|
Vallejo, CA – Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 11:00am
- Academic Advisor Jeff Katz was joined by television and
big screen star Keke Palmer, who served as Mare Island
Technology Academy’s “Celebrity
Principal for the Day,” to
surprise students at Mare Island Technology Academy who
participated in the statewide Mission:
Admission Challenge .
Get Schooled, USC, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)
was also present to recognize the school’s victory in a
state-wide Challenge that encouraged use of role-playing
video games (RPG) and social media tools to improve high
school juniors’ familiarity with college admissions and
financial aid applications. At the event, Keke shared
her journey of how she became a successful singer,
songwriter and actress, and the importance of education,
afterward Keke answered questions in a brief Q&A from
students. Mare Island Technology Academy received a $500
grant in conjunction with its win. In a promise to the
students for winning the Mission: Admission Challenge
Academic Advisor Jeff Katz had his head shaved by Keke
Palmer to symbolize their achievement of the challenge.
“I loved school as a
kid, I am innately curious and learning has been so crucial
to my success. The value of a good education was instilled
in me at a very young age,” said actress and singer Keke
Palmer. “I am so excited to be here today to recognize Mare
Island students and staff.”
The Mission:
Admission Challenge included
60 California high schools this spring, engaging more than
7,000 juniors across the state. The unique Challenge was
funded by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the
national First
in the World grant, led
by the University of Southern California’s (USC) Pullias
Center for Higher Education: partners in the project include
the Get Schooled Foundation, USC's Game Innovation Lab, and
the California Student Aid Commission.
The Mission:
Admission Challenge
is part of a three-year study intended to measure the impact
that role-playing video games (RPG) and social media tools
can have on college and financial aid awareness and
applications among low-income students. During this spring,
the first year of the project, the initiative focused
primarily on junior college awareness. Throughout the
Challenge, juniors were invited to engage with a wide range
of online activities including playing the Mission:
Admission college
access game. More than 70% of juniors in 60 participating
schools, representing 27 school districts were active in
playing Mission:
Admission.
“We know that students who have played ‘Mission:
Admission’ are
more knowledgeable about applying for college,” said
Professor Zoe Corwin, co-director of the project. “Prior
research shows the game has positively affected student’s
college-going efficacy and college knowledge. This research
project allows us to assess the effects of the game on
actual college outcomes.” Corwin and her team will be
tracking the outcomes of the Mission:
Admission Challenge
over the next three years to determine the overall impact of
the game on successful college enrollment.
Lupita Cortez Alcalá, executive director of California
Student Aid Commission supports the project's focus on
improving access to college using innovative tools. “The
Commission offers $2 billion in Cal Grants for low-income
and first-generation students to attend California colleges
and universities and $116 million in Middle Class
Scholarships. She added. “With this financial support,
students should be better able to focus on academic
achievement.”
About the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the USC
Rossier
School of Education
The Pullias
Center for Higher Education is
one of the world’s leading research centers on higher
education, focusing on research, policy and practice to
improve the field. Its goal is to improve the productivity
and effectiveness in the postsecondary sector through
innovation, partnerships, entrepreneurship and quality
assurance. It also strives to increase access to college for
low-income and underrepresented youth through
college-readiness, enhanced technology, and illuminating
effective financial aid policies. The mission of the USC
Rossier School of Education is
to improve learning in urban education locally, nationally
and globally. The school supports the most forward-thinking
scholars and researchers, whose work is having direct impact
on student success in K-12 schools and higher education. USC
Rossier is a leader in using cutting-edge technology to
scale up its quality programs for maximum impact.
About Get Schooled
Get Schooled was founded five years ago through a
partnership with Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. Get Schooled's mission is to empower and engage
young people and to give them the tools and inspiration to
get the education they need to succeed by using a digital
platform, gamification and a recipe of ‘sizzle and
substance’ to inspire and engage students. To date, Get
Schooled has reached more than five million young people
attending close to 11,000 middle and high schools throughout
the
United States.
About the California
Student Aid Commission
The Commission is the principal
state agency responsible for administering financial aid
programs for students attending public and private
universities, colleges, and vocational schools in
California. The Commission’s central mission is to make
education beyond high school financially accessible to all
Californians. The Commission also provides financial
aid policy analysis and leadership, in partnership with
California's colleges, universities, financial institutions,
and financial aid associations. The California Student Aid
Commission consists of 15 appointed members. Eleven of the
commissioners are appointed by the Governor, the President
Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly
each appoint two members. The commission members represent
students, segments of the State's higher education
community, and the general public.
About USC's Game
Innovation Lab
The team that developed the Mission:
Admission game
comes from the University of Southern California’s Game
Innovation Lab—a research space and think tank with a
mission to stretch the boundaries of how we think about and
use games in society. The Game Innovation Lab is led by
Tracy Fullerton and is housed within the Interactive Media &
Games Division in USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. The lab
has a strong history of collaboration with
cross-disciplinary experts in many fields, including
education and technology. Several games emerging from the
Game Innovation Lab have achieved international success,
making it a hub for games culture in Los Angeles.
|