San Bernardino City, West Contra Costa USDs collect national awards
Published: April 13, 2010
Two California districts are among 18 throughout the country to be honored with a 2010 Magna Award this week at the National School Boards Association’s annual conference in Chicago. The awards are conferred annually by NSBA’s American School Boards Journal to recognize programs that advance student learning through school board best practices.
The San Bernardino City Unified School District was honored for its summer employment program, Accelerating Success Through Employment, Responsibility, Inspiration, Skills, and Knowledge. A.S.T.E.R.I.S.K.* prepares 100 students yearly for the working world, familiarizing them with the job search process and typical on-the-job challenges.
“Collaboration among the school board and employers is key to the success. The Board of Education encourages representatives of private industry to participate,” according to the magazine. “The board authorizes the human resources department to certify students as district employees, thus addressing legal and insurance concerns of employers. In addition, identification cards, required background checks, and tuberculosis tests are provided and paid for by the school district. Many students also receive bus passes so they can get to work.”
“While all of the direct and indirect benefits students and their families gain from participating in A.S.T.E.R.I.S.K.* are to be applauded, the most important benefit is to our community,” San Bernardino City USD Deputy Superintendent Judy White said in a press release. “All past A.S.T.E.R.I.S.K.* students earned a high school diploma and 80 percent have entered college or post-secondary training programs.”
The West Contra Costa Unified School District, in Richmond, was awarded a Magna for its Ivy League Connection, “a program that sends high school students and chaperones to Ivy League summer studies courses, with each student attending for two consecutive summers,” according to the American School Board Journal. When the students come home and share their experiences, organizers have seen the culture at their high schools start to change.
Readers of CSBA’s own California Schools magazine may remember the Ivy League Connection from a Summer 2009 article, “Contra Costa connects students with the Ivy League,” which described the long-term benefits of the program—even on students who aren’t directly involved.
“The ‘college-going culture’ atmosphere is evident throughout the district,” West Contra Costa USD board member Madeline Kronenberg told a CSBA staff writer. “Students are asking their teachers and counselors about colleges. There is a new interest in signing up to visit local college nights. Teachers are talking it up.”
In an updated development since CSBA’s article appeared, the Ivy League Connection’s student blog has blossomed into a showcase for the program.
Easy links:
Read about all of the American School Board Journal’s 2010 Magna Awards.
Read San Bernardino USD’s press release about its Magna Award.
Read the Wes Contra Costa USD students’ Ivy League Connection blog.