On Beyond the Box, host Dr. Ronald G. Taylor sits down with Brooke Martin, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Aldine ISD in Houston, Texas. Brooke shares what it takes to lead CTE at a massive scale, serving more than 20,000 students across 45+ programs, while still building coherence, quality instruction, and equitable access to real career pathways.

This conversation explores the unique challenge of aligning Texas standards with fast-moving industry demands, why strong vendor partners can expand access (especially for specialized student populations), and how Aldine’s $32M HEAL initiative, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Memorial Hermann, reimagines healthcare pathways through immersive, hospital-connected learning. Brooke also shares how Aldine supports multilingual learners and new industry-based teachers through cross-department collaboration.

Key Moments

03:08 Scaling coherence across 45+ CTE programs

03:42 Bridging TEKS and industry expectations

04:39 Partnering directly with industry leaders

07:03 Using ICEV to support diverse CTE classrooms

07:58 Expanding CTE access for specialized campuses

08:54 Inside the HEAL healthcare high school model

10:01 Designing multiple health science pathways

10:51 Memorial Hermann hospital-based learning

12:06 Breaking down the $32M HEAL investment

12:46 Cross-curricular alignment with healthcare metrics

14:35 Supporting multilingual learners in CTE

15:18 Training industry-hired teachers for classroom success

Why You’ll Love This Episode

This episode offers a powerful look at what CTE leadership really requires at scale. Brooke explains how to align standards, certifications, equipment, and real-world application without losing instructional coherence.

You’ll also gain insight into how large initiatives like HEAL are built through collaboration, clear purpose, and strong partnerships. If you’re leading CTE, expanding career pathways, or thinking about how to better connect learning to workforce readiness, this conversation delivers practical strategies and inspiration.

Connect with Brooke Martin | Executive Director of CTE
Aldine ISD
Website: https://www.aldineisd.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-martin-b0873111

Connect with Dr. Ronald G. Taylor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ronald-taylor-59999981/

NovoDia
Website: https://www.novodia.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/novodiaed/

About Beyond the Box
Beyond the Box is the podcast where district leaders share how they are customizing curriculum to better serve teachers and students, and how they are filling gaps in boxed programs to ensure alignment and consistency.

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