New Study: Analysis of Academic Success in Three Alternative High Schools in Contra Costa County

Contra Costa Economic Partnership Studies Inform Council Policy

By Linda Best, President and CEO, Contra Costa Council

The Contra Costa Economic Partnership (CCEP), a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization committed to economic vitality in Contra Costa County, acts as a clearinghouse for information and sponsors research and analysis on important public policy issues. CCEP publishes the annual Contra Costa Performance Index, a compendium of economic and demographic indicators and a resource for public and private sector planners. 

Frequently, studies focused on specific policy areas and topical issues originate with task forces of the Contra Costa Council and then serve as a foundation for policy development and advocacy by the Council. The most recent study was conducted by Suzette Parkin, an Ed.D. candidate of St. Mary's College, and arose from discussion by the Workforce Development/Education Task Force about the need to address our declining high school graduation rates and to encourage more young people to access higher education. This is critical if we are to have a skilled workforce to fill the jobs of our information-based economy.

The study, titled "The Bumblebee Flies Anyway: A Qualitative Analysis of Academic Success and Educational Resilience in Three Alternative High Schools in Contra Costa County," also sponsored by Saint Mary's Center for the Regional Economy, is based on interviews with 16 at-risk students in local alternative high schools over a three-month period.  

Findings of the study include:

• Successful at-risk students possess unusual resilience: a motivation to succeed, a caring relationship with a significant adult, positive role models and the ability to separate from other dysfunctional factors in their lives.
• The transition from traditional to alternative high schools was viewed favorably, rather than as a negative experience.
• Most of these students came from troubled environments, including poverty, frequent moves, drugs, etc. Eighty percent lived in a single-parent home or with someone other than their parent.
• All felt traditional high school had failed them, but they also accepted responsibility for their own success and failures.
• Almost all spoke of one particular teacher with whom they connected and who cared for them personally.
• Research has shown that the cost of a high school dropout to society (lost income, tax revenues and later welfare and law enforcement) is far greater than the cost of providing the support to graduation.

Other studies funded by the Economic Partnership include an analysis of water supplies in the East Bay and the potential impacts on supply as a result of prolonged drought or natural disaster, such as a flood or earthquake. Earlier this year, the Economic Partnership funded a study on public sector unfunded liabilities for retiree health care (see the November 2007 issue of the Contra Costa Council News).

To view these studies, please visit the Contra Costa Council website, or call the Council office at 925-246-1880.

Health Care Task Force helps advocate for County's health needs

Organizing the upcoming Contra Costa County Health Care Reform Symposium on December 14 is just one of several items on the full agenda of the Council's Health Care Task Force, which is co-chaired by Ron Wetter and Frank Puglisi, Jr.

"We're very excited to host Stanford Professor Emeritus Alain Enthoven as our featured speaker, and our two panels will offer a variety of perspectives on health care reform," says Ron Wetter, whose employer, Kaiser Permanente, is co-presenting the symposium with the Council. Wetter is Community and Government Relations Manager, Diablo Service Area, for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan in Martinez. He has been involved with the Council since 1990 and previously served as community and government relations manager for PG&E and was executive director of the County's Workforce Development Board.

"The primary purpose of the symposium is to provide information to business and community leaders on how health care reform is likely to roll out in California over the next four to five years, assuming the Legislature passes the legislation, the Governor approves it and California voters approve the funding in November 2008," says Wetter. "If the voters don't vote to fund health care, it could all be an academic exercise, and that's huge." He notes that health care is a key topic of the current Presidential candidates' debate. 

The Health Care Task Force monitors major health care issues in the County that have business and community implications, including access and affordability of health care, the distribution of services and major health issues, such as asthma in West County. "Another huge emerging issue is childhood obesity, which will lead to workforce obesity and to a higher incidence of long-term and very expensive chronic health conditions," observes Wetter.

"What the Task Force has tried to do, with some success, is to focus on issues that have relevance to the Council's entire membership," says Co-Chair Frank Puglisi, now a consultant with his own firm, FJP Health Care Consulting, which works with public entities on health care issues. Puglisi is also the Executive Administrator of the Health Care Interpreter Network, a new video/voice remote interpreter service that provides patients with medical information in their own language by creating a virtual call center of medical interpreters; the service is currently being used by nine public hospitals in the state. Puglisi was previously CEO of the Contra Costa Regional Health Foundation, and has been involved in the Council's work since the early '90s. 

"We work at finding issues and topics that are relevant and of interest to a majority of the Council's members," explains Puglisi. "For example, talking about health care coverage to big companies doesn't make sense, and a lot of small businesses probably can't afford to offer it." At a symposium on wellness earlier this year, the Task Force brought together moderate-sized businesses that have done creative things at very low cost--vending machines, for example. The idea was for companies to think about ways they can offer their employees more healthful substitutes and to make businesses aware of organizations in the community that, for little or no cost, can provide resources for their employees.

Taking on advocacy issues 

In addition to following relevant legislation, the Task Force alerts the Board about issues the Council needs to weigh in on. Based on the Task Force's recommendation, the Council recently sent letters to the California Medical Assistance Commission urging increased  funding for Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo, which faced financial shortfalls that could have led to closure. Last year, the Task Force addressed a number of issues, which included monitoring the situation with the Doctors Medical Center; beginning a study of  various state proposals for health care reform; sponsoring an employee wellness forum; and recommending Council Board support of Proposition 87, the increase in cigarette taxes, and full implementation of the national toll-free number 211 in Contra Costa for health and social services.

The Health Care Task Force often partners with the Small Business Task Force and the Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force, and to some extent the Workforce Development/Education Task Force, as health care tends to affect these companies and entities more than others, notes Wetter.

The Task Force's involvement in last year's Blueprint for Asthma Action: A Report for Awareness and Advocacy in Contra Costa County is a case is point. Task Force members, working with Peter McGaw and members of the Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force were able to recommend revisions to the report that resulted in a more balanced statement of the issues involved. "Our role is to ensure that reports like this are accurate and strike a balance between the forces shaping a health issue," says Wetter. "Health care and community health is a vitally important issue that tends to invite political and community dynamics that, while very real, can sometimes distract from the core discussion. We always encourage members to bring issues to us for consideration. We develop agendas based on input from members."

Often the Task Force has to deal with sensitive issues, agrees Puglisi. "While I think I'm able to play that role, that I understand the dynamics and the sensitivities, every so often I find myself defending the County when it should not be defended. It can be challenging to maintain a balanced point of view and to come to a consensus, but that's our role."

Both Puglisi and Wetter are passionate about health care, and it shows. Puglisi says he initially got involved in the Council and the Task Force because he thought it was important for the County to have a representative at the table, since it is a major provider. "Having worked in County health care delivery for 33 years, I felt I could make a contribution and could learn," he says. "As professionals, we sometimes walk with the same marching band all the time. Since joining the Council, I have developed a better perspective of the struggles of small business and the difficulty small businesses have in providing health care coverage to their employees--70 percent of uninsured people are employed. I'm not so quick to form opinions about the other side of issues that I haven't been involved in. It has been a great experience for me."

"I love health care issues and health care policy," says Wetter. "I also feel my involvement in the Council and the Task Force allows me to contribute to improving health care discussions. Our aim is to improve the health of citizens in Contra Costa County. Health care is delivered through the context of policy, and how we shape and manage that policy will enable us to provide health care services equitably and make them as affordable as possible."

PMI's credit, capital and risk management solutions expand homeownership and fund essential community services 

The PMI Group, Inc. (NYSE:PMI), is headquartered in Walnut Creek, and provides innovative credit, capital and risk transfer solutions that expand homeownership and fund essential services for PMI's customers and the communities served around the world. Through its wholly and partially owned subsidiaries, PMI offers residential mortgage insurance and credit enhancement products, financial guaranty insurance and financial guaranty reinsurance. PMI has operations in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the United States.

PMI's insurance products support the mortgage finance system by providing protection to lenders and investors around the globe in the event of borrower default. By protecting mortgage lenders and investors from credit losses, PMI helps to ensure that mortgages are available to prospective homebuyers. Through its strategic investments in the financial guaranty industry, PMI supports the infrastructure on which homeownership depends, including transportation, schools, hospitals and utilities.

PMI is also recognized as a leading advocate for affordable housing. PMI and The PMI Foundation support national and local organizations that create housing opportunities and help revitalize communities. By providing affordable housing options for low- to moderate-income borrowers, PMI helps families build wealth through homeownership. In addition to providing direct housing opportunities, PMI participates in numerous housing advocacy activities and supports credit counseling.

For more than 30 years, PMI has combined its risk management expertise and financial strength to serve the evolving needs of customers, communities and the world's financial markets.

The PMI Group, Inc., is a Premiere sponsor of the Contra Costa Council's CCUSA 2008 signature event on January 24. Beth Haiken, Vice President, Public Relations, serves on the Council's Board of Directors.