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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 401-6222
Twenty four communities are receiving $11 million in Urban/Rural
Opportunities grants from the National School-to-Work Office. The funds will go
to School-to-Work partnerships that serve students who live or go to school in
high poverty areas. The awards were announced by Vice President Gore, Secretary
of Labor Alexis M. Herman and Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, whose
departments oversee the National School-to-Work Office.
"These funds will help open up the door of opportunity for thousands of
America's children," Vice President Gore said. "By targeting this $11 million
to programs in high poverty areas we will reach the students who will be most
helped. This money will continue exemplary on-going programs and partnerships
between schools and businesses."
Secretary Herman said, "In these communities, schools and business are
joining together to do the very important 'hands-on' work of helping students
connect with the world outside their neighborhoods. Because of those efforts to
connect school to work, many more young people will have the opportunity to
overcome poverty and to have a productive future."
"These School-to-Work partnerships give students the opportunity to
achieve high academic standards in school and very important on-the-job
experiences outside the school," said Secretary Riley. "We should be doing
everything possible to support these communities' efforts to help young people
see how they can build futures with limitless possibilities in the classroom
and in careers."
The National School-to-Work Office (NSTWO) was established in 1994
through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act which passed with strong
bi-partisan support. It provides limited-year venture capital to states and
communities working to establish partnerships between schools and businesses to
prepare students for careers.
A total of $4.7 million in Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant funds will
be awarded to 10 local partnerships in Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities (EZ/ECs) to implement School-to-Work (STW) systems for youth who
live or attend school in these areas. These new systems will offer youth a
variety of activities and services -- job shadowing, career counseling,
internships, apprenticeships and project-based learning to prepare them for
high-skill, high-wage careers and further education and training. EZ/EC
communities will link their school-to-work systems to their overall economic
development efforts, which include initiatives in community development, public
safety, human services and environmental protection. The four-year Urban/Rural
Opportunities grants range in amount from $200,000 to $600,000 for the first
year.
Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants for Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities are being awarded to:
Des Moines, Iowa - $385,836
Wilmington, Delaware - $336,781
San
Diego, California - $537,561
Boston, Massachusetts - $538,775
Clay
County, West Virginia - $397,121
Huntington, West Virginia - $392,522
Kansas City, Missouri - $540,000
Multnomah County, Oregon - $539,995
City of Manchester, New Hampshire - $540,000
McDowell County, West Virginia
- $491,069
An additional 14 exemplary local partnerships in high poverty urban and
rural areas will receive $6.3 million total in federal funds to expand and
strengthen their School-to-Work (STW) systems. Each of these exemplary local
partnerships has demonstrated success in preparing youth for first jobs in
high-skill, high-wage careers and in addressing the special needs of youth
residing or attending school in a high poverty area. The partnerships will use
their funds to increase employer involvement, support students' academic
achievement, increase participation of out-of-school youth. The four-year
awards range from $200,000 to $600,000 for the first year.
Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants for Exemplary Partnerships are being
awarded to:
Alternative, Inc. (Illinois) - $228,570
Weatherford College (Texas)
-$490,643
Tri-Valley PIC/Yakima County (Washington) - $281,640
Seattle-King PIC (Washington) - $565,847
MA Youth Teenage Unemployment
Reduction Network (Massachusetts) - $424,177
Minneapolis Public Schools
(Minnesota) - $599,876
Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Ohio) - $543,217
Oakland Unified School District (California) - $599,890
School District of
Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) - $600,000
Highland Park STW Program (Michigan)
- $327,969
Portland Public Schools (Oregon) - $523,870
Sweetwater Union
High School District (California) - $437,018
East San Gabriel Valley
Regional Occupational Program (California) -$562,822
Greater New York
Hospital Foundation, Inc. (New York) - $114,801
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Des Moines Independent Community
Schools
Location:
Des Moines, Iowa
Contact:
Ronald Sallade (512) 242-7890
Amount Awarded:
$385,836
Summary of Proposal: The Des Moines Enterprise Community STW
Partnership will use Iowa's broad career areas --Agriscience and Natural
Resources; Arts and Communications: Business/ Information Management and
Marketing: Engineering/Industrial Technological Sciences; Family and Human
Services; and Health Sciences--as a tool to provide the skills and knowledge
needed for career entry and further education. This approach will create a road
map for students, teachers, employers, and community involved in the Enterprise
Community. In order to ensure that all Enterprise youth have information and
support regarding the full range of options available to them for
post-secondary education, additional training and employment, the Enterprise
Community has created a community collaboration strategy. The strategy involves
the coordinated efforts of the educational, employment, and human services
programs within the community in recruiting and supporting the individual
career exploration and preparation of all Enterprise youth. Des Moines Public
Schools identified a district-wide plan to prepare students to know and
demonstrate "essential learnings" upon graduation. The Des Moines Enterprise
Community will align their efforts with these "essential learnings" as they
develop curriculum, instruction and assessment for the Enterprise youth. A
long-standing partnership between Des Moines Public Schools and Des Moines Area
Community College provides the opportunity to create a unique plan for all
students to achieve their educational goals. A Work-Based Learning Coordinator
will be hired to recruit and coordinate employer involvement. Those employers
will provide opportunities and access for work-based learning opportunities to
all youth in the Enterprise Community.
Key partners include Des Moines Independent Community Schools, Greater
Des Moines Chamber of Commerce Federation, Des Moines Area Community College,
Drake University , Des Moines Enterprise Community Development Department
Neighborhood Planning Division, and South Central Iowa Federation of
Labor/AFL-CIO.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
City of Wilmington Enterprise Comm
unity
Location:
Wilmington, Delaware
Contact:
Tim Walker, 302-571-4472
Amount Awarded:
$336,781
Summary of Proposal: The Enterprise Community School-to-Work
Partnership is a network of city and state government agencies, schools,
businesses and community-based organizations seeking to increase School-to-Work
opportunities for students living or attending school in the high poverty
neighborhoods. Economic development initiatives have transformed Wilmington
into an international banking and finance center. Career opportunities within
information technology firms are also expanding. Through the Enterprise
Community partnership, the City has the opportunity to prepare its residents
for the growing number of careers in banking and information technology. The
school districts within Wilmington serve students that live both inside and
outside the Enterprise Community. Within the districts, magnet public schools
have established programs that include information technology, banking,
finance, economics and international trade. This grant will allow the
Partnership to greatly expand opportunities for Enterprise Community students
to participate in programs that prepare them for careers in these high-wage,
growth industries. Plans include using proven recruitment strategies to
increase business and student involvement in School-to-Work programs,
augmenting the number of work-based opportunities (such as mentoring and job
shadowing) and expanding collaborative efforts between the vocational technical
high school and the community college in the area of information technology.
High school students will also be able to earn credits at the community
college. In years two and three of the grant, programs in automotive
technology, manufacturing and medical careers will be expanded.
Key partners in the project include: The City of Wilmington's Enterprise
Community; the New Castle County School District; the Delaware Technical and
Community College; three credit card/banking institutions-- Beneficial Bank,
MBNA and FCCNBD; the Family Support Partnership, which includes representatives
from community-based organizations, the Delaware Private Industry Council and
the State Department of Health and Social Services.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
San Diego Workforce Partnership
Location:
San Diego, CA
Contact:
Bonnie Contreras,
619-236-6846
Amount Awarded:
$537,561
Summary of Proposal: The existing San Diego Countywide
School-to-Career Partnership and its coalition of partners is expanding to
include San Diego High School and its feeder schools. This is a
well-established partnership that last year created more than 6,000 paid and
unpaid internships and work experiences for students. This partnership
expansion brings services and opportunities to students in the most
impoverished areas of San Diego County where 53% of the youth under 18 live in
poverty and over 88% of the community is ethnically diverse. Using lessons
learned from Lincoln and Sweetwater High School-to-Career efforts, this
partnership has developed an array of support services to students and their
families designed to eliminate barriers, enhance school-based and work-based
activities, and ensure all students have the academic skills, job-related
experience and work readiness competencies need for college and careers. Key
project components include: an onsite case manage support team including a
school-to-career coordinator, social workers, and employer involvement
representative to comprehensively address students' educational, economic and
social needs; specially trained college students to serve as mentors and
provide individualized academic support; and training and support for employers
providing work-based learning experiences for students. Summer enrichment
classes focused on literacy, math and career exploration help prepare at-risk
8th and 9th graders for success in high school. An up-to-date Career Center
will provide students with on-line access to an employer database,
individualized assessment and career exploration.
Key Partners in the project include: the San Diego Unified School
District; the San Diego County Office of Education, representing 43 School
districts; the San Diego Workforce Partnership, which is responsible for JTPA
programs and will serve as fiscal agent for the grant; the San Diego Community
College District; the University of California San Diego, the Health and Human
Services Agency, the San Diego Organizing Project, a coalition of
community-based organizations; the Parent Teacher Student Association; the
Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce Business Roundtable; the Employment
Development Department, the San Diego Apprenticeship & Training
Coordinators Association, Inc and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor
Council.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Economic Development & Industrial
Corporation
Location:
Boston, Massachusetts
Contact:
Shirley Carrington, 617-445-3413
Amount
Awarded:
$538,775
Summary of Proposal: The Boston School-to-Career Local
Partnership is committed to expanding its current system by increasing the
enrollment of students in School-to-Career and by connecting with the 2,000
businesses and multiple community-based organizations located in the Enterprise
Community (EC) area where these students and their families live. Since the
Boston local partnership began four years ago, Boston's School-to-Career system
evolved into a comprehensive approach to whole school change, now involving
half the high schools and over one-quarter of the middle schools within the
Boston Public School System. Over 2,000 students are participating in
School-to-Career programs in eight high schools within the Boston Public School
District. Building off this solid footing within the Boston community,
opportunities for students living within the Enterprise Community will be
expanded by increasing the career pathways and work-based experiences currently
offered at the eight schools within the EC area and by developing new programs
of study at those high schools not previously participating in School-to-Career
programs. Two local high schools, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
and John D. O'Bryant High Schools, are targeted to become School-to-Career
schools by developing career pathways in industries such as computer and
related technologies. An employer outreach coordinator will be assigned to
connect with local business to develop work-based experiences and job
placements for students and to connect students with community organizations
such as the Shelbourne Community Center where they can receive state-of-the art
computer assistance in accessing information on career and higher educational
opportunities. A rigorous evaluation will track student progress and success.
Key partners in the project include: the Boston Public Schools; Jobs
for the Future; the Boston Private Industry Council; the Boston Empowerment
Center (comprised of representatives from employers), Boston's Higher Education
Partnership; local educators; representatives of labor organizations; students;
parents;the Alternative Education Alliance (for out-of-School youth) and
community-based organizations.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Central Appalachia Empowerment Zone
Location:
Clay, West Virginia
Contact:
Harold
Butler, 304-587-2034
Amount Awarded
: $397,121
Summary of Proposal: Clay County representatives of business,
industry, and education have collaborated to lead a community-wide initiative
to ensure that in-school, as well as out-of-school youth, develop career goals,
experience quality work-based learning, and learn the necessary employability
skills to become valued, productive members of the community. The partnership
will use Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant funds for a wide variety of
activities: to establish a high school branch of the West Virginia State
Community and Technical College that will offer adult learners the opportunity
to earn an associate degree in allied health fields; to improve curricula and
course offerings for the health career cluster at Clay County High School; to
increase work-site placements for high school youth; to expand alternative
school opportunities for out-of-school youth who wish to reenter the school
system in a non-traditional setting; to enhance an existing day program which
provides students with additional time and support with homework; and to
improve the computerized career guidance and information systems that link
students with work-based opportunities.
Key partnerships in the project include: West Virginia Healthy Schools
Initiative; Community College of West Virginia State College; West Virginia
Dept. Of Ed.; Clay County Health Department; and various representatives from
labor organizations, business and industry; county and town government, and
community-based organizations.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
City of Huntington
Location:
Huntington, West Virginia
Contact:
Jean
Dean, 304-696-5540
Amount Awarded:
$392,522
Summary of Proposal: The Cabell County STW Partnership is
committed to ensuring that high poverty youth get the skills they need to be
successful in high-skill, high-wage occupations. The partnership's business,
industry, and education representatives have collaborated to plan a
community-wide initiative which will ensure that in-school, as well as
out-of-school youth, develop career goals, experience quality work-based
learning, and master the necessary employability skills to become valued,
productive members of the community. Cabell's Executive Partnership Council
proposes strategies to reduce the dropout rate, reduce grade retention,
increase the number of youth participating in work-based learning
opportunities, and increase the opportunities for female students to experience
non-traditional work sites. Other key School-to-Work strategies developed by
the partnership include: linking with the Cabell-Wayne Family Resource Network
to provide social and mental-health services to at-risk youth and their
families; offering a tutoring program in collaboration with Marshall
University; collaborating with established programs such as the Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, Junior Achievement and Project Best; and continuing to build
partnerships with the regional Chamber of Commerce and neighboring
school-to-work systems. The Cabell County Executive Partnership Council is
committed to opening doors of opportunity for students and helping to give them
a clear direction to their future.
Key partners in the project include: Regional Chamber of Commerce; the
Enterprise Community; the Cabell-Wayne Family Resource Network; Marshall
University; neighboring STW local partnerships in Wayne and Mason Counties;
state and local government; Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Junior Achievement and
Project Best programs; various community-based programs and state and local
government.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Mid-America Regional Council
Location:
Kansas City, Missouri
Contact:
Cal Bender,
816-474-4240
Amount Awarded:
$540,000
Summary of Proposal: A project of the Wyandotte County
Business/Education Coalition, New Century Connections is designed to meet the
needs of students with a history of low achievement and high dropout rates in
Kansas City's Wyandotte High School and its feeder schools. They include
Central and Northwest Middle Schools and Banneker, New Whittier, Chelsea,
Douglas, Hawthorne, M.E. Pearson, and Mark Twain Elementary Schools. Services
will also be provided to high school dropouts living or attending Adult Basic
Education classes in this area.
At Wyandotte High School seven small learning communities will be
formed which focus on career pathway themes chosen by students. The
communities, which meet growing labor market needs, include: Business;
Hospitality; Health Careers; Vocational Technology; Visual Arts &
Technology; Performing Arts; and Humanities. In these small learning
communities, teachers will be able to work with smaller numbers of students to
meet their individual meeds. Starting next year, all Wyandotte students will
also have an advisor (teacher, counselor, or administrator) responsible for
assisting them with academic and career planning.
In addition to offering activities at the high school level, the
School-to-Work partnership will oversee the expansion of career development and
exploration opportunities, coordinate new human services resources, link
educators with professional and curriculum development resources, engage youth
in work-related and work-based learning opportunities, connect students and
dropouts to support services or adult basic education programs, and help
schools collaborate with businesses and the community at-large. Overall, the
partnership plans to serve 5,500 students in the Wyandotte area.
Key partners include: Wyandotte County Business/Education Coalition;
the Chamber of Commerce; the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas
City; the Boy Scouts of America; and the Kansas Office for Community
Service.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Multnomah County/Enterprise Community
Location:
Portland, OR
Contact:
Robert G. Okey,
503-248-3691, ext 28801
Amount Awarded:
$539,995
Summary of Proposal: Alternative Pathways is designed to
strengthen School-to-Sork efforts in the City of Portland and Multnomah and
Washington Counties. The project will help alternative students and schools
within the Enterprise Community (EC) to reach the EC's key education
benchmarks: raising the area's high school and college graduation rates, and
increasing the likelihood that college graduates will have the skills to meet
workforce needs.
By providing a rigorous curriculum and hand-on work-based experiences
to urban students, Alternative Pathways will help these youth achieve the high
standards reflected in Oregon's Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) and the
Certificate of Advanced Mastery (CAM) -- the hallmarks of the state's sweeping
education reform act to meet high academic and career-related learning
standards. The alternative schools participating in the Alternative Pathways
project will transform their curriculum from a traditional GED focus to an
integrated, contextualized curriculum that is organized and delivered around
career pathways.
Students who participate in the Alternative Pathways project will be
assisted as they make the transition from alternative education environments to
community college, professional-technical education or apprenticeships and/or
jobs that lead to high-wage, high-skill employment. They will take part in
comprehensive and intense career awareness, career orientation and structured
work-based learning experiences. Their curriculum will be organized around the
six CAM endorsement areas, or pathways. For employed students, staff will work
with workplace supervisors to coordinate work-based learning with existing or
future job assignments. Project schools will be linked to the STW Information
System (SWIS), a computerized system that matches students' specific needs with
employers offering appropriate opportunities.
Key partners include: The Multnomah County/Enterprise Community; the
Oregon Workforce Development Board; the Alternative Schools; Portland Community
College; Mt. Hood Community College; and Portland Public Schools.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
The Manchester School District
Location:
Manchester, NH
Contact:
Robert McKensie,
603-624-6450
Amount Awarded:
$540,000
Summary of Proposal: The Manchester Local Partnership will use
its Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant funds to expand a Chamber of
Commerce-driven program to strengthen school/business partnerships. Designed
for all students from kindergarten through the first job, the Partnership's
School-to-Work initiative features a Career Planning and Development course for
all district guidance counselors, an Introduction to Careers course for
freshmen, an after-school Mentoring Program for sophomores, community service
learning opportunities, a Telecommunications Internship Program, and a full
range of career services for out-of-school youth and adults. Students take core
academic subjects while engaged in project-based learning activities that
involve employers and members of the community.
The Partnership's School-to-Work initiative incorporates rigorous
academic courses based on the State's new academic requirements. Skill
certificates will be earned by students who demonstrate mastery in the core
technical skills in each of the career clusters. Students in the STC
partnership's system will have access to the Community Resource Center and the
local One-Stop Career Center. The Partnership's 25 member Advisory Council will
draw on expertise in dealing with young people and families in high-poverty
urban neighborhoods.
The Manchester School District is the largest in New Hampshire and
serves nearly 17,000 students. The District contains 14 elementary schools,
four middle schools, three high schools and a separate vocational technical
high school. Approximately 33% of the Manchester School District's students
live and/or attend schools in the EC.
Key partners include: The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce; the
Manchester School of Technology; the University of New Hampshire; NH Community
Technical College; New Hampshire College; AFL-CIO; NEA, Junior Achievement; the
Makin' It Happen Coalition for Resilient Youth; and the Greater Manchester
Family YMCA.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
McDowell County Action Network
Location:
Wilcoe, West Virginia
Contact:
Dr. Clif
Moore, 304-448-2118
Amount Awarded:
$491,069
Summary of Proposal: The McDowell County Action Network, in
collaboration with the McDowell County School-To-Work Business Community
Partnership, has developed a plan to ensure that youth in the area participate
in a challenging curriculum and comprehensive career-based, work-based and
community service learning opportunities, to insure their success in
high-skill, high-wage occupations. The McDowell County STW Business Community
Partnership has already been the recipient of a state STW Development Grant and
six Initiative Grants for school-based projects. Using Urban/Rural
Opportunities Grant funds, the partnership will implement a Pre-K to Adult
career development program and provide school and work-based training
opportunities for all teachers, parents, students, and business and community
leaders. It will also establish middle school and high school career clusters
and majors for all students, expand the curriculum at the McDowell County
Vocational Technical Center (VTC. There are additional plans to collaborate
with colleges and universities on developing a curriculum that supports the
transition from high school to post-secondary institutions and on designing
certificates of proficiency for students.
Key partners in the project include: McDowell County Enterprise
Community; West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources; Families,
Agencies and Children Enhancing Services (F.A.C.E.S.); Family Resources and
Assistance Centers (FRACs); West Virginia Department of Rehabilitation; the
U.S. Social Security Administration, McDowell County Office; Welch Area Chamber
of Commerce; United Mine Workers of America; McDowell County Job Service; Bell
Atlantic World School and Citizens Telecom Internet Project; West Virginia Job
Training Partnership Act, AFL-CIO local representatives, West Virginia
Department of Labor; local colleges, the Concord College Center for Economic
Action; and other groups and resources.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Urban/Rural Opportunity Grants for Exemplary Partnerships:
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Alternatives, Inc.
Location:
Chicago, Illinois
Contact:
Judith M. Gall
773/973-5400
Amount Awarded:
$228,570
Summary of Proposal: Edge/Up is a School-to-Work initiative (STW)
based in the Edgewater and Uptown communities on the north side of Chicago.
Edge/Up is one of the nation's first STW grantees and currently provides
implementation of the STW concept in two high area high schools and two
programs for out-of-school youth. The occupational focus areas of Edge/Up are
manufacturing, transportation, and computer information systems, which are
among the fastest growing industries in Chicago.
Edge/Up will use its Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant funds to expand
its efforts to all students within the two high schools its serves (Senn
Metropolitan Academy and Lake View High School), to an additional out-of-school
youth program and to three feeder schools this coming year. Over 90% of the
students in each feeder school come from low income families.
The expansion will allow for Edge/Up to start a new component called
Class Acts in which employer partners will engage students in a continuum of
career exploration that includes the range of School-to-Work activities.
Edge/Up expects 100 employers to participate in the coming year. Employers will
supported by Career Connections, a partner organization that will provide
career service to small groups of students. Career Connections will also train
teachers and employer partners on their successful model of career planning and
placement techniques.
Key partners in the project include: the Chicago Public School System
(Lake View High School and Sean Metropolitan Academy); Alternatives Inc. (an
organization providing services to out-of-school youth and the fiscal agent for
Edge/Up); Learning Unlimited Program and Howard Area Community Center
(out-of-school youth initiatives); St. Augustine College and Truman College;
the City Colleges of Chicago; Jane Addams Resource Corporation; O'Hare
International Airport; Bell & Howell; Vencor Hospital and Ford Motor
Company.
SCHOOL-TO-WORK OPPORTUNITIES URBAN/RURAL OPPORTUNITIES
GRANT SUMMARY
Name of Fiscal Agent:
Weatherford College of the Parker
County Junior College District
Location:
Weatherford, Texas
Contact:
Dr. Shirley Chenault 817-594-5471 Ext. 337
Amount
Awarded:
$490,643
Summary of Proposal: This proposal expands "The Successful
Transition through Educational Partnerships (STEP)" initiative located in
Mineral Wells, Texas. The closing of U.S. Army base Fort Wolters in 1972 led to
an economic downturn in this once thriving industry-based community 50 miles
west of Dallas/Fort Worth. The School-to-work partnership, which is composed of
the school district, Weatherford College, the Mineral Wells Chamber of
Commerce, key local employers, and the local government was formed when
industry representatives met with educators to design an associate of applied
systems degree program in engineering technology.
The expansion of the partnership places an ever greater emphasis on
education reform strategies, career awareness activities and skilled training
programs in this high poverty region. Junior Achievement is joining the
partnership and will facilitate additional work-based learning opportunities
through mentoring, job-shadowing, unpaid work experiences, school-sponsored
enterprises and paid work experiences. The expansion plan includes two one-day,
hands-on career fairs to be held each year on the Weatherford Campus-- one for
high school and one for junior high students. College students will demonstrate
skills learned in the technical programs.
The expansion will also lead to the development of a new sequence of
courses in health science technology. Additional opportunities will be created
for students in existing course areas. With tourism the fastest single growing
industry in the Mineral Wells and the second highest in the state, and with
customer service occupations in high-demand, a major element of the expansion
plan will be to develop a tourism concentration in the business and marketing
services.
To strengthen mathematics and science education in the early grades,
the expansion plan includes an applied-learning component to enhance the
academic achievement of students in Grades 4, 5, and 6. Intel Corporation will
help establish a "Center for Hands on Learning" and has solicited large
corporations for donations to purchase the applied-learning kits.
The expansion plan also provides for a professional development
component led by Intel Corporation for teachers in the Mineral Wells
Independent School District and Weatherford College teachers. Workshops will
familiarize teachers with strategies utilized by industry to train employees as
well as familiarize them with the culture of the semiconductor manufacturing
industry.
Key partners include: Mineral Wells Independent School District;
Weatherford College; Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce; Perry Equipment and
Industrial Technologies; Intel Corporation; Palo Pinto County Community
Services Corporation; North Central Texas Council of Governments; The Region XI
Education Service Center; North Central Texas Tech Prep Consortium and the
North Central Texas Regional School-to-Work Steering Committee.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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