On May 20th, Reach Potential Movement partnered with Castro Elementary to inspire and challenge 53 fifth graders and several of their parents to DREAM FOR COLLEGE by spending a day at Stanford University with several Latino undergrads and alumni as they toured the campus.  One parent had always wanted to see the University but assumed there was a literal wall around Stanford and that this was her chance to have special access to see the university.

The day following their visit to Stanford, the students participated in “College Spirit Day” at their school.  Each student received a t-shirt from the alma-mater of the person who sponsored their participation in Dream-4-College Week (with the exception of Stanford now that 53 Castro fifth graders want to go there!).  The students continued discussion and learning about the life opportunities that a path of rigorous academics during their middle and high school years will provide them.

For students to keep breaking through the walls that can barricade their college dreams, a parent education workshop will follow where we will inspire, challenge and support parents to do the same for their children as they enter middle school.

Reach Potential Movement commends all our sponsors for championing our cause to inspire our “first generation to college” fifth graders to reach and dream.  Let’s continue to empower under-resourced kids and youth, and we’ll all reach our highest potential together!

Related posts:

1. Dream for College Project

On May 20^th, Reach Potential Movement will partner with Castro Elementary school in Mountain View, CA to inspire 50 mostly Latino fifth grade students with an up close college experience at Stanford University.  Click here if you would like to sponsor a student with a $20 donation. Our project will provide:

• A college field trip to engage students with the journeys of Latino undergrads and alumni from Stanford who’ve overcome cultural and economic challenges to graduate from college.
• A parent education workshop to enlist parents to support for their child’s academic preparation through middle and high school to keep them on a path for college.
• A college T-shirt and a book, Wiley’s Way/El Camino de Wiley, to inspire a college going mentality.

DREAM FOR COLLEGE NEEDS STATEMENT

In June of 2009, The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) revealed in their report, Educating California: Choices for the Future[1], that Californians are experiencing two significant shifts that will change our state’s social and economic landscape.  The first shift is our state’s retiring baby boomers that will be leaving the California workforce in mass between 2010 and 2030.  35% of our state’s 55 to 59 year olds are college graduates.  In contrast, only 26% of California’s 25-29 year olds have college degrees and this percentage may drop in light of our state’s second major shift— 49% of California’s public school students are Latino and yet 12 percent of Latinos age 25 and older had received a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2005.[2]

The convergence of these two demographic shifts could further reduce state revenues that fuel education for tomorrow’s worker.  PPIC projects that “by 2025, 41 percent of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree— but only 35 percent of California adults will have college diplomas.  To put it another way, if current trends persist, the state will face a shortfall of one million college graduates.  Though California Latinos have made strong gains in education from generation to generation, those gains show up mainly in high school graduation rates. U.S.-born Latinos attend college and graduate at far lower rates than other U.S.-born residents.[3]”

Can California afford the economic and social costs of not preparing our children for the world ahead?  Only 60% of ninth grade Latinos will graduate from high school[4] and even more sobering is that only 14% will qualify for entrance into California State Universities (CSU) and 4% will be eligible to apply a University of California School (UC).  While 81% of Latinos who apply for UC schools are accepted, only 38% will enroll and attend a UC University[5].  49% of Latino four-year college students will not graduate[6].

These statistics are in stark contrast to California’s Asian and non-Latino White communities.  Latinos often face significant economic as well as cultural pressures to enter the work force and help support their family during their high school and college years.  PPIC concludes that the programs that show promise in keeping children in schools include career technical education and early college commitment programs in which middle school students learn about college entrance requirements and funding opportunities, and commit to a rigorous set of courses in high school.[7]

Reach Potential Movement believes that families need to have a vision for college before their children enter middle school so that they are thoroughly prepared for college prep classes when they enter high school.  Our Dream for College Project teaches students the math of attending classes, turning in their homework and excelling in school will either multiply or divide their life opportunities and employment outlook.  Employees with college degrees experienced 7% unemployment in 2009 compared to an unemployment rate closer to 14% for California workers with just high school diplomas.  The 25% of Californians who did not graduate from high school experienced unemployment rates closer to 22% with an average annual salary of $18,734 compared to $27,915 for high school grads and $53,039 for college grads.  The wage gap between college graduates and those with high school diplomas increased from 40% in 1980 to 90% in 2008.[8]

[2] Latinos and College Access:  Ensuring Young Latinos Can Achieve the American Dream, Senator Robert Menendez.  Latino Leadership Link.

[3] Educating California:  Choices for the Future, Hans Johnson, The Public Policy Institute of California, 2009 http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=891

[4] California Dropout Research Project, UC Santa Barbara, 2009

[5] University of California Application, Admissions and Enrollment of California Resident Freshmen for Fall 1989 through 2008

[6] Rising to the Challenge:  Hispanic College Graduation Rates as a National Priority Andrew P. Kelly, Mark Schneider, Kevin Carey, American Enterprise Institute, 2010

[7] Educating California:  Choices for the Future, Hans Johnson, The Public Policy Institute of California, 2009 http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=891

[8] Ibid

Related posts:

1. Castro 5th Graders go to Stanford!
2. “Bookshelf in Every Home” Project
3. Kick, Lead, Dream Soccer Camp

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon (4/25), Castro Elementary, Open Door Church (Mountain View) and Reach Potential Movement celebrated Día del Niño (Day of the Child), a holiday celebrated around the world, especially in Latin countries and a newer holiday:  Día del Libro (World Book Day).

Approximately 1000 kids, youth and adults enjoyed a ”Reading Brings You the World” Carnival, free books, Castro’s Folkloric Dancers, amazing food, music, piñatas, and the Stanford Mariachi Band!  The literacy carnival promoted the joy and importance of reading within a Latino cultural celebration.

Thank you to all the Castro Elementary parents, Open Door Church members and Reach Potential volunteers for all your hard work and preparation.  It appears that our collaborative effort will turn into a much anticipated annual celebration in Mountain View!

Literacy festival

Related posts:

1. “Bookshelf in Every Home” Project
2. Compassion Weekend at Castro Elementary

No related posts.

2009 has been a great year of empowering people to reach their highest potential! Many thanks to Barry for putting together our 2009 highlights and for all of you who have given an hour of your time or some of your resources to transform lives.  Click here to watch and we look forward to greater impact in 2010!

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1. A Lunch Hour a Week Impacts Lives

“Bookshelf in Every Home” Project Launch!

Bookshelf in Every Home

As we have listened to educators in local low income schools, the need we have heard most dramatically is literacy… especially early literacy efforts to empower parents before their children fall one to two grades behind in reading.  RPM’s response is our “Bookshelf in Every Home” Project, in which low income kindergarten and first grade families in Mountain View will:

• decorate a bookshelf with their child to take home as his/her own
• select books for a home book collection to support reading at home
• participate in a Parent Workshop on how to help their child read, even if they don’t read (or read English) themselves.
• develop parent attitudes and expectations for the importance of supporting reading at home

We are excited about the community support that is enabling us to launch this project. We partnered with Open Door Church to hold our first Bookshelf Event for 40 kindergarten families in October, and we’re partnering with Abundant Life Christian Fellowship to equip 40 first grade families November 22nd.  Our Bookshelf in Every Home project is an example of one of the simple, scalable and sustainable ways we’re responding to educators to empower people to reach their potential.  Let us know if you would be interested in connecting a community group you’re a part of (work, Rotary, church, etc.) with a low income school in or near your community.  We would love to talk!

If you would like to provide a child with a bookshelf, books and school supplies while providing their parent(s) a parent education workshop, 100% of your donation will go to our project through our on-line donation partner:  RPM Bookshelf in Every Home at Razoo.com

Related posts:

1. Día del Niño & Día del Libro Celebration!
2. Dream for College Project
3. Help Us Go to the Final Four!