UCSB Implements the Kinko's Effective Schools Initiative

Five thousand students in the Oxnard Elementary School District will receive academic support and assistance through Kinko's Effective Schools Initiative, an educational reform program being implemented by the California Center for Effective Schools (CCES) at UC Santa Barbara's Gevirtz Research Center in the Graduate School of Education.

Implementation of the program follows a $250,000 gift last year from Kinko's Inc. and its Founder and Chairperson Emeritus, Paul Orfalea.

The program is based on the research and practice of the National Center for Effective Schools.

The Gevirtz Research Center at UCSB established the CCES to advance student achievement throughout California.

The Center's initial project involves a partnership with seven schools in the Oxnard Elementary School District, which serves predominantly Latino students, the majority of whom have limited English fluency.

Dr. Janet Chrispeels, Principal Investigator, and Dr. Janis Cox Millet, Director of the Oxnard Initiative, will lead the CCES. The CCES supports districts and schools with resources, ideas, models, planning assistance, material preparation, evaluation and research.

The Effective Schools Process in the Oxnard Elementary School District will continue for three to five years. It will begin with experts gathering and analyzing district and school data to identify the strengths, needs, goals, priorities and resources that will guide the entire process. The process will continue with the development of a District Leadership Team; development of curriculum maps and performance indicators for the math and language arts curricula in alignment with state curriculum content standards; team meetings at which teachers and UCSB consultants share strategies for teaching, developing unit plans and reviewing student work; training and support for the leadership team; a national Fellows Program for principals; and the development of a data management system that will allow administrators and teachers to collect and analyze data from a variety of sources.

With Kinko's Effective School Initiative, Orfalea is taking a lead in enhancing the education of California's students and to reduce the financial burden on public education institutions. In the past four years Kinko's and Orfalea have contributed more than $2 million in goods and services.

Kinko's is the world's leading provider of visual communications services, document creation, and copying. Its global network of over 1,000 digitally connected locations offers 24-hour access to technology for color printing, finishing and presentation services, Internet access, videoconferencing and web-based on-demand printing and document management solutions. Named for the second-consecutive year as one of Fortune's 100 best companies to work for in America, it is a privately held corporation, with more than 25,000 co-workers, and locations in nine countries. Kinko's is headquartered in Ventura, Calif.