January 26, 1996 Contact: Jennifer McNulty (408/459-2495); mcnulty@ua.ucsc.edu

Regional Education Group tackles literacy, technology, and teacher support issues in 1996

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--The Monterey Bay Educational Consortium has announced its priorities for the 1996 year and literacy tops the list, followed closely by support for technology in schools, teacher education, and building public support for education.

The priorities, which were announced by MBEC coordinator Carrol Moran, will shape the activities of the consortium for the rest of the year. The consortium's sixteen-member round table recently identified the priorities, and project teams will help implement the initiatives, says Moran.

The consortium encourages and supports collaborations among the educational agencies of the Monterey Bay region, including the University of California, Santa Cruz; California State University, Monterey Bay; the four local community colleges; the county school superintendents; and school district representatives (see attached list of participants).

"Bringing the leaders of all levels of education into a consortium like this is a unique concept," says Moran of UC Santa Cruz. "There's a great deal of expertise and strength in the Monterey Bay Area educational community. If we really bring people together we can get tremendous things going that could never happen independently."

MBEC members pledged to support early literacy efforts because learning to read is the critical foundation of future success, says Moran.

"Reading by third grade is a key indicator of success in the school system," says Moran. "Traditionally, we haven't trained upper- grade teachers to work in early literacy development, so if kids fail, there is no safety net." Most districts already recognize literacy as a priority, says Moran, and MBEC will create a network to share expertise across districts and will focus the resources of UCSC, CSUMB, community colleges, and other community agencies on early literacy.

Moran is beginning a special effort this winter to build a Literacy Corps--a cadre of volunteers trained to work one-on-one with struggling readers. Moran will help train students in the UCSC teacher credentialing program, who will then work as reading tutors in regional schools. In the spring, university students will have the opportunity to become trainers of a student Literacy Corps in the elementary and secondary schools. "Our goal is to support the districts' effort to have all students become independent, enthusiastic readers by the time they finish third grade," says Moran. "One teacher with 35 children cannot do this alone. If we train UCSC students and students in the schools to work as helpers, we'd be contributing toward that goal."

In the area of science and technology, groups such as the Monterey Bay Regional Education Futures Consortium are already moving toward becoming a national model for collaboration, notes Moran. MBEC's role will be to identify the different groups already working in technology and telecommunications and to help bring more resources to the Monterey Bay. The consortium will help ensure that all students gain access to technology by facilitating communication among schools and encouraging the sharing of resources. MBEC could also provide the collaborative framework that funding agencies look for, adds Moran.

"We want to bring more resources into the region, bring schools up to speed on technology, and we want to help schools share the expertise that is available," says Moran. "There are some exciting technological collaborations happening between the public schools and higher education, and we want to support that process throughout the Monterey Bay Area."

In the area of teacher education, MBEC will support teacher and administrative staff development. The consortium will initially focus on assessment and evaluation by trying to bridge the gap between traditional testing and grading practices and the latest assessment tools, such as the use of rubrics and portfolios.

The area of student assessment has changed so much over the years that it underscores the need for ongoing teacher support. "Portfolios allow students to look at their own growth, set goals, and show indicators that growth has occurred," says Moran. "It's a really different approach for teachers. One of the challenges of these new forms of assessment is weaving them into the mainstream grading process."

Finally, MBEC wants to build public support for education and will explore ways to encourage public discussion and increase public awareness and understanding of education.

The consortium was established in 1994 to encourage educational collaborations. Moran was hired in October to serve as UCSC's liaison with K-12 education and as coordinator of MBEC.

(See attached list of MBEC participants.)

Editor's Note: Carrol Moran can be reached at (408) 459-2058 or via email at carrol@cats.ucsc.edu.

This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html) or via modem from UC NewsWire (209-244-6971).

Membership of the Monterey Bay Educational Consortium is made up of the chancellor of UC Santa Cruz; presidents of all local community colleges and California State University, Monterey Bay; county superintendents; and representatives of superintendents from school districts in each of the three counties.

The following members have agreed to serve for 1996:

Anthony Avina, County Superintendent, Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Edward Baleau, President, Hartnell College

William D. Barr, County Superintendent, Monterey County Office of Education

Billy F. DeBerry, Superintendent, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

Edward Gould, President, Monterey Peninsula College

Gregory A. Hearn, Superintendent, San Benito High School District

John D. Hurd, President, Cabrillo College

James R. Lowry, County Superintendent, San Benito County Office of Education

Oscar Loya, Superintendent, Alisal Union Elementary School District

Glenn E. Mayle, President, Gavilan College

Carrol Moran, Coordinator, Monterey Bay Educational Consortium

Roy Nelson, Superintendent, Santa Cruz City School District

Karl S. Pister, Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz

Leo St. John, Superintendent, North Monterey County Unified School District

Diane K. Siri, County Superintendent, Santa Cruz County Office of Education

Peter Smith, President, California State University, Monterey Bay

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