CCAG-CCREE for Immediate Release
From the SJSU Center for Collaborative Research Excellence in Education (CCREE)

San Jose State University selected as CSU Regional Hub for Northern California to support the educational needs of Youth in Foster Care (FY) and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (HY) in California.

Faculty from the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University have launched a major research and training initiative to address the educational needs of California’s Youth in Foster Care (FY) and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (HY) with the Center for Collaborative Research Excellence in Education (CCREE).  

Funded by an initial $300,000 sub-award from Center for Closing the Achievement Gaps, a project sponsored by the CSU Chancellor’s Office and administered by CSU Long Beach, CCREE will be the CSU Regional Hub for Northern California. 

Dr. Brent Duckor, Principal Investigator and Director, says the vision of the Center is to build K-12 capacity through the development of comprehensive educational curricula in higher education that infuses and elevates our commitment to students in foster care and youth experiencing homelessness.

Focusing on the robust CSU credential and certification programs, including Teacher, School Counselor, Social Work, Administrative, and Educational Leadership pathways in addition to our Doctoral Programs, the Center brings fresh thinking and much needed energy to the work of serving these often underserved youth, says Dr. Lorri Capizzi, Co-Director and Co-Principal Investigator on the project, who has worked closely with Alum Rock Unified School District in San Jose for the last three years building ties and supports for LEAs. 

A “‘serve the servers, train the trainers, support the future leaders’ model will be utilized as the approach to this work going forward” say Duckor and Capizzi, “Covid-19, rising unemployment and the rolling back of services made us all realize that we can no longer afford to act as if these children’s needs are just one of many. We in the SJSU family and others in the CSU system need to advocate for these kids through our scholarship and practice-based research.”

“We are the pipeline to the current and next generation of leaders who are looking for new, innovative ways to serve youth in foster care and youth experiencing homelessness in extraordinary times” says Dr. Capizzi, a newly appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Counselor Education. Working in collaboration with Dr. Emily Bruce, Associate Professor at SJSU’s School of Social Work, the Center will tap resources and expertise on campus and across the CSU system.

Working with a distinguished Advisory Board, including Dr. Michael Kirst, former President of the California Board of Education, Glen Price, former Chief Deputy, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, CDE, and Shamica Gaskins Esq., Children’s Defense Fund, the CCREE team will place a much needed focus on the children who are the most vulnerable in the State systems of support and now more than ever need CSU faculty to engage in their elevation and care. 

The mission of CCREE is to engage in “building a pipeline of support” to aid LEAs and will:

• Identify current practices from the literature related to closing the achievement/opportunity gaps for higher education providers;
• Engage in capacity development for educator preparation so that teachers, school counselors, leaders and other school personnel who enter schools are prepared to close achievement gaps;
• Engage in research in schools to further evidence-based practices for closing the achievement/opportunity gaps by examining higher performing, high poverty schools; 
• Develop and disseminate resources to local education agencies to close the achievement/opportunity gaps.

In its 2020/2021 launch year, CCREE will be reviewing current practices with in-house faculty experts across campus to better support instructional, assessment, and evaluation of a wide range of indicators for Foster and Homeless Youth success. They are seeking to further engage in local capacity building through the design and implementation of curriculum modules, syllabi and resources. Please contact them at brent.duckor@sjsu and lorri.capizzi@sjsu.edu to learn more.