Approximately one-third of all California high school students today drop out of school. Experts estimate that as many as another third receive their diplomas, but are unprepared to succeed in college or the workplace.
Many theories have been posed about the reasons behind this sobering trend. But one thing is abundantly clear: California’s one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning no longer works for too many of our young people.
California needs a new approach to education that will ignite students’ passion to learn and prepare them for the challenges of college and career. Now is the time to transform how California high school students learn so more of them graduate prepared for life’s challenges and opportunities.
ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career is the new organization dedicated to anchoring that conversation and identifying, supporting and expanding pathways that prepare students for college and career, not one or the other. By pioneering groundbreaking school programs and partnering with innovative educators and decision makers, ConnectEd will provide the next generation of young adults with the knowledge and skills they need to successfully compete in California’s growing and dynamic economy.
The Coalition for Multiple Pathways is meeting for its second full convening in Sacramento on January 7. The program will focus on establishing policy priorities, building awareness, and identifying state supports needed to develop and improve pathways.
For registration information contact Shireen Burns at sburns@Connected
California.org.
Or to join the Coalition, sign up here.
for Expanding
Pathways
Ten California school districts will each receive $125,000 grants to develop master plans for expanding multiple pathways in their high schools as part of the new District Initiative for Expanding Pathways. By offering at least six to eight pathways, these districts can provide students with more engaging options for learning. ConnectEd, which awarded the grants with the support of The James Irvine Foundation, is managing the initiative and will offer the districts technical assistance.
