Philanthropic support of higher education is a time-honored tradition, one that grows in importance with every passing year.
The Crafton Hills College Foundation invites you to an appreciation ceremony to honor donors for their generosity.
The Legacy Society Wall in the Crafton Center provides recognition to individuals who have given cumulative gifts, estate planned gifts or irrevocable life income gifts of $10,000 or more to the Crafton Hills College Foundation.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA – For the fourth consecutive year, San Bernardino County students across seven grade levels showed growth in both English language arts (ELA) and math testing, according to results released today by the California Department of Education.
The results – the annual California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress – or CAASPP – showed 1 percentage point gains in both ELA and math for the 2018-19 academic year.
“It’s encouraging to see that the number of students meeting or exceeding California’s academic standards continues to grow,” County Superintendent Ted Alejandre said.
Fourth- and fifth-grade students from San Bernardino County had the most growth in proficiency standards among students in seven grade levels of testing in ELA and math. Fifth-graders improved 2 percentage points in both ELA and math from the previous year’s results. Fourth-graders improved 4 percentage points in math and 1 percentage point in ELA.
For all students in ELA, the rate of proficiency reached 45 percent, an overall improvement of 8 percentage points since CAASPP testing results began in 2015. That compares with the overall state proficiency rate of 51 percent. In terms of ELA growth over the past four years, third- and fourth-graders have improved 11 percentage points, followed by seventh-graders with 9 percentage points of growth.
In math scores, the percentage of county students meeting or exceeding standards in all grade levels reached 31 percent, the third consecutive year of 1 percentage point gains. Statewide, student proficiency in math was 40 percent.
The CAASPP Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics results are just one measure of performance the state has put in place to measure the progress of schools and form the basis for the academic indicator of the California School Dashboard.
For additional information on CAASPP results, visit the California Department of Education’s CAASPP reporting website.
Black teacher presence in the classroom may be showing some signs of progress, but not nearly enough
EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)— The historic Brown vs Board of Education (1954) case not only “desegregated” the nation’s public schools, but it also opened up desegregation of lunch counters in North Carolina, public transportation in Alabama, and public spaces across the entire nation.
Still, desegregation had its costs – especially within the public education system. While the doors to Whites-only schools were opening for Black students, the doors to classrooms and offices were being closed to Black teachers and principals.
In the period immediately following Brown, for example, then number of Black principals in Alabama decreased from 210 to 57. In Virginia that number plummeted from 170 to 16. Recent studies show that, currently, only 20 percent of principals across the country are non-White, and of those only 10 percent are Black.
Black teachers didn’t fare much better back then and, unfortunately, they’re not faring much better now.
In segregated schools, Black teachers served as more than gatekeepers to information and degrees. They were culturally relevant advocates, allies, friends, and family. They were sharing a common purpose in prevalent conditions of struggle, using shared cultural knowledge and forms of interaction to navigate. In White schools, Black teachers were seen as invaders and access was only granted to those that could show the highest levels of proficiency in the performance of “Whiteness.” Most frequently, these measures of performance took the form of graduate school programs, degrees and certifications that Black educators were unable to access or not allowed to complete.
Today, while approximately half of students in the public school system are Black, Latino, Indigenous, or otherwise not White, over 80 percent of teachers identify as Caucasian. Furthermore, only 7 percent of public teachers are Black while 16 percent of the student population is Black. Black teacher presence in the classroom may be showing some signs of progress, but it’s not proportional to the overall national Black student population and it’s not growing at a rate that’s fast enough to keep up with current demographic trends.
Lack of access to certification, discrimination on the part of many White administrators, and a lack of culturally relevant representatives to bridge the gap between students and teachers are among the primary reasons Black teachers are having trouble accessing Black classrooms. Non-traditional and tailored public schools, however, have become a unique bubble of protection for Black educators and administrators to reenter the public education system. The results have been promising.
Non-traditional, non-profit public schools are bucking the trend of lost Black educators.
A recent study examining non-profit public schools in North Carolina showed that while the proportion of Black students in those non-traditional and traditional public schools are similar, the non-traditional alternatives have approximately 35 percent more Black teachers. Further, Black students in tailored public schools are 50 percent more likely to have at least one Black teacher than their peers attending traditional public schools.
Having Black teachers in classrooms with Black students is paying off.
Studies, such as one recently from Johns Hopkins University, have shown that Black elementary school students perform better in math and reading when they have a Black teacher. Just one Black teacher “reduced their probability of dropping out by 29 percent for low-income black students – and 39 percent for very low-income Black boys.” They are more likely to find themselves placed in gifted programs, and Black students are also more likely to graduate from high school and enroll in college with exposure to just one Black teacher in their schools.
Reinserting Black representation into the classroom also serves to protect students form the harsh and asymmetrical punishments they experience, on average, at the hands of mostly White instructors. That’s not saying or proving all White teachers are bad for Black students; but there are major disparities needing more analysis, policy redress and improvement. But, in the meantime, we do see success when Black students are either with Black teachers or interfacing in the same spaces with them: they are less likely to face expulsion, suspension or detention. They are also less likely to face the low expectations often set for them by many White teachers stemming from implicit and explicit bias.
This can be fixed. There is a way to achieve balance, proportionality and, ultimately, high-achievement outcomes by recognizing the need for more Black teachers. By offering Black students the types of teachers they can look up to as culturally relevant representatives, non-profit public schools – such as the highly successful network of Learn4Life personalized or tailored learning public schools in California – are not only undoing the damage left in the wake of the desegregation movement, but they are rebuilding the bonds of confidence and support that reach full equity in society as a whole.
Rather than taking resources away from public schools, they are actually expanding the original spirit of public education while restoring hope to non-traditional students. These uniquely designed and transformative educational institutions are providing a vital space of universal inclusion for teachers and principals, as well. And they are better serving Black students in the process.
Listen, only God can satisfy our inner hunger. God put a longing in
our hearts that was intended to lead us back to Him. The problem is that
instead of turning to God and letting Him fill our souls, we turn to other
things — alcohol, drugs, sex, money, pleasure, work; knowing doggone well that
the satisfaction they bring is ony temporary. Now I know some of you may say,
well something is better than nothing. But why settle for sometime love when
you can have everlasting love. The love of God. A love that is eternal,
unconditional, incomprehensible, and immeasurable! Trying to fill a void that
only God can! Until God’s love and
acceptance is enough, NOTHING EVER will satisfy. You better know that you know!
God is the source of our satisfation.
Think about King Solomon and his quest to find satisfaction for the
deep longings of his heart. King Solomon had eveything. He wrote in [Ecclesiastes 2:10], “And
whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no
pleasure.” He had it all. But listen
to what he eventually confessed—”Then I considered all that my hands had
done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a
striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
[Ecclesiastes 2:11]. Meaningless! Meaningless!
Utterly meaningless! Everything
was meaningless! “So I hated
life.” Kiing Solomon, the guy who had everything, ends up hating life.
Why? Because nothing in this life can satsify our inner hunger but God. The
deepest thirst of our souls can only be quenched by Him.
“Nothing can satisfy but Jesus. “For He satsifies the
longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” [Psalms
107:9].
What was true for King Solomon is true for us. When we try to make
things in this life fill the void we sense, we end up hating those things that
we poured all our hopes into, because they ultimately fall short of satisfying
us. Why? Because only God can fill the void.
Just like the woman at the well, God put a longing in our hearts that was
intended to lead us back to Him. Only His unconditional acceptance, approval,
and affirmation can fill the empty places in our hearts-the deepest thirst of
our souls.
Run to Jesus and ask Him to fill the void with His saving love and
eternal life. That’s the only thing that will satisfy your greatest need. For
everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank
after rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds its
purpose in him.” [Colossians 1:16-17]
SAN BERNARDINO, CA— On July 4, the community of Ridgecrest was hit by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, followed a day later by a 7.1-magnitude quake. Those were the largest earthquakes to hit California in two decades, and they were a sobering reminder that an earthquake can hit any time and you never know if the next one will be the big one.
That is why all San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) schools and offices will participate in the Great California ShakeOut on Thursday, October 17.
Beginning at 10:17 a.m., all SBCUSD students and staff will drop, cover, and hold on. Sites will also practice emergency response procedures, such as evacuations, and reporting and coordinating with the SBCUSD Emergency Operations Center. Visitors to SBCUSD schools and offices will be required to evacuate. As in a real emergency, SBCUSD sites may be unable to answer phones and emails during the drill and evacuation.
“The more we prepare as a community, the quicker we can recover following a disaster,” Eric Vetere, SBCUSD emergency manager, said. “That’s why it’s important to always practice and have a plan. The annual Great California Shakeout is the perfect time for our entire community to practice for an earthquake.”
The Great California ShakeOut is a statewide earthquake and disaster preparedness drill. Everyone in California, including private businesses and individuals, is encouraged to participate to better prepare for natural disasters. Earthquake- and disaster-preparedness materials are available at http://www.shakeout.org/.
Parents should take this opportunity to update emergency contact information with their child’s school.
To stay up to date on emergencies affecting SBCUSD schools and communities, follow SBCUSD OES on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SBCUSD_OES, on Instagram @SBCSUD_OES, or on Facebook by searching for “SBCUSD OES.” Parents can also receive emergency notifications by installing and configuring the free SBCSUD app. Search for “San Bernardino City USD” on the iTunes or Google Play stores.
SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- SAC Health System has partnered with San Bernardino City Unified School District to start a school-based health clinic to serve and help our communities with their medical needs for school admissions. SAC Health System H.O.P.E. Center(Healthcare Options for Prevention & Education) will offer services on a walk-in basis.
This collaborative project will bring ease to the health screening process for parents and students as they start their new school year. Parents and their children will need to drop-off immunization cards and paperwork to their schools once completed at their medical appointments.
SAC Health System H.O.P.E. Center will be open three days a week: Monday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
SAC Health System H.O.P.E. Center official grand opening is on October 15, 2019 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. located inside the Welcoming Resource Center at 781 W. 2nd Street Suite A, San Bernardino, CA 92410.
Hollywood Power Broker Koshie Mills is the creator and executive producer of “The Diaspora Dialogues” talk show and docuseries. A live taping is scheduled to take place on Friday, November 1, 2019 at the California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037 at 6:30 pm.
Born in Ghana, West Africa and curated in Los Angeles, California, Koshie Mills initial experience in the entertainment industry came from managing the careers of her three successful sons who are all actors. Kwame Boateng (Everybody Hates Chris, The Plug), Kofi Siriboe (Queen Sugar, Girls Trip) Kwesi Boakye (Claws, Colony).
An African woman at the core, Koshie says “I created the Diaspora Dialogues movement and platform to mend the divide between Africans from the continent and African Descendents within the Diaspora. The Dialogues will ignite the long overdue conversations needed to create a better understanding of our different experiences but shared identity”.
2019 has been declared “The Year Of Return”, In commemoration and celebration of the resilience of the African people 400 years post transatlantic slavery. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo Addo has decreed an official welcome to African Americans to come back home to Africa.
This season, The Diaspora Dialogues will lend its important cultural voice, by coming into the community Live and curate conversations addressing our internal racism, identity crisis and cultural disconnect. The focus will be on “the journey to healing” and what the 21st century African Renaissance has the potential to look like for all its descendants.
Celebrity and influential who have shown support of the movement and have joined this important and powerful platform include Kofi Siriboe, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington, Ryan Destiny, Estelle, Monique Coleman, Jodie Smith, Suede, Chike Okonkwo and many more.
The word is out. The San Bernardino Pastors United (SBPU) in association with community leaders and the faith based community, will have another Community Block party on Saturday October 26, 2019 from 12PM – 3PM at Dr. Mildred Henry Elementary, located at 1250 W 14th Street, San Bernardino.
The residences in San Bernardino are still being plagued with
violence, crime and shootings in the City. The San Bernardino Pastors and
community leaders take a stand together in solidarity and let the residence
know with boldness, theme “Our God Will Provide” Gen 22: 11-14. The SBPU
pastor’s demonstrate by showing love, helping thy neighbor, covering one
another. On this day, pastors, law
enforcements, dignitaries, school officials all join together on one accord.
We are
expecting thousands to be in attendance, Come early. At the event, there will be
free food, free groceries, free gifts
and prizes for the kids, free clothes and free health checks, job resources.
The host church will be Victory Outreach Church, located at 990 W Mill Street,
San Bernardino, CA 92410. Pastor Rick Alanis Senior will deliver a life
changing message. Please register by phone, or go to our website www.sbpastorsunited.org to
register.
The SBPU is
asking the community to join us, as we remain strong, through providing: “Healing, Change, and Progress” to the City
of San Bernardino, for more information call 909-353-7977 or contact the Victory
Outreach Church 909-884-1921 email sbpastorsunited@gmail.com. Pass the
Word! Like us on Facebook!
SACRAMENTO, CA— Governor Newsom signed Assemblymember Chris Holden’s legislation, Assembly Bill 30, that ensures dual enrollment opportunities remain available to students.
“With the rising cost of higher education that widens the achievement gap, we need to find more ways to make college more affordable and accessible,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden.
“Dual enrollment is a proven strategy that creates pathways to college and gives opportunities to students who might never have thought it would be possible to go to college.”
Assembly Bill 30 extends the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP), first established by Assemblymember Holden’s legislation in 2015, past its current expiration at the end of 2021, and ensures dual enrollment opportunities remain available to students who are not already college bound or are underrepresented in higher education. The new legislation also streamlines the process for developing CCAP agreements between community colleges and K-12 districts.
Dual and concurrent enrollment provides high school students access to college-level coursework. In some cases, students earn both high school and college credit for the same course depending on approval from local school and community college governing boards.
“Dual enrollment helps increase the number of college graduates, reduce time and money spent for college, and help close the achievement gap,” said Holden. “Today’s signature is a win for students and their families.”
Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
