Growing Inland Achievement

Author: Growing Inland Achievement

  • GIA Honors 12 Individuals and Groups at Its Regional Education Summit

    GIA Honors 12 Individuals and Groups at Its Regional Education Summit

    Growing Inland Achievement (GIA), a local nonprofit, recognizes contributions to educational attainment and economic success in the Inland Empire at its “Toward a Shared Vision Awards Ceremony” on Thursday, October 26th, at the Riverside Convention Center.

    RIVERSIDE, CA — GIA’s seventh Toward a Shared Vision Conference is set for Oct. 25-26 at the Riverside Convention Center. During the event, GIA will recognize seven individuals and five groups for their work in driving Inland Empire educational and economic success.

    “The Toward a Shared Vision Awards recognize individuals and groups making significant contributions to educational attainment and economic success in the Inland Empire region while embodying core values of equity, transformation, collaboration, innovation, and centering students,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, Interim CEO of GIA.

    “We received 25 nominations for individuals and groups throughout the region, all of which are deserving candidates,” said Sakrekoff. “While GIA is coordinating and hosting the awards, the decision on the winners was driven by our local education network. GIA brought together a diverse panel of representatives from local education and community-based organizations who deliberated and selected 12 individuals and groups to be recognized across six categories.”

    The awardees are:

    For Student-Centered Excellence:

    • Group: Children Deserve Success Program, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
    • Individual: Dr. Tomás D. Morales, President, California State University, San Bernardino

    For Excellence in Regional Transformation:

    • Group: Ontario-Montclair Promise Scholars
    • Individual: Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, California’s 58th Assembly District

    For Equity-Focused Excellence:

    • Group: College Futures Foundation
    • Individual: Dr. Henry D. Shannon, Superintendent/President, Chaffey College

    For Excellence in Regional Collaboration:

    • Group: Making Hope Happen Foundation
    • Individual: Kim McNulty, Vice President of Regional Strategy, OneFuture Coachella Valley

    For Excellence in Innovation:

    • Group: Office of Pre-College Programs, California State University, San Bernardino
    • Individual: Dr. Ivan Peña, Dean of Student Services and Counseling, Crafton Hills College

    For Excellence in Regional Leadership:

    • Individual: Julie Pehkonen, Chair, Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium
    • Individual: Dr. Judy D. White, President/Founder, MOSAIC, Retired, 12th Superintendent of Schools for Riverside County

    The October 26th, 2:00 pm awards ceremony caps the two-day Toward a Shared Vision Regional Summit. Tickets for the full two-day summit can be purchased for $129. A day-two-only ticket, which also includes the recognition ceremony, can be purchased for $65.

    Ticket sales will contribute to GIA’s student scholarship fund. Learn more about the awards and register to attend on GIA’s website: https://gia.echofactory.dev/tasv-2023-awards/.

    Since 2015, Growing Inland Achievement has been actively supporting educational attainment and economic success in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. To learn more about their mission and initiatives, please visit InlandEmpireGIA.org.

    For more information, contact: Jake Poore, jake@gia.echofactory.dev.

  • 2022-2023 Annual Report

    2022-2023 Annual Report

    We are pleased to share our 2022-2023 Annual Report, available to view below. This report is a testament to our collective efforts, highlighting the incredible achievements and milestones we have accomplished together.

    Within the report, you will find highlights on key projects such as Intermediaries for Scale, Action Network Teams (ANTs), student voice research, financials, and more.

  • Education Insight: A Roadmap to Success: The Collective Impact Model

    Education Insight: A Roadmap to Success: The Collective Impact Model

    About This Episode

    Season 3. Episode 9.

    In this enlightening episode of Education Insight, we delve into the extraordinary world of collective impact and its profound influence on local education. Across the nation, communities are rewriting the narrative of student success by convening a unique blend of leaders from business, economy, and education sectors. They’ve discovered that when diverse voices come together to tackle educational challenges, remarkable things happen!

    Join us as we sit down with two distinguished guests who are at the forefront of this movement. Sheila Thorton, President & CEO of OneFuture Coachella Valley, brings a wealth of experience in mobilizing communities for the betterment of education. She’ll share firsthand accounts of how collective impact has been a game-changer in the Coachella Valley.

    Jennifer Splansky Juster, Executive Director of the Collective Impact Forum at the Fielding School of Public Health, is a leading expert in the field. She’ll provide invaluable insights into the principles and strategies that make collective impact work, and how this approach is revolutionizing education outcomes nationwide.

    Tune in to discover the transformative power of collaboration, hear inspiring success stories, and gain a deeper understanding of how collective impact is reshaping the landscape of education. Whether you’re an educator, a community leader, or simply passionate about improving education, this episode will leave you inspired and informed. Don’t miss out on this enlightening conversation!

    Featured Guests

    Jennifer Splansky Juster

    Executive Director of the Collective Impact Forum, a partnership between the nonprofit consulting group FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions

    Jennifer Splansky Juster is Executive Director of the fielding-building initiative the Collective Impact Forum, a partnership between the nonprofit consulting & research group FSG and the Aspen Institute Forum for Community Solutions. She is one of FSG’s leaders in collective impact field building, has worked on multiple collective impact engagements, designed training opportunities for thousands collective impact practitioners, and frequently speaks on the topic.

    Jennifer has co-authored multiple publications on collective impact, including the report Guide to Evaluating Collective Impact and the articles “Centering Equity in Collective Impact,” “Committing to Collective Impact: From Vision to Implementation,” and “Essential Mindset Shifts for Collective Impact.” Over the course of her career, Jennifer has also worked with a range of foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, and corporations across sectors on issues of strategy, evaluation, and program design.

    Former clients include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, Girard College, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Silicon Valley ALLIES.  A California native, Jennifer is a graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband and two daughters.

    Sheila Thorton

    President & CEO, OneFuture Coachella Valley

    As President & CEO of OneFuture Coachella Valley, Sheila Thornton is guided by its mission to assure all students succeed in college, career and life – expanding and enhancing the local workforce so that our youth and economy thrive. Prior to the formation of OneFuture Coachella Valley, Sheila served as Vice President of Workforce Excellence for the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP), where she led coalition-building, fundraising and program development for that division.

    In March, 2017, she spearheaded the transition from Workforce Excellence to OneFuture Coachella Valley, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is to advance a regional effort to align educational attainment with economic development. Sheila serves on the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Advancement Board, the Growing Inland Achievement board of directors, the national leadership team for the Ford Motor Company Fund Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL) Initiative and the national advisory committee for Health Career Connection.

    She is a former board member of the Linked Learning Alliance in California, and the California Future Health Workforce Commission. Sheila received a B.S. degree in Applied Math from Loyola Marymount University. Her early career as an analyst and project manager for an economic research and consulting firm and as Director of Community Services for a non-profit hospital has established a solid foundation for her current work – building and leading an organization that uses strong coalitions to guide the region’s students and future leaders toward success.

    Interview Highlights

    3:57 – Adrienne describes dual enrollment and its benefits.

    7:15 – Adrienne speaks to how recent California mandates and initiatives may have influenced the growth of these new programs.

    8:34 – Adrienne explains what research shows about the impact of dual enrollment on a student’s academic achievements or even their future success.

    9:24 – Adrienne shares examples of dual enrollment activities that are taking place in our region and what is happening in the IE. 

    13:11 – Adrienne talks about strategies in place to make sure that equal opportunities are available for all students.

    20:18 – Jorge explains how dual enrollment aligns with his role at Riverside County Unified School District.

    21:28 – Jorge shares his experiences and thoughts on the current dual enrollment programs that are being offered at Riverside Unified School District.

    23:32 – Jorge gives insight into how dual enrollment makes students career ready.

    25:58 – Jorge describes what challenges students typically face in dual enrollment programs and how he addresses those issues. 

    32:43 – Jorge shares what he would like to see be the future of the dual enrollment program in his district and beyond. 

    36:31 – Special Feature: Avijeet Randhawa, 8th-Grader, Auburndale Intermediate School in the Corona Norco Unified School District.

    View our podcast page for more stories like this: https://gia.echofactory.dev/gia-podcasts/

    Education Insight tells the story of education in the Inland Empire through the diverse voices of those in and around the regional education community. The show is produced by Growing Inland Achievement, a collective impact organization in the Inland Empire with a mission to increase economic prosperity in the region by increasing educational attainment. Hosted by 30-year broadcast veteran Lacey Kendall, monthly shows explore topics ranging from education challenges and shortcomings to innovations and groundbreaking ideas that are driving student success.

  • Driving the Inland Empire Economy Through Education 

    Driving the Inland Empire Economy Through Education 

    “GIA’s annual Toward a Shared Vision Summit helps to foster learning and collaborative efforts that create equitable educational opportunities in the Inland Empire region,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, GIA’s Interim CEO. 

    INLAND EMPIRE, CA – Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) will host its 7th annual Toward a Shared Vision summit at the Riverside Convention Center on October 25–26. GIA is a nonprofit that networks education, government, nonprofit, and business partners in the Inland Empire. 

    The summit, under the theme “United in the Journey,” embodies the need for a Collective Impact approach that harnesses the combined efforts of the Inland Empire’s 56 K-12 school districts, 12 community colleges, two public universities, five private universities, numerous nonprofit organizations, economic development agencies, the business community and government entities to address complex regional educational challenges and opportunities.  

    GIA expects the event to bring together around 300 local leaders from various sectors to tackle longstanding regional educational and economic challenges.  

    “At the heart of GIA’s mission is the commitment to increasing educational attainment, with a focus on accelerating success for historically marginalized student groups,” says Interim CEO of GIA, Ann Marie Sakrekoff. “The summit is a powerful platform to drive this mission, uniting education, government, nonprofit, and business leaders to pursue a shared vision for the Inland Empire.” 

    GIA believes fostering an efficient, high-quality education system that creates access for all residents is critical to regional growth and prosperity. This commitment extends to building equitable structures to eradicate systemic racism, ensuring that every student, regardless of their background, has an opportunity to succeed. 

    Sakrekoff underscores the significance of uniting together, stating, “We understand that it takes all stakeholders’ collective efforts and collaboration to drive transformative change,” She adds, “GIA’s annual Toward a Shared Vision Summit helps to foster learning and collaborative efforts that create equitable educational opportunities in the Inland Empire region.” 

    Participants will engage in collaborative discussions, workshops, and team breakouts, focusing on strategies and solutions to expedite equitable educational opportunities and pathways to student success.  

    “Breakout sessions and workshops will include discussions on concurrent high school and college course enrollment, how students can qualify for and properly use financial aid, indigenous peoples’ education, championing equity for undocumented students, increasing success for community college students transferring to four-year universities and much more,” said Sakrekoff. 

    Two distinguished keynote speakers will highlight the event: Dr. Anton Treuer and Dr. Victor Rios.  

    Dr. Treuer is a renowned author and Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, recognized for his work in race relations and indigenous languages.  

    Dr. Rios, the MacArthur Foundation Chair and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializes in equity, anti-racism, cultural responsiveness, resilience, closing the opportunity gap, teacher well-being, and restorative justice. 

    “Both of our keynote speakers have a passion for cultural understanding and achieving equitable educational success that resonates with GIA’s mission,” says Sakrekoff.   

    To secure a seat, attendees are encouraged to register early. Early bird registration is $109 until September 30, 2023, and $129 thereafter. Conference registration includes access to all keynote and breakout sessions, event parking, and breakfast and lunch on both days. Notably, all proceeds from the event will support GIA’s student scholarship fund. 

    For more information about the summit and to register, please visit the GIA website at InlandEmpireGIA.org. 

    About Growing Inland Achievement 

    Growing Inland Achievement, which serves San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, is a regional cross-sector network of education, government, nonprofit, and business partners in the Inland Empire, collectively working towards a shared vision of educational and economic success.  

    GIA staff support this work by researching issues and opportunities, developing financial resources for the region, and connecting diverse stakeholders across the two-county region of the Inland Empire.  

    GIA’s shared vision is that by 2035, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties will be widely recognized for their educated workforce, thriving communities, and vibrant economy that creates prosperity for all.  

  • Education Insight: The Stresses and Successes of a New School Year

    Education Insight: The Stresses and Successes of a New School Year

    About This Episode

    Season 3. Episode 8.

    As September kicks off, this school year promises to be unique. In the next Education Insight episode, we tackle two critical topics affecting California’s education landscape.

    First, we delve into the California Education Budget decrease, set to withdraw over 20 billion dollars from our schools this year. We examine its potential impact on local education quality and discuss how communities are responding.

    Additionally, we shed light on the numerous Cash for College workshops, helping Inland Empire residents secure substantial funds for their education. These workshops, staffed by California Student Aid Commission experts, simplify the federal application process.

    Join us for this insightful Education Insight episode as we explore the challenges and opportunities facing education in California. Discover how budget cuts may reshape education and how students can access the financial support they need. Don’t miss this timely conversation!

    Featured Guests

    Jonathan Kaplan

    Senior Policy Analyst, California Budget & Policy Center.

    Jonathan Kaplan, Senior Policy Analyst, conducts research on education and tax policy issues to support the equitable allocation of state resources. Jonathan has authored various studies on educational policy and funding in California, including analyses of how state and federal policies impact public K-12 and postsecondary education and how California’s K-12 school funding compares to that in other states. Jonathan’s work on tax policy includes analyses of California’s corporation tax as well as providing analytical support to help public education advocates understand how tax revenue affects funding for California’s K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities.

    Before joining the Budget Center in 2006, Jonathan taught law and United States history for seven years in Martinez, California, where he also served as chair of Alhambra High School’s Social Science Department. Jonathan’s classroom experiences working with English learners motivate his interest in policies that promote multilingual educational opportunities. Jonathan holds a master’s degree in education from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and received his bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University.

    Jonathan enjoys cooking, seeing live music, and spending time outdoors with his spouse and son, especially biking, hiking, and skiing.

    Kimberly Liaz

    Coordinator, Cash for College.

    • Duties: Financial Aid Awareness

    Interview Highlights

    3:57 – Adrienne describes dual enrollment and its benefits.

    7:15 – Adrienne speaks to how recent California mandates and initiatives may have influenced the growth of these new programs.

    8:34 – Adrienne explains what research shows about the impact of dual enrollment on a student’s academic achievements or even their future success.

    9:24 – Adrienne shares examples of dual enrollment activities that are taking place in our region and what is happening in the IE. 

    13:11 – Adrienne talks about strategies in place to make sure that equal opportunities are available for all students.

    20:18 – Jorge explains how dual enrollment aligns with his role at Riverside County Unified School District.

    21:28 – Jorge shares his experiences and thoughts on the current dual enrollment programs that are being offered at Riverside Unified School District.

    23:32 – Jorge gives insight into how dual enrollment makes students career ready.

    25:58 – Jorge describes what challenges students typically face in dual enrollment programs and how he addresses those issues. 

    32:43 – Jorge shares what he would like to see be the future of the dual enrollment program in his district and beyond. 

    36:31 – Special Feature: Avijeet Randhawa, 8th-Grader, Auburndale Intermediate School in the Corona Norco Unified School District.

    View our podcast page for more stories like this: https://gia.echofactory.dev/gia-podcasts/

    Education Insight tells the story of education in the Inland Empire through the diverse voices of those in and around the regional education community. The show is produced by Growing Inland Achievement, a collective impact organization in the Inland Empire with a mission to increase economic prosperity in the region by increasing educational attainment. Hosted by 30-year broadcast veteran Lacey Kendall, monthly shows explore topics ranging from education challenges and shortcomings to innovations and groundbreaking ideas that are driving student success.