This is to report on the first of three Pathways to Prosperity Institutes (Institute) that was launched yesterday in Sacramento under the auspices of the California Department of Education (CDE), the California Community Colleges, the California Workforce Investment Board and the Pathways to Prosperity Network. These organizations showed strong united leadership to promote effective Career Technical Education.
The central purpose of the Institute is to promote regional collaboration between K-12, community colleges and employers.
While the Institute is not a workshop for the Career Technical Education Pathways Grant (CTE Pathways Grant), information provided by the Pathways to Prosperity Network provides an informed National and International perspective that can help California develop strong regional collaboration.
The Institute was organized to give information to the participants in the morning to guide them when they meet together as regions in the afternoon. Below is a summary of some of the key points from notes I took at the first Institute. A video of the proceedings is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhssOJVrWIk
Vision and Opportunity
A panel of state leaders representing the organizations that hosted the Institute provided a panel discussion of the vision of state leaders for regional collaboration and the opportunities being provided by the CTE Pathways Grant and other funding opportunities.
Key Points:
It “makes sense” to work together so that all students are college and career ready. “College and Career Readiness” is the central goal for CDE and 18 CTE initiatives adopted by CDE. The new CTE standards align to Common Core standards. The STEM and Next Generation Science Standards also focus on college and career readiness. High Schools should be restructured to give high school students options to learn in a variety of settings including on-line, at the community college and with employers.
Regions compete with other regions and are key economic engines. Workforce delivery must focus at the regional level to create strong regions that are globally competitive. Sector Navigators and the Doing What Matters initiatives are focused on regional collaboration. The CTE Pathway Grant provides an important financial incentive for employers to collaborate.
49 Work Force Boards and a keen focus on “target” sectors in each region are important to employers. It is critical to focus on how we can better align systems in ways that unite efforts to engage with employers. Many programs are chasing employers for attention, but deep and meaningful engagement requires one voice.
Every 20 year old should be on a pathway to having a 2 year technical certificate or a 4 year degree.
There is a need to develop regional systems to support and manage collaboration between K-12, post-secondary and employers. A “Backbone” organization, with a broad regional vision and broad regional trust, is an essential component to unite partners across the region.
It is essential for regional organizations to willingly cooperate to develop deep partnerships to develop high quality CTE Pathway Grant applications and awards. Doing so will increase the likelihood that additional funds may become available from the legislature. It is important to seek out and engage with “leading” industry partners.
The Challenge: A National and International Perspective
Bob Schwartz, Harvard School of Education and Dr. Nancy Hoffman, Jobs for the Future, gave an overview of how the United States education systems compare with other education systems and how their research in the Pathways to Prosperity report can help educators improve student outcomes in California.
Key Points:
Intermediary Organizations that include an industry-sector focus can be essential to developing high functioning regional networks.
Information and Communication Technologies was identified as a key sector that should be addressed as a priority.
It is important for all people involved with CTE to work together to make the best use of resources to get the best outcomes for students.