How do you build strong collaboration around education? How do you bring business leaders to the table? What kinds of partnerships get results?
Those were some of the issues discussed by more than 50 national education, city and community leaders who came to Louisville for a meeting of cities involved with Communities Learning in Partnership (CLIP).
CLIP is an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with the National League of Cities Institute of Youth, Education and Families that aims to increase the number of low-income young people who earn college degrees.
Eleven cities are involved – and gathered in Louisville Oct. 27-28. Four have grants to implement programs: New York; San Francisco; Mesa, Ariz.; Riverside, California. Three others received planning grants: Dayton, Jacksonville and Phoenix. Louisville – along with the cities of Boston, Portland and Philadelphia – recently became affiliate cities.
“Louisville has a tremendous history of collaboration,” Jeanne Contardo from the Business Higher Education Forum told the CLIP gathering.
In discussing Louisville’s 55,000 Degrees initiative and the Mayor’s Education Roundtable, the group was impressed by the level of business engagement in Louisville.
They appreciated the creation of an organization that would survive and prosper after Mayor Jerry Abramson leaves office in January 2011.
And they recognized the value in a common goal – 55,000 Degrees – even as individual educational institutions set their own objectives.
“We have an opportunity, a once-in-a-generation opportunity, to combine forces, to develop collaborative efforts and sustain them over time to make a difference, to move the numbers in a dramatic way,” said Tony Newberry, president of the Louisville-based Jefferson Community and Technical College.
He said his six-campus system has set its own 2020 goal -- to double the number of associate degrees awarded annually and to dramatically increase transfers to four-year universities.
While access to college is important, his emphasis is increasingly on completion – critical when fewer than 1 in 5 freshmen at two-year institutions in our region finish their associate’s degrees in three years.
One group took a field trip to understand a unique Louisville public-private partnership -- Metropolitan College. When UPS needed a stable night shift workforce for its package-handling hub in Louisville, Metropolitan College was created so students could work those shifts and get a free college education at the University of Louisville or JCTC during the day. Twelve years later, over 11,000 students have participated in the program.
Participants on the tour also heard about the CREW Career Center; the EES, a joint program of JCTC and JCPS Adult and Continuing Education; and the University of Louisville ULtra program, all of which are geared toward helping people plan an educational path from the minute they decide to go to college.
Jefferson County Public Schools superintendent Sheldon Berman discussed the steps the Louisville school system is taking to better prepare its students to graduate, and to succeed after high school. JCPS has restructured its curriculum, providing better support systems for students, and has moved to a trimester schedule. JCPS has created schools of study to provide students with a more personalized environment focusing on students’ individual interests.
“Kids have to be cared about,” Berman said. He noted that JCPS works to ensure that every student succeeds, and that no student is ever expelled from the school system.
Dan Ash, the executive director of Louisville’s Metroversity, told a group the education stakeholders in Louisville are very honest with each other, and that helps.
“The challenge is not avoiding conflict. It’s avoiding disengagement,” he said.
Another highlight of the meeting was hearing from Eduardo Ochoa, assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. He spoke about President Obama’s commitment to higher education, to creating a college-going culture in the nation.
“Quality education, more than ever before, is the cornerstone for a strong economy in the 21st century,” said Ochoa.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Business group buzzes about Louisville’s collaborative efforts
The Business-Higher Education Forum held a Leadership Summit in Louisville Oct. 28-29 and the sessions buzzed with conversation about the Mayor’s Education Roundtable and 55,000 Degrees.
Delegations from Des Moines and Oklahoma City – including mayors, college presidents, foundation and business leaders, and superintendents -- came to hear about Louisville’s experiences. Also on hand: experts from Long Beach, Houston, Cincinnati, and other communities with stories to share.
“Hearing you talk about ‘the Louisville Model’ and what it’s ‘achieved’ leaves us flattered but also a little shocked,” said David Jones Jr., as he welcomed the group to Louisville.
“At this point, we feel good about the progress we have made by coming together … but we’re just getting started.
“The pipeline” – the education system from preschool through graduate school – was the focus of many remarks. BHEF provided a flow-chart depicting how improvement occurs across the pipeline, available here (slide 14.)
Sheldon Berman, superintendent of Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools, said his goal is “not only every student graduating, but also every student graduating college-ready.”
Berman outlined reforms underway, including more personalized instruction, a caring environment, engaging curriculum, inquiry-based learning, high schools reorganized around career themes with a trimester schedule to allow acceleration or catch-up.
“These are the kinds of changes we need to make,” he said, “if 55K has any chance of succeeding.”
David Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education Board, said getting more students into college was critical, but colleges and universities will be challenged to serve them on tight budgets.
“I know this is hard to talk about …” he said, “but higher education must become more efficient. The cost per student has got to come down.”
Indiana University Southeast Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles agreed, saying colleges needed to achieve business-like efficiency.
Jamie Merisotis, president of the Lumina Foundation for Education gave the dinner address. He spoke about the work that Lumina is funding in Louisville, and he said: “It’s my hope that we can take what’s happening here in Louisville and transplant it into every American city. I can’t think of a better way to supercharge the efforts we think are required to dramatically increase postsecondary education attainment.”
Berman praised the commitment of Louisville’s business community, noting that he raised more than $1 million in 28 days from local businesses and foundations so JCPS could secure a $5 million federal grant -- Investing in Innovation (or i3) -- from the United States Department of Education. Nearly 1,700 applications were submitted. The JCPS application was one of 30 selected.
“Thank you for inviting us to hear Louisville’s story,” Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. “I really benefit from hearing the opinions of so many high level educators, policy-makers and business leaders – and the time to sort out some ideas to take back for the betterment of our community.”
55K Interim Director Mary Gwen Wheeler told the group: “We have a plan – a clear goal. And we are going to keep the numbers in front of everybody.”
The list of other Louisville presenters included a number of Roundtable members, including its convener, Mayor Jerry Abramson: GLI president Joe Reagan, University of Louisville president James Ramsey and U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz and JCTC President Tony Newberry.
For more coverage of the event, visit the BHEF blog.
Delegations from Des Moines and Oklahoma City – including mayors, college presidents, foundation and business leaders, and superintendents -- came to hear about Louisville’s experiences. Also on hand: experts from Long Beach, Houston, Cincinnati, and other communities with stories to share.
“Hearing you talk about ‘the Louisville Model’ and what it’s ‘achieved’ leaves us flattered but also a little shocked,” said David Jones Jr., as he welcomed the group to Louisville.
“At this point, we feel good about the progress we have made by coming together … but we’re just getting started.
“The pipeline” – the education system from preschool through graduate school – was the focus of many remarks. BHEF provided a flow-chart depicting how improvement occurs across the pipeline, available here (slide 14.)
Sheldon Berman, superintendent of Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools, said his goal is “not only every student graduating, but also every student graduating college-ready.”
Berman outlined reforms underway, including more personalized instruction, a caring environment, engaging curriculum, inquiry-based learning, high schools reorganized around career themes with a trimester schedule to allow acceleration or catch-up.
“These are the kinds of changes we need to make,” he said, “if 55K has any chance of succeeding.”
David Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education Board, said getting more students into college was critical, but colleges and universities will be challenged to serve them on tight budgets.
“I know this is hard to talk about …” he said, “but higher education must become more efficient. The cost per student has got to come down.”
Indiana University Southeast Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles agreed, saying colleges needed to achieve business-like efficiency.
Jamie Merisotis, president of the Lumina Foundation for Education gave the dinner address. He spoke about the work that Lumina is funding in Louisville, and he said: “It’s my hope that we can take what’s happening here in Louisville and transplant it into every American city. I can’t think of a better way to supercharge the efforts we think are required to dramatically increase postsecondary education attainment.”
Berman praised the commitment of Louisville’s business community, noting that he raised more than $1 million in 28 days from local businesses and foundations so JCPS could secure a $5 million federal grant -- Investing in Innovation (or i3) -- from the United States Department of Education. Nearly 1,700 applications were submitted. The JCPS application was one of 30 selected.
“Thank you for inviting us to hear Louisville’s story,” Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. “I really benefit from hearing the opinions of so many high level educators, policy-makers and business leaders – and the time to sort out some ideas to take back for the betterment of our community.”
55K Interim Director Mary Gwen Wheeler told the group: “We have a plan – a clear goal. And we are going to keep the numbers in front of everybody.”
The list of other Louisville presenters included a number of Roundtable members, including its convener, Mayor Jerry Abramson: GLI president Joe Reagan, University of Louisville president James Ramsey and U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz and JCTC President Tony Newberry.
For more coverage of the event, visit the BHEF blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)