Essential contributions were made by Dr. Marisa Castellano, who played a key role in coordinating... more Essential contributions were made by Dr. Marisa Castellano, who played a key role in coordinating all four symposia, co-authoring the reports, and reviewing drafts; as well as by Dr. Tameka McGlawn and Dr. Tolani Britton, whose feedback and guidance were invaluable in the development of the synthesis and executive summary.
As college and career pathways scale up, persistent historic inequities in education systems give... more As college and career pathways scale up, persistent historic inequities in education systems give rise to critical equity issues. Priority research, we concluded, must support practitioners to negotiate the complex equity-based problems involved in scaling up pathways. Investigation of these priorities is critical for informing policies that can significantly impact equity in students’ pathway outcomes. Inclusive research approaches promote mutual learning, and common goals. Researchers allied with school communities can contribute to transforming schools into wellsprings of educational justice, in which college and career pathways serve as an avenue toward a more just society. This synthesis of four symposia reports draws out strong arguments for CCP research priorities and approaches, for which the individual reports provide valuable compilations of the related literature. With inclusive partnerships and a collective commitment to address these priorities, the College and Career pathway practitioners and researchers are engaging these approaches and priorities collaboratively.
Essential contributions we made by Dr. Marisa Castellano, wo played a key role in coordinating al... more Essential contributions we made by Dr. Marisa Castellano, wo played a key role in coordinating all four symposia, co-authoring the reports, and reviewing drafts of this synthesis; as well as by Dr. Tameka McGlawn and Dr. Tolani Britton, whose feedback and guidance were invaluable in the development of this synthesis.
This report summarizes a three-year project designed to stimulate collaboration, build capacity, ... more This report summarizes a three-year project designed to stimulate collaboration, build capacity, and prioritize research that can support equity in college and career pathway (CCP) students’ success. CCPs combine career technical education (CTE) with rigorous academics, work-based learning, and coordinated, integrated systems of comprehensive student supports that personalize the learning experience to provide equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Using a grounded theoretical approach, researchers worked iteratively with a collaborative of ten research and policy organizations, to design a series of four symposia. Through review of the literature, and of issues impacting equity as CCPs scale up, research recommendations were prioritized regarding topics, approaches and methodologies to inform policies and practices. Key lessons emerged on the implications of an equity lens in determining research priorities: 1) the importance of scholar-practitioners’ role in the co-creation of research priorities through investigation of practical problems affecting equity in CCPs; 2) the value of Research-Practice Partnerships (RPP) for mutual learning and capacity building, and the commitment required for effective RPP collaborations with CCP stakeholders–to address the causes of inequity and remove systemic barriers; and 3) the role of research in identifying best practices that enhance equity in CCP outcomes – to both guide practice and inform local and state policymakers responsible for the systemic supports needed to scale CCPs. The symposia also produced criteria for prioritization of research, topical bibliographies, reports on the process and priorities determined at each symposium, and a network of college and career pathway researchers interested in pursuing the identified priorities.
This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pat... more This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pathway community of practice (CoP) focused on: a. identifying systems changes needed to align K-12 and community college pathways b. expanding pathway curricular alignment and early college coursework c. improving transitions and success particularly for students who are under-represented in the health workforce. Relationship building between faculty across K-12 and community college systems built understanding of the contextual differences between high school and community college systems, which was found to be a critical factor in aligning pathway programs of study and facilitating student transitions. The action research cycle within a cross-system community of practice resulted in key findings in two categories: the use of CoPs to effectively develop cross system pathway alignment in an industry sector, and challenges and possible approaches to strengthening health pathways across secondary and postsecondary systems.
The purpose of this exploratory case study is to focus a lens on lead teachers of California Part... more The purpose of this exploratory case study is to focus a lens on lead teachers of California Partnership Academies (CPAs), who are responsible for overseeing the operation and coordinating the components of a complex, contra-normative secondary reform model. This study examines the stresses experienced by four CPA lead teachers at two different sites in a district committed to placing the Linked Learning model in the center of its secondary school reform strategy. Previous research has identified stressors inherent in the lead teacher role, and in the career academy reform studied here. This research assess the impact of those stressors, strategies lead teachers employ and conditions that facilitate lead teachers' work by looking at the dynamics of their role, the context in which they work, and patterns of leadership distribution through three key relationships, each focused on a particular routine. This study found that the primary role-related stressor these CPA lead teachers experienced was overload, which may have implications for the sustainability of the model, particularly as it is scaled up. The contra-normative nature of this reform was evident in the conflicts that arose for lead teachers in each of the three relationships examined. In their relationships with administrators focused on the master schedule, traditional patterns of student placement into AP and non-AP tracks conflicted with the effort to create pathways for all students to access both college and career. Teachers struggled to create strategies for addressing this issue. In lead teachers' work with their peers on interdisciplinary curriculum, the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the reform conflicted with the autonomous, individualistic and subject-oriented nature of teacher culture. Where collective co-performance defined school-wide patterns of leadership distribution, lead teachers were better able to influence collaborative teacher norms. Lead teachers' relationships to community and industry partners facilitated integration of work-based learning into the CPA instructional program, accessed new resources and challenged the traditional segregation of academic and vocational education. This work was greatly facilitated by district support but limited by the capacity of site administrators who were often unaware of these partnerships, and were not developing systemic ways to include them in the school's vision or program.
CCASN, UC Berkeley, Graduate School of Education, 2017
This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pat... more This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pathway community of practice (CoP) focused on: a) identifying systems changes needed to align K-12 and community college pathways; b) expanding pathway curricular alignment and early college coursework; and c) improving transitions and success particularly for students who are underrepresented in the health workforce. Relationship building between faculty across K-12 and community college systems built understanding of the contextual differences between high school and community college systems, which was found to be a critical factor in aligning pathway programs of study and facilitating student transitions. The action research cycle within a cross-system community of practice resulted in key findings in two categories: the use of CoPs to effectively develop cross system pathway alignment in an industry sector, and challenges and possible approaches to strengthening health pathways across secondary and postsecondary systems.
This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pat... more This two year participatory action research study was set in the context of a regional health pathway community of practice (CoP) focused on: a. identifying systems changes needed to align K-12 and community college pathways b. expanding pathway curricular alignment and early college coursework c. improving transitions and success particularly for students who are under-represented in the health workforce. Relationship building between faculty across K-12 and community college systems built understanding of the contextual differences between high school and community college systems, which was found to be a critical factor in aligning pathway programs of study and facilitating student transitions. The action research cycle within a cross-system community of practice resulted in key findings in two categories: the use of CoPs to effectively develop cross system pathway alignment in an industry sector, and challenges and possible approaches to strengthening health pathways across secondary and postsecondary systems.
In November, 2018, researchers, scholar practitioners, and faculty from colleges of education con... more In November, 2018, researchers, scholar practitioners, and faculty from colleges of education convened in a symposium to address gaps in the research informing preparation and support for college and career pathway leadership and capacity-building. Participants reviewed findings from relevant research, discussed the essential elements of leadership required to seriously disrupt inequities and redesign education systems through college and career pathways, then analyzed the potential of research practice partnerships to address priority problems of practice impacting equitable implementation of college and career pathways. This paper reports on the symposium process and recommendations for research to address priority problems affecting equity in pathway implementation while simultaneously building leadership and capacity. It also summarizes the specific leadership and capacity-building challenges and questions for research emerged related to leadership and capacity building in three strands: administrators, teachers, and counselors and other student support specialists.
The Aligning Systems for Equity in College and Career Pathways Symposium in April, 2019, convened... more The Aligning Systems for Equity in College and Career Pathways Symposium in April, 2019, convened 60 invited scholars to prioritize systems alignment problems affecting equity in pathway development, and the research questions and approaches required to address those problems. Researchers worked with scholar practitioners to identify key problems of practice impeding equity in college and career pathway implementation, and developed recommendations in three strands: secondary-postsecondary alignment; employer engagement and work-based learning, and community engagement in integrated, comprehensive student supports. This report summarizes the process, priorities, and research recommendations developed.
Dual CTE/Academic courses have tremendous potential for improving college and career readiness an... more Dual CTE/Academic courses have tremendous potential for improving college and career readiness and supporting common core implementation, because they provide practical applications of academic concepts through career technical content, and support cross-disciplinary critical thinking and problem solving.
The increasing demand for these courses raises urgent credentialing issues, particularly in STEM fields, where there is already a nationwide shortage of CTE teachers. Academic teachers generally lack the industry experience to provide current applications from the industry field, and many CTE teachers lack training in teaching academic subjects. Industry, districts and legislators all have important roles to play in supporting teachers to meet the significantly increased demands involved in combining academic and CTE course content.
The purpose of this exploratory case study is to focus a lens on lead teachers of California Part... more The purpose of this exploratory case study is to focus a lens on lead teachers of California Partnership Academies (CPAs), who are responsible for overseeing the operation and coordinating the components of a complex, contra-normative secondary reform model. This study examines the stresses experienced by four CPA lead teachers at two different sites in a district committed to placing the Linked Learning model in the center of its secondary school reform strategy. Previous research has identified stressors inherent in the lead teacher role, and in the career academy reform studied here. This research assess the impact of those stressors, strategies lead teachers employ and conditions that facilitate lead teachers’ work by looking at the dynamics of their role, the context in which they work, and patterns of leadership distribution through three key relationships, each focused on a particular routine.
This study found that the primary role-related stressor these CPA lead teachers experienced was overload, which may have implications for the sustainability of the model, particularly as it is scaled up. The contra-normative nature of this reform was evident in the conflicts that arose for lead teachers in each of the three relationships examined. In their relationships with administrators focused on the master schedule, traditional patterns of student placement into AP and non-AP tracks conflicted with the effort to create pathways for all students to access both college and career. Teachers struggled to create strategies for addressing this issue. In lead teachers’ work with their peers on interdisciplinary curriculum, the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the reform conflicted with the autonomous, individualistic and subject-oriented nature of teacher culture. Where collective co-performance defined school-wide patterns of leadership distribution, lead teachers were better able to influence collaborative teacher norms. Lead teachers’ relationships to community and industry partners facilitated integration of work-based learning into the CPA instructional program, accessed new resources and challenged the traditional segregation of academic and vocational education. This work was greatly facilitated by district support but limited by the capacity of site administrators who were often unaware of these partnerships, and were not developing systemic ways to include them in the school’s vision or program.
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understanding of the contextual differences between high school and community college systems, which was found to be a critical factor in aligning pathway programs of study and facilitating student transitions. The action research cycle within a cross-system community of practice resulted in key findings in two categories: the use of CoPs to effectively develop cross system pathway alignment in an industry sector, and challenges and possible approaches to
strengthening health pathways across secondary and postsecondary systems.
a. identifying systems changes needed to align K-12 and community college pathways
b. expanding pathway curricular alignment and early college coursework
c. improving transitions and success particularly for students who are under-represented in the health workforce. Relationship building between faculty across K-12 and community college systems built understanding of the contextual differences between high school and community college systems, which was found to be a critical factor in aligning pathway programs of study and facilitating student transitions. The action research cycle within a cross-system community of practice resulted in key findings in two categories: the use of CoPs to effectively develop cross system pathway alignment in an industry sector, and challenges and possible approaches to strengthening health pathways across secondary and postsecondary systems.
The increasing demand for these courses raises urgent credentialing issues, particularly in STEM fields, where there is already a nationwide shortage of CTE teachers. Academic teachers generally lack the industry experience to provide current applications from the industry field, and many CTE teachers lack training in teaching academic subjects. Industry, districts and legislators all have important roles to play in supporting teachers to meet the significantly increased demands involved in combining academic and CTE course content.
This study found that the primary role-related stressor these CPA lead teachers experienced was overload, which may have implications for the sustainability of the model, particularly as it is scaled up. The contra-normative nature of this reform was evident in the conflicts that arose for lead teachers in each of the three relationships examined. In their relationships with administrators focused on the master schedule, traditional patterns of student placement into AP and non-AP tracks conflicted with the effort to create pathways for all students to access both college and career. Teachers struggled to create strategies for addressing this issue. In lead teachers’ work with their peers on interdisciplinary curriculum, the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the reform conflicted with the autonomous, individualistic and subject-oriented nature of teacher culture. Where collective co-performance defined school-wide patterns of leadership distribution, lead teachers were better able to influence collaborative teacher norms. Lead teachers’ relationships to community and industry partners facilitated integration of work-based learning into the CPA instructional program, accessed new resources and challenged the traditional segregation of academic and vocational education. This work was greatly facilitated by district support but limited by the capacity of site administrators who were often unaware of these partnerships, and were not developing systemic ways to include them in the school’s vision or program.