Watch the recording from May 18, 2026
Presented by Nina Walls, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director, Rockingham County Schools (NC); Tim Taylor, Co-Founder and President, America Succeeds; and Chris Minnich, CEO, MetaMetrics
Moderated by Brad Baumgartner, Chief Growth Officer, Edmentum
Sponsored by Edmentum
Today’s students cannot afford a college and career readiness system that starts too late, remains siloed for core academics, or treats tangible postsecondary success planning as an add-on. Too often, districts are asking students to navigate a future that schools have not fully prepared them to enter. The challenge is not whether students should be college ready or career ready; it is whether K–12 systems are giving every learner the academic foundation, durable skills, and real-world exposure they need to build a future that fits.
In this edLeader Panel, explore what it takes to move from fragmented initiatives to a comprehensive college and career readiness strategy that works across K–12. Panelists share practical examples from a district perspective and discuss how to connect core curricula, CTE, and durable skills into a coherent student experience. In addition, they examine how reading, math, and other foundational skills can be embedded into career-connected learning, so students are not just informed about their options, but prepared to pursue them.
This conversation also tackles the policy and funding realities shaping the work. State and district leaders are under growing pressure to align programs with evolving accountability systems, workforce priorities, and college access expectations. Viewers learn how to build local programs that advance state objectives, how to design implementation that is both scalable and durable, and how to enroll and excite learners.
Key learning outcomes:
- Understand the essential elements of a comprehensive college and career readiness program across K–12
- Learn how to integrate core academics, CTE, and durable skills into a connected and relevant student pathway
- Identify strategies to influence key stakeholders and align local implementation with state policy, funding, and accountability goals
This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K–12 school leaders, district leaders, education technology leaders, school counselors, and CTE directors.
About the Presenters
Nina Walls serves as the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director for Rockingham County Schools, where she provides strategic leadership for districtwide CTE programming aligned to workforce needs and student success outcomes. In this role, Nina oversees the development and implementation of high-quality career pathways, supports instructional improvement, and manages federal and state CTE initiatives, including Perkins funding. With a strong focus on college and career readiness, Nina works collaboratively with school leaders, career development coordinators, and community partners to expand access to work-based learning opportunities, including internships, pre-apprenticeships, and registered apprenticeships. She has been instrumental in strengthening partnerships with local businesses and industry, community colleges, and workforce development agencies to ensure students graduate with relevant skills and industry-recognized credentials. Nina is committed to expanding equitable access to CTE programs and ensuring all students, including special populations, are prepared for postsecondary education and high-demand careers. Her work continues to support innovative programming that connects classroom learning to real-world experiences.
Tim Taylor is the Co-founder and President of America Succeeds and a leading national voice on durable skills in education and the workforce. He launched Pathsmith™, an employer-informed, durable skills framework now used across K-12, higher education, and workforce systems to make skills more visible, measurable, and actionable. Tim brings together research, policy, and cross-sector partnerships to align learning with real workforce demand, working closely with state leaders, employers, and education institutions to advance economic mobility. He is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, serves on the X Prize Brain Trust for Learning & Society, and has been named one of Getting Smart’s “60 People Shaping the Future of K-12 Education.” He speaks regularly to education and business audiences at venues including NAAIC, SXSW EDU, ASU+GSV, the National Governors Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
As CEO of MetaMetrics, Chris Minnich brings extensive experience spanning state policy, large-scale assessment, and edtech innovation. He has led national efforts to improve academic standards, modernize assessment systems, and strengthen accountability, including previous leadership roles at NWEA, HMH, and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Chris is a nationally recognized voice on the urgent need for a universal measurement system to address the reading and math crisis in the United States. He speaks compellingly about why solving this challenge does not require more testing, but rather better, more connected measurement that places student ability, material complexity, and growth on a single, objective scale, regardless of shifting proficiency standards across states. Chris is also a sought-after speaker on topics such as aligning interim and summative assessments, using data to close opportunity gaps, and connecting foundational reading and math skills to long-term outcomes in college, career, and life.
About the Moderator
Brad Baumgartner serves as Edmentum’s Chief Growth Officer. Prior to joining Edmentum, Brad served as CEO of MetaMetrics and CEO and President at BookNook, where, under his leadership, the high-impact tutoring company expanded growth and reach to impact more students. Prior to his chief executive roles, he held strategy, operations, and sales leadership roles at Learnosity, Questar Assessment, and Ellucian. Brad is driven by a deep-seated belief that every learner has a right to high-quality education and the support they need to be successful. Brad’s entire career has been devoted to the edtech field, including K–12, higher education, and corporate learning roles both domestically and internationally. Brad’s long record of success in the education space includes successfully building and scaling companies from $20M to $130M in revenue and from 90 to 270 employees. Brad’s leadership approach centers on the concept of empowering people and supporting their personal and professional growth.
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