Walt Ecton

Support Florida State University FSU is on the verge of becoming one of the nation’s premier higher education institutions.

It was a privilege to start my tenure track journey with Danny, a scholar and teacher who always put mission and his core values first. He made a lasting influence on me and many others. If you knew Danny, consider contributing to this fund in his honor: bit.ly/DannyMoraguez

Danny was taken from this world far too soon, but I'll long remember him for his infectious laugh, the levity & joy he brought to any room, the (very eclectic!) music streaming from his office, love of Schitts Creek jokes, service to his country through the military, & deep care for his students.

Check out this new blog post on CTE & Occupation Licensing from @nicolasacevedor.bsky.social : step-in-cte.soe.umich.edu/blog-posts

Meanwhile, I'm wearing lifts in my boots next time...

Thanks to @mpolikoff.bsky.social for a great talk on Americans' views on LGBTQ & race-related curriculum at Michigan this morning!

Big Tech Told Kids to Code. The Jobs Didn’t Follow.

Today's The Daily is a cautionary tale of what happens when we tell students to specialize in one skill too narrowly. Students today should learn to code & use AI, but need strong general skills to be nimble & keep their job options open as workforce needs shift. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/p...

Math and Career Education Are Now Top Grant Priorities for Ed. Dept. The announcement outlines what the administration plans to champion after canceling hundreds of grants in the past few weeks.

Enjoyed talking with @edweek.org about the Department of Education's announcement that they plan to prioritize CTE. www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

Walt, Jeremy, and Demetri at a UM football game

GO BLUE from Michigan Higher Ed faculty!

Great job with an awesome team doing impactful work (and Detroit is super cool too!)

Accidentally just bit into an onion instead of an apple. I hope everyone is having a nice start to the semester!

Carson!!! Shhhhhh....don't speak it into existence! The groundhog said eight more weeks of summer!

Flyer announcing new website: www.step-in-cte.soe.umich.edu

Visit our page to learn more about the STEP-CTE lab!

-> www.step-in-cte.soe.umich.edu

On our website, you’ll find:

-Information about the STEP research project and team
-Blog posts from our team members,
-New reports, articles, & infographics
-Relevant research from members of our project team
-A place to sign up to receive regular e-mail updates

Flyer announcing our new website: www.step-in-cte.soe.umich.edu

STEP-CTE is a collaboration with Leon County Schools, led by researchers from the University of Michigan and Florida State University, funded by Institute of Education Sciences. Together, we’re exploring how CTE programs can better support HS students as they prepare for college, career, & beyond.

We’re excited to launch the Secondary Transitions and Education Pathways in Career and Technical Education (STEP-CTE) website, featuring highlights and emerging research focused on Career and Technical Education!
Visit our page -> www.step-in-cte.soe.umich.edu

Excited to dig into this book by @cmpech.bsky.social on a topic we know far too little about:

The position has a salary of $70,000 and can either be in Ann Arbor, MI, or remote. This is funded through IES, and we want to be transparent that it is contingent on continued funding. We'll start reviewing applications on June 12, so please submit before then! 🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

🚨Attention Job Seekers: We're hiring a quantitative researcher for a 1-year (possibly renewable for 2nd yr) position to study Career & Technical education! While not technically a postdoc, this would be a great fit for a recent PhD graduate! 🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

Please share this position with your networks! You'll get to work with me, @harbatkat.bsky.social, Christine Mokher, Stacey Rutledge, & a great team at the U of Michigan, Florida State U, and the CTE Research Network. Please reach out w/questions - ecton@umich.edu!🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

The position has a salary of $70,000 and can either be in Ann Arbor, MI, or remote. This is funded through IES, and we want to be transparent that it is contingent on continued funding. We'll start reviewing applications on June 12, so please submit before then! 🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

We are looking for a PhD or EdD with strong quantitative training, proficiency with Stata, and ideally experience with administrative data to help lead our quantitative analysis on this $3.1 million mixed methods project. 🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

🚨Attention Job Seekers: We're hiring a quantitative researcher for a 1-year (possibly renewable for 2nd yr) position to study Career & Technical education! While not technically a postdoc, this would be a great fit for a recent PhD graduate! 🧵 careers.umich.edu/job_detail/2...

Grateful that this country had the wisdom to build a system and policies that made your in-laws want to be and able to come here. I hope we don't forget their contributions and those of so many other international students.

There is no rational basis for Trump's attacks on Harvard (a private university). His latest will strike fear into the hearts of young international students. I was once in their shoes, and can imagine their feelings.

Congress: Come get your boy. He's attacking your country.

Let's all reach out to international students we work with and let them know we value them. I hope that any person in a position of power speaks up vigorously against this truly awful move.

Even if this is struck down by courts (which, not a lawyer, but seems likely), the damage is real - the mental health strain it puts on our students, and the real message that it sends to smart kids around the world - "We don't want you here. Go take your good ideas and talents somewhere else."

Also, these are students! They are real people! Can you imagine, you just finished your junior year of college, and then were told you couldn't continue to finish your senior year? Absolutely cruel.

In soccer (football) terms, I think they refer to this as an enormously self-defeating own goal.