COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION REGIONAL HUBS OF EXCELLENCE Area partners are connected to do — and gain — more together. EMPLOYER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION

Linked Learning REGIONAL HUB A network of partners from across sectors working to help students succeed.

OPPORTUNITY Act regionally to elevate the scale and adoption of career pathways – helping more students gain equitable access to this practical, powerful approach.

About the initiative Linked Learning Regional Hubs of Excellence is an initiative of The James Irvine Foundation to expand the scale and sustainability of Linked Learning — helping more young people in California gain equitable access to this practical, promising approach. The initiative focuses on building and strengthening regional hubs — area networks that apply the four components of Linked Learning to increase rates of student success.

About regional hubs A regional hub is a network of partners from across sectors working to increase the number of young people who achieve a postsecondary credential and are prepared for career success.

About anchors Note that an anchor can take the form of multiple structures. An anchor is the central set of partners who are activating and aligning the regional network of educational institutions, employers and others to increase the number of young people who achieve a postsecondary credential and are prepared for career success.

About the regional opportunity Through effective collaboration all parties can contribute to, and benefit from, improved educational and economic outcomes for young people. In some regions there may be a related opportunity to help connect and integrate multiple initiatives and programs in place today.

About the approach Network participants apply four tested components to build systems that support and sustain high-quality career pathways—making more pathways available to more high school students, and ensuring that these pathways are aligned with postsecondary education and workforce entry in the region.

About the initiative goal The Irvine initiative goal is to significantly increase the number of and demand for graduates of quality career pathways. Through the work of regional hubs, the Linked Learning field as a whole will gain clarity on how to unlock greater scale and quality for Linked Learning.

Defining the value proposition(s)

Districts want to graduate more students who are equipped for postsecondary and workforce success.   They have motivation to learn about and adopt Linked Learning by virtue of significant state dollars.

Postsecondary institutions want to graduate more students who are ready to enter and succeed in the workforce.   They have motivation to increase applications, student persistence and graduation rates—with a focus on career-readiness.

Employers want access to a high quality talent pool and a vibrant economy   They have motivation to invest in approaches that will improve the number and career readiness of graduates in the region.

Community organizations want to advance their missions and demonstrate value. They have motivation to leverage their resources and enter partnerships that increase their impact and support their sustainability.

About anchors

Anchors can connect with each player where they are and bring them closer together as a network that generates the benefits that can only be achieved through coordinated, systemic action that embraces the four components of Linked Learning.

Anchors can help create space where the multiple, complementary motivations of all partners—be they focused on economic and workforce development, equity or educational achievement—can fit together in a collaboration that benefits the young people, institutions, enterprises and civic life in a region.

Each anchor… Engages stakeholders in student success and helps these stakeholders align and achieve more from their investment Elevates awareness and supports adoption of quality career pathways as a central vehicle for student success Enhances sustainability of quality career pathways as a key contributor to regional economic and civic vitality Student success = ready for college and career

ANCHORS develop and implement strategies to: 1 2 Deepen quality within existing K-12 district pathways Scale Linked Learning within schools, to more schools and to more districts 3 4 Align district pathways with postsecondary and workforce pathways Adopt & adapt Linked Learning principles within postsecondary and workforce contexts

ANCHORS employ three levers of change: Strengthening leadership—empowering more players to lead development of pathways, including players in education, business and workforce development Developing partnerships—demonstrating the value gained by districts, postsecondary institutions and businesses that work together to create pathways Building systems—developing processes for new collaborative action to create and sustain pathways, and helping partners grow their capacity to fully participate in these collaborations

Anchor work includes: The ongoing convening of regional partners in ways that are strategic and intentional in advancing a shared vision and coordinated action The purposeful leveraging of resources—knowledge, people, materials and money—across sectors and segments of the region A focus on transforming systems that achieve common goals to benefit young people while helping each partner better contribute to and gain from the success of these systems Future element: Use of data in decision making

About regional geography

Regions do not need to be defined strictly by school district, municipal and county borders. In this work, the notion of “region” can be shaped by where and how students move through K-12 to postsecondary and into the workforce. Our approach crosses boundaries to connect players who can do more together to benefit young people and communities.