Safely Opening Careerteched: Best Practices and Considerations for Fall 2020 with Dr. Edward Bouquillon

In this episode, Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent-Director of the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District, shares the details of his district's efforts to navigate a global pandemic while ensuring that the needs of students, staff, and the community are met. This podcast features best practices and innovative approaches that CTE leaders across the country can implement for the 2020-2021 school year to integrate on-site school learning with e-learning while ensuring safety first for all stakeholders. Podcast note: Dr. Bouquillon started as the vocational coordinator in 1988. Connect with Dr. Bouquillon to discuss the podcast, ask questions, or learn more about plans for the upcoming school year: [email protected] Dr. Bouquillon's work has been featured in the following publications: Education Week: Coronavirus, Economic Crisis Cloud Resurgence of Career and Technical Education National Association of School Superintendents: It is the constant, daily, intentional choice of love over fear that will bring us all through this. AASA: Career Skills vs Academics: Not an Either/Or Proposition Video of Minuteman’s drive-thru 2020 graduation Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon is a veteran educator who is widely recognized as an innovator and champion for career and technical education. He was appointed Superintendent-Director of the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District in 2007 and has nearly three decades of experience. In 2019, Bouquillon was nominated as semi-finalist for the National Superintendent of the Year Award from the National Association of School Superintendents. Dr. Bouquillon believes that career and technical education, coupled with rigorous academic courses, gives Minuteman graduates a competitive edge in the new global economy. That’s why he describes Minuteman as “a revolution in learning.” His leadership and collaboration with local and state leaders was instrumental in the construction of a new state-of-the-art building for Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School, which opened in September 2019. The new facility fosters a robust college and career academy model that has led to new or expanded programs to respond to labor demands, including biotechnology, engineering technology, environmental science, advanced manufacturing, multimedia engineering, and soon, animal science. During his tenure, Minuteman has consistently performed well on statewide student testing and outperformed the state average on graduation rates. In 2018, Minuteman was one of only three vocational-technical schools designated as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education for overall excellence. Dr. Bouquillon is an active member of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators (MAVA) and served as its president from 2013-2014, and now sits on its Board of Directors. He’s a founding member of the Alliance for Vocational Education and is a trustee to the National Occupational Competency Training Institute (NOCTI.) He also served on the Lexington, MA Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and was elected Chairman in 2012, and is involved in numerous additional organizations. He holds a PhD in Workforce Education and a master’s degree in Animal Studies, both from Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational and Vocational Education from the University of Connecticut.