{"id":1094,"date":"2010-11-15T10:26:50","date_gmt":"2010-11-15T18:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcctimes.com\/?p=1094"},"modified":"2012-02-16T10:48:49","modified_gmt":"2012-02-16T18:48:49","slug":"achievement-gap-means-%e2%80%98big-trouble%e2%80%99","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sjcctimes.com\/es\/1094\/news\/achievement-gap-means-%e2%80%98big-trouble%e2%80%99\/","title":{"rendered":"Achievement gap means \u2018big trouble\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

[media-credit id=40 align=”alignnone” width=”400″]\"Achievement<\/a>[\/media-credit]
Chancellor Rita Cepeda answers questions for the student newspaper staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>Chancellor Rita Cepeda stopped by the City College Times and graciously answered questions. Here answers have been edited. <\/em><\/p>\n

HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP?<\/strong> That\u2019s probably my favorite question in the world, not because I have the answers but because it\u2019s one that, when we talk about a crisis of enormous proportions facing the nation and the state and the Silicon Valley, that\u2019s the one. Let me also say that it\u2019s not because we don\u2019t know what to do. I have reviewed studies, programs, initiatives, curriculum development procedures, instructional models, you name it, about how to bridge the achievement gap. And I have seen those initiatives work with children in the worst possible economic and education and socioeconomic situations, and I have seen them exceed. I want us to be real clear that the ability to achieve, or not achieve, is not inherent. There\u2019s nothing about the individual, the ethnic group, the language background, that says, \u201cOh, it\u2019s because there\u2019s this ethnicity or it\u2019s because they don\u2019t speak the language. or because of this particular gender or this particular race. It\u2019s nothing to do with that. In fact, when we do the right things for students, the outcomes are magnificent. <\/p>\n

… I want to bring together a frank conversation about all of the things we have in this district that don\u2019t seem to be working well together. They each do amazing things, but they\u2019re little silos \u00ad\u00ad\u2014 achieving the dream, the equity scorecard, CLASS, the Basic Skill Initiative, all these things we have – but we in this district have a very poor success of bridging that equity gap. Now it doesn\u2019t begin with us, but it doesn\u2019t matter. Finger pointing to K-12 is not going to solve the problem. Working with K-12 will, and insuring that we also work with the four-year colleges and universities also will. And working with business and industries that want a prepared workforce but they\u2019re not going to get it, also will help toward that. <\/p>\n

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO SJCC IF THE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT MET?<\/strong>
\nIn terms of all the other pieces that need to be taken care of, a lot of that has to do, pure and simple, with a lack of sustained and ongoing leadership on this campus. For the better part of the last eight years, you haven\u2019t had consistent leadership in terms of a president, a vice president, and even below that, at the dean level. It\u2019s very difficult to sustain gains, not to start over, not to stay the course, not to make sure that certain things that were put in place continue to happen.
\nSo, we have to figure out why that is happening in this district. How do we attract and retain a powerful student center leader as a president. I think that will, in turn, take care of some of the findings associated with planning, associated with curriculum issues, student learning objectives, campus facilities, evaluations, etc., all of those things will happen. <\/p>\n

Now, what will happen with the recommendations? As you know, there are various levels of \u201csanctions.\u201d … There are few colleges in California that are meeting accreditation with flying colors. Because it\u2019s a lot of … that\u2019s a story for another time. There\u2019s a lot of controversy about the accreditation commission and its role and function, and some other time we\u2019ll talk about that because I have a lot to say about that. (laughs). <\/p>\n

But, what will happen? The greatest thing that can happen is they say, \u201cFlying colors, see you in six years.\u201d Great. (But) that\u2019s not happening in California. Maybe you can count on one hand where the state team comes and says, \u201cBeautiful. See in six years.\u201d Invariably, they have findings and recommendations and sanctions. What we will probably get is a set of findings with a midterm report. In other words, it says we\u2019re not going to wait until six years go by, we\u2019re going to give you three years to come back to us to tell us if you fixed this. And that\u2019s what I think will happen. Very likely. <\/p>\n

IS SHUTTING DOWN THE SCHOOL A POSSIBILITY? <\/strong>
\nNo, no, no, no, no, no.
\n… Let me underscore that I do not think for a minute that we are there. We probably will get a set of findings, and a couple or three of those or so that will be warnings, which means we have to move a lot quicker on certain things. Then, obviously, there\u2019s the ultimate, which is you lose accreditation.
\n.. So I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll have some serious findings, probably some warnings, but with these three years within which to respond to the findings.<\/p>\n

FINANCIAL AID LINES ARE LONG. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE THE FINANCIAL AID PROCESS?<\/strong>
\nThe lines for student services, in general, including the lines for financial aid, orientation, I know you know that over the last three to four years have gotten worse and worse, and that is a direct function of us losing, in one case, 67 percent of our categorical moneys.
\nSo we\u2019ve been struggling with our fears of losing staff, our support staff, in droves, so I\u2019m not shirking off responsibility, but much of it is at the hands of the state Legislature, who has said, by the way, and continues to say, and I think it\u2019s very ill-founded public policy that student support services are not as critical as instruction. They\u2019re basically saying, \u201cWe just need a teacher and a classroom. This other stuff you can let go, so cut, cut, cut.\u201d <\/p>\n

And we know, specifically at community colleges, that when you do that, you impact retention, persistence, success, all of these other things.
\nSo your question about the lines, the increasing wait, have come because we basically have fewer people. That\u2019s kind of a no-brainer, but what can you do? I don\u2019t know what San Jose City has done or what Evergreen has done, I would need to look a that a lot more clearly, and I don\u2019t want to assume they haven\u2019t done these things because I don\u2019t know enough, and I\u2019m not the college president. But there are things that can be done to shorten your stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chancellor Rita Cepeda stopped by the City College Times and graciously answered questions. Here answers have been edited. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONTRIBUTE TO CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP? 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