Designing a research agenda in Linked Learning

DESIGNING A RESEARCH AGENDA IN LINKED LEARNING A proposed Scope of Work Principal Investigator: David L. Moguel, Ph.D., Secondary Education Department, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, CSU Northridge This initiative consists of the College of Education, CSU Long Beach, with original funding from the James Irvine Foundation, funding 4 Ed.D. candidates in CSUN's doctoral program, Eisner College of Education, for an amount of $3,000 each in the 2015-2016 academic year, to design doctoral dissertations on the subject of Linked Learning. Background Linked Leaming is a national initiative, well organized and funded in California, which integrates academics with career-based learning and real world workplace experiences. * The California Center for College and Career (ConnectEd) has directed, since 2009, the California Linked Learning District Initiative to support school districts, with generous funding from the James Irvine Foundation. * CSU Northridge 's involvement in Linked Learning to date has been through a Career Pathways Trust grant started in 2013, consisting of a consortium led by the Glendale USD, and including the Burbank USD, Glendale CC, the Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, and CSUN's College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media and Communication, and the Eisner College of Education. The Sub-Award * Through a sub-award to the Eisner College of Education, each of the following 4 doctoral students will received $3,000 to design a dissertation study on some aspect of Linked Learning. * In 2015-16, the students are in their first year of the Community College Leadership Cohort, Doctoral Degree in Education program. * David L. Moguel, professor of education in the Secondary Education Depaitment, would serve as an advisor for each student, complementing but not supplanting the official roles of Ed.D. Program Advisor, Dissertation Chair, and Dissertation Committee Member. Janine Elias, entrepreneur and adjunct faculty member for the LACCD, will explore the benefits and challenges of industry leaders in partnering with Linked Learning Pathways (LLP) and schools. She seeks to study the factors that impact or shape the sustainability of LLP relationships with industry leaders. Samuel N. Prater, an administrator of student housing and residential life at CSU Northridge, is interested in Linked Learning programs that face the challenge of working with hundreds of students performing below grade level. He seeks to study the effects of academic interventions such as accelerated learning, remediation, tutoring, and mentoring. Farrah Esmaeili, community college math instructor, is interested in confronting the problem of ineffective math instruction, particularly for African-American and Latino male students, and how Linked Learning Pathways can help close the achievement gap in this area. Tiffany Monique Quash, staff member of the Bravo Medical Magnet school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, seeks to apply race and gender theory to a comparison of the success and challenges of African-American and Latina females in magnet schools, STEM education programs, and Linked Learning programs, especially the Health Science & Medical Technology Pathway. Finally, David L. Moguel, as principal investigator, will: a) Serve as an advisor for each student, guiding their review of existing literature, and designing their dissertation study. His role will be to complement but not supplant the official roles of Ed.D. Program Advisor, Dissertation Chair, and Dissertation Committee Member. b) Operate as a liaison between the Eisner College of Education and key Linked Learning partners in the Greater Los Angeles area, such as CSU Long Beach, ConnectEd California, the United Way of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the California Community College District, and the Los Angeles, Burbank, and Glendale Unified School Districts. c) Assist the students in finding future sources of support for their research on Linked Learning.