School leaders responsible for Career and Technical Education programs have the typical responsibilities and challenges of all high school administrators. However, there are additional and unique demands of CTE programs. These include:
applying for state CTE program approval and re-approval,- acquisition and maintenance of up-to-date equipment,
- working with industry advisory committees, and
- supervising teachers strong in technical skills but still learning pedagog
The CTE Leadership Competency Model reflects the scope of competencies that leaders need to be effective and address the unique demands of CTE programs.
School leaders obtain and retain competency through the continuous development of skills and the acquisition of current knowledge. The CTE TAC works to support leaders through the development and revision of knowledge resources and frequent communication with school leaders through the website, newsletters, technical assistance visits to schools, and regional and state workshops in cooperation with CTE professional organizations. Take the self-reflection survey to identify your strengths and areas in need of improvement in the CTE Leadership Competency Model.
CTE Administrator Professional Organizations
- New York State Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators (ACTEA)
- National Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) - Administrative Division
- NCLA - Synergizing CTE Administrators Nationwide
CTE Leader Knowledge Resource
The Guidelines for Career and Technical Education Administrators and School Counselors provides a comprehensive listing of New York State laws, regulations, and requirements for high-quality CTE programs across the PreK - 12 continuum. This document is a "one-stop" resource providing CTE program decision-makers at all levels with information on CTE program implementation. The Guide is designed to provide enough information for decision-makers to advocate for new programs and to improve programs that are already in place. This document was last revised in Spring 2020. If you see anything that is missing or needs to be corrected, please send that information to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Professional Development Resources
CTE TAC continues to develop dozens of professional learning resources that relate to administration topics. Refer to the PD Calendar for topics and the Archived PD for previously presented topics.
The NY CTE Learn professional learning portal hosted by the NYS Association of Career and Technical Education includes dozens of learning resources for beginning and experienced administrators. CTE Administrators. Categories include:
- Lessons for CTE Leaders
- Essentials for CTE Administrators
- Learning with Influence
- Communicating with Results
- Honing Supervisory Skills
- Managing Workplace Challenges
CTE TAC Leadership Publications
Leadership for College and Career Readiness -- This white paper fully describes the ten essential leadership shifts necessary to support enhancing student career readiness in schools.
Overwhelm School Inertia -- This white paper shares leadership practices to Reshape School Culture to Truly Reflect College AND Career Readiness. As schools embrace the goal of preparing students for college and careers, their leaders must engage in the task of reshaping school culture.
CTE Instructional Leadership - The resource focuses on how leaders can use relationships and reflection
to raise student achievement in technical and academic skills. The book includes 20 chapters on relevant topics for CTE including videos, and links to activities, and further resources. Download the iBook format of CTE Instructional Leadership. Download a PDF version of the iBook CTE Instructional Leadership which explores the unique challenges of instructional leadership for CTE programs in high school. Use the online versions of the Quad D Leadership Personal Survey and Organization Survey to learn more about Quadrant D Leadership and reflect on your organization and your personal style.
Other Leadership Publications
Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) maintains a CTE Clearinghouse: Leadership/Administrator DevelopmentCTE Clearinghouse: Leadership/Administrator 
Development which lists articles and publications addressing many CTE leadership challenges.
ACTE has published four books: