The Tulare County Office of Education (TCOE) has been chosen by the California Department of Education to lead the Golden State Pathways Program. TCOE has been named the Lead Technical Assistance Center for the GSPP. In this role, TCOE will lead the charge in bringing the State of California’s $500 million investment in college and career readiness to communities across the state.
The GSPP intends to align education systems and experiences with high-wage, high-growth industries, increasing access to learning opportunities and providing the workforce needed for economic growth. It dedicates funding to high-quality academic pathways that blend rigorous college preparation with career technical learning and comprehensive student supports to provide the full range of experiences young people need for postsecondary success.
TCOE has a nearly 30-year history of innovative, career technical education (CTE) pathways development in the Tulare-Kings region. Since the School-to-Career days in the 1990s, districts in the region have collaborated to promote CTE, creating career-based programs with elements of work-based learning. The secret to Tulare County’s success in developing successful pathway programs throughout the region has been a warm, deeply shared commitment among all partners — county offices of education, school districts, community colleges, and workforce partners. Over the past three decades, leaders at the highest level of these organizations have been personally involved in creating secondary pathway opportunities and streamlining transitions to college and career.
In 2013, six districts joined Porterville Unified School District to create the Tulare Kings Linked Learning (TKLL) Consortium. TCOE was selected to lead this work as the technical assistance provider and convene the consortium. In 2014, the TKLL Consortium was awarded a $15 million California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT) grant to develop a regional partnership focused on developing academies across school districts in Tulare and Kings county high schools.
In 2018, The TKLL Consortium transitioned to the Tulare Kings College and Career Collaborative (TKCCC). Under the direction and technical assistance of TCOE, TKCCC is a regional collaborative of 14 K-l2 school districts, two county offices of education, eight postsecondary institutions, and 500 industry partners and workforce development agencies. TKCCC was awarded over $15 million in K- 12 Strong Workforce Grants to continue building on the success of its K-l2 to post-secondary pathways. Since 2019, under the technical assistance of TCOE, the 14 partner districts have increased career technical pathways including dual enrollment opportunities. TKCCC now offers 1,150 industry pathway courses across nine industry sectors within its 14 partnering school districts. TKCCC’s impact on student performance is evident through routine data analysis and progress monitoring. Since 2019, districts have increased dual enrollment course offerings with post-secondary partners.
On average, an additional 10 dual enrollment courses were added at each institution. The number of students persisting through a pathway and completing their capstone nearly doubled in four years (1,312 students in 2016 to 2,300 in 2019).
TKCCC launched the region’s Counselor Network, which connects and supports school counselors in the region by convening elementary, middle, high school, post-secondary, and workforce counselors together to strengthen efforts to empower students at all levels. TCOE and TKCCC have led the way in regional professional learning with industry sector learning summits focused on current curriculum, high demand jobs, and industry and post-secondary engagement.
“In Tulare County we have both the passion and expertise for this work,” said Tim Hire, Tulare County Superintendent of Schools. “We are excited to share the success that our students have seen with young people across the state. We know what it takes to make this type of progress — from building educator capacity and providing essential student supports, to connecting with local industry and performing regular data analysis. We’re thrilled to bring our expertise to the table to advance the goals of Golden State Pathways.”
As Lead Technical Assistance Center (LTAC) for the GSPP, TCOE will work in collaboration with the California Department of Education (CDE) to support the following eight Regional Technical Assistance Centers (RTAC). The GSPP RTACs will provide technical assistance to grant applicants and recipients seeking to establish or expand their pathway programs. Two grant programs will be available to local LEAs — Consortium Development and Planning Grants, and Implementation Grants.
REGIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS (RTACs)
Bay Area lead: Napa County Office of Education
Counties served: Alameda, Contra Costa, Mar, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma
Capitol Area lead: Yuba Wheatland Union High School District
Counties served: Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba
Central Coast lead: San Luis Obispo County Office of Education
Counties served: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura
Central Valley lead: Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office
Counties served: Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, and Tuolumne
Greater Los Angeles lead: Los Angeles County Office of Education
Counties served: Los Angeles
Northern California lead: Humboldt County Office of Education
Counties served: Butte, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity
Southern Coast lead: San Diego County Office of Education
Counties served: Imperial, Orange, and San Diego
Southern Inland lead: San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Counties served: Inyo, Mono, Riverside, and San Bernardino