‘Linked Learning’ gives high school students hands-on, real-world career training

Under the watchful eye of Marin County prosecutor Otis Bruce, Jr., De Anza High School senior Angelina Quilic, 18, stepped confidently to the podium in her law academy class and fired questions at her witness, classmate Kofi Asante, 17.

Bruce coached Angelina on her line of questioning, reminding her to get to the point quickly.

“Then, bam,” he said. “No further questions.”

The Law Academy at De Anza High in Richmond is one of hundreds of programs throughout the state providing high school students with hands-on, real-world career training that ties in with what they’re learning in classes. So-called linked learning academies allow students to explore careers in law, health care, information technology, engineering, construction, education, the arts and more, before they graduate.

“Students who participate in linked learning academies attend classes at higher rates, they receive a higher GPA, they feel more connected, parents are more involved and the teachers express a higher satisfaction in their work than they do when teaching individual classes,” said Antioch school district Superintendent Donald Gill.

The programs, including 62 in the state that have been or are in the process of being certified for meeting established criteria, are growing in popularity among students, educators and businesses, as state and national leaders focus on giving teens the knowledge, skills and training they need today to fill high-priority jobs such as those in health care and technology. But some academics also caution that schools need to find the right balance between steering students toward specific career fields and providing them with a broad range of academic options.

A recent evaluation of nine districts statewide that pioneered linked learning programs over the past five years, including the Antioch, Oakland and West Contra Costa districts, shows that hands-on experiences linked to college and careers — especially when taught and mentored by professionals in their chosen field of work — helps energize many students and motivates them to graduate high school and go on to college. The study, funded by the James Irvine Foundation and conducted by SRI International’s Center for Education Policy, found that participating students had greater confidence in their life and career skills — goals of the state’s new Common Core education standards — than their peers in traditional high school classes.

East Side Union High in San Jose was among 60 districts that in 2011 joined a statewide Linked Learning Pilot program that has a statewide goal of providing career-themed educational opportunities to one-third of California’s high school students within the next five years.

The district has since partnered with Evergreen Valley College, San Jose State, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and local automotive companies such as Tesla and Honda to offer a transportation career pathway. Students get state-of-the-art technical training, along with rigorous academic courses that teach them business, accounting, management and entrepreneurial skills.

“We have students that have been hired at Capitol Honda, Stevens Creek Acura, Beshoff Mercedes, and two of our students work right here at Tesla in Fremont,” said teacher Sorin Neagu. “We have a very nice network. So, basically, this is their first job, right here in our garage.”

Some students go on to study engineering, others become automotive technicians and some pursue unrelated fields but still appreciate what they learned in the program.

“I’m hoping I can work and be a technician and eventually get a business degree and open up my own business,” said Anthony Avalos, an 18-year-old San Jose senior in the program, who said he enjoys taking apart engines. “It’s kind of like a puzzle. You have to really use your brain when you’re doing it, because you have to know where everything goes.”

The classes have been so successful in boosting graduation rates and students’ grades in the Antioch, West Contra Costa and Oakland districts that some schools require every student to choose a career pathway, or attend specialized schools such as Dozier-Libbey Medical High in Antioch and the Life Academy in Oakland, which both focus on health careers.

Academies at De Anza and Richmond high schools in the West Contra Costa district include three classes that are integrated around a career theme, such as English and social studies classes that focus some lessons on that theme, as well as an elective with hands-on learning opportunities, to make them more relevant and interconnected. For example, law academy student Krystalynn Williams, 17, of San Pablo, said she and her De Anza classmates learned about murder and the history of murder in their social studies class.

Teachers in the De Anza academies meet once a week to collaborate on lessons and talk about supporting their students, said Principal Bob Evans.

As a result, Evans said, most students are able to find a passion at school, instead of primarily those who are athletes or who are involved in performing arts. In addition, many linked learning programs offer students opportunities to earn college credits and vocational certificates while in high school, giving them a head start toward college and careers and the ability to earn a living wage while continuing their higher education.

David Stern, emeritus professor of education and director of the College & Career Academy Support Network at UC Berkeley, said student interest is key to the success of linked learning programs. In schools like De Anza, where 100 percent of students are required to choose a career pathway, it’s important to offer enough choices to satisfy students’ interests, he said.

“With regard to the limitation of choice, if a school goes ‘wall-to-wall,’ yes, I think that’s an issue,” he said. “So, a really important question facing a lot of the districts that are embracing this approach is, what’s the right percentage? No one actually knows. We’re witnessing history in the making here.”

However, he stressed that students are not necessarily expected to enter the fields they study. He also said schools can provide a balance of electives, including Advanced Placement courses, with careful scheduling, making linked learning programs appropriate for students at all levels of achievement.

Dan Reynolds, an English teacher in the medical and biotechnology academy at Mt. Diablo High in the Mt. Diablo district, said he agrees that linked learning provides great opportunities for teachers to collaborate, build small communities on campus and engage students with hands-on learning. But he also noted that the number of Advanced Placement and liberal arts electives has been reduced to make way for career-oriented classes.

“It means fewer band, photography and dance classes,” he said, adding that some funding earmarked to support academies at the school is slated to run out in the next few years.

The programs have proved so successful that just last week, the Atlantic Philanthropies and California Endowment announced a joint $12.2 million investment over three years in the Oakland school district’s health career programs. The investment will allow the academy to increase the number of participating students from 670 to 1,874 and expand the programs to middle schools.

“Certainly, I think California is probably ahead of the curve,” said Naomi Post, Atlantic’s program executive for children and youths. “It’s just extraordinary to come together with a common vision to really change the life trajectory of kids.”

The recent study found that on average, students in career pathways programs: were 5.2 percentage points more likely to remain in their district through 12th grade rather than transferring or dropping out; accumulated more credits in grades nine—11, showing they were more likely to be on track for graduation; and were more likely to be completing University of California and California State University admission curriculum requirements in the 10th grade.

Back at De Anza, Angelina, who is an aspiring attorney, said she and her classmates in the law academy are getting an introduction to the field, while networking with lawyers and judges and building public speaking skills. Her classmate, Kanai Anderson, a 16-year-old junior who commutes to De Anza from Oakland, said the law academy helps students understand issues from a variety of perspectives.

“Law academy changed my life,” he said. “It makes you look at the world with a different view. It opens your eyes.”

Theresa Harrington covers education. Reach her at 925-945-4764 or tharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/tunedtotheresa.