Spring 2007 11th Edition - California GEAR UP e-Newsletter

Notes From the GEAR UP Director Shelley Davis

This has been an exciting year for our program, our partners, our schools and our students! Working together, we have maintained our focus on systemic, whole school reform, and sustainability exclusively in middle schools. While our State grant is unique in this respect, the critical work that we are doing together serves to inform schools across the P-16 pipeline.

More than at any other time in recent history, legislative attention in California has centered on the achievement gap and the academic preparation of ALL students. This presents an ideal opportunity for our program, and as participants in the dialog we are helping to shape solutions to address this important issue. With your support and the support of our partners, we will continue to share broadly the GEAR UP collaborative model for developing a college-going culture in support of ALL students.

An interview with... Evelyn Craine of the California Student Aid Commission

After attending Solano Community College, Evelyn began her state career with the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) as a Seasonal Clerk in the Cal Grant A program. In 1999 she transferred to the Specialized Programs Branch and is currently a Financial Aid Analyst and the principal contact for the GEAR UP Scholarshare Trust Awards.

What does the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) do to assist the California GEAR UP program?
The California Student Aid Commission administers the Educational Trust Awards, commonly known as “scholarships,” for GEAR UP. This office produces the applications, identifies the awardees, and sends out award notifications to GEAR UP schools, students, and parents. We also produce and send certificates signed by the Governor. Most importantly, we maintain yearly contact with the awardees and provide liaison services with Fidelity Investments, which has the Scholarshare account in the student’s name. After the student awardees enroll in college, we authorize the disbursements to the financial aid office.

MEET THE EVALUATOR Don Watson

Don Watson has been the evaluator for California GEAR UP since 2001. He worked for 37 years as an elementary teacher, coordinator, and administrator in the Los Angeles Unified School District. For three years he was the west coast director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY). For the last seven years he has been an evaluator for Healthy Start and Even Start programs, and now for GEAR UP.

Dr. Watson received his B.A. from Whittier College, education credentials from CSULA and CSUN, an MA in counseling from CSUN, and an Ed.D. from UCLA in Urban Education Policy and Planning. He has taught university classes in school administration and reform, and is now president of Watson Education Services LLC. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Pasadena. They have four children and five grandchildren.

Parent Institute for Quality Education Serves GEAR UP Schools

As a valued partner in California GEAR UP, the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) provides training and awareness sessions to inform parents and families about what is needed for their children to be successful in school. PIQE staff frequently share their strategies during professional development training at GEAR UP Institutes, Forums and Community Conferences.
PIQE classes are designed to increase the families’ level of concern and help them make the necessary changes in order to improve their children’s academic performance.

Professional Development for Leadership Teams

The 2007 Leadership Forums were a great success according to participant evaluations. There were 42 schools represented and over 200 people in attendance. Leadership Teams, led by their principals, appreciated the time away from school to collaborate, plan and engage in professional dialogue and readings. Participants worked as a Professional Learning Community and focused on creating a College-Going Culture with emphasis on leadership.

Forums concentrate on assisting team members to understand the scope of the work of the GEAR UP Leadership Team and their individual roles. Additionally, teams have the opportunity to revisit their Professional Development Plan (PDAP) and discuss the best way to use school-based services. The most exciting part was receiving the GEAR Trust Account allocations for students and then planning on how to select scholarship recipients.

Parents Support School Leadership Teams at Forums

Click image to view gallery.

Lynn Baranco, Administrative Program Manager, presented ...Lynn Baranco, Administrative Program Manager, presented ...

Parents attended from Frick Middle School; ...Parents attended from Frick Middle School; ...

Parents from Desert Willow Intermediate, North ...Parents from Desert Willow Intermediate, North ...

Parents from Carnegie Middle School, Emery ...Parents from Carnegie Middle School, Emery ...

Schools in Year 3 of GEAR UP Focus on Sustainability

The Continuing Schools Project (CSP) convened on March 13 in Burbank to address the sustainability of best practices and sharing the “how” of improving student achievement and maintaining a college-going culture.

Seventeen schools were represented and addressed these questions:

How has GEAR UP been integrated into the overall school improvement effort? Both GEAR UP and AVID?
How did this strategy affect learning in the classroom?
What practices do teachers use to improve learning and instruction?
What other strategies have increased student achievement?
As a school leader, how are you building capacity among colleagues to sustain efforts? The Leadership Team? Teachers? Parents?

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Newsletter Credits

Joann Zgonc - Publication Coordinator
Bernadette Ramirez - Executive Assistant
Tarik Assagai - ACS Digital Media

Regional Coordinators

Sandy Carpenter-Stevenson	Vance Mills
Shirley A. Cunningham	Gina Rodriguez
Frank Holmes	Robert Van Zant
Donald Mar	Joann Zgonc

In This Issue

Notes From the GEAR UP Director Shelley Davis
This has been an exciting year for our program, our partners, our schools and our students! Work...

An interview with... Evelyn Craine of the California Student Aid Commission
After attending Solano Community College, Evelyn began her state career with the California Stu...

MEET THE EVALUATOR Don Watson
Don Watson has been the evaluator for California GEAR UP since 2001. He worked for 37 years as an...

Parent Institute for Quality Education Serves GEAR UP Schools
As a valued partner in California GEAR UP, the Parent Institute for Quality Education (P...

Professional Development for Leadership Teams
The 2007 Leadership Forums were a great success according to participant evaluations. Ther...

Parents Support School Leadership Teams at Forums
Click image to view gallery. Lynn Baranco, Administrative Program Manager, presented ...Lynn Ba...

Schools in Year 3 of GEAR UP Focus on Sustainability
The Continuing Schools Project (CSP) convened on March 13 in Burbank to address the sustainabili...

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS CLEARINGHOUSE (RMC), 4th Edition
English and Spanish Power Point Presentations English and Spanish Powerpoint slides of the...

ACT DISCOVER Connects Students with Career Preparation
All 8th grade students at Samuel Jackman Middle School explored careers through the ACT DISCOVER...

Holmes International Middle School: A “Schools to Watch –Taking Center Stage” Model
Holmes International Middle School, located in Northridge and part of the Los Angeles Unified Sch...

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