California’s Economic Payoff: Investing in College Access & Completion is new statewide report conducted by researchers at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues at the University of California, Berkeley. It was commissioned by The Campaign for College Opportunity and co-released with the California Civil Rights Coalition and the California Chamber of Commerce. The report answers two questions: What are the benefits of investing in higher education? And, is it worth it for Californians?

This study concludes that the benefits of higher education extend well beyond the direct payoff for students and include substantial gains to the state, and it is indeed worth the investment. California´s higher education investments pay off for all of California, not only for the individuals who receive a college education through increased lifetime earnings, but for the state in increased tax revenue and reduced costs for social welfare programs and incarceration.

Valley High School is finishing preparations for their second annual National GEAR UP Day celebration to be held on September 30. Activities include:

• Business and Community Leaders Breakfast starting at 8:00 am.
• Campus tours and classroom visits
• Lunch-time Student activities and performances
• An opportunity to network with business and community leaders, families, and educators.

National GEAR UP Day is a celebration of transformative work of California GEAR UP – Valley High School Collaboration that includes dramatic gains in the statewide API, the opening of a Family Center, distribution of 100 Education Trust Awards, the implementation of a Leadership Skills Initiative, as well as on-going school-wide academic support.

Confirmed attendees include:

• Penny Edgert Principal Investigator, California GEAR UP, Executive Director, California Education Roundtable
• Robert Oakes, Vice President & General Counsel, Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities
• Vicki Lovotti, Executive Assistant, Intersegmental Coordinating Committee
• Carolyn Hamilton, CA Dept of Education, P-16 Policy Development Division
• Alice Kawazoe, Consultant, CAPP
• Timoteo Rico, Director, EAOP UC Davis
• Jessie Ryan, Associate Director, Campaign for College Opportunity
• Arlene Greene, Deputy Director, Scholarshare Investment Board
• Marsha Robinson, Ellen Ringer, Middle Grades Improvement Office, CA Dept of Education

For information on this event or to attend, please contact Deisy Padilla:DPadilla@egusd.net

Continue to follow events across the state as we cover National GEAR UP Day across California.

Winners were announced for the annual ‘Save Me A Spot In College‘ contest sponsored by The Campaign for College Opportunity. 6th to 12th grade contestants can enter videos, essays, or posters in response to the following prompts:

(1) Tell California leaders why you and your peers are One in a Million, and (2) Why should California leaders save you and your peers a spot in college?

This year, California GEAR UP Director Shelley Davis was a  judge in the contest, and shared one of the essay entries that was particularly moving. Shelley believes all students deserve access to an excellent education to give students a chance at a college education. “This powerful student voice renewed my resolve to ensure opportunity for ALL students”.

Written by 9th grader Rachel Johnson at Castro Valley High School who was nominated for the grand prize:

Have you ever heard the echo of a gunshot? Did you ever see a warm body hit the cold ground, life pouring out red on the pavement? Were you ever scared to walk your city streets because you’re blue or red?  Do the sirens act as your lullaby, singing you to sleep as you cry? How could we escape this never-ending nightmare; will we ever be given the chance?

Most of my peers would say no; we won’t have the chance or the choice. They always look for someone to blame; believing we don’t have a voice. Either be blue, red, or dead. It’s no longer a black and white world with just shades of gray.  It is a world of colors, and colors can kill.  Wear the wrong color and a passing car might put you on the sidewalk forever.  I want you to help me show my peers that the paths of blue and red aren’t our only options. There is the path of life and knowledge that is obtainable only through college.

Through college we can gain knowledge and wisdom. We can be the movers of mountains and sustainers of mankind. And if we find the mountain unmovable, then maybe with an education we can learn to tunnel through the mountain to the other side where colors are a thing to be admired and cherished for their differences, and not the cause for hate and blood-shed.  Maybe through college, we can learn and then teach that we are not just red or blue, or black or white.  Color should not define us; color should heighten our appreciation for each other. College can be the canvas that helps define us. Maybe red can shape industry and yellow can revitalize the economy; blue can feed the hungry and green can find clean fuel sources.  But in reality, all this can only happen when all our colors work together. And college is the place where this rainbow of colors can rise from the mist and coalesce into the color of purpose.

We can do these things because we are the world’s future, but only if we are blessed with a college education.  What we become depends not only on us, but on your commitment to us.  Will you save us a spot?

To view the other contest winners and their entries, please visit the contest site here.

This year California GEAR UP gave 288 Trust Awards to middle grades students across California and 50 awards at Valley High School in Sacramento with the expectation that offering a monetary incentive to students will stimulate the entire family and school community to support his or her preparation for college.

California GEAR UP Students and staff, University of California President Mark Yudof and California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott joined Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez and Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Marty Block at a State Capitol press conference on June 3 to voice their support for higher education provisions in the Assembly Democrats’ California Jobs Budget. Speaker Perez spoke about how important higher education programs are to the state in addressing economic and employment woes.

“Educational opportunity is central to creating the kind of quality, high-paying jobs that will lead California back to a strong and lasting economic recovery,” Pérez said. “This is a budget plan that reflects the values of California by protecting education and preserving the pathway to higher education.”

Students from Valley High School, a California GEAR UP school, were there to support the speaker and the higher education provisions in the California Jobs Budget.

Also in attendance was Ben Quillian, Executive, Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of the California State University; Roberto Torres, Vice President of the California State Students Association; Reid Milburn, President of the Student Senate of the California Community Colleges; Victor Sanchez, President of the University of California Students Association; Diana Fuentes-Michel, Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission; Karen Humphrey, Executive Director of the California Postsecondary Education Commission; Jonathan Brown, President of the Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities; Erica Romero, Western States Director for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities; Michele Siqueiros, Executive Director of the Campaign for College Opportunity.

Special thanks to Max Espinoza from the Speakers office and Michele Siqueiros and Jessie Ryan from the Campaign for College Opportunity for taking time to speak with Valley GEAR UP students after the press conference.

To see video or read the transcript from the press conference, please visit Speaker Perez’ site here.

As we posted here, California needs 1,000,000 additional college graduates by the year 2025 in order to meet our state’s workforce needs. Each student who successfully completes college is “one in a million.” Sponsored by the Campaign for College Opportunity, the contest is for all currently enrolled college students. Here is how you can go for it:

Tell California leaders why you and your peers are one in a million and why they should support college opportunity to help you reach your college dream.

A minimum of 20 scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 will be awarded throughout California.

Contest Deadline: June 30, 2010

Contest Categories: You may submit one entry per category.

WRITTEN WORD

Submit 400 words (or less) in any written format (essay, letter, poem, story, etc.)

POSTER

Create an 11″ by 14″ poster. Answer the contest question by drawing, painting, computer graphics,
or other means of illustrating your message. Please do not use 3D materials.

TV AD

Submit a 30-second (or less) TV ad on CD or DVD format only. You may enter this category as an individual or group (up to 4 students). The award will be split among all contributors.

How do I enter?

All currently enrolled college students in California, including AB 540 students, are eligible to enter.

All written word entries must be submitted here.

To enter the Poster or TV Ad category, fill out an entry form here.  Print out the completed form and mail with the entry to:  College Contest Entry | 900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 924 | Los Angeles, CA 90017.

Submissions without an attached Entry Form will not be considered.

What if I have questions?

Please contact Maria Luisa at 800-459-9586 or marialuisa@collegecampaign.org with any questions regarding the contest.

To submit an application, please visit the Campaign for College Opportunity site here.