FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‘Compact For Success’ Earns Top Award
From State School Boards Association
SDSU-Sweetwater Partnership Receives ‘Golden Bell’ for
Improving Student Performance in South Bay District’s Schools

CONTACT: Jason Foster
SDSU Marketing & Communications
Phone (619) 594-2585 Pager (619) 620-1184
foster@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO, Tuesday, November 9, 2004 – The Compact for Success, an innovative partnership between San Diego State University and the Sweetwater Union High School District designed to inspire more kids to attend college, has won the prestigious 2004 Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for most outstanding strategic instructional program.

The Compact is a comprehensive reform initiative to enhance university access, retention and college completion among graduates of the Sweetwater district, which covers most of the South Bay and where more than two-thirds of the students are Hispanic. Beginning with the district’s class of 2006, SDSU is guaranteeing admission for Sweetwater graduates who successfully meet more rigorous academic standards, college entrance requirements and other program benchmarks developed in partnership between the district and the university. Students with the greatest need in Sweetwater’s classes of 2006 through 2009 also will receive financial assistance to cover college costs, thanks to funding provided by several private donors.

“The data we’ve gathered over several years show the Compact is achieving its goals of motivating more students and their families to set their sights on a college education and preparing them for it,” said Gonzalo Rojas, director of the Office of Collaborative Programs for SDSU’s College of Education. Rojas co-directs the partnership along with Earl Wiens, director of Higher Academic Achievement Initiatives for the Sweetwater district.

Since the Compact’s inception in 1998, the number of district students taking AP courses has more than tripled, and AP completion rates have climbed by more than 50 percent. Significant gains also have been attained in the percentage of students completing “A-G” courses required for University of California/California State University admission, and the district’s dropout rate has plummeted by two-thirds.

The Compact’s strategic support mechanisms include SDSU faculty-Sweetwater District teacher alliances, expanded professional development for all staff, basic skill and literacy academies at key junctures, and more counseling services and extensive outreach to families. The partnership has created a roadmap for students, a six-year academic plan that begins in the seventh grade.

Sweetwater Superintendent Ed Brand and SDSU President Stephen Weber will be among those presented with the award at a special ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 4 as part of the California School Boards Association’s annual education conference in San Francisco. The Golden Bell Awards program, now in its 25th year, promotes excellence in education by recognizing outstanding programs in school districts and county offices of education throughout California.

In addition to the Golden Bell, the Compact has won high honors from the American Association of School Administrators and the American School Board Journal.

San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since it was founded in 1897, the university has grown to offer bachelor’s degrees in 81 areas, master’s degrees in 72 areas and doctorates in 16 areas. SDSU’s more than 33,000 students participate in academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future. For more information, visit www.sdsu.edu.

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