Dear Dear Community Partner,
In a June 16th New York Times article entitled "Schooling Ourselves in an Unequal America," Rebecca Strauss describes the state of public education in America, specifically as it pertains to the gap in educational opportunities available to the wealthiest students and the poorest students in our nation. She notes that a significant disparity exists regarding access to educational resources among different income groups. Students from backgrounds of substantial wealth tend to have greater access to educational resources, while students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have fewer opportunities to access educational resources. This dynamic is in stark contrast to other countries whose education systems currently rank higher than the United States. Unlike the United States, other countries focus on directing resources to the neediest students, thus striving to maintain equal access to educational opportunities.
Strauss maintains that educational excellence in the United States is correlated to the socioeconomic status of the student. Recent studies indicate that every demographic group has demonstrated at least some improvement in terms of test scores and college enrollment. In spite of these gains by all groups, wealthier students in the United States continue to far outperform their peers. As a result, wealthier students, due to the number of educational opportunities available to them during their formative years, gain admission to the best universities in the country, while the vast majority of college-bound students in the country attend colleges and universities with fewer resources. Schools with limited resources do less to prevent their students form dropping out due to the academic, social and emotional issues. The divide in per-pupil spending between wealthy, selective colleges and all other schools is the main reason why the higher education system is failing too many low-income students.
The Ed Fund is vitally committed to addressing this challenge for the students we serve. Our College Access Initiative strives to ensure that students in our district have the resources they need to succeed toward completing a college degree. Through our initiative, we have established programs that help students enroll in and graduate from college. An example of this is the "On Our Way" event recently held for students planning to attend college this fall.
On June 29th, the Ed Fund participated in the "On Our Way" pre-college conference for graduating seniors from across San Francisco and the East Bay. This day-long conference provided every college-bound high school graduate in attendance with essential resources they will need to successfully complete their first year of college. Completing the first year of college is a major milestone that does a lot to ensure students will eventually graduate with a degree.
There is a lot more the Ed Fund needs to do to help our students have the educational resources they need to succeed in their educational pursuits. We are working hard to continue developing a strong and vibrant college access and success initiative for our students. Support from the community makes it possible for the Ed Fund to continue its College Access Initiative. Your volunteerism, mentorship and financial investment makes a difference to the success of our work. Please continue to work for the vision that makes it possible for our students to achieve their educational goals regardless of their families' economic background.
Sincerely,
Joel Mackey
Executive Director
Program Focus: College Access Initiative
On June 29, 2013, Ed Fund scholars attended On Our Way at Haas Pavilion on the UC Berkeley campus. The third annual On Our Way conference was a one-day college transition event for recent high school graduates from San Francisco and the East Bay. The Ed Fund collaborated with the Bay Area College Success Network and Beyond 12 to serve nearly 400 students who will attend more than 50 colleges this fall. The overarching goal of the conference is to help students successfully transition from high school to college. Students attended workshops on financial planning, choosing a class schedule, and also got to meet others who will be attending the same college in the Fall.
Ed Fund scholar Blake Evans found the event
beneficial in his transtion to college.
"I learned how to create a time log to help
me balance schoolwork and social time."
This fall, Blake will be attending
Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD.
Event Recap: Get Your Summer On! at Pyramid Alehouse
Gold Sponsor: Sims Metal Management
Bronze Sponsors: Randall and Tamea Enos, Anonymous
On Thursday, June 13th, the Ed Fund hosted a summer fundraiser at Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley. The event, which benefited our Out-of-School Time Initiative, was attended by many community members, including elected officials, nonprofit partners, teachers, parents and students. The Ed Fund was delighted to welcome back four of our 2012 scholarship winners, who served as volunteers during the event and shared their stories with our guests.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the event. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, attendees and donors, the Ed Fund raised $1,700 to support summer and after-school programming in the school district.
Photos from the event. Ed Fund scholarship winners are pictured in the lower right-hand corner.
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