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Introducing Network News, Gateway to College National Network's new, monthly e-newsletter.
Network News is your source for interesting, informative and inspiring articles on Gateway to College happenings across the network. In addition to covering National Network news and events, the e-newsletter will serve as a vehicle for you and other GtC partner program staff to:
- highlight the great work you're doing (student success stories, important programmatic accomplishments or events, etc.)
- share information about promising practices, tools, resources and curriculum
- announce new staff hires and other staffing news (promotions, awards, other milestones worth celebrating)
- showcase student talents (by submitting student poems, essays, links to video clips, etc.)
Please contact Bernadette DeVito via email at bdevito@gatewaytocollege.org whenever you have news, success stories, or other information you'd like to highlight in an upcoming newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you and your students!
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New partner training hits the road
Training season for our seven rookie programs wrapped up in late April--and what a season it was! Our new GtC partners (Lake Washington Technical College, City College of San Francisco, Laney College, Pueblo Community College, Eastfield College, Spartanburg Community College, and Essex County College) were officially welcomed into the Gateway to College "family" during the January kick-off training held on the campus of Portland Community College.
 | | "West Coast" learning community on the campus of Riverside City College during Curriculum & Instruction training |
In March and April, the National Network "took the show on the road" for the first time by holding new partner trainings on the campuses of Community College of Philadelphia, San Antonio College and Riverside City College. In addition to the ability to see a variety of programs and colleges, participants really benefited from the expertise of local faculty and staff.
The National Network's new instructional coaching initiative was also integrated into the trainings--as Gaylen Brannon and Mari Ruddy delivered workshops during the trainings and laid the foundation for the coaching they'll provide to new partners as they begin serving students in the Fall.
A very big thank you goes out to Linda Huddle and Pam Blumenthal and their team in Portland, Carol Smith and her team in Philadelphia, Nancy Cobb and her team in San Antonio, and Jill Marks and Peter Kalnin and their team in Riverside. Each of them dedicated an incredible amount of time and energy to helping our new partners get off to the best start possible.
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GtC "on the Hill"
On March 25, Amy Crowley, Director of Montgomery College's Gateway to College program and Yesenia Cruz-Ramos, a student in the program, made presentations during a Capitol Hill event highlighting the promises and challenges of the Early College High School Initiative. Yesenia, who graduates from the Gateway program next month, spoke with poise and passion about the difference GtC has made in her life. The National Network's data guru, Ben Byers, also participated in the event--providing evidence of Gateway to College's success and relationship to the ECHSI's most recent evaluation findings. The GtC presenters were preceded by Andrea Berger of the American Institutes for Research and Andrew Smiles of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The event was kicked off with a speech by Governor Bob Wise.
Later that day, the group of presenters hoofed it around the Capitol Mall and met with education staffers from the offices of Senator Mikulski and Representative Van Hollen of Maryland to discuss Gateway to College and the broader Early College initiative.
The event was sponsored by The Alliance for Excellent Education, a national policy and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all students graduate from high school prepared for college, work and life.
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| | Yesenia Cruz-Ramos, Amy Crowley and Ben Byers |
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San Antonio College sharpens the future focus of the AHSI
The Alternative High School Initiative (AHSI), a national consortium of alternative high school model developers, recently held their spring convening in San Antonio. A significant portion of the meeting involved a full-day visit to the Gateway program at San Antonio College (SAC), during which 50 educators visited Gateway classrooms, observed college classes and student study groups, and spoke directly with students and staff. AHSI organizes itself around five "distinguishers," and "Future Focus" was the distinguisher theme of this meeting.
All of the participants, including leaders from several national education programs and Anh Nguyen of the Gates foundation, came away impressed and inspired by the direct, yet eloquent ways that students articulated the transformation in their lives since joining the Gateway program. In addition to providing a close-up look at the unique way that Gateway helps students develop their "Future Focus," the Gateway staff at SAC facilitated workshops on several new initiatives they're implementing to improve their students' education. At the conclusion of the day, participants offered the Gateway staff detailed feedback on what they observed and recommendations for future work.
Through their efforts to prepare for this meeting, SAC's GtC staff not only had an opportunity to raise the bar for their own program performance, they also helped raise the stature of Gateway to College nationally. Educators from around the country came with questions about the program, and they left with concrete ideas about how they can improve their own practices back home.
 | | Representatives of AHSI, GtC National Network, and San Antonio College (photo courtesy of Leonard Ziegler) |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
July 19, 2009: Pre-Conference Training - "A Solution Focused Approach to Motivating Students to Succeed" offered by Dr. Linda Metcalf Time: 9:00 am - 3:45 pm
Location: Doubletree Hotel, Bethesda, MD, Harmony Room
Details: This will be the same training that Dr. Metcalf previously conducted at Palo Alto College, Riverside City College, Portland Community College, and Community College of Philadelphia. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
How to register: Slots for this training are limited. Please contact Shannon Mouzon no later than May 30 if you are interested in participating. July 20-22, 2009: Peer Learning Conference Location: Doubletree Hotel, Bethesda, MD
Details: The annual Peer Learning Conference draws Gateway to College directors, resource specialists, and instructors from around the country to participate in a three-day program of speakers, trainings, and panel discussions.
How to register: Complete registration form and email it to Shannon Mouzon no later than May 20.
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Celebrating GtC Graduates
The June issue of
Network News will focus on Spring 2009 graduates of Gateway programs across the country. Please email graduate photos and information to Bernadette DeVito by June 3. |
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GtC National Network launches new website
If you haven't already done so, check out our redesigned website at www.gatewaytocollege.org. The site includes "Resources for Network Partners," a password-protected area containing a calendar of events, training materials, communications guidelines, logos, etc. Passwords have been distributed to each program director. Please note: a guide on solution focused approaches to motivating students may be found in the Resources for Network Partners section. It is located in Chapter 12 of the Student Support and Retention Guidebook. |
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