Thank you for your continued support of AAREA efforts and initiatives. This academic year we have a lot of exciting things planned and look forward to sharing them with you through this newsletter. This edition features new STEM STEPS for Success Project, the Cultivate Brilliance Campaign on Kickstarter, our upcoming professional development opportunities and more! We look forward to seeing you at one of our events in the near future.
Thank you.
Monique August, MSW
Executive Director
CULTIVATE BRILLIANCE CAMPAIGN
KICKS OFF ON KICKSTARTER
The Choose College Cultivate Brilliance Campaign is on Kickstarter! This campaign features the Cultivate Brilliance Clothing line that supports us in providing free and low cost programs to youth, families, and communities. Our goal is to raise $1,000 by October 31. Check out the various ways you can support this effort by clicking below:
The Professional Development Breakfast is an inspirational event designed to inform educators, community leaders and parents on African American educational equity issues as well as provide a motivational forum for action driven solutions. Each breakfast features experts that provide strategies, techniques and resources for accomplishing these goals and acknowledges the contributions of educators making a difference in the lives of African American students. Registration will open in November. To make sure you are on the list to receive more information about this event, please email info@theaarea.org.
According to Ed Trust in the "State of Education for African American Students":
Only about one-third African American students are likely to be proficient or advanced in reading and math
Only 1 in 20 African American graduates meet all four college-readiness benchmarks
AAREA is launching the STEM Strategies to Empower and Prepare Students for Success Project (STEM STEPS for Success), a pilot project aimed at addressing these alarming statistics as well as enhancing the STEM success and college eligibility rates of African American students in Alameda County.
The STEM STEPS for Success Project provides professional development for educators, academic and college readiness activities for students and family involvement and will feature:
Saturday and Summer STEM Academies for students
Saturday Parent Workshops and Conferences
Professional development conferences and coaching for Educators
Special Events for Families and Educators
STEM STEPS for Success Project is a collaborative community project and will be piloted in several Alameda County school districts. Collaborative partners and supporters making the project possible include: the Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success (ARCHES), Investing in Innovation STEM Learning Opportunities Providing Equity (I3 SLOPE), Mills College, Chabot College, CSU East Bay, Holy Names University, and a host of local school districts, public officials, and a community and business partners.
STEM STEPS for Success is currently recruiting Math and Science educators and African American families with students who are transitioning into middle and high school in Fall 2014 to be part of the pilot year program. For more information, contact Monique August at (510) 614-3000 or email monique@rtfisher.com.
AAREA Partners with I3 SLOPE to bring the Design Institute to Alameda County
I3 SLOPE is partnering with African American Regional Educational Alliances (AAREA) to bring the SLOPE Design Institute to Alameda County.
The Design Institute leverages educators' existing instructional materials and lessons to provide the rigor, coherence, and relevance that their students need in order to be successful with Common Core State Standards. The training focuses on the "how-to" by which teachers can ensure their district materials are providi
ng student access, appropriate rigor, development of conceptual mathematics, engagement, and is culturally and linguistically relevant and responsive.
The Institute is facilitated by experts on Math and Cultural and Linguistically Relevant Content Integration and will:
be interactive and engaging
provide opportunities to use real strategies and resources
engage in professional collaboration and active lesson planning with peers
The conference is designed for Math and Science instructors serving students in 5th-8th grades. Admission is free and seating is limited. The sessions will take place November 15-16 at ConneXion @ Jack London Park in downtown Oakland. For more information or to register, please email info@theaarea.org, call (510) 614-3000, or visit https://i3-slope-design-institute.eventbrite.com.
The Regional Parent Network
The African American Regional Parent Network (RPN) is a group of African American parent leaders from across Alameda County that have come together over the past year to be actively involved in eradicating the achievement gap by increasing the meaningful engagement of African American families in their children's education. They achieve this goal through culturally relevant outreach efforts, and by offering workshops and conferences that provide parents with the skills, tools and resources necessary to successfully advocate for their child, and become active participants in their child's school.
Last April, the Regional Parent Network launched the "It's Happening Here" Campaign to bring community awareness to the disparities in education for African American students. This year, the campaign includes coordinated events across Alameda County for National African American Parent Involvement Day in February 2014. For more information or to join the Regional Parent Network, contact info@theaarea.org.
AAREA congratulates the following local educational leaders on their recent appointments.
Antwan Wilson, Superintendent Oakland Unified School District
Bernard McCune, Deputy Chief of Post Secondary Readiness, Oakland Unified School District
Akur Varadarajan, Co-Superintendent, New Haven Unified School District
Dr. Arlando Smith, Co-Superintendent, New Haven Unified School District
