Clairemont High School will have a chance to showcase its four new Linked Learning pathway academies – the Academy of Business, the Academy of Information Technology, the Academy of Health & Medical Sciences, and the Academy of Engineering Design – to statewide elected officials, business and industry leaders, community based organizations, post-secondary institutions and K-12 educators and administrators on Thursday, February 3, from 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the school.
The site visit is part of the annual Linked Learning Convention held from February 3-5, 2016 at the Paradise Point Resort and Spa. The convention, which attracts more than 700 attendees each year, is a chance for leaders in education, community and industry to come together in order to expand high quality Linked Learning opportunities for more young people. Linked Learning is a proven approach that is transforming education for California students by integrating rigorous academics with career-based learning and real world workplace experiences through career-oriented pathways in fields such as engineering, health care, performing arts, law, and more.
The visit to Clairemont High School will provide convention attendees with a unique opportunity to learn about best practices for transitioning a traditional public school into one that supports four “academies” while still remaining a comprehensive high school. Clairemont administrators, academy teachers and students will be on-hand to share best practices for shifting to an “academy friendly” school structure and culture. The new academies, designed and funded in part by the Moxie Foundation and supported by ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, will be officially launched for grades 9-12 in fall of 2016.
Convention attendees will also have the opportunity to visit several other Linked Learning models including Kearny High School, San Diego Mesa College, Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab, and Del Lago Academy.
On Thursday, February 4, Clairemont High School Principal Dr. Jennifer Roberson and Clairemont High School Academy Coordinator Elizabeth Rush, along with a panel of Linked Learning experts, including Rob Atterbury of ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career and Dan Barone of San Diego Unified School District, will be featured guest speakers on day two of the Convention. The panel will focus on the topic, “Going Wall-to-Wall: What Does It Looks Like?” from 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Roberson and Rush will share their experiences on how their school staff has integrated the new “academies” within the comprehensive high school, focusing largely on how they handled barriers such as master scheduling, staff buy-in, student recruitment, teacher professional development, and facilities enhancement.
For more information about the 2016 Linked Learning Convention, please visit linkedlearning.org/convention-2016. For more information about Clairemont High School and its academies, please visit sandiegounified.org/schools/clairemont.
