July 9, 2018

NEW LEADERSHIP AT EDUCATION FOUNDATION: Lisa Andrew, superintendent of the Hollister School District, has been tapped to be the new CEO of ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Andrew will take over from interim CEO Manny Barbara, who has been at the helm since Muhammed Chaudhry stepped down last September.

Andrew has had an extensive education career, with roles at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Ravenswood City School District, the Santa Clara Unified School District and the Evergreen School District. Her husband, Eric Andrew, recently retired as superintendent of the Campbell Union School District.

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By Joanne Jacobs | June 7, 2018

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was not an ordinary lunch period at Downtown College Prep Alum Rock High. Berenice Espino and her Quest for Space teammates had gathered in the engineering classroom to watch as a SpaceX rocket was launched into the atmosphere heading for the International Space Station, carrying onboard a science experiment they’d designed. NASA astronauts would test the device, which analyzes the effects of weightlessness on cooling and heating systems, and send data back to the students.

Across California, Latino and black students, many from low-income families, earn lower scores on state exams than white or Asian students and are far less likely to take the advanced math and science classes that prepare students for high-tech majors and careers. Bay Area nonprofits are working with schools to improve math proficiency. For example, the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s summer program, Elevate Math, is raising algebra readiness, a critical first step on the STEM success track.

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June 10, 2018

While we concur that the gap in math and science achievement between Latino and African-American students and their white and Asian peers is “maddening”. . .

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By Sal Pizarro | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | May 26, 2018

From the Civic Center light-rail station on North First Street, the bright orange structure next to the Santa Clara County government center looks like a new piece of public art. But get closer and you’ll see it’s something much different — it’s fitness equipment.

“This is basically an adult playground, complete with monkey bars,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, the board’s de facto health czar. “It’s not just for county employees; anyone can use and enjoy it.”

Reckoning that even small steps matter, Yeager envisions people coming across the street to do a few reps on the human-powered elliptical trainer or cross walker while they’re waiting for a light-rail train or a bus. Who knows? Could happen.

EDUCATIONAL SIPS: Last weekend’s fourth annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction was a huge success, drawing more than 1,000 people to Saturday’s dinner and Sunday’s grand tasting at Eden Estates and the Montalvo Arts Center. And, more important, the event raised $1 million for education programs including ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, the Oxford Day Academy and the MERIT Program of the Krause Center for Innovation.

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By Robert Salonga | May 20, 2018

SAN JOSE — When hundreds of seniors graduate from Independence High School this week, many will head to college or straight into the workforce.

Either way, thanks to an innovative student-training program, a good number of them will be especially ready to enter the fray.

Since August, 165 students have been methodically crafting resumes, drafting cover letters, assembling career portfolios, and working on their interview skills under the tutelage of English teacher Will Stegeman.

And as is usually the case in school, there was a test, in the form of the Mock Interview Extravaganza held on May 4 where students put all that work to the test in front of dozens of professionals from fields spanning technology, engineering, medicine, graphic design, law, police work, and an array of other occupations.

Vy Nguyen, a program manager with the nonprofit ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, helped spearhead the networking and logistics for the event. Students who participated in the program were matched with interviewers based on their career goals and inclinations, and underwent several rounds of interviews to sharpen their skills.

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May 5, 2018

Given their proximity, you might expect that the nouveau riche of Silicon Valley might have more awareness of the quality of the wine region practically (and in some cases quite literally) in their backyards, but the Santa Cruz Mountains wine region has been quite slow to rise in the consciousness of California wine consumers. Even with superstars such as Ridge Vineyards having clearly established the region’s potential decades ago, it still remains a much less talked about and traveled wine region than its more famous brethren to the North, Napa and Sonoma.

This is a darn shame, because the Santa Cruz Mountains are turning out some of the most exciting wines made in California today. In particular, new Pinot Noir plantings are proving to be phenomenal in personality and quality, and new Cabernet plantings are showing great potential as well.

All of which is why anyone in Silicon Valley who considers themselves a wine lover should be attending the Silicon Valley Wine Auction. Launched in 2014 by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation and the associated Winegrowers Association, this auction and tasting has been raising millions for kids’ education initiatives in Silicon Valley.

This year’s beneficiaries include ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (ASVEF)’s Elevate [Math] program; the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute; Oxford Day Academy, and MERIT (Making Education Relevant and Interactive Through Technology) program.

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By Laura Ness | April/May 2018 | Page 16-20

Giving back to the community is a priority for the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation (SCMWEF) – the charitable umbrella under which the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) conducts philanthropic work.

This year’s Silicon Valley Wine Auction fundraiser benefits the SVEF’s Elevate Math program, the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, the Oxford Day Academy, and the Merit Program of the Krause Center for Innovation.

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April 2018 | Page 8-9

The Silicon Valley Wine Auction weekend invites you to be a part of the transformation of modern day learning.

The 2018 weekend-long wine fundraiser kicks off on Saturday, May 19, 2018 with a sold-out Wine Auction Dinner at Eden Estates in Saratoga featuring rare and premium wines during a library reception followed by a 4-course wine-paired dinner under the stars.

Funds raised over the weekend directly support four beneficiaries: Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate [Math], a result-driven program to bring a new clarity and confidence to kids who’ve been drowning in math class; 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, a six-year program that gives academically talented students more than 300 hours a year of rigorous, lively STEM workshops and mentoring.

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April 16, 2018

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Over the weekend, more than 3,000 participated in the inaugural Silicon Valley Half Marathon, 10K & Food Truck 5K. Under ideal conditions for a footrace with sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s at the start, the region’s locally-owned signature running event began at City Hall and took participants on a journey that included the Downtown, Alameda and Rose Garden neighborhoods before finishing in front of the SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks. Produced by Represent Running, the event benefits the ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

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By Joseph Geha | jgeha@bayareanewsgroup.com  | April 16, 2018

When Ann Marie Cody’s 16-month-old triplets get fussy, instead of taking them for a spin in the car to calm them, she straps them into their 4-foot wide triple stroller and takes them out for a run.

It works like a charm, the mother from Sunnyvale says, because the two boys and one girl seem to like being pushed while she jogs.

Cody used her kids’ calm temperament while in the stroller to her advantage Sunday morning as she bested her own Guinness World Record time for fastest half-marathon while pushing a triple pram, running in the inaugural Silicon Valley Half-Marathon in downtown San Jose.

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By Sal Pizarro | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | April 7, 2018

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By Julie Jag | April 11, 2018

CAPITOLA – At some point in his retirement, Meb Keflezighi wants to learn how to surf.

Wednesday’s conditions were small but clean at Pleasure Point, perfect for a beginner. Yet the waves weren’t what brought arguably the best marathon runner in United States history to Capitola. He didn’t even dip a toe in the water. Instead, he took a West Coast detour between a speaking engagement in Washington, D.C., and Monday’s Boston Marathon to make inroads into one of his first major post-retirement projects.

Keflezighi has joined with J.T. Service and his Capitola-based Soul Focus Sports to revive the Silicon Valley Half Marathon, which will be held Sunday in San Jose for the first time since 2010.

Part of what he likes about the Silicon Valley Half Marathon is that a portion of proceeds go to the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

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April 6, 2018

SAN JOSE – Four-time Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, Boston and New York City Marathon champion, Meb Keflezighi, is set to kick off his newest venture as a founding investor in the Silicon Valley Half, 10K and Food Truck 5K™ on April 14 & 15. Along with local event organizers Represent Running, Meb will participate in a variety of community engagement opportunities on Wednesday and Thursday April 11-12. The inaugural Silicon Valley Half benefits the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF).

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By Nicolle Monico | April 6, 2018

To kick off his latest venture, four-time Olympian, Olympic silver medalist, Boston and New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi will take part in a Q&A on Wednesday, April 11 at Sports Basement Campbell ahead of the Silicon Valley Half (SVH) Marathon festivities. The running legend is a founding investor in the Silicon Valley Half, 10K and Food Truck 5K which will be held on April 14 and 15 in San Jose, CA.

The SVH benefits the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and is being organized by Represent Running. Registration for all races and events is still open and runners can sign up on SVHalfMarathon.com.

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Feb. 28, 2018

SILICON VALLEY, CA – The Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Education Foundation (SCMWEF) proudly presents the fourth annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction Weekend –  held in Saratoga, California from May 19-20, 2018.  Proceeds will benefit the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute and Elevate [MATH] programs of Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), the Oxford Day Academy, the Krause Center of Innovation Merit Program, and SCMWEF.

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By Sal Pizarro | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Feb. 4, 2018

EDUCATIONAL MERGER: A marriage is in the works for the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and ALearn, which had been providing similar math and college-readiness programs to underserved students in the Bay Area. “This will create a new, stronger education non-profit with the potential to drive even deeper impact in the Silicon Valley and beyond,” SVEF Interim CEO Manny Barbara and ALearn founder and CEO Kathryn Hanson said in a joint letter sent to supporters of both groups.

Together, the two nonprofits serve more than 5,000 students in 52 school districts each year. They’ll each continue their core programs, ALearn’s Catalyst to High School and Math Acceleration Program and Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate [Math], through this summer.

The merger is expected to be in place by mid-February and the new organization will operate under the name ALearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation until the new board of directors comes up with a permanent — and less clunky — name. Barbara will be interim CEO of the new organization, and Hanson will serve on the board of the new organization.

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Published Jan. 29, 2018 | Los Altos Town Crier

The Los Altos-founded nonprofit ALearn and the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation are merging their efforts to offer math and college readiness programs to underserved students.

Los Altos resident Kathryn Hanson, CEO and founder of ALearn, announced the merger in a Jan. 26 letter to supporters. The 10-year-old organization is a recipient of the Town Crier Holiday Fund.

Hanson said the boards of both agencies approved the merger and are awaiting regulatory approvals.

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Dec. 14, 2017

SAN JOSE, CA – During an annual organizational meeting on December 13, the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) elected Vice President Rosemary Kamei as president for the coming year, with a 6-0 vote and one absence.

Rosemary Kamei was first appointed to the SCCBOE in May 2015 to fill the vacant Area 3 seat and elected to a four-year term in November 2016. Kamei is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

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By Maria Antonieta Mejia | Dec. 6, 2017

Link to Video

Nov. 29, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29 /CSRwire/ –The EnCorps STEM Teachers Program was honored at Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s (SVEF) 13th annual Pioneers & Purpose Celebration for Education on Wednesday, November 8 at the Fairmont San Jose. During the celebration, EnCorps’ Executive Director, Katherine Wilcox, and San Francisco Bay Area Program and Recruitment Director, David Taus, were presented with SVEF’s 2017 STEM Innovation Award. The other award recipient was Women’s Audio Mission.

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November 15, 2017

Area food banks and social service agencies are collecting donations to help the needy through the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Here’s how you can help:

Santa Clara County

The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF): is a non-profit resource and advocate for students and educators in Silicon Valley. SVEF is dedicated to putting all students on track for college and career, focusing on the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Through operating programs, advocating for equitable policies at the school district level, and bringing innovation education technology into the classroom, SVEF directly works to create a 21st century skilled workforce and empower underserved, minority students. Help SVEF close the achievement gap today and give the gift of education. For more information visit www.svefoundation.org or call 408-790-9400.

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By Sal Pizarro | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Nov. 11, 2017

One of the best parts of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame is how the event often puts a spotlight on people whose lives helped make up the fabric of the valley but whose stories are in danger of being lost for future generations.

Jack Roddy, one of five people inducted to the hall Thursday night at SAP Center, is one such story. A graduate of Lick High School, Roddy was a rodeo star and steer wrestling champion in the 1960s and ’70s and won championships at the National Finals Rodeos in 1966 and ’68. Now 80, Roddy’s dark hair has gone white, but he still cuts a towering figure topped with a white cowboy hat.

BIG NIGHT FOR EDUCATION: Seagate Executive Chairman Steve Luczo was honored with the Pioneer Business Award from the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation at Wednesday’s 13th annual Pioneers and Purpose dinner, which raised $950,000 for the group. There were about 500 people at the dinner, held at the Fairmont San Jose, which also featured a video tribute to Muhammed Chaudhry, who recently stepped down as the education foundation’s CEO.

49ers Chairman John York, who worked with Chaudhry on the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute, introduced the video, and Chaudhry received commendations from Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Dave Cortese and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.

By Alicia Jessop | Nov. 8, 2017

The Silicon Valley is known as the world epicenter of the tech industry. Yet, when the San Francisco 49ers relocated to Santa Clara to begin playing at Levi’s Stadium, the team was surprised to learn that a mere three-percent of high school students in the Santa Clara school system passed the AP Calculus examination.

By Sal Pizarro   | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Nov. 3, 2017

San Jose’s been getting prime time treatment this season on ABC’s hit medical drama “The Good Doctor,” and it’s been interesting to see how the show depicts the Bay Area’s biggest city every Monday night.

This being TV, of course, the characters who populate the pretend San Jose are improbably attractive and ambiguosly ethnic. And because it’s shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, outdoor scenes are generally more overcast and green than you’d get in the Santa Clara Valley, with our 300 days of sunshine a year.

Then there’s the fictional San Jose St. Bonaventure hospital itself, where Freddie Highmore‘s Dr. Shaun Murphy practices his medical wizardry while his colleagues get an afterschool-special lesson in working with someone who is autistic.

HONOR FOR SEAGATE CEO: The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation will honor Seagate Technologies CEO Steve Luczo as its Pioneer Business Leader on Wednesday night at the 13th annual Pioneers & Purpose celebration. Luczo said he was honored by the recognition from the foundation, which works to raise student performance in STEM education across Silicon Valley. “SVEF is building a stronger Silicon Valley and stronger workforce to lead us into the future,” he said.

The dinner at the Fairmont San Jose also will recognize the recipients of the foundation’s 2017 STEM Innovation Awards and its Teacher of the Year, Lisa Carrell, a sixth-grade science and language arts teacher and eighth-grade math teacher at Ocala STEAM Academy in San Jose. For tickets, go to svefoundation.org.

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By Sal Pizarro  | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Oct. 28, 2017

I’m always struck with a serious case of pumpkin envy at the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits’ annual Be Our Guest fundraiser. An essential element of the luncheon, which was held Thursday in downtown San Jose, is that the “celebrity servers” bring a decorated pumpkin to auction off.

The motley band of elected officials, nonprofit and business leaders and media — or sometimes their staffs, I suspect — have gotten stunningly creative over the years. We’re talking Pinterest to the 1,000th degree. Some get very topical — there were a lot of Trumpkins before the election last year — and others play off popular movies or themes specific to San Jose or Santa Clara County.

Patricia Gardner, CEO of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, said giving out awards for the most creative pumpkins is a hard decision every year. “You guys really show off a creative side that we don’t get to see too much,” she said.

San Jose Councilmembers Dev Davis and Raul Peralez each did a take on Diridon station:Davis’ was “haunted,” Peralez’s had a working model train. San Jose Housing Director Jacky Morales-Ferrand did a scary take on “fake news,” and Meri Maben of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation went there, with a truly frightening pumpkin that tackled President Trump’s treatment of women — with Harvey Weinstein thrown in as a late addition.

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By Sharon Noguchi | Sept. 11, 2017

SAN JOSE — Muhammed Chaudhry, founder and CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, has stepped down as chief of the high-profile group dedicated to boosting education of the valley’s poorest students, particularly in science, math and technology.

Chaudhry, 42, said he informed the board on Friday of his decision. Effective Monday, Manny Barbara, the foundation’s vice-president for advocacy and thought leadership, was named interim CEO of the organization, which oversees a $7 million budget.

“I’ve been thinking of this for awhile and talking to the board. This is not a government service job where you work for 30 years,” Chaudhry said.

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Aug. 10, 2017 |  Letters to the Editor

Recently I was honored to be invited by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo to address the California members of Congress on the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate (Math), an intervention program for 6th-10th graders.  With weak federal support for education and more budget cuts proposed, the members expressed concern about consequences for California’s education system. They understand the importance of funding for STEM education not only for California but as a driver of our nation’s  economic engine.  Just as California took the lead in combating climate change we need to initiate and innovate STEM programs to guarantee the success of our children and the future of our state. And Congress and the federal government need to do their part as well.

Muhammed Chaudhry
President & CEO
Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation

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By Emily Heitmann | Aug. 1, 2017

Living in the Silicon Valley, we are surrounded by the biggest tech companies the industry has to offer. Google is our dependable next-door neighbor who’s always there to answer life’s questions.  Facebook is that fun hipster friend who loves to share what the next big thing is going to be.  And you can always count on Apple to bring over the latest gadget as a hostess gift. And while these perks are at our fingertips, literally, what we want isn’t necessarily what we sometimes need. The Bay Area needs students to graduate from high school and move on to a university or trade school. There needs to be a shift in educating skill sets for tech job requirements.

“We want to make sure the future Larry Pages and Mark Zuckerbergs come from the Valley,” says President and CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) Muhammed Chaudhry.   

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By Jasmine Leyva |  July 28, 2017

While some students might return to school feeling a little rusty when it comes to getting back into the academic swing of things, a few South Bay students have been working this summer on staying sharp.

Middle and high school students from districts in Campbell, Cupertino and San Jose have been participating in the Elevate Math program from the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation. The program is designed to help C-average and below-grade-level students brush up on some of the mathematical concepts they learned in previous grades before taking on new courses when the academic year starts up in a few weeks.

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By Gillian Brassil   |  July 13, 2017

School is out for summer, and while some kids look for ways to beat the heat, other students are looking to beat the curve with the help of a Silicon Valley group whose aim is to elevate math skills.

“Our goal is to change students’ attitudes toward math and to put them on that growth mindset that they can do it,” said Muhammed Chaudhry, president and CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, which is sponsoring the summer program, Elevate [Math].

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By Rebecca Parr   |   July 6, 2017

OAKLAND – Helping kids overcome a fear of math while showing them why it matters in their lives are ambitious goals, especially during summer school when many of their friends are out playing.

But the nonprofit Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation has taken on the challenge for the past decade, helping middle-school students advance a full year in math during its four-week boot camp. The foundation expanded its Elevate (Math) program into six Oakland schools this summer.

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By Carolyn Jones |  June 11, 2017

This summer, more than 2,000 California middle-school students who are struggling in math will give up the carefree, endless days of summer for algebra. Voluntarily.

A free math camp called Elevate [Math], funded by the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, aims to give an academic boost to kids who are performing just below average – but not failing – in middle-school math. More than 30 school districts, including San Francisco Unified and Oakland Unified, and charter organizations in Northern and Central California will be participating. Next year Elevate plans to expand to Southern California.

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Two-day Event Draws More Than 1,000 Guests To Support SVEF Programs

May 25, 2017

Santa Cruz, CA. – The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation’s third annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction on May 20 & 21 raised over $1,000,000 and drew more than 1,000 guests to Runnymede Farm in Woodside, California. Proceeds benefited the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate [Math] and STEM Leadership Institute programs.

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BOSTON, MA (PRWEB) May 26, 2017

Renowned digital designer and maker Adam Savage’s website, Tested.com, debuts videos shot at two innovative spaces in the California Bay Area; a high school fab lab and a children’s hospital makerspace. The Fab Foundation and Chevron sponsored the recent visits.

The visits are part of a national tour that celebrates the impact of digital fabrication and making in education and youth development, business and entrepreneurship, and invention. They feature interactive demonstrations from participants at labs, which reflect diversity in people and place.

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By Betty Taylor   May 24, 2017

With a winning combination of 150 premium wines and an exclusive outdoor art venue, people showed up to “sip, sample and bid” in the beautiful outdoors for the 2017 Silicon Valley Wine Auction on May 20-21, despite summer-like temperatures approaching 90 degrees. Produced by the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association (SCMWA), and held at Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside, California, the third annual event featured top winemakers and wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was one for the record books; drawing 1,000 total attendees and raising $1 million to benefit the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Elevate (Math) and STEM Leadership Institute programs.

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By Kathleen Chaykowski    June 13, 2017

Every morning before Cindy Price starts teaching her first graders in New Castle, Delaware, she fires up ClassDojo , a classroom management app. She checks parent messages, finds out whether any students will be out sick and reads school news. When a child shows a trait like “amazing thinking” or “great listening,” she adds a point to the student’s avatar–a personalized cartoonish monster–generating a bright ping! that makes classmates perk up.

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May 19, 2017

The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Education Foundation are teaming up again for the third annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction, a benefit for the foundation’s STEM programs.

A Saturday dinner is sold out, but tickets are available for the tasting and auction on Sunday at Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside.

Tickets are $145 for the VIP grand tasting, which begins at noon and includes a docent-curated tour of the larger-than-life contemporary sculptures throughout the property.

Tickets are $95 for the general admission Grand Wine Tasting, which begins at 1 p.m. All wine tasting continues until 4 p.m.

Tickets are available at siliconvalleywineauction.org.

By Sal Pizarro  | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | May 13, 2017

San Jose State’s new president points to mother as inspiration

It’s no stretch to say that we’re all influenced to some degree by our mothers. And it doesn’t change even if you’re Mary Papazian, San Jose State’s new president, who in her inaugural address to the campus remembered her mother, Marilyn AltoonArshagouni, as an inspiration.

BENEFITS WITH FRIENDS: 

Meanwhile, wine lovers will be taking a sip for education next weekend at the third annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction and Grand Tasting, presented by the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association. After being held at Levi’s Stadium for the past two years, the event moves to the rolling hills of Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside.

The Wine Auction Dinner on May 20 is sold out, but tickets are still available for the Taste of the Mountains Grand Tasting on May 21, featuring premium wines from more than 50 winemakers and growers and a silent auction. Tickets are $145 for the VIP tasting, which begins at noon and includes a docent-led tour of the sculptures, and $95 for the general admission tasting at 1 p.m. Get tickets at www.siliconvalleywineauction.org.

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Does Tech Support Personalized Learning – or Distract Us From What’s Really Important?

By Mary Jo Madda   [May 9, 2017]

“Personalized learning” is a term that is no stranger to interpretation—even to the point that writers have started to argue about whether it’s worth defining or not (just check out here and here.) But no matter how a school or district defines it, is it worth including technology in that definition—or does edtech merely distract educators from understanding and delivering on what students really need?

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By Muhammed Chaudhry and Jon R. Gundry    [March 20, 2017]

Can a four-year-old master fractions, or even learn algebra, in pre-school?

Not quite, but data from the National Research Council show the earlier children are exposed to any kind of focused math learning – even as early as preschool – the better academic success they’ll have later.

Investing in early math skills can help increase the number of students who pursue math and engineering – the STEM fields – and will eventually fill the pipeline of engineers badly needed by Silicon Valley’s tech industry.

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By Wyatt Kash    [March 10, 2017]

Education experts at SXSWedu see promise in the abundance of personalized learning tools — and pitfalls in the shortage of planning

Technology has put personalized learning within reach of a growing number of classrooms across the United States. But educators and school administrators still aren’t giving enough thought to the infrastructure, policies and training that make those tools effective, a group of edtech experts said at the SXSWedu conference, which wrapped up in Austin, Texas, this week.

“Schools don’t think enough about the plumbing,” said tech entrepreneur, Muhammed Chaudhry, CEO of the nonprofit Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation. “They tend to focus too much on cool devices and superstar teachers” without fully addressing the larger, holistic picture to support personalized learning.

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By Jenny Lui   [Feb. 10]

Link 

Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation Spearheaded Effort to Speed Purchasing, Address Data-Privacy Concerns   

By Michele Molnar,  Associate Editor  [March 1, 2017]

Could all of a district’s requirements for an ed-tech contract be covered in one document that is used over and over again?

That’s the premise behind the new Unified Contract for Digital Educational Software, which is the result of a collaboration between the nonprofit Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and several local education agencies. Read more…

Spence Diamonds opens its first California boutique at Santana Row with a reception to benefit the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

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By Sal Pizarro   | spizarro@bayareanewsgroup.com | Jan. 6, 2017

San Jose Library Director Jill Bourne is the rock star of the library world.

Library Journal has selected Bourne as the 2017 Librarian of the Year, an honor given to those who have transformed their library and community. You can certainly give Bourne credit for helping to revitalize the 23-branch San Jose library system since she arrived in 2013, but the award is one she never dreamed she would receive.

EDUCATED SIPS: The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation will be the beneficiary of the Santana Row Wine Stroll on Jan. 25, which will feature Santa Cruz Mountains vintners pouring at various shops in the swanky San Jose shopping center. Tickets, which are $40 per person, can be purchased at the 6 p.m. event at the Santana Row Concierge, or online at https://svefoundation.org/wine-stroll.

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By Muhammed Chaudhry, President & CEO, Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation | Dec. 18, 2016

More than ever in today’s classrooms, digital tools are redefining how students learn and how teachers deliver instruction.

Whether it’s through games, online textbooks, animation or videos, digital learning has become an essential part of today’s education experience. It’s especially vital in preparing our students to qualify not only for today’s technologically advanced jobs but for future jobs that have not yet been created.

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By Anne Gelhaus

Dec. 9, 2016

It seems like a no-brainer that computer science would be part of the STEM curriculum, since it encompasses science, technology, engineering and math. But according to a panel of educators, computer science has only recently come under the STEM umbrella.

“Computer science was just added to the STEM definition last year,” Mo-Yun Lei Fong, Google’s director of K-12 education outreach, told those at a Dec. 7 STEM Education Leadership Summit at the Silicon Valley Capital Club.

Fong and fellow panelist Muhammed Chaudhry, CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, agreed that tinkering skills are especially helpful in computer science careers. Chaudhry cited Lego robotics competitions as one way for students to hone these skills.

“As a nation we’ve stopped tinkering. Something about that helps with our computational thinking,” said Chaudhry, adding that students need to know how to “take things apart and put them back together.”

The summit was sponsored by the Silicon Valley Business Journal to address whether Silicon Valley’s STEM education curricula are meeting the needs of the workforce.

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By Sonya Herrera, contributor

Dec. 7, 2016

When asked what needs to be done to improve STEM education in Silicon Valley, Muhammed Chaudhry replied, “I think of two Silicon Valleys.”

Chaudhry, president and CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, explained his answer. “There’s the Silicon Valley up (Highway) 280, where you can find all the riches in the world,” Chaudhry said. “And then there’s the Silicon Valley up (Highway) 101, and it looks like anywhere else in the world where the needs are so high, where 30 computers watching a video will crash a school’s wireless infrastructure, where you will have students coming to school hungry.”

The Silicon Valley Business Journal’s STEM Education Leadership Summit was held Wednesday morning at the Capital Club in downtown San Jose. The panel discussion examined the economic impact of STEM programs and asked what steps need to be taken in order to improve access to STEM education and careers.

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By Theresa Harrington

Dec. 6, 2016

U.S. students declined in average math scores in the latest round of international testing, ranking below 36 countries or educational systems out of more than 70 that participated.  U.S. students showed no signs of improvement in science and reading.

According to results released Tuesday, the top-performing country in all three subjects was Singapore.

One of the issues just may become the Common Core standards, which President-elect Donald Trump has called a “total disaster” and has vowed to kill. However, the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, gives states control over their own standards and prevents the federal government from dictating what should or should not be taught.

Muhammed Chaudhry, president and CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, said he believes schools across the country need to “stay the course” in implementing Common Core standards in math and English language arts for U.S. students to compete globally. He said the results do not accurately reflect the impact of the new, more rigorous standards since they are still not fully implemented.

“It’s going to take time for us to come up to speed,” he said, adding that Next Generation Science Standards are also being implemented in some states such as California, but have not been adopted in all states across the country.

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By John Fensterwald

Dec. 5, 2016

When they check their email today, every elementary school in California will find a tool to bring families together for a fun introduction to computer coding.

Through a corporate grant, more than 6,000 principals in the state will receive a free digital kit today from MV GATE, a small Mill Valley nonprofit, enabling them to easily organize and stage “Family Code Night.” The program uses coding puzzles developed by Code.org, a national evangelist for computer education in schools.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy cited the project, which will also distribute the kits to schools in Chicago and across the country, among new initiatives it announced Monday to kick off Computer Science Education Week.

Proponents say understanding the fundamentals of computing is becoming a requisite part of a student’s core knowledge and a key to career opportunities beyond programming and computer science. At a recent computer science forum sponsored by the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, Kaustav Mitra, vice president of Innovation Ecosystems at the Infosys Foundation, drove home that point. “We’re not teaching computer science to create programmers, just as we don’t teach English to produce more novelists.”

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By Sharon Noguchi  | snoguchi@bayareanewsgroup.com

November 29, 2016

U.S. students made modest gains in math and science but still lag significantly behind the top tier of East Asian countries, according to international test scores released Tuesday.

On tests administered last fall, students in Singapore outscored other countries in both science and math. Clustered toward the top in math, near Singapore’s 618 points for fourth-graders and 621 points for eighth-graders, were South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan, and in science also the Russian Federation and Slovenia.

In math, U.S. fourth-graders scored 539 on the 1-to-1,000-point test scale, clustered with students in Kazakhstan, Portugal and Denmark. U.S. eighth-graders scored 518 in math, close to Ireland, England and Slovenia. The eighth-grade score represented a 9-point gain over four years ago and a significant 26-point rise over 20 years.

Muhammed Chaudhry, head of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation, said education investment still isn’t where it ought to be. “Basically over last few years, it’s gotten back to pre-recession levels. We haven’t seen growth yet,” said Chaudhry, whose foundation has poured millions into science, technology and math education locally.

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The nation didn’t do what many people expected, but the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation definitely made the right choice in Greene. The founder and former CEO of VMware received her honor Wednesday night in front of more than 550 business and education leaders at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. The 12th annual event raised $1.4 million for the foundation’s STEM programs.

Greene praised the foundation’s work to bring STEM learning to a wide range of students in Silicon Valley. “I do think it underscores just how important education is for underprivileged people,” she said. “I’m super honored to be here.”

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California students no longer rank next-to-last on standardized science tests.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that state fourth-graders rank third to last, and eighth graders fifth to last, just above Hawaii, Alabama, New Mexico and Mississippi.

We may host the cradle of technology and young Golden State geniuses may clean up in prestigious science fairs sponsored by Intel, Synopsys and Google, but scores released Wednesday show that as a whole California students don’t know atoms from alleles.

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By Jessica Guynn, USA Today

Oct. 14, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is giving $1 million to Silicon Valley organizations that serve Latino students and their families as it pushes to increase the diversity of its workforce.

The Internet giant’s philanthropic arm Google.org is making a $750,000 grant to Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation to support its work narrowing the achievement gap and $250,000 to the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley to increase high school and graduation rates for Latino students. Both organizations are working to build career pathways for Latinos into tech companies like Google.

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By Alissa Reyes, Santa Clara Weekly

Sept. 21, 2016

Last week the San Francisco 49ers, in partnership with Chevron, opened the doors of Santa Clara High School’s STEM Leadership Institute (SLI) to its first freshman class.

“It’s really exciting today to be able to finally unveil [the lab] to the public and show off the work that our students have been doing, all teaching staff, and especially all the partners are involved in supporting this,” said SLI teacher and director of the program Jennifer Lee.

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Video Link (Sept. 13, 2016)

SVEF CEO Muhammed Chaudhry interview (English)  Link

SVEF Elevate [Math] Teacher Francisco Lozano interview (Spanish)  Link

Aug. 31, 2016

The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation recently hosted their 5th annual #iHubPitchGamesat Google. Through this home-grown version of an edtech accelerator, they have been iterating on the process of matching rising education startups with local schools to conduct ~3 month pilots, empowering teachers and students to provide direct and meaningful product feedback. In some ways this experience is a natural follow-on to more well established incubator programs, as several of the teams (Sown to Grow, Bird Brain, Peekapak and MathGames) are alumni of ImagineK12.

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June 20, 2016

By Muhammed Chaudhry, CEO, Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation

The tech industry in Silicon Valley has long been disparaged for the lack of minorities in its ranks, especially Latino and African-American workers.  But we can’t lay all the blame for the diversity deficit on tech companies. We have to look at our education system and the impediments some students face in taking basic courses, such as math, that are needed to set them on a path to become tomorrow’s engineers and programmers.

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June 1, 2016

Under the warm sun shining through the San Jose City Hall Rotunda, the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation convened a group of policy makers, educators, and business & community leaders to explore the “#StateOfSTEM: How to Fill Tomorrow’s Jobs.” The forum focused on advancing STEM education, to help our schools catch up to the innovation happening all around us.

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By Sal Pizarro, San Jose Mercury News

Aug. 18, 2016

The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Style of STEM fashion show Wednesday night had a runway filled with movers and shakers — plus one hobbler.

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Guest post by Muhammed Chaudhry, President & CEO, Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation

Aug. 15, 2016

Many schools throughout Silicon Valley have integrated technology into their classrooms, but the digital revolution has also left many behind.

More than ever in today’s classrooms, digital tools are redefining the process of teaching and learning. Whether it’s through games, online textbooks, animation or videos, digital learning has become an essential part of the educational experience.  It is especially vital in preparing our students to become technologically advanced to qualify for the skilled jobs of today and for future jobs that have not yet been created.

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By Muhammed Chaudhry, President, Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation

July 27, 2016

This week I attended what will likely be the last major event President Obama hosts at the White House for the American Muslim community — an Eid celebration to mark the end of the month of Ramadan.

At the 2014 White House Iftar, President Obama graciously recognized the work we’ve done at the non-profit I lead — Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF). In particular, he praised our progress on STEM education and in the opportunities we’ve created for girls and children of color — two severely underrepresented demographics in the American education system.

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By Sal Pizarro / posted  07/23/2016 07:44:51 PM PDT

This is the final week to catch “Vision: An Artist’s Perspective,” a compelling exhibition at Kaleid Gallery in downtown San Jose that showcases the work of female artists.

The show, which closes July 30, includes work from 38 artists from around the country, including Bay Area artists Sara Cole, Diyar Al Jazzi, Lynn Dau, Beth Fein, Yolanda Guerra, Joanna Kao, Mido Lee, Ruth Waters and Corinne Whitaker. All the pieces — whether photographs, paintings, sculpture or mixed-media — convey some aspect of what it means to be a woman in today’s world.

DINNER WITH OBAMA: Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation CEO Muhammed Chaudhry was personally invited by President Barack Obama to join a select group of Muslim American officials, guests and community members at the White House on Thursday night for a Eid al-Fitr dinner to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

While Chaudhry was invited to the same event last year, it still carries tremendous significance. “It continues to reflect the incredible amount of symbolism the White House has,” he said.

Chaudhry got some work done, too. He bent the ear of U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith about education policy and the importance of math and science programs for school kids. Chaudhry says Smith praised the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s math and science intervention programs (Elevate [Math] & Elevate [Science]) as “model programs” for the nation.

The Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation and EdSurge will host a forum on education technology from 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View.

The California Superintendents Tech for Schools Summit will feature more than 30 education technology products for review. Panel discussions will focus on student data privacy, equity of access to technology and teacher professional development.

Panelists will include school administrators, experts and Joseph South, director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Technology. State Superintendent of Schools Tom Torlakson will give the welcome address.

Educators may register for free at bayareane.ws/29Pc98D.

June 27, 2016

EdSurge is offering the California Superintendents Tech for Schools Summit July 26 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. The event brings together superintendents and district teams from throughout California to interact with the most creative edtech entrepreneurs.

“EdSurge events are a great way to discover new ways to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of students, with an emphasis on technology,” said ACSA President-elect Lisa Gonzales. “When small teams attend, they can split up to explore products and discuss how they can better address issues like the implementation of ESSA, student data privacy, equity of access, student collaborative spaces and more.”  Read more …

A little over two years ago, officials from the East Side Union High School District, San Jose State University and the East Side Alliance embarked on an ambitious venture that promises to give students from San Jose’s underserved East Side a better chance at a four-year college experience.

It is called the “Spartan East Side Promise.” What it promises is a better opportunity to East Side district seniors to gain entry to SJSU if they meet certain entrance requirements, which include passing a set of prescribed high school courses and attaining certain SAT or ACT scores. Read more …

San Jose State promises admission for qualified East Side graduates

Congratulations are in order for the San Francisco 49ers organization. The franchise has been named a finalist for ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year award. This marks the second consecutive year they have been named a finalist. The award honors teams that serve communities and make a positive impact on society.

The 49ers have a large number of philanthropic efforts, but the biggest aspect for purposes of this award is their effort to help with youth education. They have a “San Francisco 49ers Academy,” which is a middle school helping underserved students in East Palo Alto. Additionally, they have pushed heavy on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, creating two programs:

1. 49ers STEM Education Program at the 49ers Museum: Annually provides a free day of STEM learning for 60,000+ students through a common core-aligned science of football curriculum
2. 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI): A six-year program that delivers more than 300 hours of supplemental STEM education to 60 students in grades 7-12 each year.  Read more…

Pizarro: Silicon Valley Wine Auction showcases best from Santa Cruz Mountains

M Magazine: Join us for a celebration, wine and philanthropy! Welcome to the 2nd Annual Silicon Valley Wine Auction benefiting the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF). The multifaceted Silicon Valley Wine Auction kicks off with a Saturday grand tasting featuring over 50 vintners and 150 wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains as well as a magnum auction and rare silent auction lots.

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Edible Silicon Valley: Tell us about the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation.

MC: SVEF has been a nonprofit resource and advocate for students and educators across Silicon Valley. SVEF’s programs ensure that all students are college and career ready, with a specific emphasis on STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). Key programs include: SVEF’s flagship Elevate [Math] program, a 19 day summer intervention program getting students back on track in math – a critical gateway course to college readiness; 49ers STEM Leadership Institute a six-year program to inspire students with high academic potential to be future leaders in STEM fields; and Learning Innovation Hub (iHub) that works to increase student achievement by working with schools to assess and implement Education Technology (EdTech) tools into the classroom. SVEF hosts two major fundraising events a year – Pioneers & Purpose Celebration for Education and the Silicon Valley Wine Auction.

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Muhammed Chaudhry: End math misplacement to give minority students a chance at tech careers

Washington Square SJSU Alumni Magazine

Silicon Valley is known for phones, technology, computers and soon—as a result of the work of Muhammed Chaudhry—education innovation. Chaudhry, ’04 Finance, is CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF), which combines programming and resources to “prepare students for the incredible opportunity of Silicon Valley.”

When Chaudhry joined the Franklin-McKinley Education Foundation and predecessor to today’s SVEF 2001, it was housed in a trailer behind a middle school on San Jose’s East Side. Yet he saw beyond the organization’s humble abode. “It had an incredible mission and captured my imagination.” Chaudhry, a lifelong resident of the Bay Area who attended its schools, admits a great love for all San Jose has to offer. He remains less than enthused about the valley’s incredible wealth and poverty, and realized only a new approach to learning could tackle such economic disparity. With time, he found himself “obsessed with the notion of preparing students for college and careers.”

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Pizarro: Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation honors venture capitalist John Doerr

By Nichole Dobo |  July 10, 2015

Summer school might bring to mind the dreary punishment of repeating failed courses.

But a California math program uses the summer break to help students before they fall behind. The innovative summer school experience significantly boosted students’ chances of succeeding in eighth-grade algebra in the fall, according to new research. It’s not enough to ensure they will succeed in algebra – most students were still not completely prepared — but it was better than starting eighth grade in the fall without the intervention.

The 19-day course, known as Elevate [Math], is taught by specially trained, certified teachers who use group projects and online video to enhance lessons. They help students during the summer before they take algebra as eighth graders. Those who fail algebra often don’t catch up.

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Guest Post Written By Muhammed Chaudhry, CEO of the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation [May 8, 2015]

Almost everything we know about education today says that my 3-year-old son will do better than his twin sister in math and science. Years before my twins were born I founded the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation (SVEF) with the belief that schools should implement ongoing programs to help level the academic playing field for all of our kids — fostering new opportunities for girls, for children of lower socio-economic status, and for children of minority racial backgrounds.

By equalizing the ability of these students to succeed, we collectively advance education for all of our kids.

But of all the things we do at SVEF, our flagship program centers on math. For one critical reason: Math is the great equalizer.

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Playing Football isn’t based on strength; Football ​Star: Winning is based on Math, Physics

Reporter Lin Yaxin / San Jose reported 2017 July 12 06:00

NFL’s Corey Lemonier share stories with middle school students about how mathematics, physics and other STEM disciplines help him in his sports career. (Reporter Lin Yaxin / Photography)

“Athletes are often thought to have stress-free careers and are financially established, but sometimes strategic game-planning can take longer than the practices themselves. In the process, you really learn how big of a role mathematics and sciences play.” Former San Francisco 49ers, and current New York Jets outside linebacker, Corey Lemonier, shares with a group of middle school students.

Lemonier was invited by the Alearn Silicon Valley Education Foundation to share his experiences with Elevate [Math] students at Price Middle School emphasizing how important Math, Science and other STEM fields are to an athlete’s career.

He invited the students to come to the front of the class to demonstrate how geometry can be used to predict a player’s line of movement or to determine the ball’s landing position. He also stressed the importance of the body’s angle when playing defense, “Every action or reaction on the playing field is time sensitive. So it requires a lot planning and discussions around strategies because winning isn’t strictly based on physical strength.”

Using his own life experiences as examples, he encouraged students to continue to work hard to strive to reach for their own dreams. He reveals that his parents were the first generation to immigrate from Haiti, “When I was young, our car was full of bullet holes. To put us through school, my parents held at least three jobs. Growing up in such an environment, it is very easy for people to get into trouble.”  He pointed out that many children fooled around and landed themselves in jail or even joined gangs, “But we were surrounded by good groups of people, like yourselves.” He also admitted that he started his football career fairly late: “But as long as you continue to work hard, then success will come”

Jacky Cheng, a student at San Jose State University, and a teacher’s aid in the summer program, agreed that bringing celebrities into the classroom is a great teaching strategy that helps students see Math in a different perspective. “A lot of children may envy the lives of athletes, but if you are able to see all aspects of their lives and the different components that play into their careers, the reality might not be what you had expected. “The life experiences and stories shared by athletes are inspiring and they become role models for our children.”

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