Several of us on the Epic School Partnerships team just returned from the AVID National Conference in San Diego where we not only had an opportunity to learn from some great educational leaders but had a chance to meet up with old friends, explore new ideas, and collaborate with new folks. Both our founder Dr.…
In an October 1st, 2015, Washington Post blog about choices, Jay Matthews talks about the community college as a popular starting point for college entrants. However, the numbers that follow are alarming. For every 100 new students at community colleges, only 16 will have earned an associate degree or certificate after three years. After six years, just…
Repackaged conversations I thoroughly enjoyed Rob Jenkins article, Retention in the Trenches (Chronicle of Higher Education, May 18, 2015) where he reminds us that the current focus on college completion is really just a repackaging of an age old concern: retention. Recently states have begun to factor retention (completion rates) into funding formulas for community…
What happens when you get elementary school teachers together for immersive, hands-on summer science workshops? It can be an electrifying experience, as participants in the Quality Elementary Science Teaching (QuEST) program in Missouri found out this past summer in Columbia. The theme of the 2015 summer institute centered on circuits and energy. Elementary teachers took…
ALL: is it just the latest slogan or term that we throw around loosely in education? It sounds good: ALL students college and career ready, what is our school doing to prepare ALL students, ALL students prepared for a bright and successful future. But do we really mean ALL? Why should we unpack the word…
In 2013, the school board in Philadelphia announced a plan to close 37 schools. The Philadelphia Student Union, an organized group of students that runs campaigns at the local, state, and national levels, showed up to the school board meeting dressed as zombies. They performed a choreographed routine to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and collapsed at the end. One of the participating students, Benjamin Franklin High sophomore Hausim Talbot, told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “We represent the students affected by the closing plan. Our hopes would be dead.”
It’s been a year since our founder David Conley transitioned from his role as CEO of EPIC, but he’s still a visionary leader for much of our work. His newest endeavor is EdImagine, an educational strategy consulting company. Its website is a great source for keeping up to date with Dr. Conley’s work. Check out…
The Takeaway Series With John Hockenberry, October 19-21-23, 2015 The Takeaway is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The New York Times and WGBH Boston. What a pleasant surprise to find The Takeaway starting a series focusing on community colleges last week! For years I’ve been a rabid fan…
With so many educational reform efforts underway across the country, student voice often gets lost in the myriad of recommendations coming from politicians, career academics, and professional educators. While out on the east coast for the Connecting Credentials National Summit, EPIC met with staff from YI Advisors, the consulting arm of Young Invincibles (YI), a…
As Aristotle said, we are “by nature a social animal.” We thrive on connections and partnerships. If this is true, and I do believe it is, then shouldn’t we be doing more to promote those partnerships across the chasms between K–12 and higher education? I am encouraged by the joint statement this month from the…