PHENND K-16 Network Updates

Posted by PHENND on July 3, 2018

K-16 Meetings

In January we kicked off our spring semester by joining forces with the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Penn’s African-American Resource Center for a special event as part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Symposium on Social Change. Education leaders from some of our PHENND member campuses engaged in an open dialogue on what can colleges and universities do to focus on K-12 schools as core institutions for community engagement and democratic development?

Amy Gutmann, Ph.D., President of the University of Pennsylvania, provided remarks, as well as Ira Harkavy, Ph.D, Associate Vice President and Founding Director of The Netter Center. The panel discussion was moderated by the President of the Community College of Philadelphia, Donald Generals, Ph.D., and included:  Nancy Songer, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education at Drexel University; Vivian Gadsden, Ph.D, William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; Laura A. Roy, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of Education at La Salle University; and Aimee LaPointe Terosky, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph’s University. After the panel discussion, attendees engaged in small breakout discussions and reported back for a broader conversation.

In April, in conjunction with the annual PHENND conference, which this year focused on health partnerships, we highlighted collaborative approaches to improving health and wellness through organized sports, physical/health education and after school programming. Presenters included Bettyann Creighton, Executive Director, Health, Safety, Nutrition and Physical Education, at the School District of Philadelphia, and from the Netter Center, Paulette Branson, Director of University Assisted Community School Sports, and Jennifer Chu and Paige Lombard of the Young Quakers Community Athletics Program.

Notes from these meeting can be found here: https://phennd.org/resources/conference-and-event-presentations/#open

JUNE INSTITUTE

Each year, PHENND’s K-16 Partnerships Network hosts a day long convening about university, school, and community partnerships. This year’s theme was “College Access and Success,” and featured presentations from partnerships that support students to and through college. Plenary speakers included, Noe Ortega. Ph.D., Deputy Secretary Higher Education at Pennsylvania Department of Education, Donald Generals. Ph.D., President of the Community College of Philadelphia, and Sean Vereen, Ph.D., President, Steppingstone Scholars, Inc. Notes and materials from the workshops/presenters can be found here.

#REACHHIGHERPHILLY COLLEGE SIGNING DAY

On May 2nd Philadelphia celebrated an unforgettable moment for the class or 2018 (see a video of the event here): https://www.dropbox.com/s/53qru8ms1f53mbb/College%20Signing%20Day%202018_3.mov?dl=0). Nearly 7,000 graduating seniors from Philadelphia’s public, private, and charter schools gathered at the Liacouras Center to celebrate their commitment to higher education with some very special guest, including the former First Lady Michelle Obama, Bradley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagle Malcom Jenkins, and many more. Working with the School District of Philadelphia, PHENND led the Higher Ed Committee, bringing 48 post-secondary institutions to join the event and meet their incoming class of students. PHENND member institutions that participated include:

• Temple University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Saint Joseph’s University
• Swarthmore College
• La Salle University
• Cabrini University
• Community College of Philadelphia
• Bryn Mawr College
• West Chester University
• Arcadia University
• Ursinus College
• Jefferson University
• Widener University
• Chestnut Hill College
• Neumann University
• University of the Arts
• Drexel University