Continuation grant moves Gateways P-20 partnership to 'Phase II'

• January 7, 2011 10:25am

The Gateways Cradle to Career Education and Workforce Partnership received continuation funding from the Strive consortium, providing a new surge of support for the P-20 (preschool through postgraduate) educational systems that improve student achievement and economic development within the region.

In 2009, CSUEB was selected as an anchor institution for the initiative, one of only four universities nationwide. President Qayoumi has called Gateways one of the best examples of the university’s regional stewardship commitments.

This recent $75,000 grant will support a transition to “Phase II” of the partnership, says Julie Glass, the Gateways Partnership Project Manager and a professor of mathematics. In addition to building partnerships with civic leaders and educators, Phase II objectives include examining the infrastructure that supports learning and developing advocacy strategies to improve available resources.

In its first year, the partners focused on defining specific goals and indicators for the East Bay region, based on the Strive benchmarks for academic and social progress. Gateways will specifically target issues related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, which are top priorities for regional economic growth as well as for Cal State East Bay. Taskforces met during the fall to select key strategies and approaches:

• Math professional development, focusing on coaching and creating math learning communities
• STEM education, with an emphasis on experiential learning
• School readiness and early childhood education, focusing on articulation between Preschool and Kindergarten

With the new funding, Glass explained that they will begin “more clearly focusing the strategies to meet each of those goals, and refining what we want to accomplish with each one as we gather new data.” They will also identify new partners to expand networks.