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California State University, San Bernardino, has the most diverse population in college students and graduates, San Bernardino middle schools have the lowest ratings in California. On a scale 1 to 10, (10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest) all of the middle schools in San Bernardino scored a 2 and below in the Academic Performance Index (API). Teachers, faculty and staff at these eight middle schools are aware of their low performance and are working hard to solve the problem, but they cannot do it alone!
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We are putting together a student-led event at CSUSB called "Going the Distance", to show middle school kids and their parents that college is an obtainable goal for everyone. The event will be attended by financial aid, campus organizations, admissions, and athletics as well as prominent San Bernardino County government officials.
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San Bernardino County accounts for nearly 9,000 six, seventh and eighth graders and many of them are not getting the information needed to begin preparing for college.
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Statistics indicate that only 34 % of parents of middle school students in San Bernardino are high school graduates and only 15 % are college graduates.
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The 2000 census indicates that the per capita income of San Bernardino is $12, 925 compared to $21, 587 nationally. This level of poverty adds to the challenges that parents and middle school students face.
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We believe as a class, the only way to increase the per capita income of San Bernardino is to increase the city’s level of education. Events like "Going the Distance" are the first steps that we need to take in order to educate San Bernardino as a city.