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PREVIOUS DROPOUTS TO SPEAK OUT ON THE DROPOUT CRISIS;
SIATech Inland Empire High School Students will Share their Experiences at
California State University San Bernardino on Saturday, March 13
Post-Event Follow-Up.
- "Their visit helped me to reflect that each student has a story. Each student has barriers they have or will overcome. I respect that they are stepping up to the plate to help the future of Educational Leadership." ~Frieda
- "It was very interesting to listen to the students perspective about education, how teachers treat them and how they would like schools to treat them.The student's life/ school experience was an eye opener for me."
- "Thank you for your honesty, determination, drive, clarity and willingness to move on. Thank you for your lessons on humility and humbleness. Thank you for teaching us the true meaning of education." ~Mauricio
- Read more reviews and comments
San Bernardino, CA —March 11 , 2010 — There is a dropout crisis in America. According to the American Youth Policy Forum's report Whatever it Takes, every nine seconds a student drops out of high school. However, the process and circumstances surrounding a student dropping out are more complex than this one moment in time. Students who were once dropouts will share their stories with graduate students at California State University San Bernardino this Saturday, March 13, at 9:00 am.
The four student speakers are from the School for Integrated Academics and Technologies (SIATech). This unique charter high school is a place where previous dropouts can excel. Its students thrive in the workplace-like classroom environment that emphasizes hands-on learning and connecting academics with the real world. SIATech’s Inland Empire campus has graduated more than 750 previous dropouts since it opened in 1998.
"In an effort to provide real learning opportunities to impact change in their community, SIATech Charter High School at Inland Empire recently designed a research seminar class to teach their students the foundational skills of conducting qualitative action research projects. Youth participatory action research is an innovative teaching approach utilized by a growing number of urban schools across the nation to engage students in creative ways to impact policy to improve their communities. Educational researchers such as Dr. Pedro Norguera, Dr. Louie Rodriguez, and Dr. Ernest Morrell regularly write about the effectiveness that this instructional approach has in positively impacting urban youth who were previously disengaged with their schooling process," commented Jake Gordon, school principal.
| WHAT: |
“Student Voices on the Dropout Crisis”
Previous dropouts share their perspectives on the dropout crisis in California. The presentation gives the students a voice on a subject that affects them in personal ways. It also provides these high school students an inside look at college campuses and classes. This is the second time the students are presenting. On March 3, 2010, they shared their experiences with doctorate research students at California State University, Long Beach.
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| WHO: |
SIATech Inland Empire Students: Terrell Frink, Branden Lewis-Jones, Jenavie Del Toro, Esther Fragoso (high-res photo)
Facilitators: SIATech Principal Jake Gordon and Dr. Louie Rodriguez
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| WHEN: |
Saturday, March 13, 2010, 9:00 am
Students will give a 30-minute presentation followed by Q&A
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| WHERE: |
California State University, San Bernardino
6000 University Parkway, San Bernardino, 92407 (Directions)
New College of Education, Room 213
"Equity and Diversity in Educational Leadership" course
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| CONTACTS: |
SIATech Inland Empire Principal Jake Gordon, 909.289.2084
SIATech Communications Director Linda Leigh, 760.994.6587
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| RESOURCES: |
Slides of the Student Presentation:
"Listening to the Voices of Youth: An Action Research Study on the Dropout Crisis" by SIATech Students Esther Fragoso, Terrell Frink, Jenavie Del Toro, and Branden Lewis-Jones, March 2010.
A variety of recent research illuminates the dropout crisis in America. Recent publications and news on the topic include:
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About SIATech
SIATech® (pronounced SIGH-a-tek) is an award-winning dropout recovery program. SIATech is a fully accredited network of public charter high schools that operates in partnership with Job Corps and WIA programs. The schools serve low-income, previously out-of-school youth. SIATech excels at identifying student strengths and individualizing instruction to meet each student’s needs and goals. The school’s safe and caring setting enables students to take charge of their learning and obtain the tools needed to be college- and career-ready. SIATech’s eight California school sites have graduated more than 6,000 of California’s previous dropouts since 1998.
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