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In the News

Assisting California’s Foster Youth beyond Age 18
November 25, 2011

Assisting California’s Foster Youth beyond Age 18. SF Chronicle op-ed co-authored by Mark Courtney, University of Chicago professor & Teri Kook, Stuart Foundation Director of Child Welfare.

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Model Teaching Academies Receive $2 M Federal Grant
October 14, 2011

Model Teaching Academies Receive Federal Grant. Based on medical school training, SF Residency teachers collaborate to improve student teachers’ learning.

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Evaluating Teachers: New Study Underscores Effectiveness of Rigorous Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) Programs
September 07, 2011

As education leaders continue to grapple with the best approach for teacher evaluation, a new study provides fresh evidence that teacher peer assistance and review (PAR) programs offer a rigorous and comprehensive way to evaluate teachers.

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Stuart Appoints New Education Sr. Program Officer and Child Welfare Initiative Director
August 10, 2011

Stuart Appoints New Education Sr. Program Officer and Child Welfare Initiative Director

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Stuart Foundation Commits $5.2 Million to California District-Based Education Reform
July 25, 2011

Today, the Stuart Foundation announced a $5.2 million two-year investment to improve student achievement in public school districts in California through a district-to-district collaboration and a study to pinpoint some success points in school districts and education systems.

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“Foster Care Reform: A Work in Progress”
July 12, 2011

SF Chronicle editorial page editor, John Diaz, covers the impressive benefits and fiscal challenges in implementing AB 12, California Fostering Connections to Success. The law extends benefits to foster youth who are working or staying in school until they are 21. These benefits, particularly housing for foster youth who have no families, are vital to their continued success. Diaz points to how our state should come through on its promise to these most vulnerable young Californians.

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Grantee Daniel Heimpel of Fostering Media Connections Wins Online Journalist of the Year Award
June 29, 2011

Youth News reporter, John Kelly, covers the awarding of Los Angeles Press Club’s “Online Journalist of the Year” to Daniel Heimpel of Fostering Media Connections (FMC), a Stuart partner since its founding. At FMC, journalist Heimpel engages editors and reporters on the foster care system resulting in nearly 50 stories and op-eds in California and Washington media outlets so far. FMC’s website, www.fosteringmediaconnections.org, is a center for journalists and others to find news stories, videos, and blogs that tell the stories of youth in foster care, expose existing challenges, and share the visions of a transformed system.

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Stuart Foundation Welcomes Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Director for Effective Education Systems Initiative and Child Welfare Program Officer
April 27, 2011

The Stuart Foundation welcomes three new members to the foundation staff this spring. • Melissa Daar, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, will lead communications and public affairs at the foundation. • Gretchen Cummings, Project Director, Effective Systems Education Initiative, will lead an analysis of effective practices in school districts and education systems. • Allison Sparks, Program Officer, Child Welfare, will manage grants that improve the lives of foster youth.

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NBC Nightly News Profiles Guardian Scholars, “Not Just Surviving, But Succeeding”
March 27, 2011

NBC reporter Miguel Almaguer interviews former foster youth supported by the Guardian Scholars program at San Francisco State University. The story profiles students such as Rosana Fajardo, the first in her family of nine to graduate high school.

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Stuart Partner, Ellen Moir, The New Teacher Center, Receives 2011 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
March 15, 2011

Ellen Moir of the New Teacher Center, a Stuart Foundation partner, has been selected as a 2011 recipient of a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Moir, a longtime teacher and teacher educator, founded the New Teacher Center (NTC), considered the “gold standard” of teacher induction programs. Moir has pioneered innovative approaches to new teacher development, research on new teacher practices, and the design and implementation of induction programs.

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First-of-its Kind Summit Brings Together Foster Youth and Professionals to Boost Education and Career Success
February 28, 2011

More than 700 people, including an unprecedented 200 current and former foster youth, gathered in early February for the 2011 Foster Youth Education Summit. This landmark conference showcased cutting-edge research and innovative policy and practices to improve success for foster youth along the entire education pipeline—from early childhood to college and career.

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