US Department of Education and US Congress to Visit Porterville Unified School District to See Linked Learning in Action

BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Congress will visit Porterville Unified School District in Porterville, California for a firsthand look at Linked Learning, one of the most dynamic high school redesign efforts in the country. Gary Hoachlander, President of ConnectEd, the hub for Linked Learning, will be part of the delegation.

Since 2006, ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career has provided innovative practice, policy and research that supports the integration of rigorous academics with career-based learning and real-world workplace experiences. This integration process, called Linked Learning, is transforming education for California students.

ConnectEd partners with schools districts to help them integrate Linked Learning into their schools. Porterville Unified School District, one of the Linked Learning partners, has been recognized nationwide for its successes with Linked Learning, which is why they are the focus of today's site visit.

"We are delighted that Porterville is receiving interest and recognition for their accomplishments," said Gary Hoachlander, president of ConnectEd. "Through our partnership, we have developed even more insights and measures to help monitor and continuously improve the implementation and integration of Linked Learning into schools."

Linked Learning prepares young people for both college and career, not just one or the other. It ignites high school students' passions by creating meaningful learning experiences through career-oriented pathways in fields such as engineering, health care, digital media arts, and law. When students love what they're learning, and see how it connects to the real world, they work harder, dream bigger and learn more.

"The partnership and guidance that ConnectEd provided for PUSD was phenomenal," said John Snavely, superintendent of the Porterville Unified School District. "In addition to providing coaching and technical assistance, ConnectEd brought us together with other school districts that were incorporating Linked Learning. We shared horror stories and successes. We would not be where we are today without insights that ConnectEd provided that helped us see what we needed to do and where we needed to go."

In addition to Gary Hoachlander, PhD, the delegation includes Deborah S. Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, Anne Stanton, Youth Program Director, The James Irvine Foundation, and Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education; Former Governor of West Virginia.

SOURCE ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career