LA DEAL, with support from the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), helped 10 Los Angeles County municipalities — including South El Monte, Rosemead, Palmdale, Maywood, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Inglewood, Bellflower, Bell and Artesia — secure $200,000 in digital inclusion grants. Funds will allow each community to participate in a Local Government Best Practices Checklist Learning Community this fall.

UNITE-LA recently completed a Transfer Community of Practice (CoP) with K-16 subregional convener and L.A. Compact partner Cal Poly Pomona (CPP). The CoP focused on enhancing transfer pathways and addressing equity gaps specific to the region, with a particular emphasis on supporting underrepresented students. Utilizing a design thinking process, CPP staff engaged in empathy interviews and collaborative ideation sessions to deeply understand the needs and challenges faced by transfer students.

The L.A. Compact team would like to congratulate Dr. Michael Spagna on his appointment as interim president of Cal Poly Humboldt.

We are excited Roberto Thomas joined the Systems (L.A. Compact) Team as our new Administrative and Communications Coordinator in August 2024. In his role, Roberto is providing comprehensive project management and administrative support to drive the success of the team's diverse portfolios, encompassing K-12, postsecondary, and workforce initiatives.

The critical need for essential health services remains a top priority within our LAUSD Community Schools Initiative (CSI), as revealed by both comprehensive site-based assets and needs assessments and real-time feedback loops with students, families and school staff. Collected insights underscore the pressing necessity for seamless service delivery, prompting focused efforts to address existing gaps. In September, UNITE-LA launched the Alliance for Opportunity (AFO), a collaborative committee dedicated to enhancing comprehensive support for students and families across the CSI.

UNITE-LA’s continued commitment to supporting student parents was highlighted at the Forging Equitable Futures for Student Parents convening on Sept. 5-6. The gathering convened California parenting students, elected officials, higher education personnel, policy advocates and nonprofits working toward equity for parenting college students. Assemblymember Berman, co-author of Assembly Bill 2458, discussed the impact of the bill with co-sponsors, which include UNITE-LA. The bill was signed into law in late September, expanding financial aid access for student parents and empowering colleges to better identify student parents on campus.

In October, the California Department of Education re-announced its list of Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) award recipients. The $470 million GSPP state grant is part of California’s broader effort to enhance career pathways at high schools and community colleges, focusing on high-wage, high-demand fields such as technology, health care, education and climate-related industries. UNITE-LA congratulates our L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative partners for receiving $3.8 million in planning, $75.6 million in implementation and $5 million in consortium grants from the GSPP.

As part of a commitment to "Continuous Learning and Improvement," outlined in the Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) bylaws, members recognized the importance of gaining deeper insights into the experiences and challenges of Community School Coordinators (CSCs) in implementing the community schools model at their respective schools. To address this need, the CSSC decided to conduct empathy interviews. Using a one-on-one, open-ended questioning format proved successful, encouraging participants to candidly share stories and specific experiences, thereby fostering a more inclusive and human-centered approach to improving school systems.

In May, UNITE-LA participated in the National Skills Coalition's (NSC) Skills Summit, the organization's premier annual event held in Washington, D.C., which gathers workforce and business advocates from across the nation. The Summit provided a platform to delve into crucial federal skills policy issues linked to racial equity, job quality and people-centered infrastructure.

UNITE-LA, convener of the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, is excited to announce significant progress toward collaborative objectives this quarter. The Collaborative successfully launched a permanent Stewardship Group, formalized a strategic partnership with Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) to strengthen employer engagement efforts, and facilitated two communities of practice, focused on dual enrollment and work-based learning for subregional and local partners.