True to our name, partnerships are both affiliations CEP is actively engaged in and a best practice that we embody throughout our organization. During the 2022-2023 year, CEP had formal partnerships with over 200 high schools, over 70 community colleges, over a dozen community-based organizations, and was actively engaged in over 20 collaboratives. One new initiative that CEP formally joined was the Bay Area K-16 Collaborative(link is external), which was one of the California grants awarded to thirteen CERF regions across the state, and included UC Berkeley, Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, CSU East Bay, San José State, and San Francisco State as Co-PI's. Together, the Bay Area K-16 Collaborative will focus on student retention and seamless transitions between educational institutions; inclusive front doors and effective onramps to college, including early college preparation for youth; institutional change efforts to reduce barriers to equitable degree completion and career entry; inclusive student supports coordinated across the network of partners including unified school districts, community colleges, universities, and employers; and deeper connections with industry, including the expansion of work-based learning for students. The Bay Area K-16 Collaborative worked on the following goals for the planning year.
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Dedicate time to think through how we support OUR students through organizational culture shift and increased access
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Determine needs and priorities, especially for the Bay’s most vulnerable students, to be addressed in the implementation proposal
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Design Community of Practices by Pathway (Healthcare, Education, and Engineering/Tech) and by topics such as Concurrent Enrollment, Data Agreements, and Work Based Learning while addressing alignment opportunities at systems levels
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Further engage stakeholders as Community of Practice members, including industry partners and employers
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Study promising practices such as the Fresno K-16 Collaborative