L.A. Compact Connection | June 2017

L.A. Compact & the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative present at the national collective impact convening

JBAY's first foster youth college graduation celebration

2017 State of STEM

These stories and more in the June issue of the L.A. Compact Connection Newsletter

FEATURE STORY

L.A. Compact & the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative Present at National Collective Impact Convening

On May 23, leaders from the L.A. Compact and the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) presented examples on how to structure, fund, and sustain a multi-convener collective impact initiative to a packed room at the 2017 Collective Impact Convening in Boston, Massachusetts. Attendees at the "Structuring and Funding a Multi-Convener Model for Collective Impact" workshop learned how the L.A. Compact has embraced and adapted the Constellation Model of Collaborative Governance, which has enabled the initiative to promote a broad cradle-to-career vision while fostering independent action by constellation workgroups convened by partner organizations. L.A. Compact Director Carrie Lemmon, Institutions of Higher Education Collaborative staff lead Paola Santana with UNITE-LA, L.A. Compact Senior Coordinator Emily Blake and OYC Director Thomas Lee with the Alliance for Children's Rights provided insights on joint funding and communication strategies, as well as how the L.A. Compact has ensured continued engagement by political and system leaders over nine years of collaboration. For more information about the convening and presentation, please read our blog story.

WORKGROUP HIGHLIGHTS

Compact 3.0: Stewardship Group to Revise Compact Partnership Agreement

At the Stewardship Group's April meeting, members reached consensus on changes to the Compact's process for revising the L.A. Compact partnership agreement in 2017 (known as Compact 3.0 because it will be the third iteration of the agreement). The group agreed to:

Replace the Compact's standing eight collaborative strategy areas and extensive sub-strategies with a smaller set of two-year priorities that reflect the current activities of existing L.A. Compact workgroups as well as new opportunities for collaboration.
Establish a set of principles for how Compact partners want to work together. The principles would seek to answer the question: What does it mean to pursue "Compact-like" collaboration?

Next the Stewardship Group will turn to revising the L.A. Compact's three goals, which were first established in 2010. Partners will explore integrating a racial equity lens for the Compact, as well as adding potential new goals related to school readiness and the positive development of the whole child beyond academic achievement.

L.A. Regional STEM Hub Hosts 2017 State of STEM

On May 31, more than 150 L.A. area leaders gathered at the University of Southern California for the 2017 State of STEM hosted by the L.A. Regional STEM Hub. Cultivating diverse talent in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) is essential to continued economic growth and competitiveness. This year's program, highlighted high demand/high growth STEM related industries within L.A. County and its implications to our regional economy. The discussions focused on expanding access to STEM education and fostering education-industry partnerships to meet Southern California's high-skill workforce needs. View photos from the event.

OYC Jobs for Foster Youth Program Expands

The Jobs for Foster Youth initiative expanded this year, establishing cohorts in the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles, and Panorama City since March. Over 50 youth were trained in the World of Work Curriculum led by the Los Angeles Transition Age Youth (TAY) Collaborative. iFoster, an L.A. 100K Opportunities initiative member, leveraged their relationships with large employers around the county to connect those youth deemed work-ready to employment opportunities at local companies like Starbucks, Stater Brothers, Superior Market, and Ralphs.

Check out what's happening across all of the L.A. Compact workgroups, including the IHE Collaborative, Joint Advocacy Workgroup, and more>>

PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

LAUSD'S Second Promising Practices Forum Focuses on Middle Schools

LAUSD hosted its second annual Sharing Promising Practices Together Forum on June 3, bringing together school practitioner teams from a diverse network of school models to discuss how to best support middle school students for college and career success. Examples of promising practices included Linked Learning, restorative justice and restorative communities, community schools, whole child and summer bridge programming, blended learning, as well as a variety of STEM/STEAM initiatives, each presented by teams of middle school administrators, teachers and students. For detailed descriptions of Forum workshops and a list of presenting middle schools, please see the Forum agenda.

United Way of Greater L.A. Engages LAUSD Students in Recent Board Election

On May 6, nearly 300 LAUSD middle and high school students participated in an LAUSD School Board Candidate Forum organized by United Way's Young Civic Leaders program. District 4 candidates Nick Melvoin and Steve Zimmer joined District 6 candidates Imelda Padilla and Kelly Gonez to field student questions on the district's high school graduation requirements and strategies for improving college readiness. Read the L.A. School Report coverage of the event.

John Burton Advocates for Youth Brings First Foster Youth College Graduation Celebration to L.A. County

On May 15, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) held their inaugural L.A. County Graduation Celebration, which acknowledged current and former foster youth in the region who completed a college certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree during the 2016-2017 school year. The event was held at Los Angeles City College and included welcoming remarks from LACC President Renee Martinez, JBAY Executive Director Amy Lemley, and JBAY Board Chair and retired State Senator John Burton. First Lady of Los Angeles and longtime foster parent Amy Wakeland delivered congratulations and inspiring words of encouragement to the more than 60 foster youth graduates in attendance. She presented certificates and gift bags to each graduate and also helped present the 2017 College Hero Award to Sara Games, Director of the Guardian Scholars Program at California State University, Fullerton. Watch ABC7 news coverage of the event.

USC Heralded for its Commitment to Community College Transfer Students

On June 5, the L.A. Times ran a feature story on the impressive number of community college transfer students that the University of Southern California (USC) admits each year. In its last admissions cycle, USC extended admissions offers to 1,505 transfer students, about 800 of whom were transferring from a community college. According to estimates by the American Council of Education, just 2% of community college students nationwide transfer to a private university, amounting to about 3,200 students. USC's share of that number is significant and bucks trends amongst highly selective institutions to limit transfer admissions. In addition, USC's transfer student population represents a highly diverse student body, with the majority of transfer students coming from first-generation college and low-income backgrounds. Read the full article.

WHAT WE'RE READING

"California must do much more to invest in a strong teacher workforce" via EdSource

"Understanding California's Early Care and Education System" via Learning Policy Institute

"Systems Change in a Polarized Country" via Stanford Social Innovation Review

"Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund Supporting Progress, Evaluation Finds" via Philanthropy News Digest

"Class of 2017 Spotlight: Canoga Park High grad crossing 'bridge' to Cal State Northridge" via LAUSD Daily