MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 - OCTOBER 27, 2014
riversideindependent.com
VOLUME 1, NO. 25
Tacos and unity poems to end violence California mark end of laureate tenure only state to by Vickie Vértiz see progress covering uninsured children
in public education and positively impact student success. RCOE and the 23rd District PTA were previously recognized by NNPS in 2012 with a Partnership Organization Award for the Parent and Family Engagement Summit.
Alex Johnson, Executive Director of the Children’s Defense Fund - California, released the following statement on the U.S. Census Bureau’s State Health Insurance Coverage Estimates: “Today’s health insurance numbers show more than a 6 percent drop in the number of uninsured children in California between 2012 and 2013 – which means 56,884 more children now have health coverage. Significant progress increasing the number of covered children nationwide has decreased the number of uninsured children to historic lows. These gains are mostly due to the strong coverage guarantees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which last year provided comprehensive health and mental health coverage to more than 44 million children across the country, and more than half of California’s children. “Since 2011, CDF-CA in partnership with AASA, the School Superintendent’s Association in California has increased the capacity of school districts to identify uninsured children and link them to health coverage. California was the only state in the country to see a statistically significant decrease in the number of uninsured children in 2013. “However, even as we celebrate progress in providing children a healthy start, CHIP faces a very real threat. If Congress doesn’t take action, there will be
Please see page 4
Please see page 2
Juan Felipe Herrera - Phot by Beowulf Sheehan/PEN American Center
At UC Riverside on Thursday, October 9, on a warm, but not scorching afternoon, Professor Juan Felipe Herrera celebrated the end of his tenure as California Poet Laureate with free tacos, hands-on writing activities, and readings from the 170-page unity poem by
students from Bethune Elementary School in Moreno Valley and other community members. UCR Today reported that UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox and Dean Stephen Cullenberg of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences praised Professor
Herrera and his work across the state and at the college. Chair of the Department of Creative Writing, Andrew Winer welcomed Herrera who shared many thank yous to students, writers, and comPlease see page 2
County Office of Education earns national award for school, family, and community partnerships Riverside County Office of Education’s (RCOE) collaboration with the 23rd District Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to increase parent involvement in schools and student achievement has earned a 2014 Partnership Organization Award from the National Network of Partnership
Schools (NNPS) at Johns Hopkins University. RCOE and the PTA created the Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative (PELI), which focuses efforts of both organizations on training and supporting parents, families, educators, and community members to become involved