The Palmetto Education Summit 2026

Many career and college readiness efforts operate separately across classrooms, advising, and CTE programs, even though everyone shares the same goal of preparing students for life beyond graduation. This session provides a clear, practical approach to aligning those efforts and building a culture focused on student success. 
If you serve as a…

• CTE Educator: Discover how to intentionally align your CTE program with academic instruction and advising efforts to strengthen measurable CCR outcomes.
• School Counselor: Learn practical strategies to integrate career advising into classroom experiences and expand your reach across the entire student body.
• Administrator: Gain a clear alignment framework to strengthen school-wide CCR indicators and accountability systems.

This session introduces a practical alignment framework designed to help schools move from siloed efforts to shared ownership. Participants will explore how aligning advising structures, classroom instruction, pathway design, and workforce partnerships can:

• Increase student clarity, motivation, and pathway ownership
• Strengthen measurable College and Career Readiness outcomes
• Improve graduation, persistence, and postsecondary engagement indicators
• Establish shared language and aligned expectations across the school

Participants will leave with a practical alignment roadmap to identify strengths, address gaps, and guide intentional collaboration that prepares students for sustained success beyond graduation.

What can constitutional law teach students about respectful disagreement? High School Law Review explores that question through Supreme Court case analysis, structured oral presentation, and legal writing. In this workshop, we'll look at how HSLR fits into existing Government courses and how students are rewarded for publishing legal analysis in school-based, state-wide, and national law reviews. For South Carolina students, standout legal notes earn an invitation to our inaugural South Carolina Law Review competition. This in-person event where students defend their work before a live audience and recognizes them alongside the teachers who supported them. Together, we'll explore how studying the law sharpens critical thinking, builds civic literacy, and models the rigorous, humble disagreement our students need most.

What sets a top-performing CTE program apart? Join this session to uncover the strategies behind a cutting-edge program that’s preparing students to lead in high-demand industries. In this session, you’ll gain actionable strategies and tactics that empower students with career-ready skills. Walk away with practical ideas, innovative approaches, and proven methods to elevate your own CTE program and inspire the next generation of changemakers

For decades, Career and Technical Education (CTE) carried outdated perceptions—“vocational tracks,” limited academic rigor, and narrow post-graduation pathways. That model no longer exists. At Beaufort Jasper Academy for Career Excellence (BJACE), CTE is rigorous, industry-aligned, data-driven, and directly connected to workforce demands. Today’s CTE integrates STEM, real-world problem solving, industry certifications, work-based learning, and postsecondary partnerships to prepare students not just for jobs—but for high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers. This session will challenge outdated assumptions about CTE and showcase how BJACE has transformed career readiness into a strategic, measurable, and future-focused system that benefits students, employers, and communities. Session DescriptionCTE has evolved from shop classes and isolated skills training into comprehensive, STEM-infused, industry-partnered pathways aligned with workforce and economic development needs. Participants will explore: How modern CTE programs align with regional labor market demands The integration of academic rigor and industry credentials The role of work-based learning and employer partnerships How career centers can serve as regional workforce engines Data-driven strategies that measure placement, certifications, and student outcomes Using BJACE as a case study, attendees will learn how one multi-district career center restructured programs to: increase industry-recognized certifications, expand work-based learning opportunities, strengthen employer partnerships, align programs with high-growth career sectors, and shift community perception about CTE. This session will provide replicable strategies that districts can implement to elevate career readiness in their own schools and regions.

South Carolina Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP), in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Education Office of Career Readiness, is launching a statewide effort to develop South Carolina’s first comprehensive K–12 Computer Science Education Strategic Plan. Building on the state’s landmark progress—including being the first in the nation to mandate a full-credit CS graduation course—this initiative seeks to create a clear, coordinated roadmap. The plan's core objective is to strengthen instruction, expand equitable access to high-quality computer science learning, and ensure that all students graduate prepared for the rapidly evolving career and workforce.

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.

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