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Data in Action: A Bright Spot in Los Angeles and a Call to the Field

August 28, 2025 | Haley Steinhauser

As California rolls out the Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP), a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine education and career preparation, the Linked Learning Alliance urges everyone involved to understand this: Data is essential.

For nearly two decades, the Linked Learning movement has been rooted in evidence, not just to meet accountability requirements, but to illuminate what works for students and drive continuous improvement.

From independent evaluations to certification rubrics, data has guided our path to quality implementation that leads to positive student outcomes: college-bound credits earned, on-time graduation, enrollment and persistence in postsecondary, career-relevant credentials.

Now, as the state invests $470 million into pathways that integrate college and career learning, we have a fresh imperative to sharpen and expand the pursuit of clear, actionable, connected student data.

Why? The sweeping size, scope, and aims of the GSPP call us to do more than pathways. We must also ensure these pathways make a measurable difference for students today and the workforce of the future.

Districts Collaborate on Data in Los Angeles

Earlier this month, the Linked Learning Alliance convened three school districts at the forefront of this work: Los Angeles Unified School District, Pasadena Unified School District, and Antelope Valley Union High School District. Together, these school systems are launching a regional data pilot project, rooted in partnership, trust, and a shared goal of improving student outcomes.

These districts, all long-time leaders in Linked Learning implementation, came together not just to share numbers, but to ask bold, foundational questions:

  • What data truly reflects student success in Linked Learning pathways?
  • How can we align our collection methods to tell a stronger, more meaningful story?
  • What role should qualitative insights play in helping us understand the student experience?
  • How might we tag and parse data to explore the interplay of specific program elements, e.g., CTE, work-based learning, dual enrollment, and more.

This pilot is a bright spot, and a space where districts aren’t just complying with state expectations, but co-creating the future of data-informed practice.

From Questions to Collective Action

What’s happening in LA is just one example. In several California communities, the Alliance is supporting GSPP Technical Assistance Centers (RTACs) as they help participating school communities dig deeper into what we measure, why it matters, and how it connects to student outcomes.

This moment calls us to move beyond compliance checkboxes and into a new era of collaborative evidence building—one where data helps us both prove and improve the worth of this work.

Be Part of the Movement

The Alliance is proud to champion data-driven practice in the GSPP school communities touched by the RTACs we directly support, but we know that the success of this program as intended calls for scale.

Join us at the Linked Learning Conference 2025 to continue these conversations and progress. Share your data journey. Learn from others. And help shape the next chapter of career-integrated together. Let’s turn data into action, and action into impact.