South LA Network for School Improvement (South LA NSI)
The South LA Network for School Improvement (South LA NSI), is a partnership of 12 schools located in South Los Angeles, committed to transforming outcomes for African-American, Latinx, and low income students. The South LA NSI will work with school-based teams to increase the number of students taking and passing the required college preparatory coursework (A-G) mandated by the State of California. This initiative takes a network approach, i.e., groups of schools work together to identify key common problem of practices and solve problems with local context for authentic change using continuous improvement process and analyses to achieve collective impact for South Los Angeles. This program is funded by a Gates Foundation grant.
Career Pathway Connections
Career Pathway Connections creates a collaborative regional approach to align K-14 pathways for student success by strengthening career pathways across SLATE-Z, a federally designated Promise Zone and collective impact partnership with the mission to revitalize South LA.
The program partners 10 local high schools with a local community college to create comprehensive career technical education pathways that develop experience and skills for college and career readiness through dual enrollment and workforce learning.
Strategies include articulated pathways, dual enrollment, career exploration events, competitions, showcases, summer pathway program and targeted marketing of pathways to high school students, parents, and counselors.
Amgen Biotech Experience
The Amgen Biotech Experience (ABE) is an innovative, hands-on science education program that encourages high school students to explore biology and biotechnology through the lens of scientists. ABE provides teachers with curriculum, training, and state-of-the-art lab equipment that allows students to learn core scientific concepts utilizing the same techniques used by biotechnology researchers. The result is an immersive, inspiring learning experience that links classroom learning to real-world application. This work is funded by the Amgen Foundation.