The Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia will offer a workshop on Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities at United Way, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

Audience members will learn about the legal needs of children with dyslexia, and other learning disabilities, and hear from expert presenters on the latest research and trends.

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 25th, with a full session from noon to 4pm and an abbreviated session from 6-8pm.

To purchase tickets, go here.

http://www.pilcop.org/know-your-childs-rights1314/

Women’s Way’s Women and Influence Conference: Media Justice will be held on March 15th from 9am to 3pm at the Moore College of Art and Design, 20th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

The free conference features workshops and panel discussions exploring women as creators, consumers and subjects of media. The event features political analyst Zerlina Maxwell as the keynote speaker and a “girls track” of programming.

For more information or to register, go here.

http://womensway.org/events/women-influence-conference-media-justice

All applicants must be nominated by an adult. For this reason, we are strongly encouraging schools and teachers to become involved in the process and select nominees to represent your school in the larger Youth Poet Laureate selection process.

Applications are due to be submitted online or postmarked to the OACCE by April 11, 2014 April 21, 2014.

For your convenience, our handy Resource Directories are now updated (with several new listings) and provided for you FREE of charge in the links below.

Check out what’s new this Spring: http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/ostrc/resources!

Field Trip Directory
http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/ostrc/resources/documents/Spring2014FieldTripDirectory.pdf

Looking for enriching and educational destinations for you and your students? We collected profiles of more than 60 of them!

Traveling Services Directory
http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/ostrc/resources/documents/Spring2014TravelingServicesDirectory.pdf

Profiles of more than 70 agencies and individuals who can come to your site and deliver the activities and services your OST program is missing!

Peer Mentor Directory

For access to this Directory, which lists dozens of professionals who can offer you their advice and support, please contact us directly!  Email johnep@sp2.upenn.edu.

Philadelphia OST PD Calendar
http://www.phillyostpd.org/

Find the latest public and OST-relevant trainings and professional development opportunities from dozens of PD organizations in our region!

Sign up here to receive training updates via email
http://www.phillyostpd.org/user/register

Due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts, David Adjaye is unable to fulfill his commitment to us for April 8^th, and we regretfully must postponed the Architecture Alumni presentation and reception.  Our apologies to all those who have already made commitments to attend the event.  We have a renewed commitment from David Adjaye to make this come together in Fall 2014.  We hope to announce a new date shortly.

David Adjaye

Named The Wall Street Journal’s “Architecture Innovator” of 2013, David Adjaye OBE of Adjaye Associates is recognized as a leading architect of his generation. Currently Adjaye Associates is the lead designer for the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) located on the Mall in Washington, DC. Other notable projects include: A silk weaving facility for fashion designer Maiyet in India, and a new collection of furniture for Knoll.

Click here for Tickets

http://www.alumni.temple.edu/s/705/alumni/2col.aspx?sid=705&pgid=5727&gid=1&cid=8594&ecid=8594&post_id=0.

10 AM-2 PM
1211 Chestnut Street, 9th Floor

For more information, call 215-498-1504
or email advisor@graduate-network.org

Come meet and greet college advisors from regional colleges and universities, have transcripts reviewed, and learn how to prepare for and complete your college degree.

All services are free of charge and support adults to and through college.

Our Mission Is To Increase The Number Of Adults With College Degrees In Greater Philadelphia.
We Provide Free Of Charge Advising, Guidance, Coaching And Supports To Adults Who Seek To Return To College, From The Decision To Return To Completion Of A College Degree. Many Local Colleges And Universities Are Partners In Graduate! Philadelphia And All Are Fully Regionally Accredited, Have High Graduation Rates, And Offer Courses That Are Flexible, Focused, And Convenient For Adults.

Last month, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey joined with its statewide coalition partners, to launch the Pre-K for PA campaign at events in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.

The campaign’s goal is that all children in the Commonwealth are ready to succeed in school by ensuring that every 3- and 4-year-old has access to high-quality pre-kindergarten. To achieve this, the campaign will make increasing access to pre-k a key issue in the upcoming elections.

The Economy League will be providing the campaign with timely research and analysis on economic and educational impacts, outlining policy options for expanded pre-k, and leading outreach to the local business community.

Other partners in the coalition include the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Mission: Readiness, Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children, Pennsylvania Head Start Association, Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children, and Public Citizens for Children and Youth.

http://www.prekforpa.org/

March 1, 2014
10 am-1 pm

District 1199C Training Center
100 S. Broad Street – 10th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19110

USE THE LINK BELOW TO REGISTER:
http://pennstatecrc2014fafsaworkshop2.eventbrite.com

The Pennsylvania State University Recruitment Center, the School District of Philadelphia, the Mayor’s Office of Education, Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable, and Cheyney University have partnered to host this city-wide ON-LINE, step-by-step FAFSA completion workshop.

This workshop is FREE, open to the public and will help attendees to:

Complete the FAFSA early and accurately;
Ensure you are awarded the maximum amount of money you are eligible to receive;
Find out about the student aid pitfalls that ultimately lead to reductions in student aid awards

(If flyer is not attached to the message it can be downloaded from http://goo.gl/qT1P8f.)

The cost of the conference is $20 on Friday and $20 on Saturday ($35 for both days).  There is a special rate for students of $15 per day or $20 for both days.

If you cannot afford the registration fee, please contact us. Public school teachers will be able to receive Act 48 credit for attending this conference. Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone who may be interested.

We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

The Urban Affairs Coalition’s Coalition U nonprofit capacity-building program will host its next seminar, on Crowdfunding, on Wednesday, February 26th at PECO, 2300 Market Street in Philadelphia, from noon-2pm.

http://www.uac.org/coalitionu

Crowdfunding is the practice of raising funds for an organization or funding a project by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.

To register for Coalition U: Crowdfunding, go here.

http://www.cvent.com/events/coalition-u-crowd-funding/event-summary-d94279eccaf649cdbc44b24ab0ad7268.aspx

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, promotes the use of health impact assessments and related approaches to help policy makers incorporate health considerations into new policies, programs, plans, and projects and make decisions that reduce unnecessary health risks, improve health, and lower costs.

The program supports HIA demonstration projects that inform a specific decision, with a focus on tribes, states, and territories that have had limited experience with HIAs to date, as well as programs that enable organizations with previous HIA experience to develop sustainable HIA programs that integrate HIAs and related approaches in policymaking at the local, state, or tribal level.

Preference will be given to HIAs that focus on an innovative topic for which relatively few assessments have been completed (criminal justice, education, fiscal and economic policy, and disaster recovery) or that are proposed by federally recognized U.S. tribes and in states with limited or no HIA activity and no ongoing systematic efforts to build the field (i.e., Alabama, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and U.S. territories).

In 2014, the program will award up to six demonstration project grants of up to $100,000 each and up to five program grants of up to $250,000 each. Program grants must include $100,000 in matching funds or in-kind support from the grantee or partner organizations.

Eligible applicant organizations include state, tribal, and local agencies; tax-exempt educational institutions; and tax-exempt organizations as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Health Impact Project will host two webinars for potential applicants on March 5 and 6, 2014; registration is required. See the Health Impact Project Web site for registration information as well as complete program guidelines and application instructions.

http://www.healthimpactproject.org/news/project/new-funding-available-to-incorporate-health-in-public-policy-decisions

The American Psychological Foundation is accepting applications for the 2014 Visionary Grant program.

APF Visionary Grants are designed to support research, education, and interventions that use psychology to solve social problems in four priority areas:  understanding and fostering the connection between behavior and physical health to ensure well-being; reducing stigma and prejudice to promote unity and harmony; understanding and preventing violence to create a safer, more humane world; and supporting programs that address the long-term psychological needs of individuals and communities in the aftermath of disaster.

To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate competence and capacity to execute the proposed work and be affiliated with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In 2014, APF will award grants of $20,000 in support of eligible projects.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, as well as information about grant recipients from previous years, visit the APA Web site.

http://www.apa.org/apf/funding/visionary.aspx

The Captain Planet Foundation, in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, is accepting applications from schools and nonprofit organizations for its Ecotech Grant program, a new initiative to support projects that motivate children through science, technology, engineering, and math while challenging them to reimagine the way their world can be.

Sixteen grants of $2,500 each will be awarded to schools or nonprofit organizations for projects that use innovation, nature-based design, or technology to address environmental problems in their communities. Ideal projects will integrate environmental education with opportunities for children to solve real-world problems using technology and best science practices. Projects may replicate successful models or create new and innovative approaches.

Preference will be given to applicants who have secured $2,500 in matching funds or in-kind contributions. In addition, priority will be given to student-directed projects which provide materials that make the project easy to replicate, including lesson plans, protocols, videos, adaptations, and examples of student work.

To be eligible, applicants must be schools and nonprofit organizations based in the United States. Project leaders must be employed at the same school or organization for the duration of the proposed projects.

See the Captain Planet Web site for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

http://captainplanetfoundation.org/2014/01/ecotech

The Center for Community Progress has announced its new Technical Assistance Scholarship Program, which will help communities in need of technical assistance to assess, reform, develop and/or implement systems to address large-scale vacancy and abandonment.

Request for Applications: Technical Assistance Scholarship Program The Center for Community Progress seeks applications from public and nonprofit entities for the new, competitive Technical Assistance Scholarship Program, which serves communities in need of technical assistance to assess, reform, develop and/or implement systems to address large-scale vacancy and abandonment in their respective communities. This program provides the opportunity for communities to receive expert technical assistance from Community Progress at a significantly reduced rate.   Complete the form at the bottom of this page to download the RFA. All applications are due by 12:00pm (noon) Eastern Time on Monday, March 24, 2014.

http://www.communityprogress.net/request-for-applications–technical-assistance-scholarship-program-pages-398.php

The MetLife Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation are partnering for the thirteenth year to recognize, sustain, and share the innovative efforts of community groups and police departments working to promote neighborhood safety and revitalization.

The Community-Police Partnership Awards program aims to recognize partnerships that exhibit tangible accomplishments in their efforts to advance the process, outcome, and/or evaluation of effective police‐community collaborations. The program awards grants in nine categories that emphasize different models of community‐police collaboration, including the primary category of Excellence in Neighborhood Revitalization & Economic Vitality, through which five grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded in recognition of exemplary collaborations between community groups and police departments that result in reduction of crime as well as improvements in  economic development, such as real estate development, business attraction, and job growth.

An additional five awards of $15,000 each will recognize exemplary collaboration between community groups and police that yield significant public safety outcomes in one or more of the following areas: blight reduction, civic engagement, diversity inclusion, drug market disruption, gang prevention and youth safety, health and wellness, school-based programs, and senior engagement.

Nominees must be partnerships that include, but need not be limited to, nonprofit community-based organizations and local police departments.

For complete program guidelines, information about past award recipients, and nomination instructions, visit the LISC Web site.

http://www.lisc.org/csi/news_&_multimedia/community-police_partnership_awards/index.php

Administered by the USA TODAY Charitable Foundation and the Lift a Life Foundation, with support from the Yum Foundation, the World Hunger Leadership Challenge is designed to encourage middle and high school students to develop leadership skills by starting a service-learning project that addresses hunger issues. Teams of students from public, private, and charter middle schools or high schools are invited to enter the challenge.

Each team must create and execute a service-learning project that attempts to solve a local, statewide, or national hunger-related issue (i.e., help an existing charity or create a project whose mission is to address or solve hunger related problems locally or nationally); develop an action plan to achieve the goal; and demonstrate leadership. Each entry must include a written summary or video overview of the project and quantifiable results (i.e., number of meals served, cans collected, hours of service donated, Facebook “likes,” or families served from an urban garden).

First-, second-, and third-place prizes of  $25,000, $5,000, and $1,000, respectively, will be awarded, up to a total of $750,000. Winners will be announced on or about May 14, 2014.

To be eligible, entrants must be located in the United States or Guam, be a full-time middle or high school student, and be between the ages of 13 and 18. Each team must comprise at least three students and a sponsoring teacher or adult adviser.

See the World Hunger Leadership Challenge Web site for complete challenge guidelines and application procedures.

http://www.lead2feed.com/?e138ed58

Find out by attending the Housing Opportunity 2014: Healthy Housing, Healthy Places conference in Denver, Colorado from May 14-16.

At Housing Opportunity 2014, you will discover the challenges, opportunities and best practices for supporting healthy housing in healthy places. The conference will cover a range of issues, including:

• Changing demographics and the future of healthy placemaking.
• Multigenerational housing and intergenerational communities.
• Developing green housing for positive health and economic outcomes.
• How incorporating health into residential development can help meeting the bottom line.

Plan to join ULI’s Terwilliger Center for Housing and a diverse group of colleagues from May 14 to 16 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver for a great educational program, outstanding networking, and new ideas to help your business and community.

http://housingconference.uli.org/

BACKGROUND
Through the generosity of Philip B. Lindy, Drexel University has established the Philip B. Lindy Inner-City Public School Program at Drexel University (“Lindy Scholars Program”) to provide resources and services that aims to level the playing field in public education by increasing academic achievement and expanding the social horizons for middle school students living in Drexel’s West Philadelphia vicinity. The program encourages children and families to share in, and benefit from the University’s vast educational, technological, and cultural resources. The Lindy Scholars Program is a collaborative effort between The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and The Goodwin School of Education. The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, a division of the Office of the Provost, is responsible for managing the program.

The overall goal of the Lindy Scholars Program has been to provide mathematics, writing, and literacy enhancement programs along with other related services to students in grades 6-8 enrolled in Alain Locke, Martha Washington, and Morton McMichael Elementary Schools all located within West Philadelphia. Drexel staff, faculty, and student volunteers work closely with school administrators, community leaders, students, and parents to help identify the needs of those served. In addition, provide services on campus and within the community that are expected to make measurable positive improvements in academic performance and retention.

Students participating in the program engage in afterschool and Saturday programming designed to facilitate the academic and social development, respectively through homework help, academic filed trips and hands on science and literacy curriculum. In addition, Lindy Scholars Program offers monthly Lindy Family Seminars to engage the Scholars’ families. Beyond the scope of work done during the afterschool and Saturday component, the Lindy Scholars Program provides teacher professional development in the participating schools. The Lindy Scholars Program’s theory of change is that by providing direct supports to the Scholars and their support networks, comprised of members of their schools, communities and families, the Scholar will have a larger web of informed supporters.

Program recruitment began in spring 2009 with 5th grade students from three partnering elementary school. Many of the 5th graders recruited continued through the Lindy Scholars Summer Program at Drexel from June-August 2009. Both the spring and summer programs allowed the students and the program to develop further so that by 6th grade, students were fully enrolled in the Lindy Scholars Program for the entire school year. As the program progressed, additional cohorts of students were added each year from each school. Administrative changes prompted several changes within the program, one of which was the removal of the Lindy Scholars Program from one participating school and the adoption at another. Ideally, each of the three schools would have a participant group of 75, which includes 25 from 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

SCOPE OF PROJECT
This evaluation will serve three purposes:
1. Examine the extent to which the program has achieved its mission and stated goals
2. Explore the impact of the program on past and current scholars
3. Inform program development decisions regarding future program format and goals

SCOPE OF SERVICES
This RFP seeks evaluation services that integrate and build off of prior program evaluations. The proposed design should address the following questions and examine identified outcomes. The Lindy Scholars Program is also interested in having the evaluator propose and explore additional questions and alternative approaches to best practices as it relates to all segments of the program. A competitive proposal will introduce a plan for working with the Lindy Scholars Program office to integrate existing data and the collection of new data to:
1. Demonstrate the impact of Lindy Scholars Program in school attendance, grade point averages, PSSA scores, and 8th grade graduation rates.
2. Determine if there are any individual or familial outcomes experienced by the scholars and families as a result of participation in Lindy Scholars Program.
3. Based on past data collected and new sources of data identified by the evaluator, what are the benefits of participation in the Lindy Scholars Program for scholars, advisors, families, teachers and schools?
4. Use results of the evaluation to inform the program design and integration of STEM focused curriculum and activities into the future Lindy Scholars Program.
5. Design an effective data collection and management system for ongoing formative and summative program evaluation.
6. Assist Lindy Scholars Program staff in determining how best to define and measure impact in future programing.

Lindy Scholars Program will provide the contracted evaluator with all available materials including existing program data from the current database. However, additional data will need to be collected to complete this project. Lindy Scholars Program will arrange sites and participants’ compliance with the evaluator and help to facilitate access to all materials.

DELIVERABLES
Evaluation deliverables include:
1. Monthly progress meetings
2. Comprehensive program evaluation report accompanied by a formal presentation of findings
3. Separate executive summary of the evaluation for dissemination to boards of directors, funders, and program sites
4. Electronic copies of all reports, protocols, instruments, interview schedules, on-line questionnaires, coding guides, data dictionaries, databases or electronic information systems developed for this evaluation, as well as any analysis outputs.

QUALIFICATIONS
Drexel University’s Lindy Scholars Program seeks a qualified evaluation provider who:
1. Can establish a positive and facilitative partnership with the Lindy Scholars Program and program sites
2. Demonstrates experience in developing, selecting and applying principals of program evaluation while maintaining respect for program participant experience
3. Has experience in integrating quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods
4. Has the capacity to work with multiple data collection methods and sources within the specified time frame
5. Can produce reports and documents that capture relevant data, create a compelling case that is accessible by the funding community and on-going program development, and can advise on and produce credible products.

SUBMISSION, DEADLINES, AND QUESTIONS
3 hard copies of the proposal shall be placed in a sealed envelope, bearing the name and address of the evaluation firm and clearly marked with the words, RFP Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation. No binders please. All proposals must be received by 4:00 p.m. on March 28, 2014. Proposals received after that time will not be considered.

Proposals should be delivered to:
Drexel University
c/o Anna M. Rivera
Director of Procurement Operations
3201 Arch St, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104
RE: RFP Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation

All proposals will be opened by University Procurement and recorded as received.
Questions about the Scope of Services or the RFP should be emailed to: Jennifer Johnson Kebea, jpj38@drexel.edu, no later than March 17, 2014

Answers to questions, if appropriate, will be addressed in an email that will be transmitted to all participating bidders by March 21, 2014.

All proposals shall remain firm and cannot be withdrawn for a period of 90 days after receipt of proposals. No proposal will be accepted after the above-specified time.

EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSAL
The following criteria are expected to be among those used in the selection process. They are presented as a guide for the evaluation firm in understanding Drexel’s requirements and expectations for this project and are not necessarily all inclusive or presented in order of importance.

1. Proposed Project Approach. Emphasis will be on grasp of the problems involved, soundness of approach, effective use of time and the quality of the overall proposal.
2. Proposed costs.
3. Experience, expertise, and capabilities of the evaluation firm.
4. In-person meeting and presentation.

Drexel reserves the right to award in part, to reject any and all proposals in whole or in part for misrepresentation or if the evaluation firm is in default of any prior Drexel contract, or if the proposal limits or modifies any of the terms and conditions and/or specifications of the RFP. Drexel also reserves the right to waive technical defects, irregularities and omissions if, in its judgment, the best interest of Drexel will be served.

Drexel reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards resulting from its clerical errors. This may include, in extreme circumstances, revoking the awarding of a contract already made to an evaluation firm and subsequently awarding the contract to another evaluation firm. Such action on the part of the University shall not constitute a breach of contract on the part of Drexel, as the contract with the initial evaluation firm is deemed to be invalid from the outset and of no effect, as if no contract ever existed between Drexel and the evaluation firm.

Consideration will be given to the evaluation firm who has prior experience in dealing with a private, not-for-profit research university environment and are familiar with university needs and requirements including timely deliveries. Please submit a list of references, including both past and present clients. While cost is a consideration, Drexel reserves the right to select a proposal or proposals in whole or in part, which the University deems best meets the goals of this request regardless of cost.

Drexel reserves the right to terminate the engagement due to any form of non-compliance or unsatisfactory performance.

Drexel reserves the right to select more than one evaluation firm through the RFP process.

About
New Jersey Future’s annual Redevelopment Forum is our biggest event of the year, attracting nearly 500 local and state officials, citizen activists, development professionals, architects, attorneys, planners, business leaders and students. Redevelopment allows us to re-use infrastructure, take advantage of historically strategic locations, maintain and improve our communities and preserve our remaining open spaces. It is clear that redevelopment, already at the heart of many of the opportunities available today, will play an even more vital role in the future. By bringing together leaders in both government and the private sector who are working tirelessly to create sustainable redevelopment solutions to New Jersey’s problems, we can share innovative ideas, learn best practices, and make our state a better place for tomorrow. Our comprehensive workshops and panels feature impressive speakers with real world redevelopment experience. Please join us at the ninth annual Redevelopment Forum on March 14.

http://forum.njfuture.org/

Is There Room for Real Change in the Democratic Party?

Thirty-one years before Cory Booker, Junius Williams, another dynamic African-American Yale Law School graduate, moved to Newark with ambitions much like Booker’s. Both had success, but their paths diverged, personifying divisions among those seeking to address America’s urban problems.

While both agree on social issues, like gay marriage, Booker has sought the beneficence of Silicon Valley and Wall Street for their money and ideas. Williams, a progressive growth and redistributionist in the mold of Jesse Jackson, the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, and New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio, believes change comes from the grassroots up, by building community-based movements.

Williams lost his run for Newark mayor in 1982, but he remained in the trenches as a street organizer, lawyer and public school advocate. His persuasive, engaging political memoir, Unfinished Agenda, Urban Politics in the Era of Black Power, is a road map for addressing poverty, failing schools and crime. Williams weaves three separate narratives into one insightful personal story.

His diary begins in the Jim Crow South of Richmond, Va., where he grew up in a supportive, well-educated extended family that pushed academics. As a senior at Amherst College in 1965, he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the heart and soul of the civil rights movement, known for organizing dangerous local voter registration campaigns and demonstrations.

Read more at: http://rooflines.org/3603/is_there_room_for_real_change_in_the_democratic_party/