The Palmetto Education Summit 2026

This session explores a collaborative advising model between high school counselors and university admissions advisors to transform dual enrollment from credit accumulation into a purposeful pathway design. Presenters will share their structured sophomore advising process that integrates GPA analysis, test scores, high school graduation requirements, and major-specific sequencing to map students’ final four semesters of high school. Attendees will leave with an implementation blueprint and practical tools to replicate this partnership model.

This session introduces the Telepresence Amusement Park project, in which student teams design model amusement park rides equipped with wireless cameras that stream to head-mounted displays. The result transforms a third-person toy into a first-person ride experience for residents of retirement communities, including those with limited mobility. Participants will learn how this project builds career readiness through engineering design, community partnerships, and experiential STEAM learning.

South Carolina’s future workforce begins in its early childhood classrooms. This session brings together the SC Early Learning Standards, play-based instructional practices, and career readiness competencies to show how foundational learning in early childhood directly supports the future economic prosperity of South Carolina. Participants will explore how intentional play, early literacy and numeracy foundations, social-emotional development, and integrated STEM experiences lay the groundwork for later Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways and high‑demand workforce skills. This session will highlight developmentally appropriate, evidence‑informed practices that build curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and problem‑solving—skills essential for emerging industries, automation, military pathways, and future-ready careers. Through practical classroom strategies, cross-sector insights, and examples of innovative early learning environments, attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how high‑quality early learning aligns with workforce readiness and strengthens South Carolina’s long-term talent pipeline.  

This session focuses on moving career exploration beyond awareness and into meaningful, real-world connection. Through creative, immersive strategies like field experiences, industry tours, and hands-on learning, students can truly see themselves in future career pathways. Grounded in experiential learning, these approaches ignite curiosity, build confidence, and open doors to opportunities students may not have known existed. Participants will leave with practical ideas to strengthen partnerships between education and industry and create experiences that genuinely impact students.

Come hear the voice of South Carolina's young leaders! In this unique session, Growing Leaders thought-leaders will present alongside select Maxwell Leadership Student Ambassadors. These students are unique to South Carolina and have been working together to create impact in their communities. Together, we will help them discuss how leadership development is preparing them for their careers, what impact they have already made in their communities as a student ambassador and leader at their school, and what they would like to see from their education system to further prepare them for real life.

South Carolina has attracted several automobile manufacturers that are placing emphasis on the Hybrid/Battery Electric Vehicle. These industries are investing billions of dollars in building an infrastructure that will have an everlasting impact on our economy. Their hope is that the educational system in South Carolina can provide a highly skilled workforce.

This session will provide information on how to acquire ASE Program Accreditation through the ASE Education Foundation using the ASE Accreditation Gap Analysis. The session will also cover the requirements for Automotive, Collison, Medium/Heavy Duty Truck, and EV/HV Program standards, tools, equipment, and tasks. We will go over the ASE accreditation checklist and timelines.

Please bring your laptop to this session.

South Carolina has built a strong foundation for tracking student progress through Palmetto Pathways. Now, the introduction of the Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) tool represents a significant step forward, shifting the work from monitoring progress to actively guiding students’ post-secondary planning. This session will begin with an overview of recent updates to Palmetto Pathways, highlighting how new features better support visibility into graduation progress, pathway completion, and postsecondary readiness. Presenters will then introduce the IGP tool as a critical next step in this work—not just as a technical enhancement, but as a tool designed to transform how counselors engage with students and families. Participants will experience a guided demonstration of the IGP tool, with a focus on how it supports more meaningful, structured planning conversations. The tool enables counselors to move beyond compliance-driven planning toward deeper engagement with students—helping them make informed decisions, set goals, and stay on track. The session will also address key implementation considerations, including the importance of clear ownership across school and district teams and the need to build systems that support both strong data practices and high-quality student interactions.

In an era of rapid industrial growth and shifting economic demands, South Carolina’s prosperity depends on a pipeline between education and the economy. This session explores the powerful synergy between Career and Technology Education (CTE) and Adult Education as the dual engines driving the state’s 21st-century workforce. Led by veteran educational leaders Dr. Alan E. Gray and Dr. Vickie C. Butler, this presentation moves beyond traditional classroom models to highlight innovative strategies for closing the workforce skills gap. Participants will gain insights into how CTE programs and Adult Education initiatives are dismantling barriers to employment, fostering lifelong learners, and empowering South Carolinians to transition from potential to a uniquely skilled workforce.

The WHY: Creative Career Studio was developed in response to a clear need: young creatives often lack access to meaningful guidance and resources that illuminate pathways to creative college majors and careers. This session explores how we are addressing that gap by helping students see the full range of possibilities for building sustainable creative careers that align personal passion with viable opportunities in South Carolina’s economy. The WHAT: Grounded in labor market data from O*NET and supported by statewide research on the economic impact of the arts, Creative Career Studio connects student interests to real-world career pathways. As part of this work, participants will explore a series of short-form videos that highlight real working creatives across sectors, including manufacturing, technical and skilled trades, and the arts, helping to broaden students’ understanding of where creativity lives in today’s workforce. Participants will engage directly with the Creative Career Studio website, experience the student-facing career quiz, and explore how the platform’s resources prepare creative students for pathways to college and career readiness. The session will also provide a deeper look at the framework behind the work, including standards alignment, instructional connections, and upcoming enhancements to keep resources relevant and engaging. The FUTURE: We will also share where the program is headed, including a preview of Creative Career Studio’s Arts Industry Connections (work-based learning field experiences) and its companion curriculum, studio kits with lesson plans available for districts and teachers to check out through Arts Commission Hubs, and a Virtual Speakers Bureau designed to offer virtual field trips that connect students with real South Carolina professionals across creative career pathways.

Preparing students for the workforce requires authentic experiences that parallel real hiring processes. This session will present South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind’s student participation in structured mock interviews with local business partners to build career readiness skills. Information gained from the Advisory Board meetings directed and focused our work with student preparation. Students developed professional resumes and cover letters. Then, with the assistance of their technical instructors, the students research and prepare for interview responses related to their career interests. Students completed preparation activities within their career classes, including peer interviews, teacher-led practice interviews, and analysis of interview videos to identify effective and ineffective interview behaviors. Local business and community partners conducted interviews and completed detailed evaluation rubrics before leaving the campus. These rubrics were copied and distributed to teachers, providing students with timely, meaningful feedback, while providing the administration the opportunity to track data. Students completed self-reflection rubrics after their interviews, allowing them to compare their perceptions with interviewer feedback and better understand their strengths and areas for growth. After the mock interviews, the data collection results were shared with the Advisory Board members again. Findings and new suggestions from the board will be shared and implemented into next year's Mock Interview. Participants in this session will receive practical resources, including planning guides, student preparation materials, interview rubrics, self-reflection sheets, and scheduling tools used to coordinate the event. Learning Objectives Participants will learn how to: Design and implement a schoolwide mock interview event. Partner with local businesses to create authentic career readiness experiences. Prepare students using structured pre-interview activities and classroom practice. Use interviewer rubrics and student self-reflections to provide meaningful feedback. Organize scheduling and logistics for multiple interviews in a school setting. Session Format This interactive session will walk participants through the step-by-step process used to organize and implement mock interviews. The presenter will share planning materials, student preparation resources, interview rubrics, and scheduling templates. Attendees will have time to discuss how the model can be adapted for their own schools and career readiness programs. Materials Provided Participants will receive: Mock interview planning checklist Student preparation handouts Resume and cover letter guidance materials Interview question preparation sheets Interviewer rubric templates Student self-reflection rubric Sample scheduling templates for interview day