CLNA Strategy Lab™ · In collaboration with ACTE
Your CLNA Deserves More Than a Checkbox.
Turn your Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment into a strategic roadmap for CTE — shaped by the students, families, and business partners you serve.
We turn what sets you apart into enrollment, workforce, and community support — for school districts, technical and community colleges, and the organizations that serve them.
The CLNA Strategy Lab™ is available to ACTE members through a collaboration with the Association for Career and Technical Education.
As part of this collaboration, ACTE members have access to:
Priority scheduling: ACTE member districts receive priority placement on the facilitation calendar.
Free CLNA readiness self-assessment: A short diagnostic tool ACTE can distribute to members that helps CTE Directors evaluate how prepared their district is for the next CLNA cycle — and where a structured engagement process could strengthen their approach.
Educational webinar: A free, ACTE-hosted webinar led by Rhodes Branding on Sept. 16 at 11:00 a.m. EST on how to run a more strategic CLNA stakeholder engagement process. Register here
Why Most CLNAs Fall Short
District leaders often tell us the CLNA process feels disconnected from real decision-making.
Common challenges include:
- Stakeholder feedback that is too general to guide strategy
- Surveys that surface symptoms rather than root causes
- Conversations that generate ideas but not implementation priorities
- Documentation that satisfies compliance but doesn't drive change
When the process stops there, the CLNA becomes a reporting requirement rather than a planning tool.
The CLNA Strategy Lab™ is designed to change that.
Our Approach
Four Stages of the CLNA Strategy Lab
The CLNA Strategy Lab™ is a facilitated workshop that helps districts move through four critical stages:
Listen to Stakeholders
Gather authentic input from students, families, educators, administrators, and employers.
Diagnose System Barriers
Use data and stakeholder insight to identify the structural conditions affecting access, awareness, and outcomes.
Design Potential Solutions
Apply design thinking methods to generate practical strategies and interventions.
Prioritize Strategic Actions
Identify the initiatives that will have the greatest impact over the next two years.
Instead of ending with a list of ideas, districts leave with clear priorities and next steps.
Inside the Workshop
What Happens During the CLNA Strategy Lab™
Story Circles
Surface lived experiences and perceptions of CTE from diverse stakeholders.
World Café Conversations
Explore what's working, where improvements are needed, and where programs could expand.
Gallery Walk Data Dialogue
Engage stakeholders with real district data related to access, awareness, work-based learning, labor market alignment, and program participation.
Stakeholder Breakouts
Allow specific groups (students, educators, employers, families) to analyze issues from their perspective.
Design Thinking Lab
Turn challenges into testable solutions using Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype.
Prioritization Exercises
Identify the strategies most likely to drive meaningful progress.
Proven in the Field
Built by CTE Leaders. Tested in Real Districts.
The CLNA Strategy Lab™ has been shaped by CTE Directors who have personally led the CLNA process in their own districts and refined through real-world facilitation.
Dr. Russell L. Parker
Career & Technical Education Director
Gaston County Schools
Deliverables
What Districts Walk Away With
A Structured Stakeholder Engagement Session
A professionally facilitated workshop designed to surface honest insights.
Compliance-Ready Documentation
Artifacts that support Perkins V CLNA reporting requirements.
Clear Strategic Priorities
A prioritized list of initiatives to guide the district's two-year CTE plan.
A Post-Workshop Summary
A synthesis of stakeholder feedback, key findings, and recommended next steps.
Why Districts Partner With Rhodes Branding
Rhodes Branding is a strategic branding and marketing firm that works exclusively with organizations in the K–12 education space.
Our work focuses on helping districts strengthen enrollment, workforce pathways, and community understanding of education programs.
The CLNA Strategy Lab™ builds on years of experience working alongside CTE leaders across the country to improve how districts engage stakeholders and communicate the value of career pathways.
Get Started
Ready to Rethink Your CLNA?
If your next CLNA cycle is approaching, now is the time to plan for meaningful engagement — not just compliance. Let's talk about how the CLNA Strategy Lab™ could support your district's planning process.
