University of Wisconsin-Stout Associate Professor Deanna Schultz uses a copy of the textbook “The History and Growth of Career and Technical Education in America” in a CTE issues course she teaches.
When asked by author Howard R. D. Gordon to co-author the fifth edition of the book, Schultz, program director for the UW-Stout Master of Science in career and technical education, was thrilled.
The new edition was published earlier this year by Waveland Press Inc., a publisher of college-level textbooks, from Long Grove, Ill. For information about content and pricing go here.
“It is one of those fundamental textbooks that provides background and history in our field,” Schultz said. “It’s been used in classes across the country. I was very flattered when Dr. Gordon asked me to work with him on this. This is the first time it is available electronically as well as in print.”
Schultz met with Gordon in 2017 at a National Association of Career and Technical Education research conference and helped update and write the textbook in 2018.
UW-Stout prepares CTE teachers for K-12 school districts through its undergraduate education degree in family and consumer sciences, marketing and business education, and technology education.
UW-Stout also offers a bachelor’s degree in career, technical education and training, preparing students to teach in post-high school settings such as community colleges, public and private technical colleges and industrial training programs.
Life experience helped with writing
Gordon first developed the textbook for his CTE students about 20 years ago. He is a professor and program coordinator of career and technical and postsecondary education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Schultz specifically worked on chapters about the history and trends in community colleges, women in CTE and special populations in CTE. She suggested edits throughout the textbook as well as some of the PowerPoint slides and test banks included. The book includes a resource list of videos and podcasts.
“Dr. Gordon is one of the most delightful people I’ve ever worked with,” Schultz said. “He is caring and very much a mentor.”
Gordon helped her understand the process of writing a textbook and getting it published, Schultz said, noting this is her first book.
“It was so much fun,” she noted. “We teach in the same field. We had great conversations.”
Schultz has taught with the book since about 2007, which helped as she was writing and editing. “I was comfortable with the content,” she said. “It is a great textbook for what we teach.”
She has her doctorate in education with a concentration in community college leadership from Oregon State University, which helped with the chapter on community colleges. Schultz has a Master of Arts in educational technology from the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Her undergraduate degree is in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa, and she has her teacher certification from UW-Whitewater.
Life experience also helped. Schultz has worked as a high school business education teacher and was a regional career readiness consultant for an Iowa Area Education Agency. She also was a coordinator for Alaska’s statewide tech prep consortium.
“Through various jobs I’ve experienced so many things we have talked about in the book,” Schultz said. “I feel very proud of the work we’ve done. We put a lot of effort into it.”
Her experience at UW-Stout also helped inform the book. “UW-Stout’s history is rooted in career and technical education with its manual training programs and teacher training in manual arts and domestic science, which are now known as technology education and family and consumer sciences,” Schultz said. “This was always in the back of my mind, and I was able to incorporate historical UW-Stout photos in the instructor resource materials.”
Book praised by educators
James Greenan, professor and chair of CTE in the department of curriculum and instruction at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., wrote the book’s foreword. “It is a must resource for CTE students, teachers, counselors and administration at all levels (K-12),” he wrote. “As an instructor, I can attest to the book’s effectiveness in graduate-level CTE courses related to masters-, doctoral-, or license-level CTE students. Dr. Gordon and Dr. Schultz have created an exceptional resource for the CTE field through their stellar inquiry and scholarship.”
Cindy Miller, Eastern New Mexico University assistant professor of CTE and director of the bachelor’s applied arts and science program, wrote a review praising the book. “I am very impressed with the quality and depth of information provided,” she noted. “Thank you for producing a book that signifies the importance of CTE in our society today and for years to come.”
CTE is facing a shortage of teachers, the book notes. “The people who choose to be CTE teachers have a passion for teaching a variety of different things,” Schultz said. “They want to make a difference in people’s lives. It takes a lot of commitment.”
Along with the undergraduate programs, the university’s Master of Science in career and technical education is for educators and industry professionals interested in gaining technical skills and advancing their careers. The Doctorate of Education in career and technical education prepares leaders who contribute to the vision, direction and administration of second or postsecondary educational programs.
