Tagged: education

Campuses have played host to several protests throughout the year, with students outraged over steep rising costs. University officials approved tuition increases of eight to sixteen percent per year for four years. It’s a continuing trend – tuition has risen by more than 300 percent over the last decade, largely the consequence of drops in state funding.

At 8 o’clock on a Tuesday morning, about 400 students stand at attention. They’re outside the Fruitvale Oakland elementary school, Learning Without Limits (LWL). They recite the following vision statement, as they do every day upon arrival: “We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us as we grow into leaders who are passionate and care about making our world better. We are equipped with skills and knowledge, filled with curiosity and we know that even when we face challenges, we will achieve!”

The Visitacion Valley Middle School is located in the southern part of San Francisco – one of the poorest residential areas of the city. It's recess and kids are outside playing the typical sports: football, basketball. But at this school, there's also golf.

Tony Anderson, Visitacion Valley's site director, works with 20 to 30 kids every day at the schools practice range. One is a 13-year-old named Faletui Manu. “Manu is one of our students who's been with us. He's just walked up to practice on his little chip here,” says Anderson, before congratulating Manu on a nice shot.