Your source for news about the Linked Learning field.                        Vol. 3 Issue 9/ June 2013                     Follow us on Twitter  Like us on Facebook
in this issue
Linked Learning and the 2013 State Budget
Career Pathways State Fund would expand work-based and Linked Learning opportunities for CA students
Legislation with potential to impact Linked Learning in 2013
Spotlight: Systematically expanding work-based learning opportunities for students in San Diego
LAUSD School Board approves resolution rooted in Linked Learning approach to advance students' college and career readiness
New resource released from UCLA/IDEA supports quality implementation of Linked Learning
 
upcoming events
  

June 11; 1:00 - 2:00pm (PT)  

Linked Learning:  A Discussion Model for High School Redesign, webinar

 

June 15

Deadline for Legislative approval of the budget 

 

June 21
CSBA Golden Bell Award Submission Deadline

  

June 25

  

June 25-27
Linked Learning District Initiative District Leadership Series Summer Institute hosted by ConnectEd & SCOPE, Palo Alto

  

July 10-12
 

resources

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CSBA announces 2013 Golden Bell Awards: Call for entries now open

 

Entries are now being accepted by the California School Boards Association (CSBA)for the 2013 CSBA Golden Bell Awards program that promotes excellence in education and school board governance. This year's program includes a new Linked Learning category. Videos to accompany applications are welcome. Entries are due by Friday, June 21. Visit the CSBA Golden Bell Awards website for entry specifications, selection criteria and category descriptions, or contact Teri Burns for more information at 916-669-3356.

 
editors

Emily Galbreth, Strategic Communications Manager, Linked Learning Alliance
 
Hilary McLeanDeputy Director, Linked Learning Alliance

 



Got grad photos? Share your photos of Linked Learning graduations throughout California! We'd love to use them on our site and in social media to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Linked Learning approach and the work you do every day. Email [email protected]

FEATURED POST

Linked Learning and the 2013 State Budget

Christopher Cabaldon, Executive Director, Linked Learning Alliance

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We are still on an adrenaline rush from our biggest-ever Linked Learning Alliance Convening. More than 250 Linked Learning partners and advocates attended, all of whom are invested in preparing California's high school students for college, career, and successful futures. Many of the convening participants represent districts and county offices of education that are in the new state Linked Learning Pilot Program. The Alliance is poised to provide ongoing supports and share resources to help as districts, employers and community leaders in the pilot sites work to take Linked Learning to scale district- and region-wide. Thanks to everyone who attended or sent a colleague to the convening. Your participation helped to make this event a success. You can check out our photo album from the convening here.

 

State Budget & Local Control Funding Formula

 

Our session on school funding was one of the most well-attended at the convening, which makes sense since the proposed Local Control Funding Formula would radically change the way school funds are disbursed in California. This concept is gaining traction among policymakers, and gained momentum when the Governor's May Revision of his proposed 2013-14 state budget included a $4.5 billion increase in state's tax revenues. Most of the surplus revenues must be allocated to K-14 education under Proposition 98, although it is important to note that a large portion of the funds are one-time in nature. The Governor has made two major proposals for the bulk of the new money:

  • $1.9 billion to increase the base per-pupil allocation in  the Local Control Funding Formula, and
  • $1 billion for implementation of Common Core which includes one-time dollars for professional development, instructional materials, and technology. 

The Senate and the Assembly advanced versions of the Governor's Local Control Funding Formula proposal, with the same basic structure and essentially the same overall funding level.  The Senate's version includes accountability requirements aligned to the state Career and Technical Education (CTE) standards and carves out regional occupational centers, agricultural vocational education, and the California Partnership Academies, for possible inclusion in a quasi-block grant. The Assembly's version does not carve out CTE but does maintain an element in the Governor's proposal to provide extra funding for schools with high concentrations of students in poverty. The Senate's version does not include this element. Although the differences between the three plans are significant, the endorsement by all three main budget actors of the concept and basic features makes the eventual incorporation of the Local Control Funding Formula into the final budget likely. And, the deadline for legislative adoption of the 2013-14 state budget is June 15.

 

The Linked Learning field is on track to continue making great progress towards ensuring more students are prepared for college, career and life. 
 

The California Senate, with the leadership of pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, is proposing that $250 million be allocated from the budget to develop the state's capacity for delivering work-based learning at scale through the California Career Pathways State Fund. High quality work-based learning - a core component of the Linked Learning approach -  is an effective strategy for engaging students. It's also an excellent way to enhance student mastery of the Common Core State Standards, as it can activate the content and skills expected of students through their application to real world experiences.

 

  WBL Budget Image

 

This item in the Senate Budget has the potential to impact the Linked Learning field across the state. Many resources exist for you to learn more about why work-based learning is such a vital investment for college and career success, and what the California Career Pathways State Fund could mean for Linked Learning districts. You may:

Legislation with potential to impact Linked Learning in 2013

 

Three bills with potential impact for the Linked Learning approach and moving forward in the legislature currently are:

  • SB 594 (Steinberg): Career Pathways/Work-Based Learning.  This bill appropriates $250 Million from the 2013-14 general fund for the creation of the Career Pathways State Revolving Fund. Start-up funds would, in part, be drawn from budget savings due to Enterprise Zone reforms. And it establishes the California Career Pathway State Investment Committee as the body for allocating funds. The California Career Pathways State Fund would be used to fund grants and loans, and to repay workforce development bonds to fund career pathways operated by a business entity and local educational agency, community college district, or consortium thereof. Priority for funds would be given to programs serving students in school districts with high dropout rates and school or college districts with unemployment rates higher than the state average, in order to support workforce development and high school completion in those areas. You can see the new text of the bill here, or read more about it on the Linked Learning Legislation page
  • AB 547 (Salas): This bill, sponsored by the California Department of Education and Children Now, clarifies that certain career-related activities can be funded using After-School Safety & Enrichment for Teens dollars.
  • SB 118 (Lieu): This workforce investment board bill creates the Industry Sector Initiative and also clarifies the purposes and roles of workforce programs in career pathways and sector partnerships.

For the most current legislative update, visit the Linked Learning Alliance website here

Spotlight: Systematically expanding work-based learning opportunities for students in San Diego

 

A few years ago, San Diego Unified School District was home to the first two Linked Learning Certified Pathways in the state, including the school of Digital Media and Design (DMD) and the Stanley E. Foster Construction Tech Academy at the Kearny High Educational Complex. The early success of these initial pathways, created a groundswell of interest among other districts in the region to get involved in implementing Linked Learning pathways.

 

These districts - Carlsbad Unified School District, Escondido Union High School District, Grossmont Union High School District, Oceanside Unified School District and San Diego Unified School District - recognized the opportunity to work together to improve educational opportunities for their students through the Linked Learning approach. At the same time, San Diego business and community partners desired a systematic way to convene, connect and sustain community support of better educational outcomes for students. With this yearning came a genuine commitment from businesses to do something radically different to prepare students for life after high school.

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In partnership with ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, the five school districts garnered the enthusiastic commitment of the regional coalition of business and industry leaders to support a model of collective impact that relies on the Linked Learning approach, and is solidified in the Linked Learning San Diego Consortium. These districts and business leaders are dedicated to improving student achievement and better preparing students for college and career through the Linked Learning approach as part of the Linked Learning Pilot Program.

  

The business and industry coalition includes the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the San Diego Workforce Partnership. This coalition will be able to provide information about the San Diego regional labor market, industry and businesses operating in San Diego County, and help the partnering schools and districts make connections and deepen engagement with businesses. The employer partners in the Linked Learning San Diego Consortium will also help provide professional development opportunities in business and industry settings to help teachers prepare to teach Linked Learning classes; support schools and districts in the development of their Linked Learning programs; and provide work-based learning opportunities for students so they can develop the professional skills that businesses need in their employees.

  

The Linked Learning San Diego Consortium, in ongoing collaboration with ConnectEd, has committed to ensuring that Linked Learning is available to approximately 50% of the region's student population, or 40,000 students, by 2018.

  

Young people are inspired and motivated when they see the relevance of what they are learning. The Linked Learning San Diego Consortium will ensure that more students in the region will know how what they learn in school applies in real professions because they will be partnering with real professionals.

LAUSD School Board approves resolution rooted in Linked Learning approach to advance students' college and career readiness
 

In May, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Board unanimously approved a resolution to expand students' access to work-based learning by requiring vendors that get contracts from LAUSD to offer high-quality work-based learning opportunities for students through the Linked Learning approach. Currently, LAUSD purchases goods and services from over 9,000 vendors that did not, previous to this resolution, offer work-based learning opportunities to students. 

 

Recognizing that community groups across the state play an important role in helping to identify and create reform efforts like this, the resolution was proposed by the Alliance for a Better Community, a community-based organization and a Linked Learning Alliance member. The passage of this Linked Learning resolution marks a significant milestone for the Linked Learning field. And the strategy can be a model for other districts and school boards to replicate as they take Linked Learning to scale in their communities.
 
LAUSD was selected to participate in the state Linked Learning Pilot ProgramThe LAUSD Linked Learning initiative has expanded from eight to 14 high schools this school year, with a total of 22 career-themed pathways. Read more about the resolution here
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New resource released from UCLA/IDEA supports quality implementation of Linked Learning  

   

 

As part of our ongoing efforts to share information and resources that can help expand and improve Linked Learning opportunities for students in California, the Linked Learning Alliance is pleased to highlight a new publication issued by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access titled, Linked Learning: A Guide to Making High School Work.

 

The release of this valuable resource comes at an opportune time as the field works together to support quality implementation of Linked Learning as a district-wide strategy in 63 districts and consortia that are part of the Linked Learning Pilot Program

 

At the same time we are working to build support for Linked Learning on a regional scale across the state. This explosive growth will result in the development of a diverse range of pathways and support networks. Yet, the ultimate benefit for students depends on leaders in the field ensuring fidelity to the fundamental elements that make Linked Learning effective at preparing young people for college and career.

 

Based on a study of 10 high school sites across California, this guidebook provides educators, employers, policymakers, and others with a solid launching point for their Linked Learning work. We hope you will find this resource useful in your efforts to systemically expand Linked Learning opportunities in your community so that all students may graduate ready for college and career.