Date/Time: November 5, 2026 | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Room: SKAGIT 4

Abstract: This session explores how Career Technical Education (CTE) can serve as a catalytic framework to transform traditional campuses into dynamic learning ecosystems.

Using Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California, as a case study, presenters will highlight how strategic programming decisions can organize a campus around diverse learning environments rather than singular classroom types. Legacy music programs, general education, and new CTE classrooms are intentionally linked through proximity, shared adjacencies, and complementary learning zones that support both conventional instruction and informal collaboration. Hands-on maker environments, flexible classrooms, and Industry-standard CTE technology are interwoven to create a network of learning spaces where students can move fluidly between formal instruction, hands-on experimentation, and interdisciplinary exploration.

The session features District leadership from the Inglewood Unified School District and design team members in a candid discussion about the cultural, political, and strategic decisions behind reconstructing a historic campus while preparing students for evolving career pathways. Panelists will share how adaptable spaces, shared specialized environments, and expandable learning areas can create resilient frameworks that allow programs to evolve with industry and community needs.

Participants will gain insight into how integrating CTE as connective infrastructure can transform constraints into opportunities by linking heritage and innovation, academics and industry, and campus and community. The resulting learning environments inspire creativity, collaboration, and future-ready thinking.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify strategies for integrating CTE environments into a comprehensive campus framework that supports interdisciplinary learning.
2. Recognize how programming and spatial planning shape campus culture, allowing new environments to amplify existing traditions.
3. Evaluate design approaches that create flexible, multi-functional learning environments, including shared specialized spaces, adaptable classrooms, and informal collaboration zones.
4. Apply lessons from the Inglewood High School case study to balance legacy identity with forward-looking educational models when planning or modernizing school campuses.