The Second Annual K-16 Partnerships Institute Highlights and Reflections

Posted by on June 28, 2012

June 6-7, 2012 Hosted at the School District of Philadelphia

The K-16 Partnerships Network has been running regularly since January, 2011. In our second annual conference we strove to review the work accomplished, set new goals for the upcoming year and provide participants with new, relevant information to their work.

This year’s participants included non-profits in many different social service and college access arenas, college and university faculty, college and university staff, college students, school district personnel, teachers and high school students. There were many highlights on both days.

The K-16 Partnerships Network looks forward to working hard in the upcoming year to continue to build strong, mutually beneficial partnerships for schools and university partners. If you would like to sign up directly for a committee and haven’t done so yet, please do so here: K-16 Network Directory

Wednesday June 6^th

Wednesday featured our keynote speaker, Mr. Nick Torres, who brought up critical issues and information regarding college attainment for low-income and first generation students. He informed the audience about the development of the I-Lead program and how IHEs may participate in low-residency higher education programs.

In the session Creating K-16 Pipelines to Job in Philadelphia, excellent information was provided to participants regarding school-industry partnerships. Each presenter reviewed their respective programs and how they are working to improve connections between high schools and future employers in various fields.

Presenters included: Alyssa Cherkin, Director of the Deloitte Education Collaborative at Deloitte Services LP and member of the Greater Philadelphia Corporate Volunteer Council, Alison Acevido, Health Academies ER Project Coordinator and Dr. Michael Daley, Founder and coordinator of SYSTEMS Program in New Hope-Solesbury High School.

In the session Benefits of Alternative Fieldwork Placements for Education Majors, information on how to partner with pre-service teachers from a non-profit and school perspective was presented by seasoned service-learning and community partnership professionals.

Presenters included: Janice Steinberg, K-12 service-learning specialist, Alex McNeil, founder of Temple Project EDU, Alex Keene, AVID tutor leader and English teacher, Dr. Joyce Munroe, Associate Dean of the College of Education at West Chester University and Cindy Bellivou, Assistant professor in Psychological Studies in Education and long-time service-learning practitioner.

Additionally, action planning sessions for each committee in the K-16 Network yielded very exciting ideas to help each group move forward with new projects or continue to build on current ones.

Structure of the K-16 Partnerships Network

The K-16 Partnerships Network includes the College Access Committee, the Service-learning Committee, the Non-profit Partnerships Committee and affiliated group the Teacher Education Alliance. Each group works on unique projects throughout the year. The Network as a whole meets at least three times a year to address issues of overarching concern in partnering with Philadelphia schools.

Current Committee Projects include

College Access Committee

Mission: To collaborate between nonprofits, high schools, and colleges to think critically about “gaps” and needs in college access programming from a university-school partnerships perspective.

Actions: Creation of “Next Steps” to address the “summer gap” between high school and college. In May, college students from Philadelphia facilitated self-designed workshops for high school students from Lincoln, Fels and Sayre high schools about college life and were able to connect with students going to their schools in the fall.

Goals for 2012-2013: Continue to serve high school students and college students through Next Steps. Continue to build youth leadership and investment from college students and collaboration with on-campus offices (such as admissions and multicultural affairs) in college access work.

Non-Profit Partnerships Committee

Mission: Outlining where non-profits fit in with School and University partnerships and how to work as intermediaries for training and support.

Actions taken: Surveyed non-profits to see how they engage and support college students. Hosted K-16 Spring Forum featuring three panel sessions on nonprofit-university-school partnerships.

Goals for 2012-2013: Achieve stronger commitment from college students at organizations, create new training and support for college students working in schools and form unique, mutually beneficial partnerships. Identifying how non-profits fit in the K-16 Continuum, breaking down silos within universities, creating a “one stop shop” for information for non-profit partners, avoiding duplication of services, creating structures and procedures for schools to help us sustain partnerships.

Service-Learning Committee

Mission:  To provide training and technical assistance about service-learning for both K-12 schools and colleges and universities, with particular emphasis on how IHEs can do service-learning with schools as beneficiaries, as well as how IHEs can support K-12 service-learning.

Actions:  Two films were created, one with the Temple University Community Collaborative of Philadelphia (UCCP) and one with St. Josephs University student’s partnerships with schools.

Goals for 2012-2013: To continue filming more partnerships to focus on different training areas for service-learning professors who send students to Philadelphia schools. Bringing a speaker in the Fall that focuses on university or K-12 service-learning. Offer service-learning training to teachers in the District: Covering the “hot topics” in this arena, especially related to how service-learning can connect to core content.

Teacher Education Alliance

Mission: Providing a coherent and collaborative student teacher model for colleges and universities so that they can effectively learn and contribute to the school they are teaching in. To carry out best practices in developing teachers and institutions to support and thrive in Philadelphia schools.

Actions: Developed a proposal with Penny Nixon and Lori Shorr to do a pilot project which includes five institutions who will partner with five K-12 schools. Each institution that has education majors and pre-service teachers in these partner schools will work do develop closer institutional relationships with the schools and to share resources between teacher education programs.

For example: These partnerships will provide professional development for administrators (K-12 and Higher Ed), teachers and students. This network of institutions will support professional learning communities for each tier. TEA meetings have had representation from most Teacher Ed programs in the region. Meetings are to held share what the policies and procedures are across institutions, to increase information sharing and to work on collaborative projects.

Goals for 2012-2013: To continue to build strong relationships with the School District and represent all teacher education programs in the region that serve SDP.

*Contact Peshe Kurlioff (kuriloff@temple.edu) at Temple University for more information.

Thursday June 7th

On Thursday our youth leadership panel, which consisted of high-school students from Parkway Northwest Peace and Social Justice High School as well as two students from the College Access Committee brought energy and ideas to all attendees. This helped attendees to conclude the day with discussions of what our true potential as partners of public schools can be.

In the session How to Influence Service-Learning Statewide participants learned how to advocate for K-12 service-learning curriculum through the Pennsylvania Service Learning Alliance (PSLA). The PSLA provides training and technical support for teachers and administrators and advocates on the state level. The PSLA advocates for increased implementation of service-learning at K-12 schools in Pennsylvania. You can join here or go to the PSLA Website to begin receiving newsletters regarding opportunities and information on service-learning in Pennsylvania. Presenters Included: Hillary Kane, Director of PHENND and Karen Kaskey, Director of PenSERVE in the Governor’s Office of Citizen Service

In the session Youth Leadership and Service-Learning in K-12 members of the Parkway Northwest Youth Leadership Team spoke with participants regarding how and why to engage high-school students in service-learning and the importance of having a school-based center focused on community partnerships. The Student Community Development Center (SCDC) helps students help themselves connect to service and enrichment opportunities. Through the SCDC students connect to work that is local and global. For example, one member worked on a service-learning project with about human trafficking in The Sudan while another focused on why participating in sports can help students focus academically in Philadelphia.

Service-learning at Parkway Northwest is both in school and out of school. Student must complete 60 hours of service and enrichment during their four years. The center connects with local organizations in all different interest areas. The community is very willing to get involved with Parkway because of the attitude of the school. Students suggested that in service-learning, “Show don’t tell” and stated:

· If you put these programs in schools students will become more worldly, they’ll become more involved and they’ll want to learn.

· If you find something that a student is interested in (for example) gardening, then you can get them to build a community garden! (translate any interest in to a service-learning project) That way they are doing something that they want to do and they’ll also be doing service.

Presenters Included: Parkway Northwest Peace and Social Justice High School Leadership Team: Darious Hurst-Rodney, Anfernee Williams, Tennin Sissoko and Stephanie Strokis (coordinator) (Check out their 2011 year end review to get a better understanding of the variety of project Parkway students accomplish.)

The Youth Leadership Panel highlighted key issues and methods for addressing student engagement, how adult can increase participation and the reasons that they and other students have become leaders at their schools and in the city of Philadelphia. Presenters included college students, recent graduates and high school students who all participated in numerous leadership, service and civic engagement programs.  This session focused on the importance for peer education and that education reform can be youth led. Presenters included: Shandal Gibson, Penn State Schuylkill Zuri Stone, West Chester University, Darious Hurst-Rodney and Anfernee Williams, Parkway Northwest High School, Akilah Abdul-Rhaman, Bryn Mawr College.

Q&A Highlights
Q: What are the causes of major issues in the city?
A:  We need to focus on ethics not money. Budgets cuts are a question of ethics. Stop funding jails and start funding schools.

Q: What does a good leader look like?
A: If you can sing you can join the choir.
You have to get connected to more than one issue. I am focused now on learning about other issues that affect education such as homelessness. None of these issues are independent, we have to address everything and all of what we’re doing is part of the answer.

Q: How can adults help unleash potential?
A: When I am coming to a program or activity, most of the time what I need is someone to talk to me. Regardless of what you’re doing what budgets have been cut, stop and listen and find a solution and a way to work with me.

Q: What makes a successful service program?
A: Getting critical mass so that students feel its “okay to join”, Philadelphia is a city full of colleges. If you can frame the work you do as “social justice” then students will want to be a part of it.

We concluded the Institute by discussing proposed School District reform plans and setting goals for the entire Network based on that information.

Our goals included:

• Help create/maintain more avenues for universities to share a variety resources with K-12 schools.
• Clarify our role and that of other networks in enacting/building/strengthening partnerships with Philadelphia schools.
• Work to understand how we can address service/program gaps within Philadelphia schools for 2012-2013 (and beyond).
• Develop/maintain relationships with District and (increasingly) charter school administrators.
• Hold meetings that are “friendly” (time and location) for teachers.
• Continue large-scale events for collaboration and information exchange.
• Continue to build clear action plans for each committee.
• Serve as a collective voice for school-university partnerships.