){kind=logo}
Dear friends and colleagues,
We have exciting news to share! As you may have noticed while reading this message, ConnectED has a new brand, visual identity, and name.
While we continue to grow our California roots, we are branching out to support a greater number of students as ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career. Our new tagline, Make Potential Exponential, speaks to this growth, and reaffirms our commitment to equity and helping all young people realize their full potential. We’re so pleased to be able to share our new website which delivers the tools, resources, and expertise that we heard from many of our stakeholders will be critical to making progress in this very challenging work.
The work ConnectED does, and has always done, is based on long-term partnerships with you: our dedicated school district leaders, educators, students, businesses, funders, collaborating organizations, and communities. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or you’re a new partner; whether you’re a superintendent or a parent, you’re in this work with us because, despite the skepticism some people have that the public education system can’t be changed – together, we are changing it.
Beginning with demonstrating Linked Learning in nine districts in California, and now in many more across the country—we’ve seen that when students love what they’re learning, they work harder, dream bigger, and learn more. Throughout this journey, we’ve learned a great deal about what it takes to support districts in successfully implementing high-quality pathways, including:
- Local context matters. No two districts in the country have identical needs, which is why we customize solutions to fit for local context.
- This is not a siloed solution. To really work, the Linked Learning approach has to have buy-in at all levels, from Superintendent to teacher to community leader.
- At its core, Linked Learning is an equity strategy. Linked Learning can help all students do better, but the current playing field is not equal. We need to stay focused on helping lift up students who have not had a fair shot.
There’s not an organization in the world that has the singular expertise or resources necessary to transform students’ lives and create equal opportunities. This is a collective, long-term effort. That’s why we invite you to continue to partner with us in making potential exponential.
Here are three ways you can do that:
- Share this post with one person you know who would benefit from learning about the real, rigorous approach we bring to learning and teaching.
- Check out our new website and sign up for our newsletter.
- Send us an email and tell us how ConnectED or the linked learning approach has made a difference in your life or for someone you know.
On behalf of the staff and board of ConnectED, thank you for being on this journey with us.
Gary Hoachlander
President
ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career
Message from the President: Reintroducing ConnectED
Learn what’s changed, and what will stay the same, about ConnectED as we take this work national.
Why Going for the Gold (Certification) Matters
As students return for the new school year, ConnectED looks forward to working with our school, district, and community partners around a shared belief: all students deserve the right to a great education. We’re working in communities across the country to challenge the status quo so that students become more inspired and better equipped to […]
Can Linked Learning Work in Rural School Districts?
Friends, Parents, teachers, community members and anyone in the Linked Learning field have all seen the transformative effect that Linked Learning has on students, especially in some of the biggest, most challenging school districts across the country. We know that when students love what they’re learning, they work harder, dream bigger, and learn more. As […]
Bringing Together School, Work and the Wider Community
Colleagues, Making learning real and relevant is a big part of what we, in the Linked Learning field, do. We do this because we’ve seen, through research and testimonials, that when students are able to apply what they’re learning through professional pathways and experiences, their connections are deeper and they retain more of what they’re […]
Reimagining Career and Technical Education
In my work as President of ConnectED, I meet with a lot of teachers, district leaders, superintendents, and community members. There’s something we all agree on: every child in this country deserves the right to a good education—and we’re failing to provide that opportunity to far too many students. In our sector, we see many […]
Letter from the President
As the new school year gets into full swing, there are more than 300 Linked Learning Pathways in more than 55 districts across the country. Today, Linked Learning is reaching more kids than ever before. This matters—not just because of numbers, but because of who we are serving. Linked Learning is for all students. Linked […]