June 27, 2014 (El Cajon) - From student body president at Grossmont College during the 1960s to his fundraising efforts on behalf of students over the past 10 years, Ernest Ewin is the gift to East County’s community colleges that keeps on giving.

By Jaden Jimenez

June 16, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) -- Following last year’s plan that was signed by Governor Brown, districts will have the ability to direct funds to specific areas in their schools rather than being told by the state for direction.

The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) creates concentration grants in place of the existing funding plans giving districts more say in how money should be spent on education in their specific district. This eliminates revenue limits and will cut out three quarters of state categorical programs which are currently deciding what funds are needed for specific expenditures, without any consideration to the needs of each individual district.

By Miriam Raftery

June 11, 2014 (Washington D.C.)-- Students graduating from college today face an increasing burden of debt. The average undergraduate student must borrow $30,000 and for graduate students, the burden is many times worse. The high cost of tuition, even at public colleges and universities, has made college unaffordable for many students.

June 10, 2014 (El Cajon)--More than 2,000 graduates have received a record number of degrees and certificates from Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges in the annual celebrations of academic accomplishment, evenings made memorable by inspirational speeches, congratulatory moments, proud families and joyous graduates.

By Leon Thompson



May 30, 2014 (Lakeside) -- “Heartland Charter School helped me get a job,”  said Andy Casteruita.  “I learned good work habits and leadership skills.” Andy is one of 49 students at the Heartland Coalition’s one year old Youth Build Charter High School with classes and an office on Orange Avenue in City Heights.

May 24, 2014 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Grand Jury has issued a report “Say what you’ll do and then do what you say.”  It urges the County Office of Education and the City of San Diego to each establish an implementation review committee.  The report notes pointedly, “The 2013/2014  Grand Jury believes that all agencies within the county should be held accountable for implementing those Grand Jury recommendations to which they have agreed.”

Book Review by Dennis Moore

Every Child in America deserves a world-class education. Today, more than ever, a world-class education is a prerequisite for success. America was once the best-educated nation in the world. A generation ago, we led all nations in college completion, but today, ten countries have passed us. The issue is not that their students are smarter than ours. It is that these countries are being smarter about how to educate their students. And the countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow.

We must do better. Together we must achieve a new goal, that by 2020, the United States will once again lead the world in college completion. We must raise the expectations for our students, our schools, and ourselves – this must be a national priority. We must ensure that every student graduate from high school well prepared for college and a career. -- President Barack Obama (2010), 44^th President of the United States

“A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act”

This is one in an occasional series of profiles of Grossmont and Cuyamaca College students who exemplify student success.

May 14, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - Grossmont College was Tamara McMillan’s destiny. It just took her a little while to get there.

May 15, 2014 (San Diego) - California adopted nationally-recommended standards for English-language arts and mathematics in 2013 as a condition for receiving federal education funds. These state standards are generally referred to as the Common Core curriculum that all California schools must now follow. While there are many benefits that can be attributed to the new curriculum, one downside is that beginning with the 2014-2015 school year all future statewide student achievement testing must be done on-line, utilizing computers instead of manually completed pen-and-ink forms.

Source: San Diego County Grand Jury

May 10, 2014 (San Diego)--Recent changes in how at-risk youngsters in custody in San Diego County’s six juvenile detention facilities are educated violates state law, according to a report released May 8^th by the San Diego County Grand Jury. The facilities are operated by the San Diego County Probation Department, with the educational component provided by the San Diego County Office of Education.

$12,500 NEA Arts Work Grant will bring music to at risk Communities

May 10, 2014 (La Mesa)--The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded SDSU’s Heartpower Performances a $12,500 Art Works Grant to fund its unique combination of music performances, classes and clinics for at-risk audiences throughout Southern California.

By: Janis Russell

May 3, 2014 (El Cajon)- Students, faculty, alumni of the schools in GUHSD, and the community turned out Thursday May 1 to celebrate the dedication of the district’s new district office.

May 1, 2014 (San Diego)--U.S. Reps. Susan Davis (CA-53) and Tim Ryan (OH-13) introduced legislation in the House to help schools include social and emotional learning (SEL).  The Supporting Emotional Learning (SEL) Act (H.R. 4509) would support teacher training in SEL to help young people better handle societal issues thus boosting their academic potential.  Students receiving social and emotional education do better on tests, show greater pro-social behaviors, and less emotional stress.

STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM SEEKS HOSTS



April 30, 2014 (San Diego's East County) - The Cultural Homestay International (CHI) program needs help finding homes for students from China for a two-week exchange program this summer or a longer 10-month program during the academic school year starting this fall.  For over 30 years, high school age students from many countries have participated in these high school foreign exchange programs, staying with local host families and attending local schools.

SB 850 has 10 Democratic and Republican co-authors

April 24, 2014 (Sacramento)--A bill aimed at closing California’s job skills gap by allowing community colleges to offer four-year degrees where a local workforce need can be documented was approved today in the Senate Education Committee on an 8-0 bipartisan vote.