Since Mid-February, L.A. Compact staff, also serving as regional conveners of the L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative, have been bringing stakeholders together from across the county to disperse $13.9 million in funds. The L.A. Region K-16 Collaborative builds on the work and partnership of the L.A. Compact, formed to eliminate enrollment and completion disparities for BIPOC students in health care, computer science and engineering pathways.

In February, the L.A. Unified Community Schools Steering Committee welcomed 21 new schools as the fourth cohort of the Community Schools Initiative. The schools will start their transformation journey during the 2023-24 school year, with each school receiving a community school coordinator and a community representative. In March, L.A. Unified applied for a 2023 California Community Schools Partnership Program Implementation Grant, which would provide an additional $33.4 million to support Cohort 4 community schools over five years.

In 2021, more than 25,000 additional 16- to 24-year-olds were disconnected from school and work in Los Angeles compared to 2019. Notably, students recorded gains in their connection to school in 2019. In response, UNITE-LA, New Ways to Work and the L.A. Opportunity Youth Collaborative (OYC) are reconvening leaders to renew the LAP3 strategic plan, reaffirming our commitment to transforming systems and improving opportunity youth outcomes.

The L.A. Compact's Postsecondary team developed a digital tool outlining 17 state investments that advance education and economic equity for students. Each investment will close equity and opportunity gaps to better serve students' social well-being and prepare students for college and career success.

The pandemic disrupted life for all of us and had a particularly deleterious impact on youth employment and education. More than 156,000 (more than 1 in 8) 16-24 year olds were out of work and out of school in 2020, according to new data from the American Community Survey (ACS). Prior to 2020, the number of 16-24 year olds disconnected from jobs and education in L.A. County had been steadily declining, but the pandemic robbed young people of critical, early workforce and educational opportunities, disproportionately impacting Black and Latinx communities, especially 20-24 year olds. The most disturbing impact is for 20-24 year old Black men, 42 percent of whom were neither in school nor working, followed by Latinx young men and Black young women. You can view the full breakdown of the data by race/ethnicity, gender and age in our Charting Progress Dashboard.

In September, the L.A. Compact's postsecondary transitions work was featured at two different conferences dedicated to K-12 and higher education policy and practice – the 2022 National College Attainment Network (NCAN) conference in Atlanta, GA, and Ed Trust-West's Education Equity Forum in Los Angeles. They highlighted a collaborative effort between LAUSD's Office of Intervention and Support (housed within the Division of Instruction), and Compact partners – CSUN and LACCD – to strengthen district-wide student completion of financial aid applications and postsecondary planning. This effort, which began in October 2021 in response to an LAUSD School Board resolution, has led to an implementation plan with student-informed recommendations to help the district to augment their postsecondary readiness strategies. Additional partners include government agencies, direct student service providing non-profits, and students, parents, and alumni of LAUSD.

UNITE-LA officially welcomed Alysia Bell as its President effective Sept. 1. Bell succeeds David Rattray, President & CEO of UNITE-LA for the past 24 years, who announced his retirement in March. Before becoming President, Bell served as Executive Vice President for UNITE-LA.

On Aug. 5, the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) held a summit to advance L.A. County's broadband plans, and identify opportunities to build new relationships across local agencies and between local agencies and state agencies focused on closing the digital divide. The event took place, in partnership with L.A. Unified School District, L.A. County Office of Education (LACOE), L.A. County Internal Services Department and L.A. City Bureau of Street Lights at Christopher Dena Elementary School in Boyle Heights.

In late 2021, UNITE-LA and systems leaders from across L.A. County began to prepare for a state grant opportunity that would launch regional K-16 collaboratives across the state. Various leaders and representatives from the County's five CSUs, 21 community colleges, 80 school districts, UCLA, and employers worked collaboratively with UNITE-LA to design a regional collaborative that prioritizes postsecondary access, degree attainment, and career opportunities for historically marginalized students in health care and computing and engineering. In July, the state awarded $18.13 million to the L.A. collaborative to conduct this work over four years.

The L.A. Compact Charting Progress Dashboard has revealed the impact of the pandemic on student enrollment in the L.A. Community College District. The data speak to a larger trend of both declining enrollment rates in community colleges and declining transfer rates into the CSU system since 2019. Many CSUs and CCC's are working towards developing solutions for the long-term effects of the pandemic.