OC Pathways is one of two pathway programs cited as successes in a new report on the viability of these programs five years after the state provided $500 million to launch them.
EdSource wrote about the report, California Career Pathways Trust: Sustaining Regional Cross-Sector Partnerships, which was critical of how some pathway programs have fared after the seed funding ran out, with many disbanding altogether.
But OC Pathways, a consortium lead by the Orange County Department of Education, has built lasting relationships and involved partners in making decisions, according to the report.
EdSource noted how OC Pathways worked closely with Wallace Walrod, chief economist of the Orange County Business Council, to plan pathways for the next generation of jobs in the county.
Over four years, the consortium created 75 new career pathway programs in high schools and community colleges, with the biggest growth in the priority areas of computer science and engineering.
Here are some other education stories from throughout the region for the week ending Dec. 7.
- State education officials have released the 2018 California School Dashboard, an online tool designed to help parents, educators and the community see how schools and districts are educating and supporting students.
- The California Student Aid Commission pledged its full support of up and coming plans to increase funding in the Cal Grants program.
- During a school food drive, a student from Mark Twain Elementary School in Long Beach Unified helped collect more than 1,000 cans of food for the homeless.
- A consortium led by the Orange County Department of Education has received a $1.4 million grant to help increase music and arts education among special needs students and those in alternative education programs across the county.
- The nomination window is open for Parenting OC’s 2019 Top Teachers of Orange County Awards, and this year the magazine has added a new category — Top Classified Employee.
- An inflatable planetarium was pumped up in the gymnasium At Oak View Elementary School in Huntington Beach, enabling kids to take a 45-minute journey through the solar system.
- Even before California’s next governor takes office, the pressure is already mounting for him to follow through on campaign promises to improve access to preschool for the state’s 4-year-olds.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with our local education coverage by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.