EDUCATION: RUSD gained insight and formed new partnerships at the College Board Forum.
By Matt Kaye, Staff Writer
Education is always in some sort of developmental process, whether in the classroom, in the school district, at the state level or across the nation. From October 23 to October 25, education professionals from all different educational institutions came together for the annual College Board Forum. This annual forum debuted nine years ago and continues to integrate teachers’ input with that of other top and mid-level experts on education.
This year, College Board had a new theme and approach for the forum. Through the theme of “Membership. Partnership,” the Board sought to remind the national community of educators about their roles in helping students transition from high school to college, as well as encourage economically and socially disadvantaged students to choose further education. “Our collective abilities to deliver change for students across the nation is dependent on the partnership and commitment of our members,” Dorothy Sexton, Vice President of Governance and Secretary of the College Board, said.
Throughout the three-day forum, many events were held on a variety of topics. There was broad discussion about SAT test preparation and several smaller discussions took place concerning improvements for specific Advanced Placement courses. One discussion focused specifically on the principles practiced in the Riverside Unified School District and at UCR.
RUSD has a large number of underprivileged students. UCR has many first-generation college students. In an attempt to aid the numerous students needing extra help, the two school groups collaborate to bring college structure to some of the classes at RUSD schools. They support a certificate program where teachers become certified in “Teaching Advanced Placement.” This certificate verifies that a teacher learned the teaching methods used in AP classes. At the forum, there was an event dedicated to RUSD and UCR’s progress titled: “The Power of Partnership: Ensuring Access and Success for Diverse Learners.” At this event, Poly’s own AP Chemistry teacher Matthew Schiller and District Assistant Superintendent William Ermert presented with Anne Jones, Associate Dean at UCR. They pitched their schools’ collaborative certificate program and other district innovations that have helped a wide range of students succeed in advanced education.
Throughout the years, RUSD has proven itself to be an innovative school district. The forum offered a great opportunity for the district to share its success with other pioneers in education and in return benefit from their ideas. RUSD has already seen enormous success and will continue to see even more.