Welcome to the Cambridge Collaboration Awards
The LARAEC Collaboration Awards are designed to recognize schools, teachers, and staff within our consortium who have introduced new strategies to promote collaboration in supporting adult education and students in the region. Nominees showed how a specific collaboration created breakthrough results in their programs or services to students. Nominations were open to collaborations between departments, schools, consortium members, K12 districts, other consortia, outside colleges or universities, workforce boards, community-based organizations, or other outside agencies. The projects below were selected as the first Cambridge Collaboration Award recipients.
Why the Cambridge Collaboration Awards?
Cambridge University Press has been a regular supporter of the LARAEC Conference series through participating as an exhibitor, bringing in excellent presenters and authors, and providing sponsorship for our Collaboration Awards. Cambridge University Press has been at the forefront of language acquisition and teaching since 1534. Thank you Cambridge for your partnership with LARAEC.
Powerline Systems Articulation
East Los Angeles Occupational Center, LAUSD and LA Trade Tech Community College, LACCD
Through an agreement, in the field of Powerline, staff and faculty from LATTC and LAUSD-DACE coordinate instruction and students to ensure each articulated student’s transition from adult school to community college occurs without unnecessary duplication of effort or loss of credit. This agreement was developed through the joint efforts of faculty from Los Angles Trade-Technical College and LAUSD.
LATTC provides the climbing facilities for ELASC Powerline Students to obtain experience with regulation sized powerline poles and upon completion of the program the possibility to earn 15 community college credits.
In two years we have had 166 students complete the Powerline Systems program with a total of 2,490 community college credits earned.
Working with our Business Community Partners
Ford Park Adult School, MUSD
In 2018, the Bell Gardens Chamber of Commerce moved to the main office of Bell Gardens Community Adult School. The Executive Director collaborates with city officials and MCAS administrators on community events, MCAS marketing, and advisory meetings.
Prior to school site closures, MCAS, Bell Gardens Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Bell Gardens were working together on planning our annual College and Career Fair, where MCAS instructors and students, community members, local high school seniors, businesses, and college representatives would gather to exchange information as well as learn more about MCAS CTE course offerings.
IET Environmental Service Worker Class
LAUSD-DACE and Worker Education and Resource Center (WERC)
Through the IET Environmental Service Worker class, basic skills students were supported through a faster pathway towards a career goal in a hospital. LAUSD Principal Ms. Rodriguez collaborated with the county of Los Angeles and Worker Education & Resource Center to develop the IET Environmental Service Worker class that combines two classes: basic skills English class with a Career Technical Education class. This IET Environmental Service Worker class offered adult English learners the opportunity to train for a career in a hospital while still getting the language support they need through contextualized English instruction, workforce preparation activities, and occupational skills to pass a county test for Environmental Service Workers.
The IET Environmental Service Worker class was a collaboration between LAUSD, the County of Los Angeles, and Worker Education & Resource Center (WERC). LAUSD and WERC designed the class curriculum guided by the County of Los Angeles and its need for Environmental Service Workers. LAUSD and WERC launched the class by recruiting and assessing students. LAUSD provided the English as a Second Language instructor and the County of LA provided the CTE Environmental Service Worker instructor.
This collaboration impacted student outcomes. Twenty-two students were registered and seventeen students passed the custodian exam that qualifies them to apply to work as an Environmental Service Worker in a hospital.
Maintaining Continuity of Instruction
Los Angeles City College, LACCD
The amazing Noncredit Adult Education team at Los Angeles City College saw the challenges of maintaining continuity of instruction during COVID 19 as an opportunity to create innovative and dynamic solutions to student, faculty, and college needs. Faculty banded together to share resources and create trainings that support student needs while Student Support personnel created opportunities for outreach, remote counselling, and enrollment services. Through the utilization of Canvas and Zoom, faculty worked together to identify skills that students would need to access course materials in this new environment and worked together to create how-to guides, lesson plans, faculty support opportunities, and a Welcome & Orientation module that scaffolds students through this experience. Likewise, Student Services personnel took advantage of communication technology such as Zoom, Cranium Café, and Google Voice to contact students, in multiple languages, in order to ensure learner access to campus support services, enrollment services, and direct class information. The result has been a consistently increasing number of students enrolling and participating in remotely instructed classes.
