Growing Inland Achievement

Category: News

  • Education Insight Radio Show to Premiere on May 1, 2021

    Education Insight Radio Show to Premiere on May 1, 2021

    Growing Inland Achievement is pleased to announce the premiere of a new radio program and podcast, Education Insight, focused on education in the Inland Empire. The show will air monthly on 91.9 KVCR FM and through online podcast channels.

    “We’re very excited about this new program on KVCR, presented by Growing Inland Achievement,” said Lacey Kendall, show host, and 30-year broadcast veteran. “We hope the Inland Empire community will join us each month as we look at innovative education programs, schools, initiatives, and opportunities for improvement.”

    Education Insight will premiere on 91.9 KVCR FM on May 1 at 7:00 p.m. (PST) and re-run on May 3 at 3:00 p.m. (PST). Listeners can also stream the show live through KVCR’s website at KVCRnews.org and view archives online on GIA’s website.

    Monthly shows will tell the story of education in the Inland Empire region through the diverse voices of those in and around the Inland Empire educational community. It is being produced by Growing Inland Achievement, a collective impact organization in the region with a mission to increase economic prosperity by increasing equitable educational attainment.

    Education Insight is hosted by 30-year radio broadcast veteran Lacey A. Kendall, who engages listeners by exploring topics ranging from education policies and practices to innovations and ideas that drive student success and fuel economic prosperity.

    The show is made possible through partnerships and support from the College Futures Foundation, 91.9 KVCR FM, and California State University, San Bernardino. Media inquiries and questions should be directed to Jake Poore, Director of Communication at Growing Inland Achievement, jake@gia.echofactory.dev.

    twitterfacebookinstagramyoutubelinkedin

  • Growing Inland Achievement to Host Workshops on Critical Issues Affecting Students

    Growing Inland Achievement to Host Workshops on Critical Issues Affecting Students

    GIA is pleased to announce the receipt of a grant for $25K from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to support a new workshop series in partnership with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and Riverside County Office of Education. The series titled Building Better from Disruption expands on last fall’s Teens, COVID, and Coping discussions among the region’s two County Superintendents and several school districts.   

    The pandemic has changed education dynamics, affecting students, parents, and educators in ways we had never imagined. National events over the past year have further highlighted the fact that racial inequities in education can no longer be ignored. As we move through the pandemic and into the next iteration of education, there are a multitude of issues that must be addressed.

    “The goal of this workshop series is to involve all 56 school districts in the region, bringing in experts on such subjects as Dual Enrollment; Learning Loss and Learning Gains during COVID; Equity Insights; and Student Assessments, among others,” said Dr. Carlos Ayala, President & CEO at GIA. “Our goal is that these workshops will lead to further discussions and research into selected topics with an actionable plan for systemwide change.” 

    GIA is grateful to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for their generous support of this workshop series and their work throughout the country to improve educational outcomes and foster a more equitable society.  

    twitterfacebookinstagramyoutubelinkedin
  • Growing Inland Achievement Receives 1.3M Grant from College Futures Foundation for Capacity Building and Regional College Transfer Work

    Growing Inland Achievement Receives 1.3M Grant from College Futures Foundation for Capacity Building and Regional College Transfer Work

    Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) is pleased to announce receipt of a grant in the amount of $1,318,000 from College Futures Foundation to support GIA core capacity building as well as a Transfer GPS resource to aid student transitions from community colleges to four-year universities.

    “College Futures Foundation is a long-standing supporter of the Inland Empire community, including a grant in October of 2020 to support regional Guided Pathways efforts which provide students a clearer path to graduation,” said Dr. Carlos Ayala, President & CEO at GIA. “We are extremely grateful for their ongoing commitment to preserve and improve educational opportunities and the quality of life for our residents. This added support from the Foundation allows us to continue our work at GIA while focusing on critical areas of student needs such as transfer from our regional community colleges to four-year institutions.”

    Approximately two-thirds of grant funding will support GIA in capacity building, including staff and operational infrastructure. “Our staff plays a key role in facilitating connections between organizations and across sectors, throughout the vast bi-county region of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. These connections lead to increased collaboration, partnerships, and collective impact efforts to achieve regional goals and a shared vision of success for the Inland Empire,” said Ann Marie Sakrekoff, COO at GIA. “In addition, GIA staff provide critical research and data support, and help to identify and generate funding and in-kind resources to support efforts to increase regional educational attainment in the region.”

    The remainder of the grant funds will be utilized to pilot a data analytics-based project called Transfer GPS, in partnership with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. The Transfer GPS tool and networked improvement community will help address transfer and equity gap issues by providing broader access to and support for a sophisticated set of analytical tools that help educational institutions quickly acquire and scale their ability to analyze and facilitate student academic progress and completion.

    “Transfer GPS will complement existing regional transfer initiatives and tools, such as Bakersfield College’s Program Pathways Mapper, to inform decisions around college transfer and ultimately help students to plan out the most efficient path to completion or transfer, and reduce unnecessary classes and expenses,” said Ayala. “The Transfer GPS project will deepen our knowledge about how to support and accelerate college transfer in the region, and we are very excited to work with the Gardner Institute alongside our regional colleges to roll out this initiative.”

    twitterfacebookinstagramyoutubelinkedin
  • GIA Becomes Independent 501c3 Organization

    GIA Becomes Independent 501c3 Organization

    GIA is pleased to report that we have received an official letter of tax-exempt status and have started operating as an independent 501c3 corporation as of January 1, 2021. When GIA was founded in 2015, the Inland Empire Economic Partnership agreed to serve as the fiscal sponsor. In early 2020, the GIA Board determined that it was time to set GIA up as an independent entity. In April, we incorporated in the State of California as Growing Inland Achievement Inc. and proceeded to apply for tax-exempt status.

    This approval recognizes the hard work of the GIA Board and staff over the past five years. It is an acknowledgment of our ability to provide services to our community successfully and to conduct business in a fiscally responsible manner. While this will shift internal operations, to our partners and the community, we will continue to look and feel the same, providing the same level of service and partnership we have for the past five years.

    “We wish to express profound appreciation to the Inland Empire Economic Partnership for serving as our fiscal sponsor over these past five years. IEEP staff has provided immeasurable support to our team as we have gone through this exciting growth process,” said GIA Chief Operating Officer, Ann Marie Sakrekoff.

    twitterfacebookinstagramyoutubelinkedin

  • GIA INSIGHTS – University Students Share Feedback Amid the Global Pandemic

    GIA INSIGHTS – University Students Share Feedback Amid the Global Pandemic

    Two student groups in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside, share stories about pursuing graduate education goals amid the global pandemic. They discuss challenges faced by students, including the transformation of daily routines, difficulties navigating remote learning, and escalating mental health struggles. These student reflections and recommended solutions may comfort peers as well as enlighten educational institutions about struggles students are encountering during this unprecedented historical moment. Links to both of the student papers as well as a Summary of Recommendations are found below.

    “COVID-19 Reflection”

    By: Rosario Olmos, Sue-Jin Lee, Sadie Chaffee, and Esperanza Talamantes

    “The Effects of COVID-19 on College Students”

    By: Joselyn Alvarez, Tanya Martinez, Andrew Saldana, Alyssa Vidal, and Heung Ying Wong

    Summary of Recommendations

    To overcome difficulties resulting from transforming daily routines, students suggested virtual workshops about improving time management and creating better at-home workspaces.

    To address challenges stemming from remote learning, students recommended professors give students a greater variety of learning options. For example, students suggested professors could record and upload lectures to learning management systems, allowing them to engage with the course material based on their individual learning style and daily routines. Further, students reported that professors choose whether to grade students traditionally or implement pass/no-pass grading. They suggested that a uniform grading structure would be a more structured student outcome expectation of distance-learning.

    Students also suggested that many could benefit from earlier access to online learning preparation modules. These modules could help some students overcome the challenge of adapting to the various learning-management and video communications systems used by universities. As a result, more students would feel better prepared and less stressed about remote-learning.

    A final student recommendation to support remote learning is for faculty to increase the use of “soft” or open-ended assignment deadlines and offer additional opportunities for make-up work and extra credit. For example, if a student were to miss a class or an assignment deadline, they could have an extension, take on new assignments, or gain points through optional assignments. Increased flexibility in course curriculum could reduce academic stress while supporting their learning.

    Lastly, students emphasized the importance of addressing mental health struggles. They suggested that universities or educational nonprofits should sponsor or increase access to mental health support systems during the pandemic. Enhanced mental health care would alleviate student stress and, since stress is a significant inhibitor of academic motivation, investments in mental health would also support academic success.

    twitterfacebookinstagramyoutubelinkedin