Curriculum and Career Education (CCE) is a network of programs that bring a sense of balance between curriculum and career, valuing students as whole people connected with our community. Home to diverse pathways to support students in curriculum and career through programs such as Advanced Authentic Research, Work Experience, CTE (Early Childhood Development, Culinary Arts, Auto, Video Production, etc.), Social Justice Pathway, and Elementary Creativity Cart Program, We are banding together to create a greater, more unified experience for every student as they seek richer, more meaningful opportunities preparing them the workforce and beyond.

How We Do It

  • Creating a system that supports teachers' creativity at the levels closest to our students.
  • Collecting and adjusting in response to feedback that supports innovation.
  • Using effective Agile methods district-wide.

This guides our work through the year 2022.

Why:  To help every student have richer, more meaningful opportunities that prepare them the workforce and beyond.

Our Work in Action

  • Advanced Authentic Research (AAR) lets students explore an area of their own interest through a year-long, self-driven research project. Students in AAR learn how to conduct research, work with an expert mentor, design a research project, and present their results at the annual Celebratory Showcase. AAR also serves as the capstone for some of our CTE pathway programs and for Paly’s Social Justice Pathway (SJP).
     
  • AP Capstone consists of AP Seminar and AP Research, uses an interdisciplinary approach to develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management, and presentation skills students need for college-level work. AP Seminar is inclusive to all students and has no prerequisites. Students must take AP Seminar before taking AP Research. 
     
  • CTE Pathway programs give students the chance to pursue multi-year programs in career and technical fields. We work closely with teachers and school sites to map out robust CTE pathways in alignment with California state CTE guidelines. CTE programs we support include:  automotive technology, culinary science, early childhood development, robotics, theater & stage production, video production & digital filmmaking.
     
  • Dual Enrollment lets students earn college credit for courses that they take in high school through partnerships with local community colleges. We are actively exploring new dual enrollment opportunities to meet students’ needs; for example, we helped Paly’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) program establish dual enrollment with Foothill College.
     
  • Elementary Creativity Cart Project engages students in the elementary schools in self-directed creativity and exploration. The carts are customized with student project materials to meet the needs of each individual school site. Students in Paly’s ECD program use the Elementary Creativity Carts to design lessons for Transitional Kindergarten and Young Fives at Greendell. All of our participating sites utilize their carts to work with the Big Buddies mentor program. We are also building Elementary Virtual Reality Experiences to expand learning and exploration opportunities for elementary students.
     
  • Work Experience Education is a California state program that links academic curriculum with the world of work and promotes students’ school-to-career transitions. The program is currently being updated to meet the changing needs of our students and business community.

 

Behind the Scenes

Community Outreach

  • Work with community colleges to provide dual enrollment and CTE opportunities.
  • Provide project opportunities for students through interdisciplinary projects and collaborations.
  • Connect students with mentors, internships, businesses, and other community partners.
  • Use mentorship to create personalized learning for all students. 
  • Recruit and maintain quality mentors, business partners, and internship opportunities for career and curriculum programs.

Grant Coordination and Record Management

  • Pursue and administer grants to support career and curriculum programs.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) with Research, Evaluations, and Assessment Team

  • Review and approve student research proposals from AAR and AP Research.
  • Include representatives from all disciplines, site and district administration, and local community.
  • All members certified by National Institutes of Health (NIH).