Staff Directory

CORD...Leading Change in Education
Founded in 1979 as the Center for Occupational Research and Development, CORD is a national nonprofit organization providing innovative changes in education to prepare students for greater success in careers and higher education. CORD assists educators in secondary schools and colleges through new curricula, teaching strategies, professional development, and partnerships with community leaders, families, and employers. CORD's initiatives include curriculum design, developing new learning tools, delivering professional development, creating applications of educational technology, and conducting educational research and evaluation. 

Curriculum Development
For two decades, CORD has led the development of nationally recognized curriculum materials and supporting resources for teachers and students. Our mathematics, science, and advanced technology curricula present subject matter in context by emphasizing the relationship of course content to real-life situations. In recent years, we have expanded from print resources to multimedia tools that build on our belief that all students can learn if taught in a manner appropriate to their individual learning styles. Students and educators are also benefiting from the research work CORD has done in the development of curriculum integration frameworks based on academic, occupational, and employability standards. Signature projects such as the development of the Curriculum Integrator system and the Academy of Information Technology are examples of CORD's expertise in this area. 

Professional Development
Timely and effective professional development is essential to the successful implementation of any new curriculum or teaching methodology. CORD offers workshops in contextual learning, curriculum integration, and learning technologies on campuses nationwide and via distance education media such as videoconferencing and web-based instruction. Our master trainers prepare teachers to connect academic concepts with real-world applications, to use innovative teaching strategies, and to facilitate active learning in classrooms of diverse learners. We also manage professional development networks such as the Texas Collaborative for Teaching Excellence and the North Carolina Network for Excellence in Teaching (NC-NET). 

Tech Prep Leadership
In the past decade, Tech Prep has emerged as a catalyst for whole-school reform. Tech Prep motivates, focuses, and empowers young people to achieve success in rigorous academics and technical skills. CORD champions Tech Prep initiatives through: 

• Leadership of the National Tech Prep Network—a membership organization for educators and employers involved in Tech Prep programs  
• National conferences on Tech Prep and education-employer partnerships
• Tech Prep regional workshops on career pathways
• Program evaluation
• Customized technical assistance

Leading Change
CORD leads change in education through the efforts of a professional staff that includes former teachers and administrators, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, biologists, technology specialists, curriculum designers, and communication specialists. For more than 26 years we have partnered with educators at local, state, and national levels to develop collaborative initiatives from which a broad majority of students and teachers may benefit. For example, CORD has: 

• Partnered with consortia from all 50 states to develop a series of contextual academic courses in math and science for secondary school students.
• Trained thousands of teachers from the United States and 10 other countries in contextual teaching and learning strategies.
• Managed two national industry skill standard projects and a national technology reinvestment project.
• Developed dozens of advanced technology curricula and extensive training materials for postsecondary institutions and industry.
• Established networks for educational improvement and innovation, including the National Tech Prep Network and the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers.

Funding Sources
CORD receives financial support for its projects from government agencies, corporations, and foundations. Past funders have included: 

• U.S. Department of Education
• Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• National Science Foundation
• U.S. Navy
• State departments of education, including Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas
• AT&T Foundation
• Lucent Technologies Foundation
• Caterpillar Inc.
• The Boeing Company
• Sony Electronics