not generic PD. This is instruction designed for how CTE actually works.
Let's Build What's Next in CTE
Professional learning that matches the power of the work. Whether you're looking for a keynote, workshop, ongoing PD, coaching, or consulting support for CTE improvement—you don't need another initiative. You need instruction that works.
Bring Dr. Adams to Your School or Conference
Dr. Sandra Adams delivers engaging keynotes and hands-on workshops on CTE professional development, literacy strategies, PLCs, and work-based learning. Her sessions are practical, relevant, and built for real CTE classrooms. Strengthen your next event with expert CTE instruction.