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Fresno Education: Nurturing the Mind’s of Tomorrow’s Leaders

The city of Fresno and its Department of Education recognizes the fact that today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. According to Larry L. Powell, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, “We are committed to insuring that each of our students receives a quality education that will prepare them for a dynamic and successful future.”

Education opportunities in Fresno are abundant. The area offers quality public school systems, excellent private schools, vocational and technical training programs, and access to some of the finest colleges and universities in the nation. For the majority of children in Fresno, education begins with one of three excellent public school systems.

THE FRESNO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT (FUSD), California’s fourth largest school district, does an excellent job of meeting the academic needs of more than 81,000 students through 61 elementary schools, 19 middle schools and eight high schools. This diverse school district, where 74 different languages have been represented, also provides an abundance of extracurricular activities. Continuing education for more than 25,000 adults is also available.

One of the district’s schools, Bullard TALENT, is a magnet school for students from kindergarten through grade 12 that teaches the FUSD core curriculum with an emphasis on the visual and performing arts. This unique program was one of the factors for the school’s two awards as a California Distinguished School, selection as a National Blue Ribbon School, and its recognition by the California Alliance of the Arts for excellence in arts education.

More than 80 FUSD school sites offer comprehensive after-school programs that are funded through various sources, and include academic enrichment opportunities, homework assistance and physical activity.

THE CENTRAL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT is the third largest school district in Fresno County. The district serves approximately 13,000 students through four pre-schools, 12 elementary schools, two middle schools, two high school campuses and one adult school.

Two of the district’s schools, Liddell and Madison Elementary, were named 2004 California Distinguished Schools through a state program that identifies and honors some of the state’s most exemplary and inspiring public schools.

Forty-two percent of CLOVIS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S (CUSD) 37,000 students live in the city of Fresno. The district remains committed to three organizational aims: maximizing student achievement, ensuring a safe and positive learning environment where character counts, and operating with increased efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, CUSD maintains its mission to be a quality educational system that provides the opportunity for all students to reach their potential in mind, body and spirit. Schools and their staffs work closely to create enrichment programs that act as extensions of the students’ educational experiences. CUSD students and schools have been the recipients of numerous local, state, national and international awards in academics and athletics, as well as having received No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools awards, State Distinguished Schools awards and Title I Academic Achievement awards.

Students and their families can also take advantage of the outstanding education offered through the numerous private and parochial schools in the community.

THE FRESNO CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS teach students who represent more than 100 churches — the majority of students attend one of the seven sponsoring churches (Bethany Mennonite Brethren, Butler Mennonite Brethren, Fresno Christian Reformed, Fresno Evangelical Free Church, Northeast Assembly of God, The People’s Church and Valley Christian Center). The Fresno Christian Schools system serves students from kindergarten through grade 12, and has received national recognition for its spirit of cooperation between different denominations.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS include Our Lady of Victory, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Helen, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (all of which serve students through eighth grade) and San Joaquin Memorial (grades nine through 12). Other private and charter schools include the Fresno Adventist Academy, Emmanuel Learning Center, the Pilgrim Way Christian Academy and the West Fresno Performing Arts Academy.

Those who wish to continue their education are fortunate to have an abundance of excellent institutions close to home.

FRESNO CITY COLLEGE is California’s first community college is considered a comprehensive learning community that provides a vast array of supportive services to assist its students in achieving their educational goals. The school, which offers a wide range of educational programs that award degrees and certificates, is dedicated to working collaboratively with the community to enhance the economic and social development of the region.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO is the largest institution of higher learning in California’s Central Valley. Our exciting programs, projects and partnerships reach from the campus into the entire region. This is a university where knowledge, innovation and leadership intersect. This is a place where energy and excellence thrive, and where your promising future can begin. Fresno State is a stimulating center of intellectual and cultural activity, dedicated to academic excellence, integrity, and freedom with more than 22,000 students. We offer challenging and innovative programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in the professions, in applied fields, and in special and interdisciplinary areas.

THE CRAIG SCHOOL OF BUSINESS at California State University, Fresno has been named by The Princeton Review as one of the top 290 business schools in the nation for 2008, the Craig School of Business is one of the elite eight percent of business schools worldwide to achieve accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, International. The Craig School at Fresno State prepares students for careers in the regional, national and global business environments. Undergraduate students receive a degree in Business Administration with options in Accountancy, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Human Resource Management, Information Systems, International Business, Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies, Management, Marketing and Real Estate and Land Urban Economics. Graduate students can choose from the Masters of Business Administration, Executive MBA or Masters of Science in Accountancy. For more information, visit www.craig.csufresno.edu.

SAN JOAQUIN COLLEGE OF LAW was founded in 1969 to provide quality legal education to individuals to become effective legal practitioners, and the nation’s most successful and community minded attorneys. Sound legal education that is a combination of theoretical and substantive knowledge with practical skills is the cornerstone of its curriculum. The law school is housed in the historic Clovis High School building on 5th Street in Old Town Clovis.

ALLIANT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, located across from Fresno Yosemite International Airport, offers educational programs of the California School of Professional Psychology, the Center for Forensic Studies (which includes both masters and doctoral programs in forensic psychology), the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management, and the Graduate School of Education. The university also boasts of the exceptional Kauffman Library that has been carefully planned to meet the special curricular and research needs of its students.

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY is the second-largest, accredited, private, nonprofit institution of higher learning in California, and has been serving Fresno area residents since 1971. NU is made up of five schools and one college: the Schools of Business and Management, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health and Human Services, and Media and Communications, and the College of Letters and Sciences. In each area, students are guaranteed a quality and diverse education that will equip them with the skills needed to become an important member of one’s community.

THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC., with four convenient locations, provides high quality, career-focused education in a select catalog of programs, including human resources, allied health, computer technology, heating ventilation and air conditioning, computerized office, computerized accounting, web and graphic design and culinary arts. In as little as eight months, students can be propelled into the exciting field for which IT has well prepared them.

FRESNO PACIFIC UNIVERSITY offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as certificates and credentials in more than 45 areas to about 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Thousands more educators keep current in their field through short-term professional courses. The importance of values and character springs from the university’s distinct Christian perspective. FPU has been recognized nationally by such publications as U.S. News & World Report, which lists it the top tier among master’s universities. The main campus is located in southeast Fresno. Regional centers in north Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield, as well as the main campus, offer degree completion and graduate programs. Evening classes help working adults balance job and family responsibilities. Students go through their program in groups to learn from one another as well as from faculty. The curriculum is geared to the needs of the students and employers.

“The vision is to provide the facilities, programs, endowments and scholarships needed to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s students. Our goal is to equip and train students for ethical service in the church and community,” said Mark Deffenbacher, vice president for advancement and university relations.

Thirty-five branches and other specialized service locations in the FRESNO COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY system provide a wealth of free resources to inform, enlighten and entertain children, teens and adults of all ages. Books, music CDs, videos, DVDs and audiobooks can be checked out for. Authoritative research databases are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week from a home computer or any branch library. All community members can access free computer classes, career coaching, story times, homework help, business tools and more. As a member of the nine-county San Joaquin Valley Library System, Fresno County also provides access to materials from as far away as Mariposa and Bakersfield.