“ I had one of the greatest experiences you could ask for there ,” Cha said .
She helped lead an effort to funnel more students into AP classes – not just the students who had attended Manchester GATE Elementary School and Computech Middle School . She helped identify students for AP courses using different criteria .
Connie Cha , director of Extended Learning , works with winter session student Skye Luu-Manibo .
Summer School Grows
During her first year as the director of Extended Learning , summer courses were held at 14 elementary schools , eight middle schools and the seven comprehensive high schools . Most of the courses were aimed at helping high school students recover credits toward graduation and boost learning in math and reading for elementary and middle school students .
This past summer , every elementary , middle and high school – and the alternative education sites – offered summer courses for a total of 110 sites . Similar to Winter Camps , the summer program included camps that offered fun activities and learning , along with the more traditional math and reading academies for struggling students to better prepare them for the start of school in August .
“ Someone said to me , ‘ You ’ ve really turned our school district into a year-round offering ,”’ Cha said .
Early in her career with Fresno Unified , Cha discovered she had a passion for making sure all students were included . After teaching for two years at Webster Elementary School , she became an academic school counselor at Edison High School in 2007 , where she worked for seven years .
“ A lot of students were not afforded the same opportunities or access ,” she said . “ I ’ m really proud of that work and it really promoted that awareness in our district .”
In 2012-13 , she was part of the Education Leadership cohort for aspiring school leaders and the following year was selected as a vice principal at McLane High School . She also initiated more inclusive practices at McLane during her four years there . She left McLane for the position she holds now in Extended Learning .
Cha Always Wanted to be A Teacher
Cha was born in Fresno and attended Winchell Elementary School for kindergarten and first grade , then moved with her family to Sacramento .
“ I ’ ve always wanted to be a teacher because of the great teachers I had along the way ,” she said .
As she approached high school graduation , she had to convince her parents to let her attend Fresno State so that she could pursue her dreams of becoming an educator . For her parents , Hmong refugees , college was a foreign concept , especially for their youngest child and the only female in the family pursuing a college education . Her entire family made the move back to Fresno when they agreed that she could go to college .
“ I feel like I really hit the jackpot going into education ,” Cha said .
“ When you are passionate about the work that you do , it doesn ’ t feel like work at all .”
34 BUILDING FUTURES : CONNIE CHA