Partnering with Charter
Schools: Career Pathways
Trust and Beyond
Amy Blumberg James, MPA
Matthew Wunder, Ed.D.
January 28, 2015
AGENDA
• Introduce Amy
• Background on charter schools in California
• Career Pathways Trust
• Introduce Matthew Wunder, Ed.D
• Case Study: Da Vinci Charter Schools
• How Charter Schools and WIBs can work together
• Questions and Answers
Amy Blumberg James
• Director, Legislative Affairs for CA Charter Schools Association
• Legislative Advocate for CA Workforce Association for 2 1/2
years
• 16 years experience in Public Policy arena
• MPA, University of Southern CA, BA from UC Santa Barbara
Charter Schools: Basic Facts
• CA was 2nd in nation to pass charter schools law: Charter
Schools Act of 1992
• Currently 1184 charter schools in CA serving 548,000
students
• 10% of public school population
• 87 new charter schools opened in 2014-5 school year, 33
in Los Angeles region
Charter Schools
• Public Schools of Choice
• Serve ALL students
• Open Enrollment via lottery
• Managed by local educators, parents, community
leaders
• Make decisions based on the best interest of their
students and faculty
• Encourage parent involvement and participation
Charter Public Schools vs.
Traditional Public Schools
• More flexibility for teachers, innovation in the classroom
• Accountable for student achievement but greater flexibility
• Charters are founded by community leaders, teachers,
parents
• Must submit a charter school petition to local school board
for approval, show strong academic and financial plan
Basic Facts continued
• Charters are granted for 5 years, charters must
renew petition, show that students are successful or
school will be closed
• Specific mission –focus on college preparation, Arts,
STEM, closing the African American achievement gap
Where are charter schools in CA?
• Los Angeles - 31.95%
• Bay Area – 20.73%
• Sacramento – 9.09%
• San Diego – 10.37%
Academic Performance & Demand
• Some of top performing high schools in CA are charter
schools
• Academic Achievement is higher for students with similar
demographics in charters vs. traditional public schools
• 91,000 students on waiting lists across the state
• More schools and seats needed to fill demand
CCSA
• Founded in 2003
• Vision: Increasing student learning by growing the #
of families choosing high quality charter schools so
that no child is denied the right to a great education
• Mission: A million students attending charter public
schools by 2022 with charter public schools
outperforming non- charter public schools on every
measure
CCSA’s role
• Advocacy organization
• Builds the policy environment needed to grow
as quickly as possible the # of student
attending quality public schools
Who cares? How does this relate to
workforce development?
• Shared mission of youth/student success in college and
in life
• Preparation for 21st Century economy, innovations in
the classroom
• Charter schools have longer school years, increased
school hours to ensure academic achievement
• Partnership opportunities – Charter schools are LEAs
Career Pathways Trust
• Funding for development of (K–14) career pathways programs
connect businesses, (K–12) schools, community colleges
together to better prepare students for the 21st century
workplace
• $250 million in 2014-15 and 2015-16
• Application process nearly complete/Planning for next year
• Consortium grant due January 9
• Implementation grant due February 6
Matthew Wunder, Ed.D.
• CEO, founder of Da Vinci Charter Schools
• 25 years of experience as a teacher, counselor,
principal
• Teaches at Loyola Marymount University, serves on
various boards
• Interested in preparing students for college
completion, 21st century jobs, leveraging resources to
provide better outcomes for kids
Who We Are
Da Vinci Communications
Da Vinci Design
Da Vinci Science
Da Vinci Innovation
Academy (K-8)
Career-Focused Pathways
Da Vinci Science
Engineering
Da Vinci Design
Architecture
Graphic Design
Da Vinci Communications
Computer Science
Media Communications
Blending college preparedness and
real-world readiness aligned to workforce needs
Da Vinci Signature Programs & Practices
 Small School Culture
 Real-World, Project-Based Learning aligned
with the needs of future employers
 A focus on 21st century skills
 Industry & Higher Education Partnerships
 Early College / Dual Enrollment
 Work Experience Program
 Habits of Heart & Mind
4-Year Course Sequence – Da Vinci Schools
9th Grade
10th Grade
English 9
Composition
Physics
Math
Foreign Language
Pathways
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
English 10
World History
Chemistry
Math
Foreign Language
Pathways
11th Grade
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
English 11
US History
Biology
Math
Foreign Language
Pathways
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
12th Grade
English 12
Government/
Economics
Anatomy/Psychology
or Advanced Physics
Math
Pathways
Seminar 1
Seminar 2
Demographics & Results
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Total enrollment = 1,448 students from 82 zip codes
98% completed UC/CSU admissions requirements(Class of 2014)
84% accepted to 4-year universities (Class of 2014)
Acceptances to every UC, CSU, and MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale,
Dartmouth, and many other private and public institutions
How do we define success in education?
Our Vision
Da Vinci students will graduate as collaborative,
informed, resourceful and reflective individuals
who are college-ready, career-prepared, and
community-minded.
What We Value
 Create a collaborative learning environment where students
and adults feel safe, are known well, and feel valued
 Empower students to be self-directed, think critically, and
solve complex problems
 Encourage students to do their best work and to know they
can do hard things
 Bring students to the real-world and the real-world to the
classroom. Make learning relevant and engaging, but to also
answer the question before it is asked: Why do I need to know
this?
 Students ought to learn in school what they need to know
when they get out of school
 Endeavor to help students discover their talents and passions,
while developing the habit of grit and a growth mindset
The Education to Employment Crisis
 3 million unfilled jobs across the country because applicants
don't have the skills employers need
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics/NY Times)
 41% of college graduates from the past two years are
underemployed or unemployed (Source: Accenture)
 Only 8.3 % of low-income students have earned a bachelor’s
degree by their mid-20s
(Source: KIPP College Completion Report)
 47% of jobs in California are middle-skill, but only an
estimated 38% of workers are trained for middle-skill jobs
(Source: America's Edge report)
 By 2025, California will have a workforce shortage of 1 million
college graduates (Source: America's Edge report)
 $35,200 per graduate in college-related debt (Source: CNN Money
2013)
 23% of U.S. children are living in poverty
(Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation)
Broken Pipeline to Good Jobs
Career & Jobs
College
High School
Middle School
Elementary School
“I could not see how college mapped to my
future, so I dropped out and self-educated.”
—Scott Banister, highly successful
student & entrepreneur
Our Partners & Supporters
(partial list)
How We Partner With Industry
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Guest speakers
Project planning & support
Curriculum development
Pathways planning & design
Professional partner visits
Internships / Work Experience
Job shadows
Field trips
Mentoring & coaching
Co-teaching of seminars
Professional development
Volunteer support
In-kind donations
Direct funding
Partnerships + Collaborations
Karten Design
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX
DIRECTV
SpaceX
Northrop Grumman
CA Career Pathways Trust – Da Vinci Schools
 Serving as a best practice demonstration site and hosting
teacher professional development as part of the first
round of CCPT funding, in partnership with LAUSD.
 Submitting a grant application for round 2 of CCPT
funding as the lead agency.
Lessons Learned
 Submitting a CCPT grant is
a huge undertaking
 Process is not friendly toward
smaller LEAs and charter
schools that do not have the
infrastructure and partnerships
in place
 Prescriptive, all-inclusive nature of CCPT grant does not
foster innovative strategies, outside the box thinking.
Rigid requirements of RFP could stifle creative approaches
that achieve the same or better outcomes
DV College Program – A Dual Track Approach
Combining rigorous college academics with on-the-job
workplace training
 13th year of high school focused on two
concurrent pathways:
(1) fulfillment of GE lower-division coursework
leading to an IGETC transfer degree or AA/AS
(2) career-preparation through structured
workplace experiences
 Higher Ed Partners: UCLA Extension, Antioch Univ. LA,
El Camino College
 Industry Partners: Belkin, Northrop, Wells Fargo,
and more
Early College / Dual Enrollment Program
El Camino College
 5 PLTW classes for dual credit
 3 PLTW classes for elective credit
 Classes are co-taught by DV teachers
and industry professionals
Antioch University LA
 10 classes for dual credit
 Classes taught by DV teachers as
adjunct professors
UCLA Extension – Starting Fall 2015
 Classes delivered online with additional
support and PBL curriculum through DV
Da Vinci Schools - Strategic Initiatives
1. Dissemination
o Campus Visits / Professional Development Workshops
o PD Institute
o Online Resource Bank
2. College Completion
o Early College coursework
o DV College Program
3. Real World Learning
o Work Experience Program
o Industry/Business Internships
o Digital Badging
Partnership Opportunities
• Future CCPT grants
• Ongoing community efforts
• Legislation
• Network with like minded individuals at CCSA conference
March 17 – 19 in Sacramento
• Credit recovery/High School Diploma/GED programs
Career Technical Education Grants
• $250 million Proposition 98 General Fund in next 3
years for incentive grants to school districts, county
offices of education, charter schools
• Required 1-to-1 matching funds, long-term
commitment to support CTE with a plan to continue
the program after grant funds expire with LCFF
allocations or other local funding resources
• Priority given to entities who apply in partnership with
other districts or providers to offer regional programs
We love visitors!
Da Vinci Schools
13500 Aviation Blvd.
Hawthorne, CA 90250
(310) 725-5800 main
matt@davincischools.org
www.davincischools.org
Thank You
Amy Blumberg
ablumberg@calcharters.org
(916) 215-3421
www.calcharters.org
Matthew Wunder
matt@davincischools.org
(310) 725-5800 main
www.davincischools.org