News

The Consortium’s Future Ready Leaders (FRL) program kicks off in early fall with goals and structure similar to last year’s, along with a few changes designed to give teams a chance to exchange ideas with peers from other districts and give students several opportunities to explore post-secondary pathways. With district enrollment currently underway, educators in […]

Engaging students who struggle with behavioral issues or giving honors students the challenges they need may be opposite sides of a coin. But educators who trained in Project-Based Learning under our Remake Tomorrow grant found PBL a powerful tool for reaching both. Amy Goetzman, an 8th grade English teacher in Baldwin-Whitehall School District, and Christopher […]

Getting families engaged with their kids’ schoolwork and activities might seem easier in a tiny school district than in a sprawling one. But, small or not, when a district’s ESL (English as a Second Language) population swells from less than 2 percent to 11 percent in five years, family engagement becomes more of a challenge. […]

As the Consortium wound up its MAPs (My Action Plan for Success) initiative, we realized many schools in our network needed support providing opportunities for students to explore and prepare for careers. At the same time, it was becoming clear that employers had good reason to help them. In 2016, the Allegheny Conference on Community […]

On the heels of our leadership role in Carnegie Mellon University’s Hear Me project, the Consortium, in 2013, began what would become one of its largest multi-district initiatives, My Action Plan for Success (MAPs). Launched in partnership with 13 participating districts, the pathbreaking pilot both followed naturally from the Consortium’s involvement in Hear Me! and […]

Educators who’d like to get a feel for Human-Centered Design principles and methods should sign up for Introduction to Design Thinking for Education. The series of four half-day workshops begins June 21. Participants will gain the knowledge and skills needed to implement strategies for defining challenges, brainstorming, facilitating feedback, building empathy into their processes, and […]

At the end of last month, two years following the launch of our video library, the 127 Career Journeys interviews we recorded have logged an astounding 30,323 views!  Students, educators, and others drawn to learning how different professionals charted their career courses have collectively put in nearly 1,200 hours watching our interviewees tell their stories. […]

At its May meeting, the Career Ready PA Coalition showcased our collaborations with Covestro as examples of “Community Partnerships in Action.” Consortium Program Director Sarah Brooks and Covestro STEM Education Lead Ben Renwick presented an overview of the work and the impetus behind it. The meeting also featured presenters on “Employability Skills and Industry Credentials”, […]

Consortium veteran Jackie Foor became our new Executive Director on Monday and shared a few thoughts with our network in a letter. Watch our website to learn more about her plans for the future when a new school year unfolds next fall.

Educators and employers alike attending our Future Ready Partnerships Conference earlier this month found plenty of leads to follow up. Expressing a sentiment heard widely during the daylong event, Deer Lakes School District’s Assistant Superintendent Bobbi-Ann Barnes said, “I have a lot of emails to send out and phone calls to make—I’m excited.” She noted […]