April 16 National Pathway Day Recognizes How Career-Connected Learning Prepares America's High Schoolers for Opportunities
(April 2025) Communities across the country are considering how best to prepare the next generation of leaders for their futures. One time-tested strategy continues to hold promise and deliver results: high school pathways that integrate world-of-work learning with rigorous academics, preparing students to excel in college and careers aligned with today's fastest-growing industries.
To that end, Porterville Unified School District has launched National Pathway Day, a new annual recognition that kicks off on April 16 in partnership with college-and-career pathway champions ConnectED, Linked Learning Alliance, and NAF.
National Pathway Day honors the importance of industry-themed learning experiences that integrate classroom coursework with career and technical education (CTE) and work-based learning. Known as pathways, these experiences build the skills and dispositions young people need to thrive in college as well as in high-opportunity, growing industries.
“At Porterville Unified, we’ve seen firsthand how pathways transform education by connecting rigorous academics with hands-on learning and real-world career experiences. National Pathway Day is a celebration of how this approach empowers students, opens doors to college and careers, and builds stronger communities,” said Cynthia Garcia Brown, Director of Student Pathways at Porterville Unified School District.
School districts across the country can join these efforts by encouraging students to engage in pathway programs, offering career-connected coursework, and collaborating with local businesses to provide internships, mentoring, job shadowing, workplace visits, guest speakers, and other work-based learning opportunities for students.
“ConnectED is excited to partner with Porterville Unified and various partners to celebrate National Pathway Day but to draw attention to how pathways in schools change lives by making learning relevant and engaging for students” said ConnectED Director, Rob Atterbury.
In addition to delivering college-preparatory curriculum, pathways create valuable opportunities for students to learn industry practices from qualified CTE instructors and business partners. The integration of career-relevant, college-bound learning prepares all pathway students for the full range of possibilities after graduation.
“The formal recognition of National Pathway Day is an important step in raising awareness of the Linked Learning pathways model and its impact on student success,” said Linked Learning Alliance President Anne Stanton. “By connecting rigorous academics with real-world learning, pathways help young people discover purpose, stay engaged in their education, and prepare for both college and career. We have seen strong outcomes for students—particularly those who have been historically underserved—and we look forward to continued progress as more communities embrace this approach.”
According to NAF, 90% of students who graduate from a pathway program are college-bound, and 65% of graduating pathway students join the workforce or military. In these programs, students learn critical skills that prepare them for college or their first jobs, grow confidence in their abilities, and explore future career paths.
“NAF is proud to partner with the Porterville Unified School District for the inaugural National Pathway Day,” said NAF CEO, Lisa Dughi. “By expanding access to career-focused learning opportunities, we can empower today’s students to shape their own futures and help build a stronger, more prepared next generation.”
National Pathway Day offers a moment for educators, employers, students, and families to come together in support of this vision for education — one where all students are prepared not just for graduation, but for opportunity.
Media Contacts
Porterville Unified School District
Hannah Moore
559-793-2400 ext. 4655
hmoore6769@portervilleschools.org
ConnectED
Joseph Hendry
(510)343-9833
Linked Learning Alliance
Haley Steinhauser
Vice President of Communications
562-991-3170
NAF
Courtney Savoia, NAF
201-407-8513
About the Porterville Unified School District
The Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) Pathways Department creates opportunities and changes the lives of students through compassion, competence, confidence, and collaboration. Through family and community engagement, PUSD strives to ensure each student has meaningful experiences and grows and develops as individuals.
About ConnectED
Established in 2006 by the James Irvine Foundation, ConnectED: the National Center for College and Career is committed to partnering with community leaders to design and implement comprehensive systems of high quality college and career pathways designed to maximize the potential for student success. ConnectED focuses on what students need to know and be able to do to achieve lasting success in both college and career, not just one or the other. With an aim to improve not just how students learn, but also how teachers teach, how schools better support learning and teaching, and how the community provides opportunities for learning and practice. With an interdisciplinary, experiential approach, we connect teachers and students to industry professionals who help create authentic projects, assess student work, and work side-by-side with students through job shadowing, mentoring, and internship experiences. Learn more about ConnectED at connectednational.org.
About Linked Learning Alliance
The Linked Learning Alliance leads a movement to connect all youth to college, career, and purpose. We partner with education systems to accelerate the adoption of high-quality Linked Learning educational pathways that engage adolescents, strengthen workforce readiness, and advance equity and economic justice. Our actions drive rigor and improvement in the Linked Learning practice, research that establishes evidence and informs learning, communications that enhance public understanding and center the voices of students and educators, and the supportive policy and resources required for success. Learn more at linkedlearning.org and follow us on social @linkedlearningalliance.
About NAF
Since 1980, NAF has led a movement for immersive, career-focused teaching and work-based learning in high school. With the support of NAF community-based advisory boards, schools connect with the workforce to fuel shared progress—from creating paid internship opportunities to fostering innovation and building future-ready businesses. NAF helps students explore career options, create a plan for the future, and take part in hands-on, work-based learning unlike anything traditional public education systems can offer. NAF puts students on a path to achieving their full potential.
NAF has grown from one NAF Academy of Finance in New York City to hundreds of academies across the country focusing on growing industries including finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering, and health sciences; and support programs of study that are aligned with the National Career Clusters Framework. During the 2024-25 school year, over 112,000 students attended over 600 NAF academies across 34 states and territories. In 2024, NAF academies reported 99% of seniors graduated with 90% of graduates planning to go to college. Learn more at naf.org and follow us on social @NAFCareerAcads.