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California State University, East Bay has been selected as one of four nationwide demonstration sites to create a region-wide partnership to support educational systems that improve student achievement and economic development within the region we serve. Inspired by the framework of Strive, a model program based in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, this new partnership is grounded in a research-based cradle-to-career roadmap of important academic and social benchmarks that students should ideally meet to increase their likelihood of high school graduation and successful completion of a college degree.
The Gateways Cradle to Career Workforce Development Partnership will build on existing networks and programs among the various stakeholder groups that are working to improve the success of students and their families, including K-12 school districts, corporations, foundations, community organizations, public sector agencies, county offices of education, community colleges, and four-year universities. It creates a collaborative structure to focus on collecting data that will identify what works for children and young adult learners at various points of the cradle-to-career educational continuum. This partnership will connect current programs and efforts that intersect with students along the educational pathway to support educational systems, creating greater efficiency and enhancing their effectiveness with students so they can realize academic success and find productive careers.
With a distinctly knowledge-based economy, the Bay Area's economic and social health relies heavily upon a skilled professional workforce. California students have not fared well by national measures of math and science performance. For this reason, our partnership aims to target and enhance skills related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. As such, the Gateways Partnership represents a strategic opportunity for the region's stakeholders to work together to ensure that students of all backgrounds have the opportunity to attain a relevant and high quality college education and be prepared to enter the 21st century workforce. The vitality of our region depends on it.
"The nation's capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the global economy depend on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility for young people that lie at the heart of the American dream."
The Opportunity Equation
Report of the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education
2009