This project examines organizational approaches for improving high school career and technical education perceptions, and how Career and Technical Education (CTE), formerly known as vocational educations, came to fruition. The paper begins with a review of literature that examines the history of CTE, and makes the case that the needs for technical training is stronger today, even though support for career trade education in high schools is weak. The project researches two organization development change theories: Appreciative Inquiry (AI), and Open Space Technology, and makes recommendations for their use in bringing families, educators, organizational management, and politicians together to work on possibilities to close the skills gap- and by doing so, narrow the achievement gap. Based on the information that emerged, a model was developed to recommend targeted Appreciative Inquiry gathers to find new possibilities for CTE. This paper recommends that these meetings use the best of AI and Open Space Technology to organized and execute an Open Space Technology style summit to put together positive substantial changes that could change the perceptions of - and improve the viability of - career and technical education in high schools.