Santa Barbara City College has received a grant totaling $20,000 to support a research component of Get Focused, Stay Focused, a proposed five-year progression in education initiative designed to prepare students beginning at ninth grade for acquiring college and career ready skills.

Half of the grant — $10,000 — was donated by community member Carl Lindros, which was then matched with another $10,000 from the Santa Barbara Foundation. The college will receive the funding through the Foundation for SBCC.

The Get Focused, Stay Focused initiative begins with all incoming ninth-grade students in the Carpinteria Unified and Santa Barbara Unified school districts taking a dual enrollment comprehensive guidance course that meets both high school common core standards and college requirements. It concludes with each student preparing and taking responsibility for an online, 10-year career and education plan.

As the student progresses through high school, he or she systematically updates and expands the 10-year plan in the 10th, 11th and 12th grades, which includes completing steps to research and apply for colleges and universities that offer strong programs in their major field of interest. Upon graduation, the final goal is for the student to be ready to enter college and successfully complete his or her education and career goals equipped with the skills learned through this initiative.

The $20,000 grant will fund the necessary first-stage longitudinal data research required by major foundations for the college to pursue funding of upwards of $4 million to fully launch the initiative. The research phase will be conducted by UC’s Educational Evaluation Center at the UCSB site.

SBCC began the Get Focused, Stay Focused initiative in fall 2009 with the freshman classes at Carpinteria High School and Dos Pueblos High School. Control data will be collected from those current senior classes, who represent the last group of students who did not receive the curriculum as incoming ninth-graders.

“Students who select a major by the start of their second semester in college are more likely to complete their degree and transfer programs than those who are undecided,” said Dr. Jack Friedlander, SBCC acting superintendent/president. “With guidance, each student develops and takes ownership of his or her own 10-year education and career plan.

“With personally motivating goals and all the steps laid out to achieve them, students are more likely to successfully complete high school, graduate from college and live productive, fulfilling lives. We are extremely grateful to all our partners in this important collaboration.”

SBCC’s partners in the Get Focused, Stay Focused initiative are the Carpinteria Unified School District, the Santa Barbara Unified School District and Santa Barbara Partners in Education.

— Joan Galvan is a public information officer for Santa Barbara City College.