California Attorney General Kamala Harris to Keynote "Women Investing in Education"

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, the first woman, the first African-American and the first South Asian to hold the office in the history of California, will present the keynote address at "Women Investing in Education," a women's networking event being hosted by City Year San José/Silicon Valley, the education-focused nonprofit dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. The event will be held on March 19^th, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., at SanDisk Headquarters, 951 SanDisk Drive, Milpitas, CA.

"One of our state's foremost education champions, California Attorney General Harris has worked tirelessly to curb the truancy crisis in California.  Like City Year San José/Silicon Valley, she is committed to reducing absenteeism and helping young people perform at their highest level," said Toni Burke, Vice President and Executive Director of City Year San José/Silicon Valley.  "It is a great honor to have her discuss the power of women leadership in creating real and meaningful change in the education space.'"

Attorney General Harris is the author of In School & on Track, an annual report published in 2013 and 2014 which found crisis levels of chronic absenteeism in California.  The problem was especially evident among children in the earliest years of school most critical for developing foundational skills like reading.  In the reports, Attorney General Harris identified steps that parents, educators and other concerned stakeholders could take to help curb the crisis.

Across the nation, nearly 1 million students drop out of school every year or one every 26 seconds.  In San José, more than 2,600 students drop out of high school every year. City Year's impact in San José has been substantial.  In 2013, 68 percent of students who were earning a "D" or worse in English improved by at least one letter grade with City Year tutoring.  Currently, City Year has 94 corps members in nine elementary and middle schools, where they are serving 4,400 students.

"Women Investing in Education," which features a live auction, is hosted by SanDisk, a corporate partner of City Year San José/Silicon Valley. Rick Williams, CEO of the Sobrato Family Foundation, will introduce Attorney General Harris.  Additional sponsors for the evening include: Aruba Networks, Bank of America, Merrill Edge, The Boston Consulting Group, Brocade Communication Systems, Cisco Systems, Inc., Deloitte, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, Technology Credit Union, SunPower Corporation, Davis Polk and Jack B. Keenan, Inc.  Also on hand for the event will be members of the City Year San José/Silicon Valley's AmeriCorps members and Board.

About City Year
City Year is an education-focused organization founded in 1988 dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. City Year partners with public schools in San José/Silicon Valley and 25 other urban, high-poverty communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and Johannesburg, South Africa. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide high-impact student, classroom and school-wide support, to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school, ready for college and career success. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is made possible by support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, school district partnerships, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals. Learn more at www.cityyear.org.

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SOURCE City Year

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