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The Consortium for Public Education • 410 Ninth Street, McKeesport, PA 15132 • 412-678-9215 (phone) 412-678-1698 (fax)

Updated August 31, 2010

Deadline approaching for
Journey to Learn
enrollment
Whether you’re looking for new approaches to convey math concepts, new techniques for teaching literature or even ways to combine the two, you’ll find them during The Consortium for Public Education’s annual Journey to Learn. This year’s Journey takes place Friday, October 22.  The deadline for registration is September 13.

The region-wide professional development experience features nearly 130 different workshops hosted in 15 different districts. As always, workshop presenters will share their own best practices for teaching, counseling, administration and other topics of interest to educators.

For further details and a PDF containing descriptions and locations of available workshops, click here.

Registration cards can be obtained from district or building coordinators.

Consortium chosen to help launch pilot
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation and United Way of Allegheny County have tapped The Consortium for Public Education and three other community-based organizations to pilot an initiative to introduce high school freshmen to career paths in the region’s largest employment sector. To learn more, click here.

Consortium to test concepts for pilot on personalized learning

Educators discuss ideas about personalized learning during a June focus group session

Based on continuing focus group feedback, The Consortium will move ahead to refine and test concepts for a pilot program that would support schools in introducing individual learning plans. For more details, click here.

Consortium’s early literacy challenge helps districts improve learning readiness

Steel Valley Literacy Fair helps parents build learning readiness

Four years ago, The Consortium for Public Education began working with a network of districts to improve learning readiness among pre-school students. Steel Valley School District is a shining example of how those districts are realizing measurable gains. To read more about it, click here.

Students and teachers learn tricks
of the digital storytelling trade


Stories that students wrote on paper bags are set to become part of a panorama created with Carnegie Mellon University’s Gigapan camera technology

The Consortium for Public Education’s latest Digital Storytelling seminar brought more than 120 students and teachers from across the region together to learn the techniques of creating narratives, whether on a page or on a stage. To read about what they learned from some leading Pittsburgh professionals, click here.

Conference gives TFIM teams a glimpse into the real world of work

Two students take a look at the applications Dollar Bank’s programmers are creating for i-Pad users.

Teams attending the 10th annual Student Leadership Conference hosted by The Consortium for Public Education’s career exploration program, The Future Is Mine (TFIM), looked at the world of work through the eyes of employees at 14 different Pittsburgh companies and organizations in April. For a full story on what they saw, click here.

CMU's CREATE Lab hosts site visit with TFIM team

Brownsville students huddle around a computer while working on a project at the CREATE Lab.

A team of students from Brownsville Area High School got a hands-on opportunity to learn about Gigapan photography during a visit this month to Carnegie Mellon University’s Community Robotics Education and Technology Empowerment (CREATE) Lab.

Their visit was just one of many on-site experiences students from high schools in 25 districts can receive each year as part of their participation in The Consortium for Public Education’s career exploration and student leadership program, The Future Is Mine (TFIM). To read more about what they learned and what other TFIM teams are doing, click here.

Evaluation gives high marks to Consortium's career exploration program
A survey and evaluation performed for The Consortium for Public Education's career exploration program, The Future Is Mine (TFIM), found TFIM meeting goals in all three of the areas in which it aims to support student participants. Click here for more details and executive summary.


Join TFIM's Newest Network!
Please take a moment to join TFIM's newest network
that will keep you updated on all things TFIM! Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up as well.


 

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DUANELAND: Film about McKeesport native Duane Michals gets rave reviews, is still available.

Stay Up-To-Date with The Consortium!

Great Idea Grants
deadline set
Applications for The Consortium for Public Education’s fall round of Great Idea Grants should be submitted no later than Friday, October 1.  For information about eligibility and how to apply click here.

The Consortium selected 15 proposals for funding during the most recently completed round of applications, bringing the total for two rounds in 2009-2010 to 33. Among the latest were a cross-curricular environmental project at Elizabeth Forward and an introduction to yoga at McKeesport High School. For more details, photos and a link to a complete listing, click here.

Project to amplify student voices
across the region
Even before summer began fading, teachers began signing up to involve their students in a project that The Consortium for Public Education is launching this fall in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. It’s a region-wide effort to find out what’s on kids’ minds and to help them explore the power of narrative. To learn more about it and how you can participate, click here.

Leadership Retreat centers on developing the potential of all students

A role playing session helped focus discussions on individual students’ needs

From the opening remarks to the closing reflections, The Consortium for Public Education’s annual Leadership Retreat challenged educators to address the needs of each individual student while developing the potential of all students. To review some of the highlights, click here.

Alumni Scholarships Help
30 McKeesport Seniors


Dr. Linda L. Croushore, president of the McKeesport High School Alumni & Friends Association, speaks with the 30 McKeesport Area seniors who received grants and awards through the association's scholarship program. Click here for the complete story and more photos.

Pittsburgh Carrick’s TFIM team offers peers a leg up on The Pittsburgh Promise

A TFIM team member spells out Pittsburgh Promise requirements for several freshmen

Educators at Pittsburgh Carrick High School enlisted students participating in The Consortium for Public Education’s career exploration program, The Future Is Mine (TFIM), to pilot a peer-mentoring project that could help more ninth graders achieve The Pittsburgh Promise. To learn how, click here.

Educators at Middle-High Forum turn tables, learning some lessons from students

Students on a panel at the Middle-High Forum meeting provide valuable advice to their teachers and administrators

What’s helping public school students and what’s holding them back? Why not ask them? That’s exactly what teams of educators did when they met with a student panel at the latest Middle-High Forum. To find out what wisdom students imparted, click here.

Learning blossoms with
Great Idea Grants


Elizabeth Forward H. S. students tend to their blossoms.

With all the color and variety of spring flowers, The Consortium for Public Education’s latest crop of Great Idea Grants is coming into bloom. At Elizabeth Forward High School, one small grant spurred a Green Team into action on environmental learning projects. At McKeesport High School, another grant helped special education students begin a “Move for Health” program to encourage fitness and chart progress. Still other grants at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center are helping introduce lessons in robotics, solar technology and product design and manufacturing. To learn more about these projects and take a look at some of the work, click here.

Consortium works with VLN to help districts confront cyber challenge
The Consortium for Public Education has begun working in conjunction with VLN Partners to help school districts confront the challenge posed by cyber charter schools.

Statewide, school districts have seen nearly 20,000 of their students leave for cyber charters. At an estimated average cost of more than $8,000 per student, the defections have translated into roughly $160 million in lost revenue. Read on...











 
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Reading Rocks
Journey to Learn
Kennywood Caper
Leadership Retreat
   
   
Public School Excellence
Literacy for Life
The Future Is Mine
Great Idea Grants
McKeesport Alumni
   
(PA PEP) PA Public Education
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Good Schools Pennsylvania