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Slide 2 Slide 3 Demonstrating Results Why GEAR UP is Important to the SC Business Community Slide 4 SC Perception What do you think of South Carolina? Slide 5 2010 Statewide Perception Study Education and workforce development - especially among South Carolinians - has a tarnished, negative image Much of South Carolinas brand image is influenced by the fact that SC is a Southern state. 44% of US residents identify the South as having the worst image. Although SCs brand itself is largely undefined, current impressions are driven by: Travel and tourism on the positive side and Political leadership on the negative side. Slide 6 Telling Our Story The following statements generated the most positive impressions of SC: SC ranks third in the nation in the number of teachers certified by the prestigious National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. SC was placed in the top five every year in rankings of states with the best workforce training programs by Expansion Management magazine. Slide 7 Telling Our Story The following statements generated the most positive impressions of SC: SC has implemented a program called Personal Pathways to Success, which provides educational and career planning resources that bring together all South Carolinians students, parents, educators, adult job seekers and employers. Personal Pathways is becoming a national model. The national report card Quality Counts 2010 ranked SC No. 11 in the nation for academic policy and performance. Slide 8 Telling Our Story The following statements generated the most positive impressions of SC: Companies such as BMW, Boeing and Michelin have major operations in SC. The total number of active registered apprentices in the state has jumped from close to 800 in 2007 to more than 10,000 in 2014. Slide 9 Why GEAR UP for SC: Where We Were SC high school graduation rates have historically been close to lowest in the US Percentage of SC high school students graduating on time improved to 77.5 percent in 2012-13 (US avg. 81%) from 74.9 percent in 2011-12: the largest single-year increase in more than a decade and the highest graduation rate since the state began measuring on-time graduation rates in 2009-10 SC per capita income about 40 th lowest in U.S. (2011) - In SC, we must focus on our most at-risk students (often those living in poverty) Skills Gap: Many employers having trouble finding skilled workers. Slide 10 Jobs in South Carolina People 45% People 45% Jobs 17% People 26% High-Skilled Middle-Skilled Low-Skilled Jobs 45% Jobs 38% People 29% Information provided by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce High-Skilled is defined as requiring a bachelors degree or higher Middle-Skilled is defined as requiring a certificate or associates degree Low-Skilled is defined as a high school diploma or less Slide 11 Why Involve SC Business Community? South Carolina Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) is the states unified voice of business Board of Directors consists of states top CEOs, Presidents More than 1,500 business members SCCC has played key role in GEAR UP since 1995 As a partner, SCCC works with GEAR UP to develop relationships between education and business Slide 12 Workforce Development: SC Chamber 2020 Education Goals Developed 2020 Education Goals in July 2009 Goal #2: 85% of all SC high school students will graduate on- time as measured by the US Dept. of Educations Uniform Graduation Rate formula. Goal #4: SC will be in the top 5 states in average 4th and 8th grade student NAEP score improvement. Goal #5: 50% reduction of the student achievement gap on PASS testing from 2009 results. Goal #9: SC will exceed the national average for adults holding 2 or 4 year degrees. GEAR UP a key part of SC Chamber education policy Slide 13 SC GEAR UP Mission Connect businesses and schools to improve : Academic achievement Parental involvement Graduation rates Post-secondary/college/career readiness Slide 14 Two Successful Components Placement of GEAR UP personnel at SC Chamber of Commerce Building a strategic system for generating and recording in kind matching from business community Slide 15 SC GEAR UP, formerly High Performance Partnerships (HPP) HPP est. in 1999 as school-business-community component of SCs two previous successful grants HPP mission to connect businesses with schools to improve academic achievement, parental involvement, graduation rates and college and career success Partners: SC Commission on Higher Ed, SC Chamber of Commerce Local chambers of commerce, regional civic groups, communities, faith-based organizations WITH business partnerships HPP Goal: approximately 125 partners; goal surpassed at more than 150 Slide 16 GEAR UP Schools (GU 3) 22 high schools in 15 school districts 15 counties (mostly along I-95 corridor) Serves over 4,000 students across the state To receive services, schools must meet all of the following criteria: At least 50 percent of students receive free or reduced lunches At least 75 percent of students at the poverty rate (as determined by the SC Education Oversight Committee) Slide 17 SC GEAR UP Strategies Tutoring/mentoring one-on-one or in groups, volunteer readers, study buddies, EEDA/IGPs Incentive Programs rewards for improved grades, attendance, good citizenship Career Awareness college visits, exposure to business world, Business Week on college campus, job shadowing, Career Days Increasing Parental/Community Involvement annual parent resource calendar, family recognition dinners for student achievement Supplementing School Resources school supply and book drives Slide 18 Recruiting Business along the I-95 Corridor Steps: Identify businesses in the area Contact via phone or cold call with package of information on the school(s) in the area Package contains: Gear UP brochure, fact sheet on school, partnership form with details of ways to assist schools Follow up after initial meeting or phone call Process paperwork and inform school (Graduation Coach, Principal and Regional Coaches for Gear UP) Track Volunteer Hours- sign in sheets, tutoring, mentoring and any other assistance given to the schools (Standard Forms that all use (sign in sheets, in-kind contributions forms) Slide 19 SC Chamber Staff 2 full-time dedicated staff members Director of Business Relations and Assistant Director Bachelors degree required Experience in fundraising, marketing, community relations Manages network of schools/businesses/community partnerships Recruits volunteer services Works with businesses to provide support Provides workshops at businesses Provides services where parents are located Administrative Assistant Associate Vice President of Education, Workforce and Manufacturing Policy oversees staff Slide 20 Regional Coordinator Roles Collaboratively, coordinators connect partnerships to: Recruit mentors/tutors Business student shadowing, internships in line with EEDA Career interest inventories and assessments Education on job skills Helping parents navigate through access to post secondary education and resources available Provide opportunities for teachers/guidance personnel to visit businesses to learn about skills needed Slide 21 A Success Story David Johnson, University of South Carolina, 2011 GEAR UP Graduate (GEAR UP 2) Slide 22 SC GEAR UP, 2005-2011 Major Accomplishments On-time high school graduation rates rose for the third consecutive year in SC, including for students living in high poverty areas High School Assessments 87.5% of SCGU students passed math and ELA portion GPA - # of SCGU students with a 3.0 GPA increased in 10 th grade by 38% 40+ kids exposed to South Carolina Business Week, a 6-day camp that teaches students about life in the business world; 4 college scholarships offered to students Slide 23 SC GEAR UP, 2005-2011 Major Accomplishments College Prep Requirements Year One: 55% of students said someone spoke with them; 23% of parents Year Five: 92% of students said someone spoke with them; 84% of parents Post Secondary Options: Year One: 82% of students said someone spoke with them; 55% of parents Year Five: 93% of students said someone spoke with them; 94% of parents Slide 24 SC GEAR UP, 2005-2011 Major Accomplishments Tutoring and Mentor Services - 86.9 tutoring hours and 74.9 mentoring hours per student in Year Five (one-on-one) Grant objective to promote to next grade 65% of students each year Over 85% of SCGU students promoted to the next grade each year of the grant Slide 25 In-Kind Contribution Forms Slide 26 SC Business In-Kind Totals to date (GEAR UP 3) GOAL: $3.5 mil/yr. Year 1 2011-12 $ 4.446 million Year 2 2012-13 $ 4.328 million Year 3 2013-14 (as of July 15, 2014) $ 7.018 million TOTAL : $ 15,792,767 GEAR UP 2: Total: $21 million GEAR UP 1 (HPP): Total more than $5 million Slide 27 GEAR UP Collaboration with SC two-year Technical/Community Colleges: ACT Compass, ACT WorkKeys, ACT Profile Assessments and High School Dual Enrollment: Early Preparation for College and the Workforce If students need to be further prepped before college, SC GEAR UP works with technical college system after graduation Slide 28 State Legislative Initiatives that Support GEAR UP Mission 2014 K-12 Education Reform Initiative: Changes to SC funding formula to provide a quality education for those living in poorest communities. $29 million reading coach program - reading coach in every public elementary school in South Carolina $29 million for improving bandwidth in schools, bolstering wireless connectivity within school walls, and launching or enhancing the push to ensure that every student has a computer or tablet $4 million in teacher technology training Slide 29 State Legislative Initiatives Read to Succeed Act Intensifies early reading efforts Funding for reading coaches and summer reading camps WorkKeys Beginning in 2015, every high school student must take the WorkKeys test Youth Apprenticeship program has been created Slide 30 Our Future In SC, the business and education communities are working together more than ever before. Looking to establish a P-16 Council. SCs future success will depend on continuing strong relationships between businesses and educational institutions. TransformSC - a collaboration of business leaders, policy makers, educators, parents and students who seek to transform K-12 public education in SC. Goal is to create a new system of learning that will produce high school graduates ready to compete in a global economy by focusing on competency and use of technology. Slide 31 Contact Cynthia Bennett Director of Business Relations for SC GEAR UP cynthia.bennett@scchamber.net (803) 255-2542 cynthia.bennett@scchamber.net Slide 32 Questions?