CTU CPS CTE Conference 2026
Building Pathways to Student Success: CTU Foundation Quest Center Hosts CPS CTE Conference
On Thursday, September 10, 2026, the CTU Foundation Quest Center for Professional Learning hosted the 2026–27 CPS Early College and Career & Career and Technical Education (CTE) Conference, bringing hundreds of Chicago Public Schools educators together for a full day focused on strengthening college and career pathways for students.
The conference represented the growing partnership between Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the CTU Foundation Quest Center to provide meaningful, relevant professional learning for CPS CTE educators.
CTE Educators had a full day of learning and collaboration at their Union Hall. In the morning, they were able to choose between two sessions with presentations from Michael Moriarty, CTUF Quest Center, Career Pathways Coordinator, “The Curriculum Workbench: Career Focused Lesson Planning.” Morgan Chase, CPS CTE Systems Director, presented “Breaking the Mold: A Liberatory Approach to Career and Technical Education Funding” with more sessions from the College Board, Junior Achievement, and Roadmap.
After the morning sessions, the CTE Educators were provided lunch on behalf of the generous donation from the Chicago Workforce Funder Alliance (CWFA) and the Children and Teachers Foundation of the CTU. Thank you to Adrian Esquivel for sharing about CWFA’s continued support for career and technical education programming throughout the City of Chicago.
During lunch, Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates led an impactful discussion about the direct relationship between education funding disparities and the resources, opportunities, and support available to students. The conversation highlighted how inadequate and inequitable funding forces students and schools to compete for essential resources, including qualified educators, classroom materials, enrichment programs, and student support services. With the state funding public education at only 70% of its recommended level, Illinois schools continue to face significant challenges in meeting the diverse needs of their CTE students. The discussion underscored the importance of sustained investment in public education, equitable funding, and collective advocacy to ensure every student has access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, regardless of their ZIP code or socioeconomic background.
In the afternoon, Industry Certifications & SchooLinks was the focus with the increasingly important role of industry credentials in documenting student achievement. Educators learned how to accurately track and enter certifications, maintain clean credential data, and ensure students receive recognition for the skills they have earned.
The conference also put into practice key provisions of the 2024–2028 CTU-CPS Collective Bargaining Agreement, particularly Article 18, Career and Technical Education Teachers. Article 18-17 establishes four quarterly CTE professional development days and calls for CPS and the Union to collaboratively plan their content. The agreement specifically identifies technical skill advancement, work-based learning, district initiatives, and opportunities for CTE educators to share best practices as areas for professional learning.
By bringing CTE teachers together across CPS, and connecting their work to advanced academics, industry certifications, team-based challenges, work-based learning, career exploration, and postsecondary opportunities, we helped create space for educators to strengthen the connections that matter most to students.
The work continues throughout the school year, but on September 10, CPS CTE educators came together to take another important step toward building those pathways together.