Beacon Education Network

	NEWS & EVENTS

Recent News:

Awarded a California Public Charter School Start-Up Grant worth $600,000 from the CA Department of Education.
Secured a pro bono case team from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to assist us in navigating some of the data-rich, quantitative considerations prior to school start.
Completed a series of focus groups at La Manzana Community Resources in downtown Watsonville, discussing various elements of Ceiba College Prep's mission, vision and offerings in order to respond to the needs and concerns of parents.
Hired our BEN Corps team, consisting of eight recent college graduates from the most elite colleges and universities nationwide. Our Corps members possess extensive tutoring and mentoring experience with under-served youth, and were chosen from a pool of over 60 applicants hailing from more than 35 schools. Bios coming soon!
We are conducting a national campaign for teachers and a school leader that has resulted in an impressive candidate pool from which to choose Ceiba's founding team. If you're interested in joining our efforts to close the achievement gap, please visit the 'Employment' section of our site.
Student enrollment packets for Ceiba College Prep are now available in both English and Spanish. Please contact Luz Macias for more information.
Beacon is currently negotationing for a school site in Watsonville, CA. Stayed tuned for a confirmed location for Ceiba College Prep!

Prior Accomplishments:

Charter approval by Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
Raised $150,000 in seed capital for concept design from July ’06 – June ’07.
Secured $1,000,000 matching grant.
Organized series of community meetings around improving public education in the Santa Cruz community.
Strong relationships both with local decision makers & with leaders of national education reform organizations.
Developing nationally recognized advisory board.

Articles about BEN:


	WE BELIEVE that a network of small, high-quality, college-preparatory charter schools can expand opportunities for families and improve achievement for all students. That school choice in general, and charter schools in particular, are vital to catalyzing improvement in public education. And finally, only by realigning our collective vision on

student outcomes can we effect real change in our schools.