Communications Toolkit promotes second-language instruction
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education, committed to elimination of the achievement gap and preparation of students for 21st century college and career paths, has developed a Biliteracy and World Languages Communications Toolkit to inspire education and community leaders to take action and advocate for preparing students to meet the demands of the new 21st century global economy. The study of different languages and cultures is key to creating lifelong learners and global citizens, enabling students to think critically, exercise creativity and communicate with peers around the world.  By creating a toolkit to advocate for the creation of more opportunities for second-language instruction and the benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism, the SCCOE and its Multilingual Education Services team has supported one of its key objectives: to improve student equity and reduce access discrepancies to high quality education. The toolkit includes Educating for Global Competence: The Value of Multilingualism, a guide for schools and districts interested in the creation and implementation of Seal of Biliteracy and Pathway Award programs, as well as other opportunities for second-language instruction. Presentation modules, a resource library and an 8-minute video focusing on the importance of second-language acquisition are also featured on the toolkit website.
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Board elects new President & VP
Here's a summary of actions taken by the Board at its Dec. 11 meeting:
- Elected Leon F. Beauchman as board president and Darcie Green as board vice president
- Recognized Construction Accounting Specialist Chris Lam-Vazquez as Employee of the Month for December
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 Recognized two outstanding SCCOE programs, Curriculum & Instruction's Curriculum Leadership Council (CLC) and the Inclusion Collaborative's All Children Learning and Playing Together for their achievement as Golden Bell Award winners for 2013 - Heard an update on the SCCOE Strategic Plan, first adopted in August 2013
The Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. Its seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions of the county. Learn more about the members, and view their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes.
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SJ/SV2020 series continues achievement gap conversation
In September of this year, the Santa Clara County Office of Education relaunched the SJ/SV2020 initiative to eliminate the achievement gap with a one-day symposium focusing on what educators could learn from world-class, high-performing school systems across the globe. The first in a series of follow-up conversations will be hosted by the SCCOE on Dec. 16 and 17.
 At this free event, authors Anthony Muhammad and Sharroky Hollie will share their book, The Will to Lead, the Skill to Teach: Transforming Schools at Every Level. Muhammad and Anthony will present their philosophy that all children can learn and perform academically. They will present four broad steps to developing the classroom and instructional skills of staff: aligning philosophy, managing frustration, creating a culture of collaboration and institutionalizing a healthy culture.
"This month's follow up session in our SJ/SV2020 series will provide teachers and leaders with the skills needed to combat the inherit inequalities currently found in our schools, and begin the process of creating safe and inclusive school environments for all," says Angelica Ramsey, Chief Academic Officer.
Click here for more information or to register.
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New data center coming to SCCOE
 The County Office of Education's Technology Services Branch is working hard to complete a new, state-of-the-art data center housed at the Ridder Park campus.
The SCCOE's current data center, nearly 20 years old, has been in desperate need of replacement for several years. The new center will allow the organization to meet the needs of its departments, programs and staff now and in the future, and will be operated and maintained at a fraction of the former cost. It will also serve as a potential data center for the county's school districts and other community organizations looking to share space and lower costs with a secure, local environment for cloud-based applications and hosting.
Chief Technology Officer Dr. Kelly Calhoun is excited about the possibilities. "We're keenly aware of how many people are depending on our technologies today for their daily work and learning capacity, so the new center is incredibly important. It's far more eco-friendly, but most importantly, it will be a foundation we can build upon as new technologies and telecommunications services develop," she says.
With increased speed and reliability, the center is designed so that if one server fails, another one seamlessly picks up and keeps the operation going so that users have no interruption in service. The data center is scheduled to be completed in the next several months.
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Since 1852, the Santa Clara County Office of Education has provided vital services and resources to the county's 31 K-12 public school districts and more than 250,000 students. The COE strives to provide advocacy and leadership on education issues, student programs that are models of excellence and indispensable services to schools and community partners. The COE is commited to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success. |
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