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ICYMI: Lodi “Growing Futures” Initiative Featured in National Documentary.

Dear Friends and Colleagues, In Case You Missed It, we are sharing a new short documentary from The 74 Million titled “How a California Wine Region Is ‘Growing Futures’ By Turning Vineyards Into State-of-the-Art Classrooms”. It profiles the work of the Growing Futures initiative - a partnership between Lodi Unified, Delta College, and the Lodi Winegrape Commission. The Growing Futures Initiative is so important to us because we are focused on preparing the youth of our region to do what they love and earn what they need to in adulthood. We believe partnerships and programs like this one are essential to achieving that goal. This career connected learning program will give students exposure to and experience with some of our region's largest industries, and provide a realistic pathway for them to pursue careers in viticulture and agriculture if they are interested. In case you missed this too, CBS 13 Sacramento highlighted the partnership and documentary last week. Prior to the documentary release, we held an event welcoming new Lodi USD Superintendent Neil Young into his new role, and providing a preview of the documentary to our local community. You can see coverage of this event here: Lodi News: Neil Young looks to be a rudder as he takes over as Lodi Unified superintendent Fat City Feed: Stockton And Lodi Leaders Congratulated Lodi Unified School Board's New Superintendent Stocktonia: Neil Young looks for [...]

2023-08-24T15:58:06+00:00August 24th, 2023|A+ Monthly Newsletter, News, Press Release|
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A New Era for SUSD: Ensuring Success through Community-Driven Leadership

by Don Shalvey (This column was originally published at the news website Stocktonia) In June, optimism emerged in Stockton as the Stockton Unified School Board (SUSD) announced the appointment of new superintendent Michelle Rodriguez. The community breathed a collective sigh of relief, not just because the search succeeded in identifying a skilled and experienced leader for SUSD, but also because of how it was accomplished – through an inclusive, transparent, and structured process. Stockton’s recent history with superintendents is not a proud one. Since the resignation of superintendent John Deasy in 2020, the District has hired two separate interim superintendents, and one “permanent” superintendent who served just over one year of the identified contract. With the election of a new majority board this year came hope that the new board members would bring a new approach to the superintendent selection process – and that’s exactly what happened. The SUSD board hired the nationally-respected search firm McPherson & Jacobson, LLC in March. Once hired, the Stockton Unified School District’s board majority embarked on a structured process in its search for a new Superintendent, including forming a Superintendent Search Subcommittee and establishing a diverse stakeholder interview panel to ensure the voices and insights of community members were heard. As Bobby Bivens, President of the NAACP Stockton Branch shared, “This school board deserves great credit for selecting a firm, [...]

2023-08-22T15:00:41+00:00July 24th, 2023|Opinion|
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ICYMI: An exciting Start to Summer at A+

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Happy Summer! I’m writing to share a few updates about what A+ is up to as we head into the next season. First, I’m very excited to introduce you to the Growing Futures initiative. In late May, A+ joined the Lodi Winegrowers, the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective (LAIC), and leading employers from the agriculture industry in San Joaquin County to launch this initiative to provide more inclusive and sustainable pathways to agriculture jobs in our region. You can read more about launching Growing Futures: At FatCityFeed here; On the San Joaquin A+ website here; Or, learn more about the Agricultural Partnership Board and our career-connected learning approach, you can view a webinar here; And You can also read more about our SJA+ vision for this work here, in my latest Stocktonia column. I truly believe are sowing the seeds for a brighter, more inclusive agricultural future, and I hope you’ll join us as we build on this momentum for the next generation of vintners, agronomists, and viticulturists. Second, A+ is very excited to welcome the new Stockton Unified School District superintendent Michelle Rodriguez, and to congratulate the SUSD Board on the structured and inclusive process that led to her selection and approval. Now is the time for us to refocus our conversations on what we can do as a community to better support our youth. [...]

2023-06-26T19:02:37+00:00June 26th, 2023|A+ Monthly Newsletter, News|
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Stockton Non-Profit, Community, and Parent Leaders Join Together to Welcome New Superintendent to SUSD

Community Leaders Applaud SUSD School Board for Structured, Transparent, and Inclusive Selection Process in Pursuit of Bringing Stability to the Superintendent Role [June 12, 2023 - Stockton, CA] Stockton community, nonprofit, and parent leaders joined together to congratulate the Stockton Unified School Board on their selection and approval of new superintendent Michelle Rodriguez, and on the structured and inclusive process that led to her selection. Through transparency, two-way communication, and active involvement, the Board majority is empowering the community to actively participate in shaping the future of education in Stockton. “I applaud the new SUSD School Board members for identifying and choosing a new Superintendent using a transparent process,” shared Gracie Madrid, former SUSD Principal and Director of the nonprofit Mexican Heritage Center. “Our district is better when we include community members in important processes like these. This hiring reflects that, and we look forward to learning more about and getting to know the new Superintendent.” The SUSD school board hired the nationally-respected search firm McPherson & Jacobson, LLC in March, after public presentations in February from four firms, including: Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, McPherson & Jacobson, LLC, BWP & Associates, and Leadership Associates. Once hired, the Stockton Unified School District’s board majority embarked on an inclusive process in its search for a new Superintendent, including forming a Superintendent Search Subcommittee and establishing a [...]

2023-06-13T19:29:01+00:00June 13th, 2023|Announcements, News, Uncategorized|
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Agriculture Employers Launch the Growing Futures Initiative for San Joaquin County Students

Leading Employers from the Wine and Agriculture Industry Come Together with Educators and Students to Announce Partnership in a Long-Term Effort to Provide New Pathways to Jobs [Lodi, CA]  - On Wednesday May 24th, 2023, the Lodi Winegrowers, the Lodi Appellation Inclusion Collective (LAIC), and leading employers from the agriculture industry in San Joaquin County convened to announce the launch of the Growing Futures Initiative focused on providing more inclusive pathways to agriculture jobs in the region long-term. Specifically, the group announced the formation of an Agricultural Partnership Board in San Joaquin County that will support a Career Connected Learning Initiative pilot program where students intern at the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Holt of California, and Acquiesce Winery this summer. “We formed LAIC with a primary goal of increasing diversity and inclusion in the wine industry in our appellation and beyond,” shared Rodney Tipton, LAIC Founder and co-owner of Acquiesce Winery. “We know that the most effective and sustainable way to do this is to begin by providing the proper education and exposure to young people from diverse backgrounds who are interested in our industry. The formation of the Ag Partnership Board and the launch of the Career Connected Learning Initiative can be the engine for bringing more and more diverse talents into our industry and help provide good jobs to local youth who want to stay in [...]

2023-05-25T18:58:02+00:00May 25th, 2023|Announcements, News, Press Release|
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High-Dosage Tutoring Initiative Launched for San Joaquin County Students

San Joaquin A+ and Amira Learning bring high-dosage tutoring pilot program to district partners like Linden USD to help students catch up from pandemic learning loss [April 25, 2023] Stockton, CA - On Tuesday April 25th, Amira Learning, San Joaquin A+, and Linden Unified School District joined with local leaders to share a first of its kind in San Joaquin County high-dosage tutoring pilot program in action - one that uses the Amira learning platform to help students make significant progress in reading. “We are so thrilled to collaborate with educators and school leaders to bring this program to San Joaquin County and Stockton students,” shared Don Shalvey, CEO of San Joaquin A+. “We all know what a toll the pandemic took on student learning, so to have the opportunity to work together to bring a high-dosage tutoring initiative to our young people that will not only help elementary students catch up, but will also provide tutoring, mentoring, and teaching experience to high school students, is truly a win-win for all of us.” In this unique pilot, Amira Learning and San Joaquin A+ are working with local schools in the Central Valley to hire high school students to tutor their elementary school peers using the Amira Learning platform. Research shows that high-dosage tutoring is beneficial for students, and peer tutoring allows for higher rates of [...]

2023-04-27T15:57:44+00:00April 27th, 2023|Announcements, News|
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New Poll Shows that 92% of Voters Support Early College High Schools

Voters in Stockton are pessimistic about job opportunities for people without college degrees and almost seventy percent (70%) of parents say local public schools need to change. San Joaquin A+ worked with a nationally recognized research organization called Public Opinion Strategies to conduct a telephone survey in Stockton, CA. The survey was conducted January 8-11, 2023. The survey was conducted among with 200 registered voters in Stockton, with an oversample of parents. The margin of error for a survey with 200 respondents in this context is ±6.93%. "The headline finding for us at San Joaquin A+ is that voters overwhelmingly support creating an early college high school program in Stockton (92% support) across party lines and education backgrounds," shared Don Shalvey, CEO of San Joaquin A+. "This support is largely driven by families being attracted to opportunities for students to receive college credits while still in high school, and by the belief that proposals for Early College and Career Oriented High Schools would lead to greater career options for youth in Stockton," he continued. "These responses reinforce a core goal of San Joaquin A+, which is to work with local schools to prepare young people to do what they love and earn what they need to have a family sustaining income by the age of 26." Other core findings include the following: Voters in Stockton [...]

2023-04-04T18:38:43+00:00March 28th, 2023|A+ Monthly Newsletter, Announcements, News|
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A Fresh Start for Stockton Students in 2023: Congratulations New SUSD Board Members – Our Students Need Your Support!

As we begin a new year, we want to congratulate the newly elected members of the Stockton Unified School Board. Congratulations to: Angel Ann Flores in Area 2, Donald Donaire in Area 5, Sofia Colon in Area 6, and Kennetha Stevens in Area 7. School boards are essential to preparing our young people for success, and the election of these candidates is a reflection of how important that role is in our community. Every day, we’re recognizing just how much learning time was lost during the pandemic, and how much work needs to be done to get our kids up to speed. 2023 is an exciting time to pursue new strategies and innovation in education, to rethink how schools operate and make changes that will benefit our kids. We see many solutions available in the year ahead: Offering tutoring that will catch students up on lost learning time and accelerate their learning even further. Supporting our teachers who have been through so much over the past few years, and doing more to recruit and develop a teaching corps from right here in the Valley. Creating high schools that better prepare students for the real world - allowing them to graduate ready for a career in some of the most exciting industries in our region. These are just a few of the many opportunities that our [...]

2023-01-05T17:25:17+00:00January 5th, 2023|A+ Monthly Newsletter|
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New Report Titled ‘Stuck in Neutral’ Details How Stockton School Board is Holding Back Progress in County’s Largest District

Report Calls for $109 Million Investment in High Dosage Tutoring, along with increased Social and Emotional Learning Supports to Help Bring Students Back from Pandemic [STOCKTON, CA] - Today, San Joaquin A+ released an education policy brief titled: Stuck in Neutral: How Governance Failures Have Held Back Progress in Stockton Schools and How More Focused Investment in Our Students Can Help Them Accelerate Forward. The brief is a status report on the state of education across San Joaquin County. The report shines a light on how despite pockets of progress across the county, dysfunction and leadership failures on the Stockton Unified School Board is holding back educators and students in the County’s largest and highest need school district; it then lays out a path forward for academic recovery from learning loss due to COVID-19 with more focused and transparent investment to support students. “We at San Joaquin A+ applaud the herculean efforts of teachers, parents, and school staff for the work they’ve done to support students over the last few years” shared Don Shalvey, CEO of San Joaquin A+. “When we look at what is happening in schools across San Joaquin County’s largest school system, data shows students are falling behind, and local feedback indicates that students and educators feel stuck in neutral.” The report is broken into a few key sections: It highlights pockets of [...]

2022-10-06T14:58:22+00:00October 6th, 2022|Announcements, News, Press Release, Report|
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Let’s Hear It for Our Teachers as We Close Another School Year

From Don’s Desk Teaching is as much a calling and passion as it is a profession and career. Those who choose teaching, whether kindergarten, middle school or high school, do it out of love for the mission of teaching and the difference teachers can and do make. To be honest, teaching looks easy until you try and do it. I didn’t think anything was harder than teaching adolescents and then after seven years of middle school I found myself in front of kindergarteners - for just one day - and it felt like a century of uncertainty and failure. From that day on I took the position that kindergarten teachers should be canonized. So today, let’s start by saying congratulations to every teacher you know and a shout out to the finalists for San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year: Staci Diaz, El Portal Middle School, Escalon Unified School District Tammy Hurst, Altamont Elementary School, Lammersville Unified School District Gary Pease, Jefferson School, Jefferson Elementary School District Annie Thompson, Ripona Elementary School, Ripon Unified School District Robert Winterhalter, Lodi High School, Lodi Unified School District Now, those who currently are teaching also know that not everything in the world of teaching and learning is perfect right now. Many of our educators are exhausted from two years of uncertainty and new challenges, and there are some new reports out about [...]

2022-05-25T17:17:41+00:00May 25th, 2022|A+ Monthly Newsletter|
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