Community Partnerships

The purpose of this project is to identify and document implementation issues experienced by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration community and school grantees who received support to implement and evaluate youth violence prevention efforts.

The WEEA Equity Resource Center was a national center that for 25 years promoted gender-equitable education for all students. The center offered educators and others a range of resources to help make gender equity a reality in the classroom and in educational systems, focusing especially on equity for girls and women who face multiple barriers due to gender and race, ethnic origin, disability, or age. The center’s funding ended in 2003 and select resources and information continue to be available through the achieved Web site.

In collaboration with EDC’s Education, Employment, and Community Programs, ERO has developed the Ford PAS program. Ford PAS includes an interdisciplinary high school curriculum that challenges students academically and develops their problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills. The program links classroom learning to future opportunities in business, engineering, and technology, and motivates young people to succeed in college and careers. These links are forged through innovative partnerships with business, higher education, and the community.

The School Health Infrastructure Project (SHIP) is working with superintendents of large urban school districts and local health department commissioners to plan for and implement modern school health programs. Such programs integrate the resources of education, health, and social service agencies to improve outcomes around four types of goals to improve knowledge, health behaviors and outcomes, education outcomes, and social outcomes. They are systemwide initiatives that are based on collaboration of youth, families, and communities with school and health organizations.

CSA is the community-mobilization component of USAID/Ghana’s Quality Improvement in Primary Schools program, an initiative under Ghana’s Free Compulsory University Basic Education program. CSA aims to improve community participation in more than 300 primary schools throughout Ghana. This highly participatory effort strives to build an environment of mutual respect, responsibility, and action among community members, schools, and education administrators as they work to meet the learning needs of Ghanaian children.

This project developed Web-based materials to support the national America Counts initiative, in particular, mathematics materials for use in mentoring K–9 students. Also developed were training materials—both print and video—to support coordinators of mentoring programs.

This project creates informal learning opportunities in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, using the ancient African civilization of Nubia as the context. Components include an exhibit, educational materials (hands-on kits, videos, and discussion guides), a Web site, a CD-ROM, community outreach, and professional development programs for educators in museums, community groups, schools, and libraries.

In collaboration with the National Institute of Out-of-School Time (NIOST), EDC’s Center for Science Education worked with six science centers around the country to introduce design-engineering activities into afterschool programming. CSE developed the curricula for the engineering projects; NIOST provided technical support for their implementation. Through monthly workshops, science centers introduced the curricula to program leaders of participating community agencies.

EDC and our partners—the National Alliance of Business and the Information Technology Association of America—highlight and expand the involvement of information technology employers in school-to-work nationally. The project builds strong employer leadership; strengthens model, developing, and aspiring centers of excellence; and organizes regional symposia. It also created a Web-based clearinghouse of information technology school-to-work resources.

In collaboration with EDC’s Center for Educational Resources and Outreach, EEC promotes and supports the Ford PAS program. Ford PAS includes an interdisciplinary high school curriculum that challenges students academically and develops their problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills. We provide ongoing technical assistance for all schools and partners implementing Ford PAS by hosting an interactive Web site and toll-free hotline, designing and conducting an annual national networking and training conference, and offering professional development activities.