Dr. Jill Baker is the former superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). The district educates approximately 61,000 students across 83 schools in Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill and Avalon on Catalina Island. LBUSD is the fifth-largest school district in the state and is the largest employer in Long Beach, with more than 10,000 employees. Baker has served in public education for 34 years, all in LBUSD. She retired from her superintendent’s role at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Across the country, high school seniors are making important choices about what comes next, while younger students are beginning to map out their own paths.
They are clear about what they want: learning that feels relevant, experiences that connect to real opportunities and a future that feels within reach. Our responsibility as educators is to ensure they have access to the full range of options that can get them there.
In the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), we have made a deliberate commitment to center student voices — not just in conversations, but in decision-making. That work in Long Beach started with a student summit of nearly 1,000 young people who helped envision the future of education in our city. Their ideas now live in LBUSD’s Vision 2035.
Continuing this collaboration, students sit alongside adults in advisory roles. They are at the table, shaping change. Because while well-meaning adults can make meaningful improvements, truly listening to students and centering their experiences opens up endless possibilities for addressing the daily challenges they face in our schools.
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One of the clearest messages we’ve received is this: high school must connect to life after graduation. That’s why Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways are not an add-on in Long Beach — they are a core part of how we view the high school experience. We’re not merely focused on course sequences or making sure students check a box indicating CTE completion. Instead, we’re taking a holistic approach to how students experience high school and how those experiences get them ready for college, careers and civic life.
All 15 of our high schools offer dual enrollment opportunities. But in the past few years, we have expanded these options further. At Browning Early College, one of our high schools, students can earn up to 60 college credits and their Associate’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Long Beach Community College (LBCC) upon graduation. That means students graduate with a college degree alongside their high school diploma. We have already celebrated two graduating classes that have reached this milestone.
Additionally, dual enrollment is integrated directly into our career pathways. During the school day, students take college-level courses aligned with their chosen industry. Many graduate with at least 12 college units already completed — an important boost toward college success.
Equally important, they do not have to navigate the college system alone or solely after hours. The pathway is built for them during the school day, as part of a clear sequence aligned with their interests and goals. The only exception to this in-school dual enrollment pathway is access to teaching careers.
LBUSD and LBCC have partnered to develop a dual enrollment pathway for current Long Beach high school students interested in a teaching career. Students who complete 12 units of designated classes in the teaching pipeline before graduation receive a conditional contract to return and teach in LBUSD after earning their teaching credential. LBCC classes for this pipeline are offered outside of regular school hours.
Dual enrollment offers more than just credits; it provides clarity. It allows students to explore a field, build confidence and see themselves as capable of succeeding in higher education and the workforce.
We have also seen a significant expansion in work-based learning. Internships and workplace experiences are no longer limited to summer or senior year. Students start exploring careers as early as ninth grade, with many advancing to paid internships that earn them both course credit and real-world experience.
The impact is clear. I’ve heard from graduates now in college who say that a high school internship directly led to their next opportunity and ultimately shaped their career. These experiences give students a head start in skills, direction and motivation.
This work also encourages us to rethink the traditional boundaries of high school. Senior year doesn’t have to be confined entirely to a classroom. When students participate in meaningful work-based learning, we are effectively seeing the world as a classroom. That change opens up new possibilities that students may never have imagined.
While students in LBUSD are benefiting from this approach, countless students throughout California and the nation could benefit from programs that provide exposure to a broader range of career opportunities. For students who may not be interested in the traditional college path or may face additional obstacles, post-high school options can appear limited, but we know there are several routes to a successful future.
CTE is sometimes framed as an alternative to college. In Long Beach Unified, we challenge that false narrative. Our pathways are designed to prepare students for both college and career. It’s about expanding options, not narrowing them.
As we look to the future, we remain in a strong place — but we are not standing still. We are continually imagining what is possible based on what our students teach us. Their voices steer us. Their aspirations challenge us. Their lived experiences shape the way we design schools that are responsive, rigorous and relevant.
When we prioritize student voice in decision-making, we are reminded that young people do not want a one-size-fits-all education. They seek pathways. They desire opportunity. They want to see a clear link between today’s classroom and tomorrow’s future.
Career pathways, when thoughtfully designed, equitably accessible and deeply aligned with student voices, are among the most effective ways to fulfill that promise.
And in Long Beach Unified, that promise belongs to every student.
