Adult learners (ages 25+) in the Inland Empire will soon benefit from a new Transition Coach Program developed by GIA and the Returning Adult and Professional Education Action Network Team (ANT). The Bank of America Foundation provided a $40K grant to support the development of the program.
“Growing Inland Achievement is grateful to the Bank of America Foundation for its ongoing partnership and commitment to helping adult learners in the Inland Empire region,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, COO at GIA.
The Bank of America Foundation’s commitment to raising the educational and economic outlook of the Inland Empire has supported GIA’s work with returning adults since 2019. As a result, GIA has established an Adult Learner Action Network Team that is coordinating efforts among education leaders and workforce partners to help adults in the region increase their education levels.
The new Transition Coach Program will support Inland Empire adults 25 years and older who have obtained some college but do not hold a degree or certificate.
“Navigating the higher education system is complex and having dedicated coaches to support student transition is key to student success,” said Emma Diaz, Ed.D., Director, California Adult Education Program, Inland Adult Education Consortium.
According to 2017 census data available on GIA’s Data Dashboard, Inland Empire residents with a Bachelor’s degree earn $24K dollars more on average each year than those with only a high school diploma.
“We have a large number of adults who have some postsecondary credits and may be closer than they realize to earning a degree or certificate,” said Dr. Carlos Ayala, President, and CEO at GIA. “Our goal with these transition coaches is to make the process of returning to college as simple and straightforward as possible.”
Transition coaches will help individuals identify a career path, enroll in the right classes, apply for financial aid, and link them to additional resources such as childcare, transportation, mental health, or other resources that will support them in completing their education.
Planning for the new program is currently underway and additional details will be published through GIA’s website and communication channels.
Growing Inland Achievement recently launched a new public Tableau dashboard designed to help users explore community college degree and certificate completion patterns across the region. The dashboard draws from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a primary source for public information on U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions.
The Tableau tool was officially launched during GIA’s recent Inland Empire/Desert Guided Pathways Summit in a workshop session titled Designing with the End in Mind: Building equitable guided pathways to living wage jobs in the Inland Empire, co-presented with Rachel Antrobus from WestEd. A video recording of the session, which includes an introduction to the dashboard, is available to watch below.
“We hope the new dashboard will assist our regional community colleges to identify patterns of degree completion that could be of interest or concern. Is representation across different areas of study proportionate among student subgroups? Are some students underrepresented in higher opportunity programs? For instance, are Black students underrepresented in areas of study that are more likely to lead to better paying occupations or educational pathways?” said Dr. Sorrel Stielstra, Director of Research at GIA. “Along with other resources, such as those provided by WestEd, this tool is ultimately intended to help colleges connect students to equitable pathways to further education and living wage jobs.”
For questions about using the Tableau dashboard, reach out to Sorrel Stielstra at sorrel@gia.echofactory.dev.
Over 280 participants from all twelve community colleges in the Inland Empire as well as other regional and statewide educators convened virtually on April 29-30 for the Inland Empire/Desert Guided Pathways Summit presented by Growing Inland Achievement. Guided Pathways provide students with clear course-taking patterns to encourage better enrollment decisions and a clearer path to graduation.
Summit Keynote Session with Rob Johnstone, Monica Lozano, and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley
With Robert Johnstone from National Center for Inquiry and Improvement as the emcee, event participants engaged with other leaders in higher education from throughout the country. “We were honored to have Monica Lozano of the College Futures Foundation and Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley provide keynote addresses followed by a panel discussion on the importance of community colleges, Guided Pathways, and regional work,” Said Carlos Ayala, President & CEO of Growing Inland Achievement.
In another session, Tia Brown McNair, Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), provided insights into the connection between equity and Guided Pathways.
“We achieved our goals of having participants share and teach about their promising practices and linking equity and Guided Pathways,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, Chief Operations Officer for Growing Inland Achievement. “We remain confident that the Inland Empire is motivated to continue the regional collaboration on Guided Pathways and that the colleges are excited and committed to its implementation.”
Dual enrollment for high school students is increasingly raised as a critical strategy for helping students launch purposefully and successfully into the college pipeline. Conversations about building dual enrollment programs and maximizing benefits for all students are being held at the local, state, and national levels. As the region considers the possibilities for our students, there is a rich conversation to be had. What does dual enrollment look like in the Inland Empire now? What could it become for all students? How could we achieve in our districts and post-secondary institutions if we worked together?
Education leaders in the Inland Empire are invited to join Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) and the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) to discuss what a regionwide Dual Enrollment goal for students would look like. With an equity focus and in the pandemic/post-pandemic environment, there may be an opportunity to formulate an especially timely regional Initiative and work statewide to support policy and legislation in the 2021-2022 cycle.
“We have invited Dr. Beth Higbee, recently retired Assistant Superintendent from San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, to serve as our convener and facilitator for this conversation.” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, COO at Growing Inland Achievement. “We believe her deep experience with and appreciation of so many districts and initiatives in the Inland Empire will help us ensure that we are fully capturing our regional perspective.”
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If we may answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to email Beth Higbee at bethhigbee9@gmail.com, or Ann Marie Sakrekoff at annmarie@inlandemipiregia.com.
In this episode, we speak with the President/CEO, and COO of Growing Inland Achievement. We also speak to the President of California State University, San Bernardino.
Featured Guests
Dr. Carlos Ayala
President & CEO, Growing Inland Achievement.
Emma Diaz has more than 30 years of experience in the fields of healthcare and education. She is currently the Director for the Inland Adult Education Consortium at San Bernardino Valley College, where she manages the implementation of the California Adult Education Program (CAEP) legislation. As Director she has played a leadership role in creating and expanding educational programs across the region for underserved, often marginalized populations in adult education.
Emma participates regularly on state level advisory groups, presents at regional, state and national conferences, and is an international lecturer. She strategically positioned the Inland Adult Education Consortium as the professional development center for the Inland Empire, partnering with both state and national organizations. Most recently hosting the 2nd Annual Google Summit for Adult Education.
In addition to her current role as Consortium Director, she teaches for both credit and noncredit programs at multiple community colleges. She is currently a Board Member of the Association of Continuing and Community Education and is on the Basic Skills and Noncredit Committee for the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. She earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and a bachelor’s in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge.
Annette Webb, M.Ed., is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the University of California Riverside, University Extension. In her role, Annette upholds University Extension’s preeminent status in the professional, online, and continuing studies realm by evaluating and successfully responding to the educational needs of non-traditional learners, both domestic and international. She provides leadership in curricular and instructional areas, strategic planning, partnership engagement, student success, academic quality, and financial management.
Annette is a product of the California Master Plan for Higher Education, beginning her educational journey at Crafton Hills Community College then transferring to California State University, San Bernardino to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis on Higher Education Leadership and Policy from UC Riverside.
She is a member of Growing Inland Achievement’s Returning Adult Action Network Team and she is the inaugural Co-Chair and Staff Representative for the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women at UCR. Annette is a proponent for life-long learning and is a higher education professional who represents excellence, accountability, integrity, and respect.
Interview Highlights
2:44 – Ann Marie shares how GIA got started.
3:35 – Ann Marie explains GIA’s mission, and how they go about achieving that.
6:09 – Ann Marie explains what a collective impact collaborative is and how it works.
7:55 – Carlos describes the change he’s seen happen in the Inland Empire as a result of GIA’s work.
13:27 – Carlos shares where the greatest successes have occurred from bringing together all these local education leaders.
16:42 – Carlos expresses his concerns about achieving the goals of GIA during the height of the pandemic.
21:44 – Ann Marie explains how she sees GIA continuing to help students get the tools they need to be successful.
24:30 – Carlos shares what kinds of change he’s hoping to see in the future due to GIA.
29:49 – Dr. Morales describes the process of working with GIA and the goals they share.
31:49 – Dr. Morales talks about the greatest work that has occurred for this team at GIA.
39:50 – Dr. Morales reflects on the most important thing that must happen if we’re going to change the outlook for the Inland region.
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.
