A town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) at the New World Open Academy in Koreatown was attended by hundreds of constituents on Tuesday evening, most of whom had questions about the role he would play on a 12-member deficit reduction committee and how he would protect key programs.

Becerra, whose district includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of East Hollywood, Mount Washington, Highland Park, Echo Park and Eagle Rock, is charged with helping to devise a plan to reduce the nation’s deficit by $1.5 trillion in the next 10 years. These reductions include all discretionary spending programs that could include GEAR UP.

Many constituents asked Becerra to affirm his support of programs such as GEAR UP and TRIO, Medicare and Social Security, while others asked that he not support any plan that would raise taxes.

The town hall was attended by constituents in Becerra’s district who also work for the students and families of GEAR UP programs. The GEAR UP supporters asked the congressman to continue to advocate for programs, such as GEAR UP, that he has always supported. Becerra’s reply was “my voting record speaks for itself.”

For his part, Becerra said he would hold true to his convictions by attempting to protect what he considered invaluable social programs. However, he said in order for compromise to be made, he had to put everything on the table.

“I need to be able to say to [Republicans] that [Social Security] is there on the table. But, before we leave it on the table to find savings, they’re going to need to prove to me why it deserves to be cut,” Becerra said. “I believe I can win that argument.”

Just before leaving for their August recess, members of Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011. While the full implications of the Act are not yet clear, one thing is crystal clear: GEAR UP is at risk.

When Congress re-convenes in early September to pick up their budget and appropriations work, they’ll be tasked with cutting billions of dollars from the federal budget. GEAR UP and other college access programs may well be on the chopping block.

Our members of Congress and the Obama administration need to hear from each and every American concerned about college access and committed to efficient, effective, locally-driven, and family-focused programs like GEAR UP. Now is the time to make our voices heard: protect the future by protecting funding for GEAR UP and other college access programs.

Here’s where you come in. I need you to act TODAY.

Please click here to sign the petition asking the President to stand up for college access during the upcoming appropriations battles.

Signing the petition adds your voice to the GEAR UP chorus, and is a first step down the road to protecting this critical program.

Today’s release by the California Department of Education (CDE) of the state’s graduation and dropout rates has good news and bad news. The bad news is clear: The data show that California students, particularly low-income students, students of color, and other high-need populations, graduate from high school at alarmingly low rates. The good news is that for the first time, the graduation and dropout rates are accurate, transparent, and are no longer estimates, thanks to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System, or CALPADS.

This year’s data tell us even more about student performance. The data show that three out of four (74%) of our state’s students are graduating from high school in four years, and that 18% drop out. Sadly, the news is far worse for the state’s African-American and Latino students, who graduate from high school at abysmally low rates—59% and 68%, respectively. Nearly one out of three (30%) African-American students and nearly one quarter (23%) of Latino students drop out. We also now know that 68% of low-income students, 57% of students with disabilities, and 56% of English learner students graduate in four years.

Given that students of color currently represent the majority of students in California and will overwhelmingly comprise our future workforce, the gaps in high school success between these students and their peers should raise serious concerns for community members, educators, and policymakers. Education outcomes for students of color, students with disabilities, low-income students, and English learners, whose needs and potential are often overlooked, are particularly disturbing when compared with the graduation rates of their more advantaged peers. For example, California’s white students graduate at a rate of 83% and Asian students at a rate of 89%. These students’ dropout rates stand at 12% and 8%, respectively.

“Before we had longitudinal data, state leaders based these numbers on a ‘best guess’ calculation,” said Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director of The Education Trust—West, a statewide education advocacy organization. “With CALPADS now up and running, California’s leaders can no longer ‘pass the buck’ for the state’s high dropout rate by questioning the accuracy of the data. We need them to immediately enact policy reforms that will dramatically improve graduation rates for all students.”

California GEAR UP serves the populations of students most in need and identified as underperforming with these data, and our numbers are promising. California GEAR UP Students showed:

• Significant increases in the proportion of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on the California Standards Test in 8th Grade Algebra, Geometry, English/Language Arts, Science, and History (55%, 28%, 49%, 69%, and 93% respectively).
• The proportion of students at GEAR UP schools scoring Proficient or Advanced on the Adequate Yearly Progress measure in mathematics increased by 27 percent; the statewide increase during that time was 15 percent.
• Significant increases in the proportion of cohort students in the 11th grade scoring Proficient or Advanced on the California Standards Test in English/Language Arts, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Chemistry above the previous class of eleventh graders (16.5%, 100%, 12.5%, and 22.6% respectively)
• Valley High School in Elk Grove, CA, a California GEAR UP school, graduated 94% of their senior class (the GEAR UP cohort) and received their diplomas.

More information on the Impact of California GEAR UP can be found on our website HERE.

How are you addressing the needs of students identified in this article?

(Click on call script above to enlarge and download.)

As you know, the environment in Washington is quite heated with the Administration and Congress negotiating how to pare down the federal deficit. A number of rumors are swirling around town and the only thing that is certain is that all non-security programs – including GEAR UP -are at risk of being severely reduced or cut altogether. In the coming days the GEAR UP community is organizing advocacy measures directed at the House of Reps, Senate, and the White House. Here is the schedule:

• Wednesday, July 13 – U.S. House of Representatives
• Thursday, July 14 – U.S. Senate
• Tuesday, July 19 – White House

Here is how:

1. Search who your legislators are here.
2. Call your House Representative via the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
3. Deliver the message (from script above): “Tell [LEGISLATOR NAME] not to cut GEAR UP in FY 2012!”
4. Find five other people to do the same!

Here is how to call the White House:

We know our programs work. We know they make a tremendous difference in the lives of all of the students we touch. Many on Capitol Hill know this as well, but the nature of the current debate is so serious that we cannot sit idly by in hopes of being spared. Now is the time to act!

It is only in the last decade that educators finally have access to high-quality, large-scale studies of what works and what doesn’t work to improve student outcomes is the middle grades. Particularly powerful was the monumental 2010 “Gaining Ground” study by EdSource, Michael Kirst, and the American Institutes for Research. Here at California GEAR UP we have successfully focused on middle grades for over 12 years with amazing results. It is research and tools like this EdSource kit that continues to support our work throughout California.

The “Gaining Ground” report is the largest study of its kind. EdSource and Stanford University researchers analyzed data and test scores from more than 200,000 students at 303 middle grade schools in California for the 2008-09 school year. They also surveyed the principal at each school, more than 3,700 ELA and math teachers in grades six thru eight, and over 150 district superintendents.

The key finding of the Gaining Ground study is that a relentless and intense schoolwide focus on improving academic outcomes most distinguishes higher- from lower-performing middle grades schools. That conclusion, says Trish Williams of EdSource, “came out on top no matter which analysis we ran.”

Now available from EdSource is a downloadable, free action kit based on the findings of the landmark study, and gives educators tools and provides schools with key strategies that will help prepare students for academic success in high school and beyond. The components include:

Middle Grades Playbook describes how the classroom, school, and district levels each can contribute to stronger middle grades education—including self-assessments and a compendium of actionable practices.

School profiles provide a window into how selected schools from the Gaining Groundstudy are thinking about, undertaking, and improving their practices.

Principal and teacher survey tools help you take stock of the existing foundation for improvement in your district or middle grades school and get people talking.

We highly recommend taking a look at the EdSource kit and put the research into action in your school community. It is the courage and commitment to use research based tools into good use at underperforming school and this is an essential tool not to be missed.

As you may remember from previous posts, Doing What Works from WestEd, the American Institutes for Research and RMC Research Corporation, is a great multi-media site that is a wonderful clearinghouse for research based education practices online. This site from  the U.S. Department of Education offers an online library of resources that may help teachers, schools, districts, states and technical assistance providers implement research-based instructional practice.

This Practice Guide offers educators, administrators, and policymakers five research-based practice recommendations designed to increase postsecondary access, particularly for underserved, low-income, or first-generation college-going students. Fitting perfectly with the goals of California GEAR UP, each recommendation includes a summary of the research evidence and a level of evidence rating. Developed by an expert panel convened by the Institute of Education Sciences, the Practice Guide is the foundation for all the Doing What Works content on increasing postsecondary access.

As usual, the site provides easy to navigate tools and well produced multimedia all education professionals and families can use to help students navigate the path to college.

The Fostering College Aspirations section speaks directly to the GEAR UP community, which focuses on surrounding students with adults and peers who support their college-going aspirations. The practice guide and multi-media provides examples of ways schools can foster college-going aspirations beginning as early as middle school. Carefully designed mentoring programs connect students with college-educated professionals who can share their college experiences, talk about career planning, assist with the application process, and check on students’ academic progress.

Helping students navigate the steps to apply for college and understand financial aid is another extremely important piece of the college access puzzle. Knowledgeable school officials should offer one-on-one support regarding preparing for and taking admissions tests, searching for and selecting between colleges and other postsecondary education options that meet students’ needs, and completing the application and enrollment process. Under the Assisting with College Entry practice, the site provides additional support, downloadable guides, and video that further demystify the college entry process.

Checking out this extremely useful site is a must for all GEAR UP and education professionals concerned with college access. The wealth of materials and information is a one stop website that should be an automatic go-to for the GEAR UP community.

Let us know how you use the site on our Facebook page!

“I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country — and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”

- President Obama, 2009 address to a joint session of congress.

Increased scrutiny of college degree attainment is related to concern over the nation’s ability to remain competitive in an economy that is becoming more globally inclusive and complex. Many believe the nation’s standing and competitiveness is be- ing jeopardized as numerous countries begin and continue to surpass the United States in degree attainment. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2010), the United States ranks 12th out of 36 developed countries in the number of 25- to 34-year-old adults with some type of college degree (link). OECD data indicate that an increasing number of countries will catch or surpass the United States in tertiary degree attainment in coming years due to the lack of progress in educational attainment among the younger segment of adult Americans compared to their same- age peers in other countries.

In a new brief, Developing 20/20 Vision on the 2020 Degree Attainment Goal: The Threat of Income-Based Inequality in Education, the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education argues that most federal education policy discussions neglect to develop targeted interventions for students from low-income and working-class families. Using analysis from acclaimed higher education researcher Tom Mortenson, the report highlights that bachelor’s degree attainment for students from the wealthiest half of American families is higher than the bachelor’s degree attainment rates for all countries included in the OECD international comparison analysis. On the other hand, American students from families in the bottom half of the income distribution rank nearly last among other OECD countries in bachelor’s degree attainment.

Policy Recomendations:

1. Set and track goals to reduce income-based disparities on key educational outcomes related to the 2020 goal.

2. Funnel federal dollars, such as Title I funds, to the low-income, underperforming students who need it most. Invest in ways that offset disparities in per student expenditures created by state and local policies that give an advantage to students in wealthy school districts and neighborhoods.

3. Protect the Pell Grant against cuts that will reduce college access for low-income students.

4. Increase supplemental college access and support services for low-income students throughout the educational pipeline. Tap into the many benefits of supplemental academic support and outreach services such as TRIO and GEAR UP that are needed to help students from low-income families with the support they need to enroll and excel in college.

The recommendations they offer will not singlehandedly achieve the Administration’s goal, but they provide reasonable solutions that can help the nation reduce income-based inequalities in educational attainment and make progress toward the goal pos- sible by the year 2020.

The Public Policy Institute of California recently released a report looking at the impact of the sweeping changes in public education financing taking effect in 2009. These laws are set to expire this year, and PPIC has prepared an analysis and recommendations based on both the good and bad aspect of the laws impact thus far.

This report, along with previously released statewide survey data, the PPIC is providing convincing evidence in the overhaul of the statewide education system. The PPIC also suggest the time is ripe now as the 2009 laws are to be reevaluated. Results from the April 2011 report include:

• Most Californians are very concerned that the state’s budget deficit will mean significant cuts to K–12 education.
• Six in ten adults and likely voters favor Governor Brown’s plan of spending cuts and temporary tax increases to close the deficit and avoid cuts to schools.
• More than half of public school parents say they have noticed reduced numbers of support staff or fewer programs at their child’s school.

Spurred by a deep recession and large budget shortfalls, the California Legislature in 2009 enacted what was arguably the largest change to California’s school finance system in decades—relaxing spending restrictions on more than 40 categorical programs through 2012–13, extended later to 2014–15. Categorical funding, which gives school districts money in addition to the general funds they already receive from the state, had been limited to specific, narrow purposes: buying textbooks or providing summer school, for example. Under the 2009 changes, districts could begin spending these funds for any educational purpose.

Because the laws were part of legislative negotiations over the state budget, not education policy, the decisions made in 2009 were far from optimal for K–12 schools. A more systematic and less political reconsideration of categorical flexibility could result in a more equitable and transparent distribution of funds, while also reserving targeted aid for students who need supplemental services. In addition, under the 2009 provisions, districts could spend categorical funds on any educational purpose. Both state policymakers and local district officials have expressed concern about the impact of completely flexible funds on the collective bargaining process; specifically, that those funds would be used inappropriately to increase teacher salaries and benefits rather than to provide additional services or materials for students.

This report offers three recommendations to improve current flexibility provisions that the legislature could consider should it pursue categorical flexibility beyond the program’s sunset date:

• Distribute these less-restricted categorical funds more equally.
• Apply clear criteria for flexibility and consider alternative configurations.
• Consider some restrictions on flex item funds.

These recommendations would create a more equitable and transparent source of revenue. This would provide local school districts with increased flexibility in meeting student needs, and would be consistent with several recent major school finance reform proposals, as well as Governor Brown’s campaign plan for K–12 education.

When the law expires, the legislature will be faced with a decision: whether to return to the previous, tightly restricted categorical fund system or transition to a permanent version of the flexibility now in use.

To read the entire report, click here for the PPIC publication. This post contains excerpts from the original report.

As part of a plan to slash more than $100 billion from the president’s proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2011, House Republicans have passed a bill that would cut funding for the U.S. Department of Education by $4.9 billion, an 8 percent reduction compared to 2010 spending. In an article in Education Week, Joel Packer, former director of educational policy and practice at the National Education Association said the House cuts “absolutely would be the largest cuts ever in history for education programs.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said in a statement:

The GOP approach “would knock the legs out from under our nascent economic recovery, kill jobs, and do virtually nothing to address the long-term fiscal crisis facing our country. Try as they might to convince the American people otherwise, it is simply not possible to balance the budget by targeting 15 percent of federal spending—no matter how deep the cuts are.”

The cuts are devastating not only for K-12 education but for college access programs as well. Programs like California GEAR UP that help low-income students would be hit particularly hard by these cuts. Under the House Republicans’ plan, the maximum award per student for Pell Grants—need-based grants to low-income college students that do not have to be repaid—would be reduced from $5,550 to $4,705. Funding for Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, which provide additional need-based grants for low-income students, would be eliminated entirely. In addition, the federal TRIO programs and GEAR UP, which both help low-income students pursue higher education, would lose $24.9 million and $19.8 million, respectively, compared to 2010 funding levels.

Deep cuts in GEAR UP would likely result in decreasing the number of lower income students who are prepared for university and actually attend college. As one of the most successful and far reaching college access programs, GEAR UP is crucial to schools, communities, and families that rely on these types of programs to make the difference in achieving their college dreams.

“GEAR UP has been shown to be the most successful of any federal program for improving the life chances of students from our poorest households by readying them, even as young teens, for possible success in higher education,” —Congressman Fattah, the father and author of GEAR UP legislation.

If, in fact, the government does shut down, it is vital that you contact your Members of Congress and demand that they pass legislation that funds education and protects GEAR UP. Legislators are hedging their bets that the government shutdown will work to their favor. You must let them know that our students’ futures amount to more than a political bargaining chip and hold them accountable for their responsibility to keep our nation afloat. Contact information for all Members of Congress is available at  http://www.contactingthecongress.org.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held a round table discussion at California GEAR UP distinguished school Tincher Prep yesterday in Long Beach. The purpose of his visit was to learn best practices of the school and to hear how Tincher has been so successful in creating distributed leadership and a school community working for the same goals.

Principal Bill Vogel said it best: “You give teachers choice in their professional development, you let them lead the direction of the school, and you let the school have discretion in how to best serve their students.” The teachers chose to participate in California GEAR UP three years ago.

“We need funds to keep programs and people” he said. “We need programs like GEAR UP, AVID, and funding for those programs.”

The secretary listened intently as administrators and teachers talked about the programs that make Tincher a success. Mr. Vogel and the staff repeated listed California GEAR UP as a key program in their development. The East Long Beach K-8 school, where more than 50 percent of the students are designated as disadvantaged, has been lauded for its gains in test scores and was named a “School to Watch” by the California Middle Grades Alliance in 2009.

Duncan said the Tincher sets an example for other school districts in the country.

“I’ve studied your school district for a long time, and I think you have so much to be proud of,” he told a crowd gathered in the school library. “I don’t say this lightly, but more so than the vast majority of school districts that I visit, this school district has gotten things right for a long time.”

Also in attendance was Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach., who said federal funding should be streamed directly to school districts instead of being “tied up” in Sacramento.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addressed No Child Left Behind, and the fact that virtually every school in Los Angeles Unified School District will be classified as failing by 2014 if the law is not urgently reformed.

That has led to a narrowed curriculum that focuses intensely on those subjects, sacrificing the well-rounded education that every child needs, he said.

Middle school music teacher Laura Strand said No Child Left Behind should have a greater focus on art, music and sports programs that are in danger of being cut in the budget crisis.

“I see students being pulled out of these programs when they’re finding success and it breaks my heart,” she said.

“No Child Left Behind is fundamentally broken,” Duncan said. “We want to fix it before we go back to school this fall.”

He said Congress needs to rewrite the law to be more “fair, flexible and focused” this year, so it can be implemented for the next academic calendar.

Tincher Prep has been a California GEAR UP school since the fall of 2008 and is part of a cohort of schools receiving professional development services with the goal of creating a college-going culture throughout the school community. Tincher recently received the California GEAR UP Leadership Team of the Year award at our Southern California Community conference, and as the Secretary of Education has pointed out, continues to be a model school.

To learn more about how Tincher has become a leader in the GEAR UP community, please visit our website and check us out on Twitter and the other articles on our blog.