Career
Current position: Principal, Mt. Ararat High School
Degrees:
- PhD in Public Policy with a concentration in Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Southern Maine, 2024
Dissertation
Title: “We Are Going to Control Our Own Destiny:” A Qualitative Case Study of Career and Technical Education Reform in Maine
Abstract: The purpose of Chris’s dissertation is to describe the factors that support and hinder reform of career and technical education in Maine. The single case study design examined the experiences of eleven participants connected to a single Career and Technical Education (CTE) Regional School in Maine. Based upon the lived experiences at a single site, and drawing upon certain documents at the case site, I sought to determine factors that influence reform efforts. I used data from the study’s sources to develop themes and findings related to the study’s purpose. The study found five major factors that influenced reform efforts: the overall perception of CTE in society and in the sending communities of the school, the challenges of funding, the role of parents and school counselors as influencers on educational decision-making, the problem of integrating schedules, and the pivotal function of school leadership. The study’s findings demonstrate the need for necessary practical improvements to the reform landscape for CTE in Maine, as well as the need for ongoing research into CTE reform.