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Fischer Stresses College Prep: Superintendent Gives State of Education Speech

Posted on: Saturday, 4 February 2006, 15:00 CST

By Gretchen Losi

ight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Feb. 4--VICTORVILLE -- County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Herb Fischer stressed that students need to be equipped with the tools necessary to go on to college during his State of Education Address. "College readiness is the gateway to opportunity for our students," Fischer said in the 30-minute speech at the Surges Center for the Fine Arts in San Bernardino on Wednesday.

Although nearly 45 percent more county students are reportedly going to college than five years ago, the county still trails the state. Fischer said college-focused programs in place throughout the county will give the upward trend the consistent boost it needs. Among those programs are the Alliance for Education, the PROMISE Initiative and P-16 Councils -- all currently up and running in the Victor Valley. "For our students' ability to compete successfully in the 21st century's global economy, they need to be active participants in the rigorous and world class academic standards that have been instituted in California," Fischer said. The three programs are best used together, said Victor Valley Union High School District Superintendent Greg Lundeen. "It's a three-legged stool. You take one of those away and it's not going to work," Lundeen said. His district led the charge in establishing P-16 Councils in the Victor Valley. "We were extremely active. We were one of the founding districts for P-16 in the High Desert," Lundeen said. Documentation shows that students expected to master more demanding curriculum are more likely to remain in school, and the P-16 program is intended to serve as a catalyst. Its goal is to coordinate different educators' efforts, making a student's transition into college seamless. For example, under the program, students wanting to pursue engineering degrees would focus more on math in high school. "If we know what colleges' standards are, we can start incorporating them into our curriculum," Lundeen said. "It's all about getting the different systems to talk to each other." Alliance for Education partners business and industry leaders with educators and students. Students can shadow different business people in the community to learn first hand what is entailed in performing those jobs. It encourages students to focus on the core subjects needed to be successful in the field.

Participating in the program, Victor Valley High School recently welcomed Desert Community Bank CEO Ron Wilson onto the campus. There he spoke to students about the banking profession and stressed why education and success are so closely tied together. "Our students respond to this very well. They're active listeners and they prep for the speakers and have questions ready," the school's principal Elvin Momon said. "It puts them in connection with the work force and motivate many to go onto college." The PROMISE Initiative is used to close the achievement gap among English learners. The initiative customizes different programs to meet the student's needs. Fischer also expressed concern over the need to address California's school finance structure. He also touched on the county's 18-point gain in the most recent wave of test scores, noting that significant progress was made by the ethnic subgroups. "I hold great admiration for our parents and families who care for their children, encourage their children and instill a love for learning that will last a lifetime," Fischer said. From Here: -- Back to today's news -- News Archive -- Join the discussion at the community forum

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Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

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Source: Daily Press - Victorville, California

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