Schools & Districts Resources

• Career Academy Support Network
  A network that supports the growth of small learning communities and career academies. CASN collects and publishes data on how SLC's and career academies are performing.
• National Academy Foundation
  An organization sustaining a national network of over 500 career academies organized as small learning communities.
• California Partnership Academies
  Over 300 career-themed high school academies in California that focus on integrating academic and career education by establishing business partnerships with the community.

Planning & Evaluation

• College and Career Readiness Framework (PDF, 2.1 MB)
  This second draft of ConnectEd's College and Career Framework provides a clear summary and synthesis of over two decades of research into what students should know and be able to do upon graduation for post-secondary success. This Framework is intended for use by teachers, schools and districts, as well as researchers and policymakers, to help inform decisions around assessment, accountability, curriculum, instruction, professional development, program design and resource allocation. This Framework, while widely applicable, is especially important for those pursuing Linked Learning as a secondary reform strategy. The Framework's primary author is Svetlana Darche of WestEd. For more information, please contact Brad Stam at bstam@connectedcalifornia.org and Svetlana Darche at sdarche@wested.org. Download the Executive Summary here. 
• Learning and Teaching Framework
  This ConnectEd Framework defines key characteristics of student and adult learning and teaching practice within Linked Learning pathways and illustrates how these characteristics might be observed in the behaviors of teachers and learners, both inside and beyond the classroom.
• Communities of Practice Continuum
  Collaborative teams in Linked Learning pathways can use ConnectEd’s Communities of Practice Continuum to understand the design of high quality, outcome-aligned performance tasks and units of instruction and the create of a collaborative culture of continuous improvement; to assess current status as learning-focused community of practice; to set specific goals; to reflect on progress and the results of their efforts; and to identify support needs.
• Linked Learning in Pasadena: Creating a Collaborative Culture for Sustainable District Reform
  Stanford’s Center for Opportunity Policy in Education’s case study gives an up-close look at how Pasadena Unified School district is implementing reform for equity and quality through ConnectEd’s Linked Learning District Initiative.
• Linked Learning in Porterville: Creating Capacity for Innovation and Change through Collaborative Leadership and Community Engagement
  Stanford’s Center for Opportunity Policy in Education’s case study describes how Porterville Unified School District, a rural school district in California’s Central Valley, began to fulfill its vision to transform high school and career education through the implementation of Linked Learning.
• Linked Learning in Sacramento: Organizing the District and Community for Sustainable Reform
  Stanford’s Center for Opportunity Policy in Education’s new case study looks at how district leaders in Sacramento are implementing Linked Learning in their high schools.
• Distributive Leadership in District Reform: A Model for Taking Linked Learning to Scale (PDF, 137 KB)
  This four-page brief by the School Redesign Network at Stanford University provides information on this shared leadership approach, which can help provide sustainable change in schools and districts.
• Guide to Building a Broad-Based Coalition: Supporting the Development and Sustainability of a System of Pathways (PDF, 105 KB)
  This step-by-step Guide will help communities conceptualize and form a Broad-Based Coalition that will mature over time and ultimately assume primary responsibility for sustaining a system of high quality pathways.
• Planning Guide for Career Academies (PDF, 518 KB)
  A comprehensive guide for successfully starting a career academy.
• Academy Planning Guide (PDF, 123 KB)
  National Academy Foundation’s detailed guide for developing an academy.
• Self Assessment Guide (PDF, 208 KB)
  A checklist and scoring summary to indicate how well a Small Learning Community or Career Academy performs within nationally defined criteria for implementation.
• Criteria for Linked Learning Pathway Quality Review and Continuous Improvement (PDF, 175 KB)
  These criteria are intended to serve multiple purposes. For pathway team members involved in the pathway quality review process, they serve as a guide to build, improve, and sustain high quality pathways. For others – educational leaders, industry and postsecondary partners, policymakers, and community members – they serve to deepen understanding by describing the elements of a high quality pathway.
• Rubric for Linked Learning Pathway Quailty Review and Continuous Improvement (PDF, 280 KB)
  Developed by ConnectEd, this rubric describes varying levels of development for a pathway. Schools and districts can use this tool as a guide for developing improvement plans.
• Steps To Building and Maintaining a Large Business Partner Base For a Career Academy
  A resource for developing and maintaining business partners.
• Alliance for Education Academy (PDF, 413 KB)
  A resource for developing a small learning community, from the planning stage to evaluation and assessment.
• Establishing Partnerships Academy Steering Committee
  A resource for developing an academy steering committee.
• Career Tech Education (PDF, 9.81 MB)
  California’s framework for career technical education.