Tag Archives: education

Education Spotlight

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MATE Program Offers Teachers New Inspiration:

School teachers are sharpening their skills this week at UC Riverside, through the Mathematics Academy for Teaching Excellence (MATE), a program that offers techniques teachers can use in the fall to inspire young people to see the beauty of mathematics.

“There are a million reasons why this is important for individual student success and a healthy economy for the area, including better college-going rates and students who are qualified for jobs in technology, science and business,” said Pamela Clute, the executive director of the ALPHA Center.

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Fifth Annual Summer Physics Academy Begins June 25:

For the fifth year in a row, the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Riverside is hosting the Summer Physics Academy – a weeklong workshop (8 a.m. to about 3 p.m., June 25-29) that trains and equips local high school physics teachers with practical and conceptual physics lessons, hands-on activities, curriculum and technology to use in their own classrooms.

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Award Nomination Affirms CBU’s Commitment to Technology:

California Baptist University’s selection as a semifinalist in the 2012 AMX Innovations Awards is just the latest affirmation of the university’s commitment to connect the campus through technology.

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Riverside Attracts National Attention for Its Commitment to Student Success

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As the City of Arts & Innovation, Riverside is attracting national attention for our citywide partnership to improve graduation rates and create a college-going culture. The National League of Cities recently published an article by Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge showcasing this commitment to creating an educated workforce and a community of lifelong learning.

The following is the article written by Mayor Loveridge published here by the National League of Cities: 

We recently made two important, and I think defining, announcements for our students in Riverside, California. The first is that Riverside City College (RCC) will guarantee our local high school graduates the opportunity to complete a degree, or transfer, in two years. This comes at a time when our state budget is forcing our community colleges to cut hundreds of classes. The second is that our city, education and business leaders are united in a commitment to raise the number of students who enroll and graduate from college by 2020. Our citywide partnership is called Completion Counts and we have a plan of action to deliver on our promise.

The talent dividend – the long-term economic benefits associated with a more educated workforce – is becoming the best marker of a successful city in the 21st century. The presence of college-educated people explains much of a city’s success. In Riverside, a one percentage point gain in college completion would yield an estimated $185 million increase in per capita income.

Our city is home to three universities and a community college. This is our most important characteristic. However, we must also be a community that creates a college-going culture and supports our high school students to become college graduates. In 2010, Riverside was one of four cities to receive a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase college graduation rates through the foundation’s Communities Learning in Partnership initiative, for which NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families serves as managing intermediary.

Our approach addresses key barriers that hinder our students’ ability to earn a degree. For example, our high school math and English teachers have joined with college professors to align curriculum and lesson plans so that students are ready for college-level work. Students will reap the benefits when they don’t have to take “catch-up” courses that don’t count towards a degree – saving them time and money.

High school guidance counselors are also working with student advisors at the college level to decide on the best ways to groom students for college. That means students receive the most accurate and up-to-date information about college-prep classes, college admissions, selecting a major, and financial aid requirements.

We are also leading a public awareness campaign to foster a citywide, college-minded culture where college graduation is the educational standard for all youth. That includes working with the chamber of commerce to support local and statewide measures that raise high school graduation standards to ensure college and workforce readiness.

The RCC two-year guarantee is perhaps our most ambitious effort. We will provide our students with priority class registration, a guaranteed seat in math and English classes required for graduation, and frequent assistance from RCC counselors to help them reach their educational goals. This will particularly help our students from Riverside, whom are overwhelmingly the first in their family to go to college.

We are confident that through our collaborative efforts we will raise college graduation rates among Riverside youth. By 2020, our goal is:

  • 90 percent of high school students will graduate (compared to 79 percent today).
  • 62 percent of students will go on to college (compared to 42 percent).
  • 42 percent of students who start at a two-year college will complete or transfer (compared to 14 percent).
  • 72 percent of students who start at a four-year college will complete their degree (compared to 66 percent).

When we made these goals public, we collectively agreed to hold ourselves accountable to create real solutions that our students can count on. We have to do it for the prosperity of our city, our students, and our future.

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La Sierra University Offers Summer Science Camp

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Summer Science Camp @ La Sierra University is a phenomenal way for students entering grades 9-12 to gain a hands-on experience in the sciences, that may not otherwise be available during the academic year.  Two separate weeks of day camp, one in Biomedical Science (July 9-13) and the other in Physical Science (July 16-20), give students a choice to experience the week of science that interests them most, or experience them both!

At Summer Science Camp, the students will take part in various on-campus activities and experiments, as well as off-campus learning experiences.  Presenters will give students an idea of research opportunities and day-to-day work in the field and Practical Skills Training will provide students with proficient skills that they will be able to use in any academic setting.

This adventure of science will provide students with an unforgettable summer experience, motivating them to succeed in their future endeavors, and teaching them the skills to succeed.

The La Sierra Summer Science Camp provides an opportunity to engage students in science outside of the  regular school year and in a way that is fun and encourages them to learn about the field. The City of Arts & Innovation is a hub for the study of science, technology, engineering, and math and La Sierra’s Summer Science Camp is a prime example of this.

For more information about the Summer Science Camp, click here.

Healing the Divide – the UCR School of Medicine And the Added Benefits to the Region

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This video provided by UCR Today presents a clear explanation of how the School of Medicine will transform Riverside into the “Home of Next-Century Healthcare”.
The University of California, Riverside School of Medicine will address the critical shortage of doctors in Inland Southern California by partnering with existing health care facilities and recruiting the students who will become the next generation of physicians. This is an exciting opportunity to not only improve healthcare in the region but also to build a new industrial cluster that provides widespread economic benefits and well-paying, stable jobs for all levels of employees.

RUSD Serves as a Model for Digital Learning in California

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Reproduced courtesy of EdSource:

As the effectiveness of technology in the classroom comes under increasing scrutiny, one California district encourages extensive use of iPads and other such digital readers, and says the benefits are clear and compelling.

A series of recent articles in the New York Times said research on the academic payoff of technological innovation in the class is slim to nonexistent. But Riverside Unified says some teens are studying more because they’re never without their e-readers. And their test scores are benefiting.

Riverside is the only district in California employing technology at this level, [Jay McPhail, director of instructional technology at Riverside] said. Two years ago it was non-digital and today has 10,000 district-provided e-readers — about a quarter are Android tablets, a quarter are iPads and iPod Touches, and the rest are netbooks. Those e-readers plus ones provided by students means the program has reached about three-quarters of the district’s more than 40,000 students, from pre-kindergarten through high school.

So far about 70 California school districts have toured Riverside to check out the program, and McPhail has been involved in demonstrations in several countries, such as Argentina, India and Korea. He recently worked with engineers in Istanbul; Turkey wants to provide a device to every student, he said.

McPhail did a controlled study on the impact of the iPad on Algebra I students who were taught by one of two teachers. Of the 10 classes these teachers taught, they used paper textbooks in eight and digital devices in two, which were randomly selected. Based on California Standards Test (CST) scores, 3 percent to 4 percent more students tested proficient or advanced in math compared with the prior year in the eight classes using paper textbooks, and in the two classes with digital textbooks, 19 percent improved to that level.

Although that’s the only controlled study yet done, McPhail says the district has seen growth in every area where digital textbooks have been introduced, even the most remedial. The lowest-achieving English learner students in three classes at Ramona High School were given an Android tablet. After using the tablets for a year, up to 7 percent of the students reached proficient or advanced on the English language arts CST.

The district also includes parents in this transition by educating them on the expanded learning opportunities offered digitally, such as access to the world’s libraries and videos that explain algebra problems. And they talk about how to protect students from inappropriate Internet content .

So far, teachers have volunteered to work with parents in sessions that can last from two to six hours because many teachers have been excited, McPhail says, about the educational resources available to students online. Teachers who do not want to use the devices can refuse to be part of the program, he added.

The teacher’s role has evolved into one helping students make sense of available information, as well as instruction on how to determine if it’s accurate, McPhail said, something teachers using traditional textbooks also have to do.

“It’s about digital citizenship,” he said. “How do you use it as a tool to learn?”

The digital textbook program at RUSD has helped to develop students with 21st-century mindsets who are better prepared and able to access information and continue lifelong learning through innovative technologies. 
 
To view the full article, click here. 

Riverside Middle School Awarded Grand Prize and Middle School of Year in 2011 Governor’s Challenge

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This past year, Alvord Unified’s Loma Vista Middle School took on the challenge to get fit and their hard work is being recognized with the highest honor from the Governor’s Council.

On December 9th, Jake Steinfeld (Body By Jake), Chairman of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports visited Vista Loma Middle School in Riverside to cut the ribbon on a brand new, state-of-the-art fitness facility. Loma Vista was awarded with the facility as the grand prize winner and Middle School of the Year in the 2011 Governor’s Challenge. The fitness facility was made possible in part by a $100,000 investment from Anthem Blue Cross for the fitness equipment.

Loma Vista Middle School was one of 2,200 schools across the state to participate in the 2o11 Governor’s Challenge, which encourages more than 1.4 million California students to engage in physical activity for 30-60 minutes a day, at least three days a week for four weeks in the previous school year. All 1,039 Loma Vista students signed up and completed the Governor’s Challenge last year, recording an impressive 113,463 Active Days.

The new fitness center at Loma Vista Middle School is an integral part of  Riverside becoming the home of next-century healthcare as it underscores the goal to integrate health education and fitness programs into the community for all residents, especially students.

Alvord and Riverside District Schools Recognized as Models of Excellence

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The 2011 Riverside County Education Summit will honor several Alvord Unified and Riverside Unified schools this year as “Models of Excellence”. The goal of the  Education Summit is to spotlight outstanding practices from schools all across the county that address instructional strategies, student engagement, school culture, and many factors that provide invaluable contributions to student success.

Alvord Unified School District received an impressive certificate of recognition from the California State Senate, which declares Alvord as an “Innovation District” by the Riverside County Office of Education “Models of Excellence Awards Luncheon”. The certificate was awarded by Senator Joel Anderson from the 36th State Senate District. La Sierra High School in particular was recognized for the “Biology InterRichment” program in which, Biology teachers, working in Planned Learning Communities (PLCs), use a standard to add enrichment labs or intervention to curriculum. After three years, the school has seen tremendous gains from the program.

RUSD was recognized for “Pyramid of Support and Accountability: Interventions and Innovations” as well as “FAST Talks (Focus on Achievement of Students)” at Fremont Elementary School, the “Macaw Clubs” at Miller Middle School, the “Success for All in Mathematics” program at Chemawa Middle School, and “A Systematic Approach to Master Schedule Design” at Sierra Middle School. 

The Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Kenneth Young believes that it is important to encourage educators across the county to stay focused every day on preparing students for college and the workforce, and that by creating these educational success stories the county will produce high school graduates bring with them all the tools they will need to succeed in college or the competitive 21st century job market from day one.

Citrus Classic Bike Ride Raises $35,000 for Riverside Schools

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The 2nd Annual Riverside Citrus Classic Bike Ride took place Sunday, October 9 at the Riverside Plaza. The fundraising ride attracted about 790 riders and raised $35,000 to be split equally between the Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation and the Alvord Educational Foundation. Both of these foundations directly fund programs in the Riverside and Alvord Unified school districts that have been effected by recent state budget cuts.

The all day event drew hundreds of people from throughout the community and featured two of the many programs that will benefit from the ride. The North High School Blue Star Regiment band played for riders as they waited to begin their ride and the Ramona High School art students made sculptures of people out of tape that were used to decorate the registration area. A vendor fair also took place with music and bands playing to entertain the visitors.

The Citrus Classic was a huge success not only for Riverside schools, but also for the opportunity to bring local residents together around cycling and the importance of lifelong learning for the continued success of the community.