School District U-46 high school principals gathered on January 9th to collaborate with Alignment on a district-wide plan to implement work based learning opportunities for all students. The plan will follow guidelines established in the Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework, ensuring students meet career-related benchmarks at each grade level.
A pilot will launch in February 2020 with career panels in all five high schools and the Dream Academy. Throughout the remainder of the semester, the pilot will include industry tours and job shadowing experiences for sophomore students, an expansion of the 40-hour internship pilot for junior students, and a job fair for senior students intending to enter the workforce immediately following graduation.
The district-wide work based learning plan will be a key component to the U-46 Educational Pathways implementation to support U-46 College and Career Academies.
“We are hoping to empower students to explore a field of interest and learn more about themselves in the process,” says Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Lela Majstorovic. “The end goal is not simply graduating from high school; the end goal is for our students to graduate with a plan and multiple options for the next step in their journey.”
Big thanks to HARTING-North America in Elgin for sharing your day with more than 90 freshmen from the Bartlett High School STEM Academy. Students worked in teams on production questions and building a connector kit, listened to engineers talk about their work and took a tour of the facility where the company manufactures products for the connector industry. These connectors are used in mechanical and plant engineering, broadcast and entertainment, factory automation, power generation and distribution.
The Elgin Partnership for Early Learning (EPEL) in partnership with School District U-46, Gail Borden Public Library and the Alignment Collaborative for Education hosted a Call to Community on April 12, 2019 as part of the Week of the Young Child. The event was held at Gail Borden Public Library from 8:00 to 9:45 am.
The Alignment Collaborative for Education received $5,000 in funding under Nicor’s The Path to Social Mobility and Enhanced Opportunities Includes Education and Career Readiness grant program. Alignment’s role is to build business and community partnerships that collaboratively offer students within School District U-46, opportunities to participate in a comprehensive career education and work readiness program. This program prepares students to gain industry recognized credentials while still in high school so that students upon graduation can immediately enter the workforce and have the necessary foundation for post-secondary education and training. We greatly appreciate the support of Jim Griffin, Nicor’s Vice President of Operations and member of Alignment’s Governing Board.
Elgin Chamber hosts annual meeting, award ceremony Feb. 20th
ACE is a member of the Alignment USA communities of collaboration and collective impact.
