Last month, the Ohio Department of Education announced the winners of the Expanding Opportunities for Each Child (EOEC Round 2), direct student services grant.  This grant, which is funded through a portion of the State’s federal Title funds, was designed to give greater access to advanced coursework and career pathways, and increase enrollment for low-income students in Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate opportunities.
Congratulations to our EOEC Round 2 winners! Collectively, they were awarded $2,556,160 over three years.
Kenton City School District ($450,000) Kenton is partnering with EnvisionEdPlus and Hi-Point Career Center to expand career pathways in grades 7-12. Hi-Point is adding 2 new CTE pathways (MS Career Technologies, HS Business) serving 90 students a year.  Kenton MS is adding two additional career exploration paths: computer science and Innovation/ Design. Kenton is collaborating with EnvisionEdPlus to develop a Portrait of a Kenton Graduate and align local systems to Ohio’s new graduation requirements.  A new Career Readiness Advisor will provide career advising, recruit industry partners for work based learning and expand Career Based Intervention services to personalize learning for high school students who need alternate graduation pathways.
- LEARN MORE AT OUR JUNE 25 Operation Graduation Design Lab in Kenton!
Canal Winchester High School ($310,000) CWHS is creating a work-based learning cohort of at-risk 10th graders who will participate in a Personalized Professional Pathway using Ruby Payne’s Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-By World curriculum to prepare them for success in work-based learning.  CWHS will also create a Skills Lab (mix between a high end makerspace and hospital simulation workspace) where students in the healthcare, engineering and manufacturing pathways can earn industry credentials and deepen work-based learning across all pathways.
- LEARN MORE AT OUR AUGUST 6 Operation Graduation Design Lab in Canal Winchester!
Struthers City School District and Mahoning Valley Business Advisory Council ($450,000) On behalf of 20 districts that are members of the Mahoning Valley Business Advisory Council (MVBAC), Struthers and Mahoning County ESC are using a 3-pronged approach to expand pathway supports across the region. Â Schools with high populations of at risk seniors in the Class of 2020 will participate in designing personalized pathways for seniors to participate in capstone experiences or work/service learning as alternate ways to earn their diploma next year. Â Districts will collaborate to understand the new graduation requirements for Class of 2021 and beyond while developing systems to meet the new requirements. Finally, 5 teams will design and pilot career pathway programs within regionally in-demand fields aligned to the new graduation requirements.
All Marion County School Districts ($1,275,000) Marion City and Pleasant Local are the fiscal agents of three EOEC grants that support pathway expansion across grades 7-12 as a key strategy of the county’s business advisory council (referred to as MAWAC – Marion Area Workforce Acceleration Collaborative).  All county districts will collaborate to unpack the new graduation requirements and design local systems to create personalized graduation plans for all students by the end of 8th grade. High Schools will collaborate with industry and higher ed partners to design and launch 4 career pathways aligned to MAWAC’s most in-demand career fields (business, health science, computer science, engineering / robotics). Middle school teachers, industry and higher ed partners will co-design career exploration experiences for all 7th and 8th graders in these same pathways.
Perry Local (Lake County) and Fairport Harbor ($450,000) Perry and Fairport Harbor are collaborating to create a 2-year shared service career pathway pilot. Through cross district training, planning and site visits to schools successfully implementing personalized career pathways, teams will design and prepare to pilot pathway experiences (HS: shared service entrepreneurial construction pathway, MS: entrepreneurial skill building pathway), and short term ‘intensive’ courses aligned to regionally in-demand fields. These new pathways will allow students to: earn an industry recognized credential (HS only), complete 120 hours of work based learning (HS only), solve an authentic/ real world problem, present a portfolio of learning experience,and/or document the completion of a culminating student experience or capstone. Districts will also create specific supports for at risk Class of 2020 seniors and prepare to scale personalized graduation plans for all students.
If this work seems aligned to your school’s priorities, let us know! We are anticipating that Round 3 of the Expanding Opportunities for Each Child grant competition will open in Fall 2019. Now is the time to begin planning your proposal. Register now for one of our Operation Graduation Design Labs or request a meeting with our team.