Notes From the GEAR UP Director Shelley Davis

There’s always a certain degree of excitement with the beginning of spring. All around are reminders of “coming attractions” as Mother Nature prepares for her annual display of beauty and bounty. Then too, there is the uncertainty of just how soon to shed extra layers of clothing, to plan the outdoor dinner party or the weekend camping trip with the kids. Springtime requires that we plan, prepare and adapt for Change.

This is a season of great expectations of real Change, as featured in the 2008 presidential campaign. And closer to home Change must come to meet the challenges of closing the achievement gap.

In education today, what exactly does Change mean? How are we preparing for it? How do we contribute to it? And how do we know if we’ve achieved it? These are the types of questions the GEAR UP team is constantly asking to guide our work in support of the middle school community; specifically, the administration, faculty, families and all students. Our measure of progress is systemic Change and whole school reform as defined by the conditions for developing a college-going culture.

We believe we have an excellent framework to articulate the vision of a college-going culture as evidenced by GEAR UP School Leadership Teams. Our Forums provide a collaborative, active learning process with schools sharing experiences and focusing on elements of Change. Strategies are developed to increase the level of engagement between GEAR UP staff, partners and the leadership teams. Their resulting plans for sustainability reflect a team effort and will ensure more effective and efficient service for our schools. (Inside story)

How are we contributing to middle school reform and policy decisions on a statewide level? How do we value our teachers and share what we know about their lived experiences? The feature story is the result of a grant from the California Postsecondary Education Commission that has allowed us to share lessons learned with the higher education community.

Whole school Change is truly a collaborative effort that requires constant review to improve our services. We make Change based on our understanding of individual school needs and how they fit within the State GEAR UP model. On pages 1 and 2 we share good news about three projects designed specifically to better serve the middle school community: Community-Based Project, Counseling Institute, and Family Initiatives Project.

Just as we expect school staff to build capacity, GEAR UP staff and partners are equally committed to build capacity and learn from each other. Our conversations and engagement with educators across the State help to determine the training, development and standards for our team. (See Facilitation story) We are also excited to share the success of our partnership with TEAM GEAR UP on page 4.

And finally, we celebrate the achievements of our collaborative approach to whole school improvement. In this edition we acknowledge the accomplishments of whole schools, departments within schools, families, service providers, individuals and our students! With your support, we will continue to adapt to Change as we welcome the coming of spring!

“Handle the challenge of change well, and you can prosper greatly. Handle it poorly, and you put yourself and others at risk.” ~Kotter & Rathgeber

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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
There’s always a certain degree of excitement with the beginning of spring. All around are reminder...

A VOICE FOR HIGH QUALITY TEACHING | An Interview with Bill Vasey
In 2005, GEAR UP Project Coordinator Bill Vasey retired from the California Department of Education...

Meet Renee East
Renee East has served in the GEAR UP Oakland Office since 2002. She provides administrative support...

Announcement
California GEAR UP Director Shelley Davis has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Nation...

GEAR UP San Diego Community-Based Project Moves Forward
In collaboration with selected community and faith-based organizations, the Community-Based Project...

2008 GEAR UP Forums: Sustainability, Leadership and Relationships
School leadership teams came together at the 2008 California GEAR UP Forums for a day of reflection,...

GEAR UP Partner: Parent Institute for Quality Education
Since July 2007, many families have completed Parent Institute for Quality Education classes at GEA...

THE POWER OF FACILITATION
The beauty of using facilitation to initiate and spark change(s) lies in its simplicity. All school...

GEAR UP School Happenings
In January 2008 a “College-Going School Rally” at Visitacion Middle School featured students with la...

GEAR UP Family Initiatives Project: Reaching Into the School Community
The Family Initiatives Project (FIP) continues to develop creative ways to strengthen the connection...

Counseling Institute: All Counselors Are College Counselors
Over 100 participants pre-registered for the three one day Counseling Institute sessions provided by...

Counseling Institute Facilitators: Linda Loya and Qiana Patterson
Linda Loya taught junior high school Spanish for two years, spent 35 years at Huntington Park High S...

Valley High School Counseling Program Wins Award
In March 2008 the Valley High School Counseling Program was selected to receive the prestigious H.B....

GEAR UP EDUCATIONAL TRUST AWARDS: ENGAGING STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Story Note: The California GEAR UP Program has established Educational Trust Awards with Scholarsha...

California GEAR UP and TEAM GEAR UP Collaboration
TEAM (Together Expect and Achieve More) GEAR UP, a local partnership grant, brings together 13 middl...

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