CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Gov. Joe Manchin and First Lady Gayle Manchin this evening are joining the U.S. secretary of education, the president of the American Federation of Teachers and select education stakeholders in Washington for the Albert Shanker Institute’s first discussion on Modernizing Career and Technical Education (CTE).
The discussion, which is hosted and sponsored by the Albert Shanker Institute, is the first in a planned series of talks about improving American education and public policy.
“I want to thank Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and the Albert Shanker Institute’s board for inviting Gayle and I to this very important forum,” Gov. Manchin said. “Sharing our concerns and goals firsthand with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and some of the country’s most influential decision-makers is a unique opportunity to start the dialogue we need to improve our education policies and systems.”
Manchin said career and technical education development is a key component to strengthening West Virginia’s work force and enabling stronger economic growth. “Career and technical education improves our work force skill level and helps us to diversify and attract more businesses, but we have to make sure that our young people know what is available,” said the governor.
The Albert Shanker Institute, named in honor of the late president of the American Federation of Teachers, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to children's education, unions as advocates for quality, and freedom of association in the public life of democracies. Its mission is to generate ideas, foster candid exchanges, and promote constructive policy proposals related to these themes.