A new partnership between Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton College and the Fullerton Joint Union High School District seeks to create a high school-to-college pipeline, boost transfer rates and speed up the time it takes to earn a degree.
As reported in the Orange County Register, officials from the three agencies signed the Fullerton Education Partnership during a Feb. 28 ceremony that included about 100 local high school students.
The agreement, which initiates the college-planning process in the ninth grade, is designed to create more CSUF-eligible students by removing barriers to higher education, particularly for low-income students and those who would be the first in their families to attend college.
Academic guidance, college and career exploration, and assistance with grad requirements, enrollment and financial aid are all part of the package. But high schoolers on hand for the ceremony were particularly enthusiastic about one piece of the partnership: The first year of tuition at Fullerton College will be covered for Fullerton Joint Union graduates, provided they take a minimum of 12 units and complete their financial aid paperwork.
“For many of our students who do not have the financial means to go to college, this is significant,” Assistant Superintendent Sylvia Kaufman says in the Register article, which can be read in full on its website.
And here are a few more education stories from the week ending March 15.
- Sharing practices that support the academic, behavioral and social-emotional success of all students will be the focus of a three-day educational event hosted in July by OCDE, the Butte County Office of Education and the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Thousands are expected to attend the California Multi-Tiered System of Support Professional Learning Institute at the Long Beach Convention Center.
- Nearly 500 young historians representing 34 schools and a dozen districts showcased their original websites, papers, documentaries, performances and exhibits at this year’s National History Day-Orange County contest. The OCDE Newsroom documented the documentarians in a brief video segment, and the competition’s winners were announced the following Wednesday.
- A new planetarium at Orange Coast College has a 50-foot dome theater and a high-definition digital projection system that can display 3D images of Earth, the solar system, nearly 100 constellations and pretty much anything else scientists have found in space. The facility, which seats 125, opens to the public March 23.
- In a story that received widespread national coverage, a consultant from Newport Beach has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he helped get the children of wealthy families into top universities by bribing college coaches and test proctors. The Daily Pilot reports that current and former residents of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Fountain Valley are connected to the case.
- A Sage Hill Junior’s passion for pi led to the creation of a program to help younger students learn about the infinite mathematical ratio that begins with 3.14. This week, to celebrate March 14 — or 3/14 — she’s taken her program to schools and math facilities throughout the county.
- A new task force with State Superintendent Tony Thurmond at the helm met for the first time to review the fiscal impacts of charter schools, as well as the charter authorization process. The panel is expected to report its results to Governor Gavin Newsom by July 1.
- Speaking of Thurmond, the state’s schools chief spent Read Across America Day at Jordan Elementary, where he read to students, toured the campus’ STREAM Lab and engaged in a conversation about how the state can better support schools in Orange Unified and elsewhere.
- Competing in the regional round of the international 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition, high school teams maneuvered 120-pound robots across the surface of a fictional planet and were tasked with collecting samples to send to Earth. Five Orange County squads qualified for the championship round, which will be held April 17 through April 20 in Houston.
- The Orange County Register, in partnership with OCDE, announced the 2019 nominees for the Artist of the Year awards, which annually recognize standout student-artists in numerous categories. Semi-finalists will be announced on Sundays beginning March 31, and the top Artist of the Year for each discipline will be announced on April 21.
- Career and technical education courses are on an upswing over the past decade after declining around the turn of the century, writes the Register’s David Whiting, who carves out a column that explores the benefits of woodshop.
- Ten students from four middle schools took part in the fifth annual Surf City Optimist-Ocean View School District Oratorical Contest, delivering speeches that reflected this year’s theme, “Is there a fine line between optimism and reality?”
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.