Click here to register for 2022 Summer teaching opportunities.
Teacher job shadowing
Bay Area LEEDS supports the implementation of Business & Education Shadowing for Tomorrow–BEST Day–in both Mt. Diablo Unified School District and with the Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program. Yearly, up to 75 high school Career Technical Education teachers, and their career pathway academic partners, have an opportunity for three-hour industry shadowing experiences. BEST Day concludes with a lunch and ‘report back’ offering both teacher and business partner perspective on the value of the learning experience.
BEST Day originated in 1999 through collaboration with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. It expanded to the Tri-Valley area in 2023 with a partnership with the Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program through a Community College Chancellor’s Office Strong Workforce Program grant.
teacher externships in industry
According to research, the number one strategy for teaching workforce development skills is to make the learning experience authentic, which is one of the barriers for classroom teachers. One of the most challenging aspects of STEM learning for teachers to implement is to make the classroom content relevant and applicable to real-world scenarios while at the same time providing opportunities for students to demonstrate competencies of content standards by applying formal problem-solving methods and future workforce skills. Teacher externships are a valuable professional development experience for giving teachers first-hand knowledge about occupational options, labor market needs, activities, tasks, skill requirements, career development ladders, problems encountered, decision making processes, teamwork, and opportunities for student learning in a targeted industry or career area, through direct experience in a company or organization.
Commencing in Summer 2023, in collaboration with the Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program, Bay Area LEEDS works with industry to place for one week up to 15 Career Technical Education teachers. A stipend of $2000 is provided by the Contra Costa Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Strong Workforce Program grant with the expectation that teachers’ fall curriculum is modified based on the summer learning, or a new unit of study is developed and taught in the fall semester.
summer stem academies
Since 2005, Bay Area LEEDS has offered STEM-focused summer learning opportunities for teachers and students. Today, there are eight academies held over the summer offering teachers an opportunity to earn a stipend while learning more about the vibrant industry sectors which offer high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers in the regional economy–ones that students need to be aware of and prepare for–if we are to maintain economic vitality of the region. Bio-Rad Laboratories funded the first summer academy in 2005, and since then a full range of employers have invested including Chevron, Corteva, Bishop-Wisecarver Company, and more.
dinner & dialogue
Over a hearty dinner after the school day, Project Lead The Way teachers gather to share best practices with East Bay colleagues delivering the identical PLTW curriculum in engineering, biomedical and computer sciences. The Dinner & Dialogue also features an industry panel or keynote speaker offering leading edge information of interest to the career pathway teachers in attendance. These dinners are made possible by a grant from Chevron, who also invests in technology and teacher professional develop for the implementation of PLTW three- and four-year curriculum delivery.