0covercover.xhtmlEducation in CaliforniaEducation Gretchen L. H. OBriencover1page0001page0001.xhtml22page0002page0002.xhtml33page0003page0003.xhtml44page0004page0004.xhtmlTable of Contents Education : The Key to Success 4 More and More Schools 6 Higher Education 10 College Competitors 20 A College for Every Student 26 Blog It 28 Glossary 30 Index 31 Your Turn 3255page0005page0005.xhtmlEducation : The Key to Success California is home to the largest school system in the country. A school system includes all grades from kindergarten through college. Millions of students are in schools every day. The state's schools had a simple start. Early settlers felt school was crucial for a strong community. Olive Isbell was one of those people. She opened the first U.S. school in Santa Clara in 1846. This was before California was even a state. Three years later, a delegate named Robert Semple gave a speech. He spoke about the importance of schools. He said that good schools would be the key to the state's success. Many people agreed with him. His speech paved the way for the school system the state has today. Five years after Isbell's school, the state's first colleges opened their doors. Now, the state is home to some of the best colleges in the world.
School and Stories Robert Semple owned a newspaper. He published the first issue of the Californian in 1846. The front of each page was written in English. The back of each page was written in Spanish.66page0006page0006.xhtml Basic Beginnings Isbell's school had 25 students. The students didn't have paper or pencils. The roof leaked when it rained, which made the floor muddy. Isbell used a long stick to carve lessons into the ground. Sometimes, she wrote letters of the alphabet on students' hands with charcoal. In 1847, the first public schoolhouse was built in San Francisco.77page0007page0007.xhtmlMore and More Schools The 1800s were a time of growth for California. Many people moved west hoping to strike it rich. Those settlers wanted a better future for their families. They saw schools as a way to get the lives they wanted. Settlers also pushed for schools to be free. People paid taxes to keep schools free. Today, public schools are still free. From the 1850s to the 1870s, school lasted three months each year. Students received a very basic education. They attended elementary school. If they wanted to go past that, their families had to pay for it. In the early 1850s, the number of people in the state was growing. There was a need for more schools and teachers. The first "normal" school was founded in 1857. Normal schools were schools that taught people how to be teachers. These schools evolved into the college system. Mendez Mendez v. Westminster In the 1940s, Sylvia Mendez wanted to go to school. When she tried to attend a school in Orange County, she was not allowed. The school was for white students only. The Mendez family, along with four other families, fought for change. They went to court and won. In 1947, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled to end segregation of Mexican students in California's schools. It was the first state to do so.88page0008page0008.xhtml Dual Language Dual-language schools teach students in English and a second language at the same time. There are more than 50, 000 students enrolled in these schools in California. Spanish, Mandarin, and Korean are the top three languages taught. The goal is to be able to know and use both languages by the end of fifth grade. The first normal school later became San Jose State University.99page0009page0009.xhtmlMore people came to the state. The school system had to grow as well. Settlers built more elementary schools to keep up. Families paid for their children to go to high school. Soon, more high schools were built. Students wanted to keep going to school beyond high school. Colleges filled that need. Minn's Evening Normal School opened in the mid-1800s. When it was first built, it was a private normal school for teachers. In 1862, it became a state public school. A new building was needed at this time. San Jose was selected for its new site. It was renamed San Jose State University. This was the first campus of what would become the new California State University (CSU) system. In 1868, the first University of California (UC) campus opened in Oakland. Classes began the next year. When it opened, the school had only 40 students. It later became UC Berkeley. Today, it is ranked as one of the best universities in the country.
Berkeley's Very Own Steve Wozniak was a student at UC Berkeley. Through a friend, he met a man named Steve Jobs. The two Steves shared a love of technology and became good friends. In 1976, they started a computer company. After going back and forth for a while, they picked a name for their business Apple .1010page0010page0010.xhtmlThe The Stanford Family Private colleges began opening in the mid-1800s. One of the most well-known in the state is Stanford University. Leland and Jane Stanford built the school to honor their only son who had died. They said, "The children of California shall be our children. " Stanford Memorial Church South Hall was built in 1873 and is the oldest building on the UC Berkeley campus.1111page0011page0011.xhtmlHigher Education The state's higher education system grew out of need. Any schooling after high school is called higher education. Students are not required to go to college. But if someone chooses to go in California, he or she has many choices. California has hundreds of college campuses. With so many choices, it is important to know about each one. There are three main types of colleges in California. The first is community college. Students usually go to these schools for two years. The second type is the state college system. It is made up of the CSU and UC campuses. The third is private college. Students typically go to state and private schools for four years. Thousands of students and faculty protest higher tuition rates at UC Berkeley.
Paying to Learn Tuition is what people pay to go to college. California residents did not used to pay tuition at state schools. Instead, they paid small fees to cover the costs of housing, health services, and other programs. Over the years, the fees kept going up. Today, most students pay tuition at state schools.1212page0012page0012.xhtmlWhat's the Difference? After high school, students can continue going to school. Colleges are where students can earn their associate's or bachelor's degrees. Students at universities can earn those degrees, too. Plus, they can earn their master's degrees or doctorates. People tend to use the word college for all these schools. Community College associate's degree College associate's degree bachelor's degree University associate's degree bachelor's degree master's degree doctorate1313page0013page0013.xhtml
Ways to Pay A college education can be costly when you add tuition and other things, such as housing, food, and books. Some students need help paying for these costs. Many types of financial aid are available to help students afford college. They can apply for grants, loans, and scholarships. Federal and state governments provide a lot of financial aid to students. Colleges and other foundations provide help, too. A professor at a community college shows how to use a microscope.1414page0014page0014.xhtmlCommunity College There are 113 community colleges in the state. That is more than any other state in the country. Each year, more than two million students go to community colleges in the state. These schools are a great choice. Some students are not sure what they want to study. They go to community colleges to figure out what they want to learn. Others know what they want to do. They usually attend community colleges for two years. They earn licenses or associate's degrees in nursing or other fields. Some students study at community colleges for two or three years. Then, they transfer to state or private colleges. Their time at community colleges helps them save money. One out of three UC graduates started at a community college in the state. Half of CSU graduates started there, too. For many students, this is a great way to get a college education.
