June 2017 California GEAR UP Schools, On behalf of the California State GEAR UP program, I wish to express our sincere gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with your schools. Since 2011, we have been inspired by you and your dedication to making a difference for All students. Your success has been shared broadly throughout California and with the national GEAR UP community. As we near the end of this grant cycle, we are proud of the experiences and lessons learned on this journey with you. Because of your dedication, we have had broad systemic effect beyond the 48 schools …

A Final Letter to Our Amazing California GEAR UP Schools Read More »

  (from the Dept. of Education blog) Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to multiple schools. Now you need to determine which schools are most affordable so you can factor school cost into your decision. If you listed a school on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form and have been offered admission by that school, the school’s financial aid office will send you a financial aid offer. The amounts and types of aid you’re offered will likely vary from school to school, so it’s important to compare your financial aid offers. Here are a few tips and resources to …

3 Tips for Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid Offers Read More »

    Marla Dominguez, Principal Caruthers Elementary, has been the principal for five years. She shares her GEAR UP story and passion for her profession with us. Please tell us about the community.  Caruthers Unified is located in the central San Joaquin Valley, approximately 15 miles south of Fresno. The District covers a large rural area (120 square miles) of approximately 2,500 residents, including the two small unincorporated communities of Caruthers and Raisin City. An additional 4,800 people live in the area surrounding Caruthers. Of our 1,442 students, 1266 or 89 % of them are LI and qualify for free …

Caruthers Principal Shares GEAR UP Journey Read More »

  High school graduation rates in California climbed for the seventh year in a row, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, announced Tuesday. The class of 2016 had a record-high graduation rate of 83.2 percent, with significant gains for student populations that have historically lagged behind. “Graduation rates have gone up seven years in a row,” Torlakson said in a written statement, “reflecting renewed optimism and increased investments in our schools that have helped reduce class sizes; bring back classes in music, theater, art, dance, and science; and expand career technical education programs that engage our students with hands-on, …

California graduation rates continue uptick, as achievement gap narrows Read More »

  (reposted from the Brookings Institution)  Researchers and policymakers devote considerable effort to understanding gaps in academic achievement between low-income students and their better-off classmates.[1] And rightly so: the income-based achievement gap is a large and growing source of educational inequality in the United States. The test-score gap between high- and low-income students is 40 percent wider today than it was 25 years ago.[2] One widely-used marker for poverty in schools is a student’s eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. But while nearly half of students nationwide are eligible for subsidized meals, only a quarter of US children live in poverty. …

The Gap Within the Gap Read More »