As a part of UNITE-LA's 25th Anniversary Symposium, the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative was highlighted with a presentation and panel discussion featuring Collaborative and L.A. Compact leaders. The panel explored the driving forces behind the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, the work of collaborative partners over the first year of implementation and what the future of the initiative holds. The panel featured Dr. S. Terri Gomez, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona; Elijah Sims, Interim Director of the Long Beach Promise at Long Beach Community College; Ruben Valles, Chief Academic Officer at the L.A. County Office of Education; and was moderated by UNITE-LA's Adam Gottlieb, who serves as Director of Postsecondary Strategy & Policy. The hour-long event began with an overview of the K-16 Collaborative, including new information such as subregional plans that the speakers have worked to put together with their partners across the county.

The panelists answered questions regarding their experiences in building partnerships with multiple systems and the importance of ensuring that open communication and articulation is featured among all aspects of the work. Moreover, the panelists spoke to the importance of equity in planning and implementing the Collaborative strategies. Ensuring that students who have been historically left out of successful interventions is a key driver in the work and was key in the rhetoric of the Collaborative leaders on stage. Provost Gomez remarked that it is time for systems to align and create comprehensive support for all students and that this collaborative represents a prime opportunity to do so in earnest.

This panel is the first of what L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative leaders hope will be a series of opportunities to share important updates, contributions and successes that the Collaborative is experiencing in the county.

For more information, please reach out to Adam Gottlieb, Director of Postsecondary Strategy and Policy at [email protected].