Dr. Mark Covelle's Bio
Dr. Mark Covelle is the Administrative Director of Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT), where he leads efforts to reimagine career and technical education (CTE) for student success. MBIT serves four Bucks County school districts and offers 21 career programs across five career clusters, helping students gain real-world skills and multiple postsecondary pathways.
A former high school English teacher and educational leader, Dr. Covelle holds degrees from Boston College, Wilkes University, and Lehigh University, and earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Drexel University. A national speaker and host of the aMBITious podcast, he advocates for modern CTE that connects students to purpose, builds technical and employability skills, and prepares them for careers, advanced training, or college.
Mark says that interest in CTE has surged post-COVID because hands-on, authentic learning could not be replicated online. The skilled trades gap has added further momentum nationally.
He notes that in CTE, students practice — they work on real brakes, deploy real safety equipment, and build real things. Traditional classrooms more often ask students to pretend. Kids know the difference, and it affects their engagement.
His school serves 1,000 students across 21 career programs and issued over 1,500 industry-recognized credentials last year — roughly 1.5 per student. These credentials are portable, tangible evidence of skill beyond a transcript.
Business and industry partners tell Mark the biggest gaps in young workers are persistence (stalling when stuck), communication, and general professionalism. MBIT grades students on employability weekly — resumes, interviewing, professional conduct, and workplace interaction are all part of the curriculum.
Mark believes that every K-12 school should have an internship program. Students need professional feedback at 18, not 24. Even virtual or industry-problem-based experiences count. Getting that feedback earlier — with educator support — changes outcomes.
Mark and TJ discuss how authentic problems can live in any classroom. An English problem-solution paper can be drawn from a real local business challenge. A student who needs math to complete an engineering project will learn that math. Purpose drives motivation.
Mark tells a story about involving students in school branding. MBIT's "ambition" identity came from a student who noticed MBIT sits inside the word ambition. It became a neon lobby sign, a podcast, and a school-wide hashtag — and it stuck because students created it.
Mark's closing message: authenticity matters. Authentic learning builds trust, persistence, and a positive relationship with school — the skills employers say are missing most.
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