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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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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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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University of Pacific Education Summit brings Stockton and San Joaquin County education leaders together to explore solutions

Coming Out of the Pandemic, Education Leaders Come Together to Identify Common Problems and Identify Potential Solutions and Resources that Can Support Stockton Students [March 30, 2022] Stockton, CA - Today, the University of Pacific hosted the 2022 Education Summit, presented by Kaiser Permanente. Growing out of the Beyond Our Gates Convenings previously hosted by the University of Pacific, the summit is a one-time opportunity planned in partnership with San Joaquin County and Stockton leaders from local school districts, non-profits, business, advocacy, and government to reflect on lessons in K-12 education emerging from the pandemic. “As the largest university in Stockton, we know it is imperative to play a leading role in how we support our local communities and schools,” shared Mary Wardell-Ghirarduzzi, Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion at the University of Pacific. “It is an honor to host this education summit and to serve as a convener and supporter for our K-12 leaders.” The summit agenda included opening words from Wardell-Ghirarduzzi, followed by an overview of education in the region featuring voices of local leaders, including a contribution by America’s Got Talent Winner Brandon Leake, followed by a data walk and facilitated discussion about what local data shows about student learning outcomes in San Joaquin County, and what solutions community members can bring forward to close gaps. Data shared at the summit [...]

2022-04-07T15:34:36+00:00April 7th, 2022|News, Press Release|
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San Joaquin A+ Speaker Series: Looking Out For the Little Ones

How Do We Expand Safe and High Quality PreK to Benefit All Children and Families in CA? On March 24, 2022 San Joaquin A+ facilitated a conversation on the future of PreK and childcare in CA. We’ve talked a lot about the challenges for K-12 education systems throughout the pandemic, but one of the greatest areas of change, opportunity, and challenge are in the early childhood and PreK space. Throughout the pandemic, childcare of young children has been and remains a challenge for parents in our county and across the State. At the same time, and in response to this challenge, California has identified funding to expand PreK for all children. And while this sounds good, with staffing shortages already plaguing this industry, and significant uncertainty about how to scale and expand the most effective early learning models, many questions remain. We have invited a group of panelists with expertise in programming, training, and governance of our PreK schools and systems, and are going to ask them the hard questions about how to make sure that we expand early learning opportunities with quality, and actually help solve some of the problems parents of young children have faced during the pandemic. The panel included:  > Troy Brown, County Superintendent, San Joaquin County Office of Education > Connor Sloan, San Joaquin County Office of Education > [...]

2022-04-04T19:12:11+00:00April 4th, 2022|A+ Speaker Series, News|
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San Joaquin County Child Savings Account Pilot Program Launches for the 2021-22 School Year

Local Organizations and Leaders Come Together to Offer Child Savings Accounts to Local Families and to Share their Joint Commitment to Invest in their Future Success [November 15, 2021] Stockton, CA – Today, local non-profit San Joaquin A+ (SJA+) brought together community leaders, program partners, and parents to commemorate the launch of the San Joaquin County Child Savings Account pilot program, and to share the community’s joint commitment to invest in the successful futures of local children. This event will launch the pilot year of the initiative, which will make the program available to over 2,000 families in the first year to have $750 placed in a savings account for each child, with these investments expected to grow to a minimum of $1,800 when each child in the program turns 18 and graduates high school. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to kick this program off with local families and community partners,” shared Don Shalvey, CEO of San Joaquin A+. “Studies have found that children from low-income backgrounds that have $500 or less in a College Savings Account are three times more likely to attend college and four times more likely to graduate, compared to those with no college savings. This is all about us as a community coming together to support these families, and to show them that we are invested in the future of [...]

2021-11-16T01:27:40+00:00November 16th, 2021|Announcements, News, Press Release, Uncategorized|
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