A Program to Address Chronically Low-Performing Schools

This month I am sharing a grant proposal I submitted to the Chase Mission Main Street program. If successful, we will develop a degree completion program for inner-city community college graduates to get certified to teach in their neighborhood schools. This program addresses a number of ideas that I have been discussing in my blog:

• First and foremost, teacher turnover is a huge barrier to sustaining improvement in low performing schools. Policies related to firing teachers and closing schools are harmful towards addressing this core issue.

• Students who graduate from the Chicago Public Schools and matriculate to college are much more likely to end their schooling with an associate degree rather than a 4-year degree needed for professional careers. Inner city students as a whole cannot compete head to head with students from middle to upper-income families based on test scores. Alternative approaches are needed.

• If we create a program that focuses on the unique characteristics of inner-city students it is never too late for students to complete a bachelors degree and start a teaching career.

• We plan to graduate 50 new teachers per year, so in 10 years we will have flooded the poorest performing schools with 500 teachers who are much more likely to stay in the same school and live in the neighborhoods.

Below is the set of 5 questions we had to answer followed by the 500-character responses to each questions. 

Please cast your Vote for this proposal at: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/49670

If our idea gets 250 votes by Nov 15, then we move to the next round of consideration by a panel of business experts at Chase.

The Learning Partnership

Mission Main Street Grant Application

1. Tell us about your business. What inspired you to start your business? How is your business successful? What makes it unique? 

The academic community has produced many innovative curriculum and professional development programs that have turned around the most difficult school settings. However, schools can’t sustain these innovations once grant funding for the programs ends. Schools return to business as usual due to high teacher turnover rates. We serve as a broker between the academic community and schools by exploring new business models for sustaining innovation in the inner city schools that need the most help.

2. How is your business involved with the community you serve? 

Our Journey to El Yunque program provides a good example of how we are an active partner with the Chicago Public Schools. The program supports best teaching practices to connect teachers and students with scientists who conduct long-term scientific research on hurricane disturbance in Puerto Rico. The scientists' research questions, data and computational models are brought to the classroom through the web. We provide professional development to help teachers adapt their teaching practices.

3. What would a $250,000 grant mean to your business and how will you utilize the funds to ensure long-term growth and stability? 

We seek to expand our business by creating a bachelors degree completion program for inner city community college graduates. They would become state certified in inquiry-based teaching methods through a combination of internships in inner city neighborhood schools and online pedagogical courses. They would also conduct local research related to their content major as models for engaging their future K-12 students. The grant would fund curriculum development and achieving regional accreditation.

4. What challenges can you identify for your business, and how do you plan to overcome them? 

Our significant challenge is the high teacher turnover rate in the schools that need help the most. This high turnover inhibits our ability to gain traction in inner city schools. Teachers like to work close to where they grew up, but inner city students are much more likely to complete an associate degree, rather than a bachelor degree needed for teaching. A degree completion program will supply inner city schools with local teachers who understand best teaching practices and will stick around.

5. Describe the talent and skill of your employees, and how they contribute to a successful business. 

Dr. Steven McGee, president, completed the first dissertation in the learning sciences at Northwestern University. He is co-founder and faculty in the NU masters of teacher leadership program. He specializes in conducting research and program development to inspire interest in science. His knowledge of best practices in teaching and learning, adult education, and educational technology are an invaluable asset to the degree completion program. He is surrounded by content and logistical expertise.

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UPDATE: As of the Nov 15 deadline, we ended with 64 votes, so we did not move to the next round. Thanks to all those who voted. I will provide any future updates as a new post.