The California State University Foundation was announced as the recipient of a $1.5 million grant to prepare educators who are proficient in Linked Learning and provide seamless Linked Learning pathways to bachelor’s degrees in high demand fields such as engineering and health sciences.

Linked Learning combines preparation for real-world professions with academics, transforming education into a personally relevant experience.  Research and evaluation shows that Linked Learning contributes to academic achievement, improved attendance and graduation rates in both high school and college, and greater skills for career and life.

“The funding from this grant will be instrumental in the development of new educational leaders who are versed in the Linked Learning approach,” said Ephraim P. Smith, CSU executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer.  “This new wave of educators, along with the programs being established, will lead to new levels of engagement, persistence and success for California’s students.”

The grant will allow CSU campuses to prepare new teachers, counselors and administrators who are proficient in Linked Learning in regions throughout California as well as develop seamless programs of study that begin in high school and culminate in CSU bachelor’s degrees.  Additionally, through the grant, the CSU will conduct research and evaluation and provide data about Linked Learning implementation and outcomes.

More About Linked Learning

Linked Learning integrates real-world professions with rigorous academics, transforming education into a personally relevant, wholly engaging experience – and opening students to career and college opportunities they never imagined.

Many young people, especially those in low-income households, have untapped potential to participate more fully in the workforce and community life. With deeper knowledge and skills, and stronger high school graduation rates, Linked Learning can help many more of California’s youth gain the capacities and opportunities needed for postsecondary education and high-wage employment.

Four Elements Define Linked Learning

Linked Learning builds on more than four decades of experience gained by California schools that combine academic and technical content to generate high student achievement. It combines four elements that research identifies as vital to student success:

* Challenging academics: A rigorous academic core curriculum featuring instruction in essential college preparatory subjects such as English, math, science, social studies, foreign language and visual and performing arts.

* Technical skills and knowledge: A demanding combination of career and technical coursework emphasizing the practical use of academic learning and preparing youth for high-skill, high-wage employment.

* Work-based learning: A range of opportunities to learn through meaningful real-world experiences, including internships, apprenticeships and school-based enterprises.

* Support services: Academic and social supports, such as counseling and additional instruction in reading, writing and mathematics, with the goal of helping all students succeed in and outside school.

Young People Choose Their Own Pathways to Success

Linked Learning is powerful because it is relevant, guided by student interests and workforce opportunities. The four elements of this approach are delivered through career pathways, comprehensive programs of study that connect learning in the classroom with real-world applications outside of school. Students select a pathway of their choice.

Pathways are designed to match the needs of 15 major industries in California, ranging from engineering to health sciences to digital media arts.

Connections Create Relevance – and Results

A recent evaluation shows that students participating in Linked Learning are on track for high school graduation, preparing for college and building skills for career and life. This interactive infographic provides a snapshot of Linked Learning evidence, progress and more.

These achievements are possible because Linked Learning works in a comprehensive way. It improves the systems that serve youth, helping them graduate from high school ready to enter college or other training, succeed at the postsecondary level, and reconnect if they are out of school and want to earn a degree or credential.

Linked Learning also engages employers in education, so California schools produce graduates ready for high-skill, high-wage employment. Administrators, teachers, parents and community leaders across the state are embracing this approach as the means to reform and improve equity in education.

Linked Learning Meets Youth Where They Are

Linked Learning elements are applied in different venues and stages of youth development to improve achievement and increase opportunities. Linked Learning works:

* In high school districts, where students respond to the challenge of pursuing pathways that match their life interests.

* In postsecondary institutions, where greater connections between high school and college encourage students to earn a degree or other credential.

* In nonprofits that serve out-of-school youth who are marginally employed and who are actively seeking a way into college, offering opportunities to reconnect with formal education.