Resource Library

To meet California’s demand for a more educated workforce, high schools must dramatically increase the number of students who graduate and graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in college and career. Yet disturbingly, few students graduate with the college-ready coursework needed to access our state’s public university system. This is especially true for low-income students and students of color, who are also disproportionately tracked into less rigorous “career education” courses. This report highlights these troubling trends and calls for a more integrated and equitable approach to college and career preparation—so that high school serves to open doors to both college and career options for all students.

Research, College & Career Readiness, Equity, Workforce Development

By combining academic and technical instruction, Linked Learning has proven to be a powerful approach to education—creating a relevant and engaging learning environment and, most importantly, preparing students with the range of 21st Century skills needed for success in college and career.

Despite the known benefits of Linked Learning, negative perceptions about career and technical education still exist. Shifting to this new paradigm requires more than redesigning school structures to incorporate Linked Learning pathways and legislating policies that provide needed resources. It also requires societal shifts in attitudes and beliefs.

This brief offers recommendations for classroom practices that will enable the effective integration of core academic and career technical subjects that can truly prepare students for college and career.

Research, Career-Technical Education, College & Career Readiness, Policy, Work-Based Learning

Portfolio defense is a key component of the curriculum, requiring students to demonstrate their academic achievement by defending their learning to a panel of teachers and students. This step-by-step guide explains how to set up portfolio defense at a school.

Curriculum & Instruction, College & Career Readiness, Going for Gold, Continuous Improvement

This brief presents findings from the Oakland Health Pathways Project (OHPP), a joint initiative of Oakland Unified School District, Alameda Health System, and Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. The initiative is designed to improve educational and long-term employment outcomes for youth of color in Oakland (Alameda County), California, while expanding and diversifying the local health care workforce. It applies Linked Learning, an approach to college and career preparation that combines classroom learning with real-world work experiences. This brief draws on interviews with key school and pathway personnel, as well as focus groups and surveys of participating students in their senior year, to describe the experiences of being enrolled in health pathways and the perceived impact of participation on college and career readiness.

Research, College & Career Readiness, Lessons Learned, Partnerships, Workforce Development, Continuous Improvement

What kind of leadership does the University of California most need to carry it into tomorrow? Which skills and experiences should the UC look for in a new president? What are the top issues facing today’s students and how should UC leadership address them?

Before commencing the search for the next President of the University of California, the University of California Regents requested observations and advice to inform the search process. The Linked Learning Alliance provided testimony at a public forum at the University of California, Los Angeles. Our remarks begin 46 minutes in.

Stories, College & Career Readiness, Postsecondary, Student Supports

This webinar from ConnectED shows how students do career research using their Day at Work video library and lesson plans from the Exploring College, Career, and Community Options (ECCCO) curriculum. These free resources help students explore their interests as well as potential jobs and careers, and require a relatively small lift for educators and parents in terms of access to technology.

Webinars, College & Career Readiness, Work-Based Learning

In the span of a few weeks, sweeping actions intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 across our nation have created unprecedented new educational realities for families, schools, and partners. Some of these realities are familiar but intensified; educators may find themselves taking on new roles, even serving students and families on the front lines of this crisis. Other realities may feel very different, full of opportunity to shift our systems in ways that previously seemed impossible. Listen to this webinar from ConnectED to learn more about ensuring equity during this unusual time.

Webinars, College & Career Readiness, COVID19, Getting Started, Steps to Silver

How can educators provide students with an experience where they can interact with industry professions—even amid the COVID-19 pandemic? In this webinar, ConnectED explores several strategies and resources for providing students work-based learning opportunities through online and other creative outlets. Practitioners in the field also share promising practices as well as ongoing challenges.

Webinars, College & Career Readiness, Work-Based Learning

Webinars, College & Career Readiness

Slide deck from the June 24th Bringing Linked Learning to Life Through Integrated Project Design webinar

Webinars, Career-Technical Education, College & Career Readiness, Rigorous Academics, Work-Based Learning