PIE Wins Ohio Department of Education Community Connectors Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Partnership for Innovation in Education Receives $126,600 Community Connectors Grant from Ohio Department of Education
New One-on-One Mentoring Program Will Help Local Students Explore 21st Century Careers
CINCINNATI – (Aug. 27, 2015) Imagine learning about 21st century careers through a one-on-one mentoring relationship with the professionals working in the field every day? This is what Cincinnati Public School students will experience through Partnership for Innovation in Education’s (PIE) new one-on-one mentoring program during the 2015-2016 school year. The program will involve 156 classrooms and 32 schools, reach 4,300 fifth through ninth grade students and include 5,000 local mentors. In support of this initiative, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) has awarded PIE with a $126,600 Community Connectors grant – one of the largest grants the ODE provided to a non-profit this year.
Cincinnati-based PIE works with students and educators to develop transformational educational tools to accelerate academic achievement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, especially among girls and minorities. Through this new program, students will experience one-on-one in-classroom mentoring from well-vetted, qualified mentors representing the Greater Cincinnati business and non-profit community.
“Through this program, students gain access to professionals in the real world, who are ready to provide relevant examples to classroom and after-school learning,” said Mary Welsh Schlueter, CEO for PIE. “It will help teachers create classroom environments with students engaging in the scientific design (problem-solving) process with access to real-world professionals.”
In addition to the mentoring opportunity, students will also enjoy a variety of rich learning experiences, such as lunch & learn panels, guest speakers, site visits and after-school community service.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our students to explore 21st century careers and gain hands on experience following a career path – letting them apply their talents and skills to solving real-world challenges faced in the workforce every day.” said Mary Ronan, Superintendent for Cincinnati Public Schools.
Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of career paths with the help of program partners from across the Greater Cincinnati region, including Accounting for Kids, ArtsWave, ArtWorks, Interact for Health, CERKL.com, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio and the Cincinnati Public School District. The four career focus areas include Arts Entrepreneurship, Energy Sustainability & Agriculture, Sports Engineering and Product Manufacturing.
“ArtsWave is pleased to support PIE in this program that connects students with encouraging, inspiring mentors from across our region. This program will not only benefit our local students as they learn about a variety of different career opportunities, but it also will be rewarding for the mentors and program partners to share their skills and expertise,” said Alecia Kintner, President and CEO, ArtsWave.
The program partners will participate as part of the in-classroom curriculum, featuring language arts, math and science challenges, while the teachers and mentors encourage the student’s problem-solving abilities using classroom discussion, team role play and research and data analysis.
“I am honored to collaborate and offer students a chance to bridge their learning from the classroom to the boardroom, helping students gain insights and a deeper understanding of the career opportunities available for them. It is a fun program for the students and the mentors, and it is a great way to inspire our next generation of leaders,” said Crystal Faulkner, founder of Accounting for Kids.
About PIE
Partnership For Innovation In Education (PIE) develops transformational educational tools preparing the 21st century workforce for success in the global marketplace. PIE features first-ever mentoring alliances with education, business and arts organizations, providing hands-on simulations in the K-12 classroom. PIE is a 501c3 nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, awarded the GuideStar Nonprofit “Gold Exchange” Ranking. For more information, visit www.piemedia.org or follow @PIE_Innovation on Twitter.