In collaboration with Partner4Work (P4W), the Consortium has been convening school counselors and educators focused on career readiness in a new initiative, Career Connections Network (CCN). Last spring, P4W was approached by school leaders who asked if they might bring this group together to help them share their work, learn from each other, and better […]
CPE News
Spotlight on: Neighborhood Learning Alliance’s High School U
Educators looking for ways to help students get a taste of college or career learning experiences can point them toward Neighborhood Learning Alliance (NLA) for options. Through NLA’s High School U (HSU) program, students ages 16-18 can earn college credits and explore careers in any of four fields—Business, Healthcare, Technology & Robotics, and Trades in […]
Human-Centered Design Makes an Impact for Leaders
After five months together, two cohorts of school and nonprofit leaders completed their courses, learning about and applying the principles and strategies of human-centered design (HCD) in their work. Despite the differences in format and length (one 25-hour virtual course and the other a 50-hour in-person course), participants in both classes learned about the fundamentals […]
Pennsylvania’s CEW Standards Get a Needed Upgrade in 2026
Starting July 2026, Pennsylvania’s new Career Education and Work Standards (CEW) will replace the original standards from 2015. We don’t typically get excited about standards, but the new CEWs came as a pleasant surprise. Perhaps most importantly, the standards mark the closest that the PA Department of Education has come to formalizing a statewide Portrait […]
New Resource for Work-based Learning Support
Britebound (formerly American Student Assistance) recently launched Career Ready Network, a new portion of their Career Ready HQ website dedicated to connecting students and educators to organizations that provide or assist with developing work-based learning opportunities. The Consortium was honored to be invited to be one of many organizations featured, among other local partners like […]
Spotlight on: One high school’s approach to expanding career education
Penn Hills High School undertook an initiative this year that’s intended to give students the opportunity to graduate with something more than a diploma. The high school launched PHorge (Penn Hills Organization for Research, Growth & Education) Academy to provide several forms of career education in-house so that students can earn the kinds of industry […]
Spring 2026 Session of Leadership through Design Now Available
A spring cohort for the Consortium’s Leadership through Design: Enhancing Student Growth and Achievement is now open for registration. The 25-hour virtual Act 45 course for school leaders takes administrators through the design cycle to learn about the mindset of human-centered design and equip them with tools for collaborative problem solving. The spring session is $375 […]
Now Open: 2026 FRPC Call for Proposals & Registration
The 2026 Future Ready Partnerships Conference is designed to bring together educators, employers, and partners to showcase impactful school-business partnerships from across the region and inspire new collaborations. This event will feature speakers, breakout sessions, lunch, and opportunities to learn and meet others interested in building partnerships. This year's conference will be held on March [...]
Student Sustainability Design Challenge Expands Across the Region
The Consortium’s Student Sustainability Design Challenge kicked off this fall with more than 250 students, representing 16 schools from across Southwestern Pennsylvania, attending two kickoff events. Six new schools joined the SSDC this year, with 300+ students slated to participate as the program continues into the winter and spring. Representatives from nearly 40 community organizations, […]
Should we outsource critical thinking to artificial intelligence?
The short answer is: No. The longer answer is a bit more nuanced. For context: A few weeks ago, Debbie Pixton and Aaron Altemus, who lead the Consortium’s human-centered design training, had the privilege of speaking at The Global Impact Forum presented by Penn State University. The conference focused heavily on the intersection of K-16 […]
