LA-25 Glendale USD: Health Heroes

Pathways Improvement Scope

GUSD strongly partners with Glendale Community College (GCC) and is committed to working toward LARC’s Actions for Equitable Academic Success. Building on an already strong partnership with GCC, GUSD aims to strengthen articulation agreements and dual enrollment offerings to ensure a seamless transition for students to GCC programs. These efforts will align curriculum across multiple Health pathways, including Patient Care Technician, Sports Medicine, and the new Healthcare pathway, providing students with advanced access to college-level coursework that prepares them for in-demand, high-wage careers in the Health industry.

GUSD will prioritize aligning course sequencing with GCC, ensuring that high school courses are structured to meet CC standards and lead to certifications or degrees in health care. This includes collaboration between GUSD/GCC instructors for curriculum planning, co-development of health courses, and joint professional development to stay updated on industry trends and demands.

The project introduces new WBL opportunities through pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in collaboration with GCC and industry partners. These programs offer students real-world, hands-on healthcare experience, equipping them with practical skills and industry exposure for their future careers. Apprenticeships will be coordinated with GCC to ensure students earn college credits while gaining on-the-job training, further smoothing their transition into postsecondary programs.

This comprehensive approach ensures that students have access to high-quality health career pathways, are supported with dual enrollment opportunities, and are equipped with the academic and practical skills needed to thrive in Health careers.

With SWP funds, GUSD will meet and continue working with GCC to review alignment and articulation for CCAP and early college sections and align sequencing across HS and college pathways for Health. Improving existing health pathways and adding a new health pathway is part of GUSD’s plan to better align with the programs offered by partner GCC, including pathways in nursing, health care administration, health information technology, pharmacy technician, and health education. Health leads other priority sectors in terms of the most significant number of annual job openings for occupations aligned with CC education that require some college but less than a bachelor’s degree.

Goals & Priorities

Project objectives for GUSD’s Health Heroes proposal include improving three existing Health pathways and adding one new pathway at Glendale High School with opportunities for 2006 students, 67% of whom qualify for free/reduced-price meals. SWP funds will ensure that the existing Patient Care Technician pathway will be improved and expanded at Daily High School, a continuation school comprising 60% students of color and 34% unduplicated English Learners. A 68% majority of Daily High’s 174 students qualify for free/reduced-price meals.

To address the identified labor shortage in Health and equity gaps in CTE pathways, GUSD will:

Implement NEW Health: Biotechnology pathway at Glendale High.
Enhance existing pathways Academy of Science and Medicine; and Sports Medicine at Crescenta Valley HS, and Patient Care Technician at Daily HS by purchasing industry-standard equipment to provide relevant hands-on learning opportunities in alignment with partner GCC and industry.
Provide externships for all CTE Health pathway teachers to visit providers, ensuring the curriculum is relevant and current.
Enhance CTE advisory to ensure Health pathways are industry-informed.
Develop targeted outreach campaigns to recruit Health pathway students and address equity gaps.
Implement structured programming to develop essential workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, preparing students for the demands of health care careers.
Expand WBL opportunities by hiring contractors who oversee, coordinate, and onboard students into structured, paid pre-apprenticeships and internships in Health.
Expand dual enrollment opportunities to strengthen pathway alignment in one new and three existing Health pathways by leveraging current articulations with GCC to increase the number of students earning college credits in high school and ensure smooth transitions to postsecondary programs that lead to high-wage health care careers.