El Cerrito High's "Angaza" Focuses On Achievement Gap

One way to grasp the achievement gap at El Cerrito High School is to look at the test scores . Another is to look around an advance placement class where, said junior Adrianne Ramsey, you’ll likely see just one or two African American and one or two Latino students among the sea of white and Asian faces.

Ramsey is the incoming president of Angaza , a program founded by former principal Jason Reimann.

The academic performance of African American and Latino students compared to white and Asian students has been a hot topic in many schools in recent years. Still, says a message by Reimann posted on the school’s website, “remarkably little has been done at most school sites to implement intervention programs based on site-based needs.”

Reimann’s message describes the group, which he founded in 2008, as “a support and enrichment program for high-achieving students from historically underserved communities.” Angaza is a Swahili word for illuminate or shine the light .

It’s likely to be a year of changes for Angaza, with the departure of the adults who worked most closely with the project: Reimann , instructional specialist Humphrey Kiuruwi, and counselor Sarah Larson.

Still, support for the program remains solid. Newly appointed principal David Luongo spoke highly of the program at a presentation last month , and Ramsey said a 10-member student board is in place to lead the program, including a “wonderful” vice president in senior Linda Orduno. Also, recent graduate Irene Rojas-Carroll was a great help in getting Ramsey started in her leadership role, Ramsey said.

Ramsey comes to her role as the group’s president fresh from a leadership program this summer at Brown University, which she attended through the Ivy League Connection. That program, also singled out for praise by Luongo at his recent talk, gives high school students the opportunity to attend summer programs at top universities.

Rojas-Carroll attended a previous summer leadership program at Brown. As part of the program students write an action plan, which they are expected to carry out once they return to school. Ramsey said Rojas-Carroll’s plan to reduce harassment through education on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues has had a noticeable impact on the campus. Ramsey’s action plan is on the achievement gap.

Hearing about all the leaders leaving the school was shocking at first, Ramsey said, but it does provide a good opportunity for more student leadership and responsibility. She said she ultimately decided, “I can do this. It’s just going to be different. I think (Angaza) will be a lot more student-run this year.

El Cerrito High School PTSA President, VP, and Treasurer Needed ...

Who is going to step up and take over for Robert Studdiford as PTSA president? Robert has served 2 years as president, his term is up and he's already way over committed in terms of the amount of volunteer work that he is doing on behalf of our school district.  

This is the most important thing a parent can do to make sure that all of the children at El Cerrito High School are served.  It involves running one meeting a month.  Isn't there someone who can take on this role? The school year is about to begin and there is no PTSA in place at ECHS without a complete executive board.

Come on now, don't be shy! The students at ECHS need you. You can be the one who makes a difference in their lives.  Please consider becoming the PTSA President, VP or Treasurer, we need you!

This announcement originally appeared on the El Cerrito High School Google Group . [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your email address."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_long":"Your email address must contain between 5 and 100 characters.","maximum":100,"allow_nil":true}],["validates_email_format_of",{"message":"Your email address is not properly formatted. Mind giving it another shot?"}],["validates_uniqueness_of",{"message":"The email address you entered is being used by another member. Please try a different address.","client_can_validate":true,"exists_url":"/users/exists?email="}]] [["validates_presence_of",{"message":"Please enter your password."}],["validates_length_of",{"too_short":"Your password must contain between 4 and 40 characters.","too_long":"Your password must contain between 4 and 40 characters.","allow_nil":true,"minimum":4,"maximum":40}],["validates_format_of",{"message":"Your password may contain only letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens. No emoticons, please. :p","with":["^[a-zA-Z0-9\\_\\-]*?