UC Davis, Grant and Del Paso Schools Partner for College Reaching out to students beginning in the fourth grade, the University of California, Davis, Grant Joint Union High and Del Paso Heights Elementary districts today unveiled a partnership to prepare students for a future in higher education. Students from Fairbanks Elementary School who achieve admission to UC Davis through the "Reservation for College" program also will earn the potential reward of a grant to attend the campus. The partnership agreements, formally signed at a celebration today at Sacramento's Robertson Community Center, will guide students -- and their families -- on a path toward college from the fourth grade through to high school graduation, and from the Del Paso to the Grant school districts. "We are hopeful that UC Davis will be able to make an immediate and lasting difference for the children of the Del Paso Heights community, and we are proud that the university will be a partner in guiding them from fourth grade through high school on to college," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. "Our collaboration today with both the Grant and Del Paso districts will provide continuous college preparation to these students as they transfer between districts. UC Davis will remain committed to these students throughout their public school education." Present for the signing ceremony were 70 fourth-graders from Fairbanks Elementary school. If the students complete the nine-year college-preparatory program and achieve admission to the campus, they will receive a grant to help defray their undergraduate costs. This public university commitment is unique to UC Davis and made possible by a $1 million endowment from the university. The agreement will also expand the existing partnership between Grant High School and UC Davis' Early Academic Outreach Program to help more students learn the academic expectations of the University of California and how to enroll. The agreement will increase the coordination between the Grant district and university on college expectations, including tutoring for Grant students, and will provide additional support for teachers and counselors. The students were congratulated today by the chancellor, state Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, Assemblymember Dave Cox, R-Sacramento, Del Paso Superintendent Carl Mack Jr., Grant Interim Superintendent Larry Buchanan, and scores of parents and community members. "We are creating a seamless approach to helping students prepare for college. It will provide a consistent academic focus and support network that is critical to helping our students succeed," said Grant's Buchanan. "Part of my commitment as the interim superintendent of the Grant district is to increase the number of graduates attending college. While this program is aimed at students bound for Martin Luther King Jr. High and Grant High School, we hope to expand the same opportunity to even more of our schools." A total of more than 300 Del Paso Heights fourth-graders will spend more than 20 hours this school year in the Reservation for College program, a curriculum developed by UC Davis and taught by their classroom teachers, to learn why education is important for success in life and the path they need to follow to achieve admission to college. "The partnership is a critical, important project for the children and families of Del Paso Heights, because it provides a pathway to higher education for many who, under normal circumstances, might not go to college," said Del Paso's Mack. "The pathway is built by linking all levels of the educational process -- family, preschool, elementary, middle, high school and the university." Through Reservation for College, Del Paso Heights family members also will meet individually with counselors from UC Davis and sign a commitment to the Reservation for College program. The program relies upon heavy involvement from families. UC Davis staff members have prepared an academic plan for each child that will follow them through high school, and the progress of each child will be monitored as a participant in UC Davis' Early Academic Outreach Program. "The mutual involvement of student, teacher and family -- that in itself is a tracking mechanism," said Shelley Davis, director of Early Academic Outreach, which administers Reservation for College. "All three are working hand-in-hand in this process called college readiness. This reminds the student that college is where they are going, and it keeps students on track." The Del Paso and Grant partnerships expand UC Davis' efforts to support and work closely with teachers, counselors, school administrators and families, and particularly to focus on developing high-achieving schools in communities with historically low college attendance. With state funding assistance and in conjunction with the priorities of the Legislature, the campus is working on similar agreements with districts throughout the region, from San Joaquin to Yuba counties. School/university partnerships are an addition to UC Davis programs that have been working to improve college preparation in the public schools for more than three decades.