We’ve met many extraordinary educators in Career Technology Education (CTE) programs around the country, but Faith Caplan of Sacramento area Cordova High School stands out. Each semester, she brings a full busload of her students to our Rocklin, California office for a day of manufacturing, coding instruction, pizza, and robotics competitions. Mrs. Caplan’s students respond to this offsite day with enthusiasm, as it’s a rare chance to get real exposure to an industry they learn about in school.
The highlight of the day (other than pizza; they’re teenagers, right?) seemed to be the sumo bot-style competition with Parallax robots. Mrs. Caplan explained that “it’s among the highest level of engagement I’ve ever seen from my students!”
As the engineering lead teacher for Cordova High School, Mrs. Caplan has focused efforts on experiential learning where students have agency over their choice and type of work. Her pathway program produces three-year graduates every year.
