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Education
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- Written by: Editor
Yet, in Lake County, less than 25 percent of third graders are reading at grade level.
Those students who continue to struggle with reading into adulthood are likely to have trouble finding and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits.
In an effort to help improve student reading scores, United Way of the Wine Country is partnering with North Coast Opportunities Volunteer Network and local schools to offer the Schools of Hope program in two new schools this year, beginning in October.
The program is now serving Lakeport Elementary and Kelseyville Elementary schools.
This fall two new schools will come on board – Lucerne Elementary and Riviera Elementary.
Schools of Hope is an early intervention strategy for children (K-3) who struggle with reading. This model is based on best practices from Dane County, Wisconsin, where in 10 years it virtually eliminated the achievement gap.
The success of this program depends upon volunteers willing to work one on one with students for 30 minutes a week.
“It was wonderful experience for the tutors and the students,” said Kathy Windrem, a Schools of Hope tutor at Kelseyville Elementary. “I loved getting to know my second grade student and watch his progress. Each week I looked forward to seeing him and he was always excited to see me too. Toward the end of the school year, he asked me to read a story to his entire class.”
Those who wish to tutor more than one student may do so provided they are able to commit an additional 30 minutes of volunteer time per student.
Training and materials will be provided so tutors can feel confident.
Is it successful?
An evaluation of Schools of Hope by Sonoma State University found that first- and second-grade students who received tutoring showed reading proficiency growth between 28-percent and 50-percent higher than non-Schools of Hope students who started with similar scores.
An information and orientation session will be held at North Coast Opportunities (NCO) in Lakeport on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. and on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 10 a.m.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer or hearing more about the program should plan to attend.
NCO is located at 850 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport.
For more information or to RSVP for the orientation/information session, please call the NCO Volunteer Network at 707-462-1959 or email Joan Reynolds at
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- Written by: Editor
Corinthian intentionally targeted low-income, vulnerable individuals through deceptive and false advertising that misrepresented job placement rates and school programs.
These unlawful activities were enabled by Aequitas Capital Management Inc., a private equity firm currently under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-imposed receivership.
Federal student loans made up almost 90 percent of Corinthian’s revenue. To maintain this revenue, Corinthian needed its mostly low-income students to receive these loans.
Federal rules require for-profit colleges receive at least 10 percent of their revenue from sources other than federal student aid.
To help fill this gap, Aequitas and Corinthian created a financial arrangement whereby Aequitas provided private loans to Corinthian students, and Corinthian guaranteed Aequitas a profit and agreed to buy back all non-performing loans.
The result was many Corinthian students were unable to pay back their federal student loans and private loans, as the education provided by Corinthian did not lead to good-paying jobs.
Ultimately, the students defaulted and the American taxpayer was left holding the bag to pay off the federal student loans.
The California Attorney General’s Office led the charge against Corinthian, ultimately obtaining a $1.1 billion judgment in California state court.
Now, Attorney General Becerra is holding Aequitas accountable for aiding and abetting Corinthian’s misconduct. Joined by 12 attorneys general and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the settlement reached with Aequitas will in total provide $192 million for former Corinthian students across the country. California was a principal lead in settlement negotiations on behalf of the participating states.
“Thousands of students who attended Corinthian Colleges have been waiting too long for this debt relief,” said Attorney General Becerra. “However, our work is not over – there are still Corinthian students who have not obtained the debt relief they deserve. As Attorney General of California, I will continue to seek justice for Corinthian students and hold for-profit colleges accountable. I’m prepared to take any and all action necessary to ensure that all who seek higher education can do so without worrying that their American Dream will be stolen by a so-called educational institution.”
Attorney General Becerra is committed to seeking justice for Corinthian Colleges students. Since taking office, he has announced an outreach program encouraging thousands of affected California residents to apply for federal loan cancellation and urged the U.S. Department of Education to expedite federal loan forgiveness for Corinthian Colleges students.
In addition, Attorney General Becerra has challenged the U.S. Department of Education for unlawfully delaying the implementation of regulations aimed at protecting students from deceptive practices and fraud.
A copy of California’s proposed complaint and stipulated judgment, which were filed this week in Oregon federal court, are available at https://oag.ca.gov/news.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Only 13 percent of Americans Indians have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 29 percent of the US population.
In response, State Sen. Mike McGuire has successfully advanced a bill that takes this issue head on and provides priority registration at California Community Colleges to American Indian students who live in poverty and are enrolled in CalWORKS known as the Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Tribal TANF for short.
SB 164 has been signed by Gov. Jerry Brown and will take effect January 1, 2018.
In 2013, California leaders granted some of California’s poorest students (CalWORKS recipients) priority registration at California Community Colleges.
Providing easier access to community college will help lift low income families and kids out of poverty if they have the opportunity to enroll into college or career training programs.
Priority registration leads to faster degree and certificate completion, more flexibility to balance work schedules and family responsibilities, and a supportive college environment.
However, students receiving Tribal TANF were not granted that same priority registration.
“Despite the highest poverty and lowest education attainment levels in California, the poorest Native American students were never granted priority registration to community colleges,” said Senator Mike McGuire. “Education is one of the best tools to lift people out of poverty and Native American students deserve fast and easy access to community college just like everyone else.”
California currently provides priority registration for veterans, disabled students, homeless, foster youth, and CalWORKS recipients. American Indian students who are on CALWORKS were never granted this same access.
SB 164 removes a significant barrier to breaking out of poverty through higher education by ensuring that all TANF/CALWORKS students receive the benefit of priority registration.
The bill received broad, bipartisan support and passed every legislative committee in both the Senate and Assembly without receiving any votes in opposition.
The bill was co-authored by senators Holly Mitchell, Bill Monning and Bill Dodd, and Assembly members Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and Jim Wood.
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- Written by: Editor
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Bundle of Joy Nature Preschool Childcare, located in the Ranchos of Hidden Valley Lake, is now entering its third year as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom.
Bundle of Joy became Northern California’s first Certified Nature Explore Classroom after receiving national certification from the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation on May 19, 2015.
Bundle of Joy Nature Preschool Childcare, owned and directed by Jean Goulart, M.A., joins a growing network of organizations and institutions that have created effective nature-based outdoor learning environments for children.
This network allows for idea-sharing, peer support and continuous development.
Nature Explore Classrooms are part of the Nature Explore program, a collaborative project of the Arbor Day Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation developed in response to the growing disconnect between children and nature.
Certified Nature Explore Classrooms help fill the void by integrating research-based outdoor learning opportunities into children’s daily lives.
Children who learn and grow in Certified Nature Explore Classrooms enhance concentration, develop creativity and problem-solving, relieve stress and improve skills in many areas of development.
These outdoor classrooms are required to meet established criteria on an annual basis for recertification.
“Developing skills in a variety of domains simultaneously is referred to as whole-child learning,” said Goulart. “Children lead by their interest with a caring and nurturing adult allow each child to explore and develop a connection to the natural world through engaging in open-ended play.”
More information on Bundle of Joy Preschool Childcare may be found at https://certified.natureexplore.org/bundle-joy-preschool-childcare-2/ .