2025 SC Education + Business Summit

This presentation provides a hands-on, use these free tools immediately to create the ideal settings for young people to build their skills both in and out of the academic setting. The fast paced training is specifically designed for CTE practitioners to learn, observe, and implement each of these strategies, techniques, and resources to develop programs that are based on effective youth engagement. When young people are able to find safety (physical, emotional, cultural) in their environment, they are more likely to not only sustain their attendance/involvement, and in turn, increase their CTE skillsets. We have presented this workshop and others to over 30,000 conference participants at over 400+ national, statewide, and regional conferences throughout the country, including keynoting at the EBS Summit in previous years, NC Workforce Training Conference (10+ years), Southeast Training Association (10+ years), NCETA (10+ years), Northeast Workforce (5+ years), etc.

AI is rapidly growing and affecting everyone. It is important that our students learn to use it appropriately and safely. AI Ready Skills is student led curriculum that teaches students how to use AI correctly. The presenter is a former CTE teacher, trainer, and was on the team that developed the curriculum.

The mission of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is to empower all students to be successful citizens, workers, and leaders in a global economy. Even if our students don't go straight into entrepreneurship, an entrepreneur's perspective will make them more valued employees and citizens.

After nine years in the Marines, I attended Harvard Business School and learned a few secrets.

One secret is the path to financial independence. I've walked it. Let's offer this perspective to our students.

Topic Relevance: Since COVID, chronic absenteeism in public schools has doubled, rising from 15% in 2019 to 30% (~15 million students) in 2024. Absences lower GPAs, increase dropout risks, and enhance the likelihood of negative post-graduation outcomes such as unemployment, substance abuse, and legal issues. Teachers also face added strain, adjusting curricula to accommodate absent students, disrupting lesson flow. This crisis is particularly severe in economically disadvantaged communities.

Participant Value: Federal attendance programs have been developed and proven to consistently improve student attendance, but require significant resources, limiting accessibility for many schools. Schools attempting independent programs often find them costly, complex, and ineffective due to delayed or inconsistent rewards. This session will highlight a proven, research-backed attendance reward system that is:

• 100% free for schools, students, parents, and teachers
• Seamlessly integrated into existing attendance procedures
• Designed to engage parents in fostering strong attendance habits

By implementing this system, schools can improve attendance, boost student morale and performance, and potentially increase funding opportunities.

Presenter Knowledge & Experience: Having witnessed the long-term consequences of absenteeism among family, friends, and students, I pursued solutions while earning my Ph.D. in Psychology. Over the past five years, my team has developed and refined a data-driven attendance improvement system, collaborating with over 120 administrators, 60 teachers, 500 students, and 75 parents to help design and refine the platform. This extensive engagement ensures our approach is effective, scalable, and ready for implementation in diverse educational settings.

Work-based learning is within legislation of Perkins, EEDA Act of 2005, SC State Unified Plan, and is a career ready qualifier of the state's accountability system for report card ratings. Last, it is one of the objectives for the state through the SC Department of Education's Strategic plan.