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August 27, 2015
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Dear Friends of Envision,

Greetings to our friends and partners, and happy school start to teachers and students everywhere!  At Envision, we are enjoying these energetic early days of the 2015-16 year, and I'm happy to share some highlights with you in this newsletter.  

One of the things I'm most excited about right now is Envision's new 2020 Strategic Plan, which we successfully completed this past Spring with the assistance of Bain and Company.  The entire process was extraordinarily purposeful and effective. We are excited to move forward with a 5-year plan to strengthen and grow Envision Education, guided by the following objectives for increasing our impact.  We seek to:
  • Drive transformative outcomes for our students through rigorous, defense based academic preparation for college, career, and life
  • Expand our impact by growing the number of students we reach and serving nearby communities where there is both need and demand
  • Prepare ELP for growth by defining our core product and building deep, local partnerships and proof point schools and classrooms.

I look forward to updating our friends and colleagues as we make progress achieving these objectives!  Below, you'll find more news and information from Envision Education, including:

 

Of course, all of these developments have one purpose: to help us achieve our mission of transforming the lives of students, especially those who will be first in their families to attend college, by preparing them for success in college, career, and life.  Students are at the center of what we do and I thank you for your interest in their experiences and for supporting our work.  

As always, I am honored to share the Envision Education journey with you.

Warmly,
 
Gia Truong
Chief Executive Officer
  

EventYOU ARE INVITED!

Please join Envision Education on October 21, 2015, from 6-9PM at Yoshi's in Oakland for our 2nd Annual special event -- AN EVENING WITH ENVISION -- celebrating our students, teachers, schools and partners!  

This year's event promises to be inspiring, with student voices filling the room with their experiences and perspectives.  We are thrilled to return once again to Yoshi's, the East Bay's premiere destination for jazz. Please join us for fabulous music, cuisine and cocktails and delicious desserts from Just Desserts, as well as exciting live and silent auctions. 

The highlight of the evening will be listening to Envision students tell their personal stories and helping us celebrate their success.  Learn more and get your tickets here.
Marantz
JAMIE MARANTZ

We are thrilled to announce the recent hiring of Jamie Marantz as Envision's new Chief Academic Officer, following a thorough job search.  We are fortunate to have Jamie in this key role, with her experience, skills, vision, and passion, to guide Envision Schools and support our leaders and learners.

Our hiring team was particularly impressed by Jamie's understanding of instruction and rigorous learning, her previous experience supervising and coaching principals, and her deep commitment to educational equity.   Her extensive knowledge of pedagogy and her ability to successfully implement systemic change began 25 years ago as a high school science teacher in Oakland and then Berkeley. Later, as a middle school Principal in a low performing school in Oakland Unified, she turned that school into the highest performing middle school in the district. She has also served as a Middle School Network Executive Officer and as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction for North Monterey County Unified School District. She comes to us with a wealth of expertise in and knowledge of Project Based Learning and instruction aligned to the Common Core.

Throughout her career, her focus on shared decision-making, academic excellence and socially equitable outcomes has yielded clear and measurable increases in academic performance for her students and schools.  Jamie's diverse life and professional experience, expertise in leading professional learning communities, and innovative thinking will surely help Envision continue to fulfill its mission of preparing all students for success in college, career, and life.


CollegesDESTINATION: COLLEGE!

Last May and June, we watched our graduating seniors deliver their College Success Portfolio Defenses, culminating presentations to teachers, friends and family members where students explained how they are ready for college and the world beyond the high school hallways.  

Three months later, they are dispersing to destinations all over the country.  Envision's 2015 graduates received acceptances to 9 University of California schools, including UCLA, Cal and Davis; 23 California State University Schools, including Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; and dozens of California private and out-of-state institutions, including the University of Southern California, Wesleyan University, and the University of Pennsylvania.  79% of them will be the first in their families to attend college, a distinction that will create strong opportunities for them far into the future.  We can't wait to hear what they accomplish next!

Click here for a full list of the colleges and universities that accepted Envision's 2015 graduates.
USNEWSIMPACT ACADEMY: ONE OF AMERICA'S 
BEST HIGH SCHOOLS 

Impact Academy (IA), our Hayward High School, was recently named one of "America's Best High Schools" by U.S. News & World Report!  The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 21,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools are awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.

Hats off and warm congrats to the teachers and students whose hard work and dedication is being rewarded with this honor!  Learn more.



ELPEDEXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN ENVISION'S TEAM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENVISION LEARNING PARTNERS

Rick Lear is preparing to retire and leave his position as the Interim Executive Director of Envision Learning Partners, and we are embarking on a search for the next great leader for ELP, creating a terrific opportunity for an education leader to join the Envision team: please share this announcement with your networks!  

As Envision Education's consulting and training division, Envision Learning Partners (ELP) brings Envision's unique and effective portfolio assessment system and aligned supports to schools and districts across the country.  Envision is one of the a leading voices in the national conversation around deeper learning and the go-to convener and trainer in the growing movement around deeper learning student assessment. ELP partners closely with school and district leaders to implement Envision's portfolio and defense assessment system to increase students' readiness for college, careers, and life.  We provide professional development, coaching, tools and technology that enable change in practices and results.

Envision is seeking a dynamic, growth-oriented leader to build on the success of ELP by implementing Envision's 2020 strategic plan for expansion.  This search comes as Rick Lear, who came to Envision in October of 2014 as ELP's Interim Executive Director, prepares to conclude his time with us.  We are thankful and honored that Rick, a trusted and experienced leader of education reform, has led ELP this past year and will help us find the next great ELP visionary.  ELP's Executive Director will lead the division in the strategic planning, development, implementation, delivery, and evaluation of the ELP consulting program.  For a complete Job Description. Learn More.