ABOUT US
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The Ventura County P-20 Council (VC P-20) was established in 2006 as a regional collaborative by California State University Channel Islands Founding President, Dr. Richard R. Rush, and Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Charles Weis, with the support of the Alliance for Regional Collaboration to Heighten Educational Success (ARCHES). It began with a focus on preparing students for success in higher education and the workforce by promoting a strategic framework of deep collaboration between education, business, and community and by supporting collaborative efforts to close achievement gaps & increase college access and completion rates for underrepresented students. Previously named the Ventura County P-16 Regional Council, the framework included a Core Council of key education, business and community decision-makers and an Expanded Council comprised of local school districts and numerous additional organizations and businesses.
At its inception, the VC P-20 Council initiated linkages between higher education entities to provide mentoring and tutoring to students in key identified high schools. It successfully competed for grants that allowed area high schools to increase the number of students taking college preparatory classes, the percentage of students taking the SAT test, and to expand the number of students participating in Early Awareness testing for college. In addition, the VC P-20 Council developed a Parent Outreach strategy in the County and awarded funds to establish a high school Parent Support group in Santa Paula. And, it has encouraged effective sharing of student data to assess student progress and to identify areas for further attention.
HISTORY OF VC P-20
Beginning in 2008 the Council received from ARCHES a series of grants to establish the Engineering Design Career Pathways linked learning academy at Hueneme High School in the California Partnership Academy (CPA) model. This rigorous career and technical education linked-learning academy prepares students for work or college upon graduation from high school. Once established, the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) continued to grow the academy and, in 2014, through their newly awarded Career Pathways Trust Grant, began to transition the Academy to the National Academy Foundation (NAF) model. The VC P-20 Council continues to be involved through the Academy Advisory Board, assisting with collecting data on student achievement measures for Academy cohort members, and supporting the engineering summer bridge programs at Oxnard College and Cal State Channel Islands.
MAY
2015
Adoption of P-20 Logo
2015
VC P-20 revises Mission & Action Plan and changed its name
2011
EDCP Summer Bridge Programs @ CI & OC began
2009
ARCHES implementation grant for EDCP Academy
2006
VC P-16 Council
established w/
Planning & implementation
grants from ARCHES
VC P-20 Timeline
2014
OUHSD adopts NAF District-wide linked-learning model
2012
1st graduating EDCP cohort
2010
Adoption of Mission & Action Plan and Series of OpEds by VC P-16 Council Members
2008
ARCHES Planning grant for EDCP Academy CAP model
Over the past three years, the VC P-20 Council has also sponsored an annual County-wide Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) workshop for counselors and others who assist parents and students with completing their application. In 2015, VC P-20 elected to expand this workshop to accommodate three times more attendees than in previous years. This workshop has come to be an expected and well-received resource for the County.
The VC P-20 Council has been evolving from a focus on pilot project initiatives to focusing at an overall educational strategy and system alignment for Ventura County. In 2015, The Council re-envisioned itself, changing its name and revising its Mission, Vision, Values and Action Plan. Recently, VC P-20 adopted its own logo and is currently working on launching a new website that can better serve as a resource for multiple stakeholders across the County including educators, businesses, organizations, parents and students. VC P-20 is working closely with the three Career Pathways Trust Grants in the County to promote their strong collaborative initiatives to strengthen educational pathways and workforce connections. The VC P-20 Council is also increasingly being asked to show direct support for regional collaborative projects by sponsoring in name initiatives such as, the VC-STEM initiative and the Project ALAS Transfer Success Summit. Going forward, VC P-20 will continue to work to further its new Mission to serve as an engine to advance academic achievement and eliminate performance gaps by promoting strong collaboration among all stakeholder groups across the County.
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In August 2016, Stan Manthooth, Ventura County Superintendent of Schools, took over as Chair of the Council.