Educator Paulette Chaffee Comments on the Gates Foundation Offering Grants to Scale High School Pathway Programs

Fullerton, California, United States - June 15, 2022 /MarketersMEDIA/ —

A California-led team called Linked Learning Alliance is one of 12 across the United States that will benefit from a new grant offered to high school pathway programs.

As educator Paulette Chaffee explains, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced it would be donating $175,000 to 12 different career technical education and dual enrollment teams through what it's calling the "Accelerate ED" initiative.

Sara Allan, the director of Early Learning and Pathways, said the Foundation wants to research and accelerate ways that all high school graduates can earn either an associate's degree or a certificate that would be considered the equivalent in their industry within one year of graduation.

The initiative focuses on assisting low-income students and those in the Latino and Black communities. Typically, these student demographics don't receive as much support once they leave high school.

The Gates Foundation is hoping that, through this initiative, these students will be set up better for success in postsecondary schooling.

In California, the Linked Learning Alliance certifies various school-based career pathway programs. The team that the nonprofit will be leading includes Antelope Valley Union, Long Beach, and Oakland Unified High school districts.

As a lifelong educator, Paulette Chaffee knows how crucial equity in education is. She has been actively involved as a volunteer and a professional in public education for her entire career.

After receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communicative Disorders, Paulette Chaffee worked as a teacher and speech therapist in public schools and a speech therapist in hospitals and clinics. As such, she believes that investments like these in equitable education are worth every penny.

The Gates Foundation reports that 65% of all modern jobs require some form of training and/or education after high school. That's why postsecondary credentials are now "a prerequisite to achieving greater social mobility and economic prosperity," as the Foundation said in a release.

According to Allan, the grants the Gates Foundation is awarding the 12 teams will help them create blueprints in their states to expand programs they already have in development or in practice that provide what are called "13th-year associate degrees."

Anne Stanton, the president of California's team, the Linked Learning Alliance, said the money would be used for those three districts because they represent diverse demographics, geography, and communities. They've also been working on 13-year programs over the last ten years.

The grants will help the Linked Learning Alliance research what things work and what things don't for California students. This includes counseling, advising, support systems, and scheduling for students.

As Paulette Chaffee explains, it's work that is critical in achieving equity in education throughout California.

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