Empowered and motivated, just a couple of words to describe the emotions students felt after meeting and listening to Judge Thelton Henderson during his recent visit to Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco, California. On March 19, the renowned civil rights attorney and Federal court judge paid a visit to Thurgood Marshall to answer questions about his life and his career.

The event was part of the school’s law-themed credit recovery course, supported by the law firm, Farella Braun + Martel, and co-developed by ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career and Thurgood Marshall Social Studies teacher, William Sloan. This is the first time ConnectEd infused Linked Learning components into a student support program – providing opportunities for students outside of a traditional pathway. This innovative curriculum combines rigorous academics with law-themed technical education, while also incorporating work-based learning experiences.

The Linked Learning field is gaining momentum like never before. Dozens of schools and districts have committed to making Linked Learning a district-wide improvement strategy and are participating in the new AB 790 Linked Learning Pilot Program.

They join other schools and districts that have been implementing Linked Learning for years. Combined, they serve more than one third of the state's high school students. We want each of these students to have high quality Linked Learning experiences so they will be well prepared for college, career and life.

I hope you will consider joining us for the Linked Learning Alliance Spring 2013 Convening on Friday, April 26 in Sacramento.

How Linked Learning Pathways Can Mitigate Barriers to College and Career Access in Schools and Districts

As the Linked Learning high school reform initiative expands across California, the results of a two-year study by the Education Trust–West identifies promising practices in Linked Learning schools and districts. However, the study also notes variation in districtwide implementation of these best practices. The results of the study can be found in the new report released today titled, Expanding Access, Creating Options: How Linked Learning Pathways Can Mitigate Barriers to College and Career Access in Schools and Districts.

Last week the majority of California’s State Senators took a field trip to Long Beach Unified’s Cabrillo High School to get a closer look at its Linked Learning programs. Read the full article from the Cabinet Report summarizing the field trip and its importance for California’s Career Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Senator Bob Huff has shared a video on his YouTube channel about his experience during the Long Beach Unified field trip, stating that “the results are impressive.”

ConnectEd and the Los Angeles Small Schools Center invite you to explore the rewards of becoming a Linked Learning coach.

There are seven modules in the training series that include both in-person and online sessions. The first three modules are being offered this spring. Register today!

Spring 2013
Modules 1–3

April 15, 16, 17 — Los Angeles, CA
May 1, 2, 3 — Berkeley, CA

Download flyer and get details here!

During the past week, we debuted a new video! Superintendents and board members weigh in on the value of creating a system of support for Linked Learning pathways in their school districts.

Explore our Linked Learning library on YouTube.

Join us for an upcoming free webinar on March 7th from 3:30 to 5:00 pm (Pacific Time). The webinar will explore successful strategies for advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in clinical teacher preparation, including examples of STEM-rich elementary schools, middle school math and science teacher preparation, and High School Linked Learning partnership designs.

Presenters from California State University (CSU) include Carolyn Nelson, Dean, College of Education, CSU East Bay; Babette Benken, Associate Professor and Math Education Graduate Advisor, Mathematics and Statistics, CSU Long Beach; Jared Stallones, University Coordinator, Single Subject Credential Program, CSU Long Beach; and Nancy Farnan, College of Education, San Diego State University. They will be joined by Nader Imad Twal, Smaller Learning Communities & Linked Learning Project Director, Long Beach Unified School District; Arlene LaPlante, Director for the ConnectEd Network at ConnectEd, and Penni Hudis, Director, Pathway and Curriculum Development at ConnectEd.

Register for the webinar here!

Eight teacher preparation institutions in California are now actively preparing Linked Learning teachers, with the California State University Chancellor’s Office as a committed partner in the work.

These teacher preparation programs have created what we refer to as a Linked Learning Lens in their Single Subject (secondary) credential programs. That means they are integrating elements of Linked Learning into their curriculum. In many cases, these elements are not currently part of California’s teacher preparation standards, i.e., California’s Teacher Preparation Expectations (TPEs), including work-based learning, project-based learning, integrated curriculum, how to establish partnerships, and more (watch the video below to see the Teacher Prep program in action).

We recently published, Project-based math: beyond the textbook, on our blog. It featured a video highlighting project-based learning at Park Middle School in Antioch, CA. The program at Park Middle School was the feature of a recent news article in SI&A Cabinet Report, Teachers get hands-on instructing algebra to at risk middle school students.

One of the features we’re excited about on ConnectEd Studios is our Day in the Life channel. (Read more about ConnectEd Studios here). The channel provides a real-life glimpse into the working world of industry professionals, who describe their day-to-day work experiences and outline their college and career paths. Many teachers, work-based learning coordinators and other Linked Learning practitioners are already serving up this valuable college and career resource to their students.

We're kicking the winter launch off with Maurice Woods, a graphic designer and founder of the Inneract Project, which provides free design classes for inner-city youth. Maurice was a star basketball player but realized in college that he'd need to find a more permanent career path and decided to tap into his artistic skills.