L.A. County leaders overwhelmingly adopt antiracist policy agenda for the region
On July 21, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors made clear that inaction is no longer an option. They unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to establish an antiracist policy agenda for the County. The motion calls for the County to confront and address explicit institutional racism by evaluating how County policies, practices, operations and programs are holding back the advancement of Black Angelenos. At last Tuesday’s board meeting, leaders representing various County departments also expressed their support for the motion and pledged to advance racial and social equity within their own departments.
Read moreCharles R. Drew University fills a void in COVID testing in South L.A.
A member of the Health Sector Collaborative, Charles R. Drew University (CDU) is providing free COVID-19 testing to Los Angeles County residents. The work is being done in collaboration with the City and County of Los Angeles and Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center (MLK OPC). “As the statistics are now showing, under-resourced communities of color are being disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus. However, there have been very few, if any, COVID-19 testing sites in these communities,” said Charles Drew University President and CEO Dr. David M. Carlisle.
Read moreUNITE-LA launches survey to improve credential transparency
UNITE-LA is conducting a survey of students to better understand how they make decisions about their education. This will be part of a project to make information about available credentials transparent and easily accessible through technology. Working in partnership with Credential Engine, the project aims to build an open-source online registry of all degrees, certificates, certifications, licenses, badges, apprenticeships and other types of educational and occupation-related credentials.
Read moreL.A. Compact Seeks Technology Solution for Graduating L.A. Unified Seniors
30,000 L.A. Unified graduating seniors had to return their district-issued laptops on June 12. Many of these students have every intention of starting college in the fall, but without a computer or internet, they may struggle to participate in critical summer bridge activities. UNITE-LA worked with L.A. Unified, L.A. City Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office and the California Community Foundation to develop a survey to assess the need for personal computing devices amongst recent L.A. Unified graduates. Since early July, over 2,000 L.A. Unified class of 2020 graduates have responded.
Read moreNew Policy Advisory Group Leverages Trust Table and Expertise on Teacher Training and Effectiveness
UNITE-LA launched the new L.A. Educator Pathways Partnership (LAEPP) Policy Advisory Group in June. Our 18th L.A. Compact workgroup is a spin-off of the LAEPP —a longstanding data sharing and research collaboration between L.A. Unified and the region’s primary teacher training programs. The new LAEPP Policy Advisory Group will develop recommendations around teacher and teacher candidate recruitment, preparation, certification and effectiveness, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; persistent, systemic racism and inequity; and other evolving conditions.
Read moreLocal Government Leaders Prioritize Youth Employment
The L.A. Compact has long championed the importance of youth jobs programs in providing young adults with early skill- and resume-building work experiences to successfully launch them into the labor force. Now that we are facing the worst economic recession in a century, subsidized jobs will serve as a life-line for thousands of young adults who have been laid off, who live in families who are ineligible for federal relief benefits, and who are struggling to maintain connections to school. At least 14,500 young adults in L.A. County will access a paid work experience this year thanks to budget motions passed recently by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and L.A. City Council that were strongly supported by L.A. Compact partners.
Read moreMeasuring child well-being in the middle of a pandemic
Several school districts in L.A. County have adopted the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as a tool to measure early childhood well-being and readiness for kindergarten. But as schools have shifted their focus to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the county’s planned EDI collection efforts are at risk of being seriously disrupted, and some are in danger of being eliminated. With growing concerns over what the future will look like for young children, having data, like the EDI, may prove to be more valuable than ever.
Read moreMayor Garcetti’s emergency child care program expands to include emergency responders
Back in April, L.A. City Mayor Eric Garcetti launched the L.A. Emergency Child Care Connection program to help essential employees at participating hospitals access child care. With many child care centers still closed because of the pandemic, Garcetti expanded the program in May to include additional emergency responders employed by the City of L.A.
Read moreUNITE-LA launches virtual platform to help youth build skills in the middle of pandemic
As many businesses and organizations adapt to the "new normal," UNITE-LA is similarly reimagining some of its work to ensure youth are able to become successful, productive, future members of the workforce. UNITE-LA has partnered with Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation (CSOD Foundation) to enhance virtual workforce development and programming through their new online learning initiative called WorkforceReady.
Read moreUNITE-LA holds virtual roundtable on impact of COVID-19 on cradle-to-career systems
On May 15, UNITE-LA convened a virtual roundtable with 17 regional corporate responsibility leaders on how COVID-19 is impacting our education and workforce systems and the ability of corporations to remain involved in preparing the next generation of employees. Participants represented a diverse range of industries and corporations, including The Boeing Company, City National Bank, Dolby, Majestic Realty, Paramount Pictures, Riot Games, The Walt Disney Company and Wells Fargo.
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