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SCCOE celebrates major win for early learning at Educare ribbon-cutting
Leaders from the Santa Clara County Office of Education and numerous partner organizations came together on Oct. 16 to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Educare California at Silicon Valley, one piece of the SCCOE's ongoing push to make world-class early learning available to all families in the region.
 "Educare will provide a strong example of what is possible when students have a high-quality preschool experience," said County Superintendent of Schools Jon Gundry. "We appreciate the many partners who joined us to make Educare a reality, and will continue to build a coalition in support of expanding access to high quality early learning throughout Santa Clara County."
The new preschool is California's first Educare School, serving high-need students and families to ensure they have the best possible preparation for primary school. The SCCOE has been engaged in this project since its inception five years ago and has helped to lead this robust public-private partnership that is dedicated to improving the quality of early education, child development and family engagement for all children.
 "The Santa Clara County Board of Education has been proud to champion Educare since 2010, and it is exciting to finally welcome this invaluable new asset in our ongoing work to close the achievement gap," said Santa Clara County Board of Education President Darcie Green. "We are committed to continue supporting Educare's students and staff, and working to ensure families throughout our community have access to early learning programs of this caliber."
Between Head Start, State Preschool and other programs for very young children, the SCCOE is the largest provider of early education in the county and a strong voice for the importance of early learning, leading the charge for expanded access to high-quality early learning through its Strong Start coalition.
For more information about Santa Clara County's early learning needs and what you can do to help make access to high-quality preschool possible for all children, visit the Strong Start website.
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Ford, USHLI partner with SCCOE for Driving Dreams Tour
Thanks to a partnership between the SCCOE, the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, and Ford Motor Company Fund, 4,000 high school and 1,000 middle school students from San Jose schools will have access to scholarships and grants, motivational pep rallies, and an essay contest in which thousands of students are invited to share their dreams and compete for $50,000 in prizes through the Ford Driving Dreams Tour.
 The festivities commenced Tuesday, October 27 at Yerba Buena High School's Kick-Off Rally. Students were treated to a talk from NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, who spoke on"6-ingredients to success." County Superintendent of Schools Jon Gundry also stopped by to speak to students about the importance of college and the support of their communities. To learn more about the Driving Dreams Tour, visit the website.
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Upcoming SCCOE events
And in case you missed them, check out:
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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 SCCOE 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 SCCOE is committed to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success.
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SCCOE recognized by President Obama for its commitment to Educational Excellence for Hispanics at White House ceremony
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is proud to join the nearly 150 public and private sector organizations who answered the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics' 25th anniversary call to action. The announcement was made Thursday, October 15, by President Obama at a White House ceremony in Washington, D.C. The announcement was livestreamed, with all related content available online.  The SCCOE has committed more than $530,000 and additional in-kind staff time and advocacy for seven specific initiatives throughout the county to serve our students, schools, districts, parents, and community for the next two school years, with the potential to reach many of the county's more-than-100,000 Latino students. These commitments provide increased opportunities for language acquisition to English learners, high quality STEAM opportunities, a one-stop shop for families to access college attendance information, and the creation of a teacher pipeline that allows students to see themselves as the adult who serves them. "We are extremely proud to be part of this sustained initiative that will help to open so many doors to high-quality educational programs right here in Silicon Valley," said Jon R. Gundry, County Superintendent of Schools.  In October 2014, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics launched a Year of Action, and with it a national call for Commitments to Action in honor of its 25th anniversary. In the spirit of what President Obama calls a "shared responsibility," the Initiative challenged the public and private sectors to make meaningful and quantifiable contributions to expand and support the educational outcomes and opportunities for the Latino community.
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Staff ready to serve students impacted by new CAHSEE law
 Santa Clara County Office of Education staff are preparing to assist students who may be impacted by the passage of SB 172, a new law which will allow qualifying students to retroactively receive diplomas even after failing the final California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) administration. "This is an important step away from outdated testing practices and toward an assessment model that authentically measures student achievement and preparation for future success," said Gundry. "Moving forward, our priority is to ensure students are connected with the resources they require to formally complete their education and pursue their academic and career goals." The new law will require school districts to award diplomas to students who met all graduation targets but failed the exit exam, which became a requirement starting with the class of 2006. Statewide, about six percent of students who took the CAHSEE did not graduate based solely on their exam results. SCCOE staff are currently reviewing student records from the first test administration in 2004 to 2015 to see how many students served directly by the SCCOE - primarily alternative education students - could benefit from the new law. Staff currently estimates the new changes will impact fewer than 200 students. The SCCOE offers a number of services to help students finish their secondary education: an array of alternative schools; HiSET (GED) testing; and Odysseyware, an online learning system that helps students recover course credits while staying enrolled in their regular classes. Most recently, the SCCOE has begun operating Opportunity Youth Academy, a new specialized program for young adults between the ages of 16-24 who don't have a diploma or GED. A ribbon-cutting will be held at OYA's flagship site in Gilroy on Nov. 6.
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Updates from the County Board of Education
Here's a summary of actions taken by the Board at its recent meetings.
Oct. 7:
- Heard an update on Spark Charter School's background check and TB screening procedures;
- Held annual hearing and action on the sufficiency of public school textbooks.
Oct. 21:
- Heard a report about the potential of mindfulness programs for SCCOE students;
- Discussed a study of special education facilities
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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