2 EDCAL May 27, 2019
SPI appoints leaders to address achievement gaps
State Superintendent Tony Thurmond
has put two noted education leaders and
social justice advocates in charge of a new
initiative to address achievement gaps in
California’s education system.
Ryan Smith was appointed chair and
Manufou Liaiga-Anoa’i was appointed as
co-chair of the new statewide Closing the
Achievement Gap initiative.
Liaiga-Anoa’i will partner with Smith
to lead work aligning with the initiative’s
goals, which include addressing ways to
close the achievement gap and improving
educational outcomes for all California
public education students.
Thurmond launched his Closing the
Achievement Gap initiative with a forum
in February focusing on schools through-
out the state that have shown success in
closing the gap for African Americans and
other students of color.
He followed that up with a second
forum in April to address recruitment
and retention of teachers of color. These
appointment are the next step in assuring
that efforts continue with the highest pri-
ority and level of expertise.
Smith is currently CEO of Partnership
for Los Angeles Schools, which launched
in 2007 as a collaboration between the Los
Angeles Unified School District, donors
Richard and Melanie Lundquist, the City
of Los Angeles, and other public and pri-
vate partners, to accelerate achievement for
students across the district.
He was formerly executive director of
The Education Trust-West, a research
and advocacy organization focused on
education justice and the high academic
achievement of all California students, par-
ticularly students of color and those living
in poverty. His projects included the “Black
Minds Matter” report, which focused on
supporting the educational success of black
children in California, as well as the study,
“The Majority Report: Supporting the
Success of Latino Students in California.”
“Ryan is a leader in the efforts to close
SMITH
LIAIGA-ANOA’I
the achievement gap, and specifically
in how we can use policy, advocacy, and
research to make change,” said Thurmond,
in a press release.
Liaiga-Anoa’i is currently the Health
and Nutrition Services Manager for
the Institute for Human and Social
Development, which administers Head
Start and Early Head Start, early child-
hood education sites throughout San
Mateo County. She is the first Samoan
Pacific Islander to serve on the Jefferson
Elementary School District Board in
Daly City, and she also serves on the
San Mateo County Commission on the
Status of Women. Liaiga-Anoa’i founded
Pacific Islander Community Partnership,
a Bay Area nonprofit that engages Pacific
Islanders in advocacy, education, and
empowerment.
She created Camp Unity, a free Pacific
Islander summer enrichment program
that has been recognized by President
Obama’s White House Initiative on Asian
American and Pacific Islanders. Her global
outreach includes partnerships with One
Global Family Foundation to assist in
eradicating domestic and child abuse in the
Pacific Islands, and raising readers through
collaborations with Books for the Barrios.
“Manufou is a strong public servant
and advocate for women, children, and all
students,” said Thurmond, in a release. “I
know that she will bring a unique voice
and strong leadership to the Closing the
Achievement Gap Initiative, which is one
of the top priorities of my office.”
Contest seeks
industry-ed
partnerships
Rescue celebrates 60
Former and current staff, students and teachers form the number “60” in honor of Rescue Elementary School’s anniversary. The school welcomed the
entire community to campus to celebrate the milestone during its annual open house on May 3 with a live band, gourmet food trucks, games and the
unveiling of the school’s new mural. Rescue Elementary began operation in 1958 as a small country school serving the community of Rescue. Today, the
school has grown to about 500 students in grades TK-5 and prides itself of maintaining “country charm” while offering innovative teaching techniques in
21st-century classrooms. Rescue Elementary has received the California Distinguished School Award twice in the past 10 years. “We are so excited to
celebrate the legacy of our school. We are deeply devoted to giving our students the best educational experience possible and the community of Rescue
has truly partnered with us over the years,” said Rescue Elementary Principal Dustin Haley.
Nominations are now being accepted
for the 2019 Partnerships for Industry and
Education Contest, which identifies and
rewards employer-education partnership
programs that are making quantifiable
progress in preparing California workers
for the 21st century economy. Past winners
have been identified from economic sectors
across California including aerospace man-
ufacturing, steel manufacturing, early child-
hood education, construction and health
care. Nominees must be a partnership
between an employer (public or private)
and a California educational institution
(K-12, higher education, public and/or
private) and be able to demonstrate specific
success outcomes. The top three partner-
ships will each earn one free registration
to the 2019 California Economic Summit
taking place on Nov. 7-8 in Fresno, where
the winners will be offered the opportunity
to showcase their work. To learn more, visit
summit.caeconomy.org/pie. Nominations
are due June 15.
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