State Board of Education President John Robbins and Director McKenzie Snow, along with state board members and Department leaders, toured Kirkwood Community College in April before the State Board of Education meeting on campus.
Kirkwood President Kristie Fisher welcomed the team and kicked off an in-depth tour of some of the college's high-demand career and technical education programs and services designed to engage students in training for in-demand careers in the region.
The tour featured program areas such as Aviation Maintenance, Allied Health, Industrial Technologies, Agriculture and Animal Sciences/Vet Tech.
Thank you to Kirkwood faculty and staff for your hospitality in hosting the State Board of Education meeting and coordinating a tour of your facilities and programs for board members.
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Two $50,000 grants have been awarded to Iowa community colleges to support two additional college and career transition counselor (CCTC) positions.
Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa Western Iowa Community College will receive start-up funds as part of the fifth round of CCTC grants to increase the number of CCTC positions in their region.
CCTCs work directly with students in grades 11 and 12 to support college transition and career exploration through targeted connections during crucial time frames, including preparation, transition to enrollment and persistence through their postsecondary experience.
For the 2025-2026 school year, more than 50 CCTCs are located across the 15 community college regions and serve students in more than 100 high schools. The additional positions generated under this grant round will increase the number of CCTCs and extend their support to additional high schools. More information on the CCTC program and current partnerships is available via this document.
For more information, Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness Education Program Consultant Erica Woods-Schmitz at erica.woods-schmitz@iowa.gov or 515-330-0185.
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Iowa school districts can offer students opportunities to earn real-world, industry-recognized credentials by applying for a Credentials to Careers Grant by May 30. This second round of competitive grants will support Iowa school districts in aligning secondary career and technical education programs with industry-recognized credentials and labor market value.
Industry-recognized credentials (IRC) are valuable tools that allow students to earn education- and work-related credentials that verify skill mastery and educational attainment, empowering them to secure meaningful and sustainable employment in Iowa. Vetted by employers and endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization in a particular industry, these credentials are available across many career pathways, including health sciences, information technology, construction, manufacturing, child development, culinary and business.
The grant application will remain open on IowaGrants.gov through May 30. School districts can apply for grants of up to $50,000, with priority given to districts that have not previously been awarded a Credentials to Careers Grant. Applicants will be screened and scored on the selected grant criteria. Schools must complete a separate application for each IRC.
In determining awards, district applicants must demonstrate clear, sustainable plans to align one or more existing career and technical education (CTE) pathways with student attainment of IRCs.
For more information on the Careers to Credential Grant, contact Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness Administrative Consultant Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.
The State Park and Institutional Roads Program, which provides funding to construct, reconstruct, improve, and maintain roadways, including bridges, within the boundaries of state-owned lands or community college property, has awarded funds to two Iowa community colleges.
For calendar year 2030, Iowa Lakes Community College was awarded $300,000, while North Iowa Area Community College received $175,000 in funds.
In Fall 2024, with guidance from the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Department solicited proposals from Iowa's 15 community colleges to be funded. A committee within the Department reviewed the submitted proposals, which needed to specify a limit of between $50,000 and $300,000 when requesting funds.
Iowa Lakes intends to use its funds to replace Laker Drive on its Estherville campus. The road, which needs replacement, provides access to dorms, the east side of campus and is a critical emergency access point to Green Acres homes.
NIACC's funds will create another entrance/exit to campus, making the fire training facility more accessible to agencies utilizing it and providing direct access to alleviate on-campus traffic.
These funds come from sixty-five one-hundredths of one percent of the Road Use Tax Fund allocated for maintenance and improvement of the more than 600 miles of roadways in the State Park and Institutional Roads system.
Another application round for calendar year 2031 will begins May 1, 2025 and ends on June 30, 2025.
For more information, please contact Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness Education Program Consultant Dr. Jeff Fletcher at jeffrey.fletcher@iowa.gov or 515-321-7309.
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To help commemorate April's Community College Month, the Iowa Department of Education highlighted the successes of Iowa community colleges on Facebook and X.
Those highlighted successes included the more than 120,000 Iowans enrolled at a community college, the record-setting number of jointly enrolled high school students and the success students have in completing a degree and securing employment.
The Department is proud to continue its collaboration with each community college across the state. Your contributions ensure that Iowa students have access to high-quality education and training and are well-equipped to advance in their college and career pathways.
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To ensure quality of instruction at Iowa’s community colleges, the Higher Learning Commission, Iowa Code 260C.48 and Iowa Administrative Code 281 Chapter 21.62 define minimum requirements for faculty qualifications for arts and science and career and technical education instructors.
The most recent version of these faculty guidelines was recently published on the Department of Education's website.
The Iowa Department of Education has provided clarity and guidance for these minimum requirements by publishing guidelines for faculty qualifications. The Faculty Standards Council, which includes community college chief academic officers and deans, representatives from the Accreditation Advisory Committee, representatives from the Faculty Advisory Committee and other community college personnel, meets at the beginning of each calendar year to review and update this guide.
Community college faculty and staff can suggest updates to the Faculty Qualifications Guide, which the Council considers. The guide's updates are then approved by the community college chief academic officers.
The next Faculty Standards Council meeting will take place in January 2026.
For more information about faculty qualifications, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Derreck T. Calkins, Ph.D. at derreck.calkins@iowa.gov or 515-238-9758.
The upcoming Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Conference, scheduled for June 18 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, is actively seeking postsecondary representatives to present on career and technical education programs to its attendees.
The annual conference includes CTE educators, administrators, retired professionals, and students from secondary and postsecondary CTE programs and career and technical student organizations (CTSO). This year's conference is themed 'Transforming Opportunities in CTE'. Also, it features sessions with ACTE national president Robert Torres, Jeff Frost, the executive director of professional technical education for Waterloo schools, Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow and Trevor Snow, the curriculum and outreach coordinator for Des Moines Electrical Apprenticeship.
Individuals and organizations interested in hosting a 30-minute workshop as part of the conference are encouraged to complete the IACTE breakout session proposal.
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Members of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education and Postsecondary Readiness are slated to present on work-based learning at the upcoming Teaching for Impact professional development event June 5-6 at the Iowa Events Center.
Teaching for Impact: Training for All Educators Supporting Learners with Disabilities returns for another year of collaborative learning, providing Iowa educators with opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills related to the education of learners with disabilities from ages birth to 21. School administrators, building leadership teams, Early ACCESS providers and service coordinators, K-12 and early childhood educators and providers, Area Education Agency professionals and higher education faculty who support preservice educators are encouraged to attend the professional development.
Registration is free and open through May 21 for those interested in attending and learning more about integrating this information and supports into practice across a variety of educational settings.
At the Iowa FFA Convention on April 14, Laura Brecht from College Community School District's Prairie High School was named the 2024-25 Golden Owl Award winner.
Sponsored by the Iowa FFA Foundation, Nationwide Insurance and other partners in agriculture, the annual Golden Owl Award celebrates the outstanding work of secondary and postsecondary agriculture education leaders in Iowa. Students, fellow teachers, faculty and other partners submitted a record number of 570 nominations for exceptional educators in the field.
Brecht was selected from seven finalists for the award. The other six finalists were also recognized during the convention and included:
- Kaylea Hansmann, West Sioux High School (West Sioux Community School District)
- Ryan Faught, Forest City High School (Forest City Community School District)
- Meghan Bond, Central Jr. & Sr. High School (Central Community School District)
- Andrew Johnson, Clarinda High School (Clarinda Community School District)
- Alex Rodgers, Southeast Warren High School (Southeast Warren Community School District)
- Andrea Rouse, Des Moines Area Community College
Congratulations to Laura Brecht and the six finalists!
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Join our team! The Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness has new career opportunities for candidates passionate about education in Iowa.
We are looking for someone to be our next Education Program Consultant for Work-Based Learning and Industry-Recognized Credentials. This position provides technical assistance, monitoring and support to school districts, Area Education Agencies, non-public schools, community colleges and industry as is relates to work-based learning and industry-recognized credentials. The deadline to apply is May 21.
To learn more about this and other Department job postings, visit the Iowa Department of Administrative Services website. For specific questions about open bureau positions, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Chief Amy Gieseke at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov.
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