Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy School Business Partnership Program

School Business Partnership Program Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy

A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization

[email protected] www.instituteforinnovators.org P: (770) 376 – STEM

Table of Contents

I. Welcome ................................................................ 2

II. Who We Are: An Executive Summary .................. 3

III. Founding Board of Directors ................................ 5

IV. School Business Partnership Program .................. 9

Program Goals

Program Structure

Benefits of a School Business Partnership

Examples of Partnership Activities

The Process for Forming a Successful Partnership

V. Guidelines for Businesses .................................... 13

Business Partner Roles & Responsibilities

Business Executive or Organization Leader Role

Business Coordinator Role

Business Resource Assessment

Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy School Needs List

VI. School Business Partnership Application ............ 17

SCHOOL BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM – 2014-2015 2

Welcome Dear Business Community, It is with great honor and deep gratitude that I introduce to you Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy, a ground-breaking 6th-12th grade school experience which gives underserved children a sense of purpose and determination by enabling them to build solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Through makerspaces, an interdisciplinary entrepreneurship and STEM curriculum, and an international collaboration with the Youth Institute of Science and Technology, our students engage in projects and experiences which prepares them to be globally competitive in the 21st century workplace, and affords them the upper hand in college preparation and graduation from top schools across the nation. As a great Atlanta school, we need the support of the Atlanta business community. Through our School-Business Partnerships (SBP) program, our collective businesses will support and develop our community’s highest need young men and women. By ensuring students reach their greatest potential, we will not only create a stronger workforce for tomorrow, but build vibrant communities, and greater economic prosperity for the City of Atlanta. There are a variety of ways that your company can be involved at Institute for Innovators. Partners can volunteer their staff’s time in school, donate materials for STEM labs, or expose students to the inner workings of the business world through student job shadowing or internships. Even something as simple as having a minority STEM employee serving as a mentor will have a life-long impact on our students. The School-Business Partnerships program is an excellent way to invest in the youth of Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, and ultimately, your company. Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy will create the high performing, entrepreneurial-minded employees you need to help keep your business successful and competitive. Additionally, our school will attract new families, helping to foster economic stability and bring fresh talent to Atlanta. Ultimately, we want to ensure that our students and communities are primed today to be your business leaders and business supporters of tomorrow. We encourage you to learn more about SBP through the enclosed brochure, and identify ways in which you would like to help build a bridge between our business and education communities, and in turn, make a positive impact in Atlanta. Thank you for your interest in SBP. Please complete the application form or contact me directly for more information. I look forward to speaking with you soon about ways in which we can work together. Sincerely, Aja Kweliona, Chief Executive Officer [email protected] (646) 287-5278

mailto:[email protected]


Who We Are: An Executive Summary Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy (IICCA) is a 6th-12th grade college-preparatory, STEM

(science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and entrepreneurship charter school proposing to open in fall

2016 in a low-income neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, known as English Avenue/Vine City.

The Academy will be committed to ending generational poverty and bolstering student achievement by creating

socially responsible, college-bound, 21st century career-ready young women and men. By graduation, students

will be prepared to solve the challenges of the local and global community through STEM and entrepreneurship.

IICCA will focus on closing the achievement gap and highly-skilled employee gap by targeting students

underrepresented in STEM fields who are typically referred to as at-risk (high poverty, low achieving).

Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy will be the first of its kind in the Atlanta Public School

System. It will be the first college and career academy, the first STEM certified school, and the only school

with an international STEM and cultural collaboration and exchange program. Currently, the school is

establishing its first partnership with The Youth Institute of Science and Technology in Agogo, Ghana.

With flexible ability student grouping and makerspaces for students to create inventions and innovations,

IICCA’s mission is to empower students to become leaders who take ownership of the transformation of their

community. The school prepares students for transition into a four-year college and the professional world

beyond, by providing a rigorous school experience enabling students to grow academically each year, apply

academic knowledge to the 21st century world, and become global leaders and agents of change.

IICCA creates college-bound entrepreneurs and engineers who create innovative solutions to real world

problems, with the goal to:

End the cycle of poverty by creating an upwardly economically mobile student body.

Ensure students are well prepared to thrive at a rigorous four-year college or university.

Equip students with the scientific, technological, and engineering skills currently in high demand across

the globe.

Prepare students to seamlessly integrate into the collaborative, leadership-driven 21st century work

environment.

Produce innovative citizens who are in touch with the needs and desires of the global community, and

have the desire, aptitude and ability to be agents of change.

Create business leaders with financial acumen and who act as entrepreneurs – whether working for

themselves or for others.

Ensure all children, regardless of socioeconomics, have access to a high quality education.

IICCA will accomplish this by ensuring a) 100 percent of students graduate from high school and matriculate

into a four-year college or university; b) at least 80 percent of students persist through their sophomore year of

college; c) 100 percent of students become well-versed in applied STEM skills and prepared to enter majors in

these highly compensated fields; and d) 100 percent of students gain important leadership, entrepreneurship,

and work experience by completing internships and launching a small business.

Core Values of Institute for Innovators:

Ambition: We set our aim high for student and staff achievement and believe everyone will reach it.

Courage: We respectfully say what we think, make difficult decisions, take necessary but smart risks, and

challenge behaviors or actions that are inconsistent with our values.


Compassion: We treat others the way we want to be treated. We care about one another’s successes, inspire

each other to be our best selves, take time to help colleagues, cheerlead one another through challenges, and

celebrate wins.

Discipline: We accomplish amazing amounts of work and consistently perform well. We focus on action and

driving strong results.

Entrepreneurship: We use design thinking in our approach to academic and professional challenges and

outdated assumptions. We are strategic thinkers who learn quickly and eagerly, identify root causes, and create

innovative, practical solutions.

Belief: We believe that everyone regardless of background or socio-economic status, has the capacity for

greatness. We believe, as students and staff, that we all have the ability to elicit that greatness, and believe we

will achieve it.

Gratitude: We are thankful for the amount of time, effort, energy and resources our students, teachers, parents,

staff, leaders, board members, and funders pour into our school to make our students successful, and we honor

them by doing our best work every day.

Relentless Perseverance: We are tenacious in our drive to achieve our goals, leveraging resilience in the face

of all obstacles. We don’t stop until we win.

Honor: We do what is in the best interest of students, we curb our egos, share best practices, do whatever it

takes, and remain calm in challenging situations.

Optimism: We pay attention to our thoughts and perceptions and choose to think positively and assume the

best in all situations.

The Institute for Innovators curriculum emphasizes mastery of all material, and promotes cooperative (team)

learning and inquiry-based learning. Included in our inquiry-based learning platform are four pillars of

instruction: problem-based, challenge-based, design-based, and project-based learning. Institute for Innovators

has adopted these methods not only because they are research-based but because they model the decision

making and problem solving processes that students will encounter in college, graduate studies, and the

workplace—especially in science, technology, engineering and entrepreneurship.

Institute for Innovators had a fundraising goal of $500,000 by FY16. Once this goal is met, Institute for

Innovators will sustain its core operations entirely through per pupil public revenues. Only supplemental

programming, added later will require philanthropy for start-up and sustainability.


Founding Board of Directors

Aja Kweliona, Ed.M – Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy

Aja Kweliona is a graduate of Howard and Harvard Universities, and is the daughter, granddaughter, and great-

granddaughter of Vine City residents. She started out in education more than ten years ago as a Teach for

America teacher. By her third year, she became an instructional coach for first-year teachers and won a State

Superintendent Achievement Award for leading significant gains in mathematics. The following year, as part

of a turn-around team for a seventh-year failing school, she increased the percentage of students meeting or

exceeding standards on the Math CRCT from 31 to 83 percent, winning the rank of the highest performing

mathematics department in the county, after the county’s magnet school.

While obtaining her Masters of Education from Harvard University, Kweliona conducted research on teacher

quality and human capital development, and implemented the result as a turn-key grassroots teacher training

program in Nairobi, Kenya. She provided educational consulting for a college-bound program in Newark and

designed a teacher and leadership recruitment department for a charter school network in California.

Furthermore, as the instructional and cultural leader of a dual-leadership modeled failing 7th – 10th grade charter

school in East Chicago, Indiana, Kweliona cultivated significant academic growth across all subject areas, with

the growth ranging from 116 to 325 percent per year.

For more than a decade, Kweliona has researched best practices for urban students, visiting approximately 70

high performing schools. Her track record demonstrates that she not only knows what works for students with

low academic capital, but is well-versed in implementing that research to consistently yield exceptional

outcomes for high-need students. Further, she has brought together a strong board of directors with a variety

of skills all related to the mission and vision of Institute for Innovators.

Scott Mumbauer (Chairman) – Co-Founder, Marketing and Product Development, Intuitive Pickups

Scott Mumbauer holds a B.S. in Business Administration Management, a B.A. in Music from Presbyterian

College, and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College, the #1 ranking entrepreneurship program in

the United States for the last 20 years according to the U.S. News & World Report.

As a serial entrepreneur, Scott co-founded and assisted in the creation of multiple successful businesses, many

of which were grown and sold to Fortune 500 companies, while others continue to thrive independently today.

Scott specializes in the start-up process, the discovery of sustainable and scalable business models, and the

commercialization of innovative technologies. An experienced leader and teacher, he utilizes IDEO

brainstorming methods, Osterwalder ideation, and lean business development concepts to promote learning

and critical thinking. With a passion for social entrepreneurship, Scott advises ventures that solve existing social

problems, promote healthy communities, and facilitate sustainable economic development.

Alison H. Wong (Vice Chairwoman) - Consultant

Alison Wong has over twelve years of experience in strategic fund development, specializing in proposal writing,

event planning, marketing and communications. Throughout her career, Alison has raised over $6 million for

community-based, youth serving agencies in the metro Atlanta area. Previously, she has been the

Development Director at The Bridge and Director of Development at the Juvenile Justice Fund, where her

research and writing efforts brought in a $2.5 million grant award to the Fulton County Juvenile Court.

Her passion for youth development and education led her to start-up fundraising efforts at reputable nonprofits,

such as The Posse Foundation and Jumpstart for Young Children. At Jumpstart, Alison was instrumental in

leading efforts to bring First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative to Atlanta. Her efforts


in the nonprofit sector have focused on empowering underserved minority youth with the resources and

opportunities to succeed. Alison holds a BA in Sociology from Spelman College and currently resides in

Decatur, Georgia.

Eddie Breaux (Treasurer) – Strategy & Innovation, Fulton County Schools

Eddie Breaux is currently a Broad Resident at Fulton County Schools in Atlanta where he leads Special Projects

in the Strategy and Innovation division. His current work is focused on teacher compensation reform for the

district.

Prior to joining Fulton County Schools and The Broad Residency, Eddie was a Senior Analyst at Abt Associates,

a research based consulting firm serving government agencies and other organizations worldwide. As a

member of the Education practice, he was responsible for project management and data collection, analysis

and reporting activities on a range of education focused projects.

Previously, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa, where some of his projects included

working with a microfinance organization to develop its marketing and promotional strategy, and providing

information technology training to local teachers.

Eddie began his professional career as a Financial Analyst with LaSalle Investment Management where he

underwrote potential acquisitions and ultimately led economic due diligence efforts on over $700 million of

closed commercial real estate transactions. Eddie grew up in Southwest Atlanta and holds a bachelor’s

degree from Morehouse College, an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and an M.B.A.

from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Yanika S. Daniels (Secretary) – Managing Director of District and School Partnerships, Teach For

America

Yanika Daniels is currently the Managing Director of District and School Partnerships at Teach For

America. Previously, she served as project manager of talent management at Fulton County Schools District

in Atlanta, Georgia where she was a Broad Resident. She oversaw Fulton’s strategy for recruitment, selection,

and evaluation of school leaders within the district. Within the talent management division, Yanika was also

responsible for the onboarding of all new employees into the district where she worked to ensure the district

attracted and retained the most talented and effective employees in K-12 education.

Prior to joining The Broad Residency, Yanika served as a Managing Consultant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers

(PwC) where she was responsible for the delivery of technical, strategic and process oriented supply chain

solutions in the healthcare industry. Her experience included driving cost savings from global supply chains,

leading the business development and execution of process changes and strategic management for large and

specialty pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to healthcare consulting, Daniels held several positions within product development and

deployment, operations management and logistics at Dell Incorporated. In this capacity she led daily

manufacturing operations, directed logistics projects for third party vendors and led the introduction of new

products to market.

Yanika Daniels obtained a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University and a master’s of

engineering in supply chain management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Originally from

Jackson, MS, Yanika has been a resident of Atlanta, GA for four years and affectionately considers Atlanta

home being committed to both the community and education reform.


Robert H. Block – Senior Vice President, Kids II

As the senior executive leader of high performance teams for Global Fortune 500 companies, Robert Block

has an established track record of continuous improvement and delivering results. He has over 20 years of

technical leadership and operational management experience converting organizational intent into action to

drive growth.

Throughout his career, Mr. Block has effectively led the development, launch and manufacturing of innovative

chemical and electro-mechanical industrial and consumer products with a focus on continuous improvement

and value creation. He is a visionary Change Agent with wide-ranging expertise and a recognized leader in the

field of innovation strategy and new product development.

He started his career in R&D and has led the full product development and launch organizations, processes

and manufacturing in several Fortune 500 companies during his career. Most recently, Mr. Block was the Sr.

VP of Engineering & Program Management for Euro-Pro in Boston. Previously he has been the VP of Global

Business Development for the Takata Corporation, the Global VP of Research, Design & Technology at

Newell Rubbermaid and the Chief Technology Officer for Key Safety Systems.

An exceptional communicator, Mr. Block has presented on the topic of occupant safety at the Airbag and

Seatbelt Technology Conference, the SAE Congress, the Hong Kong International Conference, Asia Pacific

Automotive Industry, The Automotive Safety Council, and the Wards Auto Interiors Show.

Robert Block has developed a stellar reputation in the industry for integrity, thought leadership and successful

execution. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Master’s

degree in Organizational Management. He currently resides in the metro-Atlanta region with his wife and three

children.

Melanie Deck – Executive Director, Young Women Social Entrepreneurs

Melanie Deck is a branding and communications consultant with ten years of experience working on the

branding and business development efforts of iconic organizations such as Girl Scouts of the USA, Unicef,

Sciele Pharma, and Encore magazine. In 2008, Melanie developed and led a networking group, Publicity Matters,

of 105 small business owners, consulting on their public relations efforts before establishing Deck Creative

Group, a full-service global communications firm based in New York City.

During the launch of Deck Creative Group, Melanie joined Girl Scouts of the USA as part of its external affairs

team, which led the rebranding efforts and 100-year-celebration campaigns of the iconic organization, targeting

its ten million members and general market. Throughout, Melanie was also assisting in the launch of the regional

communications and branding efforts of the 2011 Unicef Tap campaign, earning her a service award from

President Barack Obama.

In 2012, Melanie launched a social enterprise initiative entitled the Global Leadership Project at the historic

92nd Street Y, with a forum moderated by Fortune magazine.The forum was created to encourage an annual

dialogue on global citizenship, corporate responsibility, being globally competitive, social

enterprises/entrepreneurs, and technology and innovation.

Melanie’s client list has given her the opportunity to work with myriad brands in the media, for-profit, and

nonprofit industries. Her expertise allows her extend the following services to her clients: booking of

international speaking engagements, production of C-level-executive conferences and other events,

procurement of recognition including honorary doctorate degrees and celebrity ambassador status, product

launches, strategic partnerships, market research, and internal and external communications in campaign

development and execution.


Audrea Finley – Attorney

Audrea Finlay is a magna cum laude graduate of the City College of New York where she earned a bachelor’s

degree in Business Management. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo School of

Law with certifications in real estate development, finance, and taxation. Additionally, she also holds an

executive Master of Business Administration degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Audrea maintains law and broker licenses in the states of Georgia and New York and is a practicing attorney

in Georgia with over 15 years of experience in litigation, contract management, intellectual property and

corporate restructuring. Audrea is a member of the Navy Reserve and is actively involved in national and local

organizations which provide assistance and training to immigrant families.

Heather Kuhn – Business Operations Specialist, McMaster Carr

Heather Kuhn currently works as a Business Operations Specialist at McMaster-Carr while pursuing a law

degree from John Marshall Law School. Her passion for a legal education grew after working as a teacher in

Clayton County at Forest Park High School as a part of Teach For America. She taught math grades 9-12

providing special education services for students with disabilities.

Prior to working in education, Heather was the Director of Advocacy and Youth Programming at the

Downtown Chapel in Portland, Oregon. Here, she worked with the center's homeless day center and directed

outreach with the local community. She saw a need to move upstream to the root causes of what was leading

people to need the services this organization provided daily. This desire is what led her to a career in education.

Heather Kuhn graduated with honors and received her bachelor's degree from Creighton University in Omaha,

Nebraska with a major in Justice and Society and a minor in Spanish. She is originally from Milwaukee,

Wisconsin and has now started making Atlanta home with her husband and children for the past four years.

Norman “Storm” Robinson III – Program Director, Georgia Institute of Technology, Center for

Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)

“Inspiring the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers” is a vision that has guided Storm

for nineteen years as he has worked to improve student proficiency and teacher quality in Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Storm is an accomplished middle school and high school mathematics educator, and served as an Aerospace

Education Specialist for NASA’s Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP). He has designed and

implemented teacher professional development programs and nurtured professional learning communities,

improving teacher quality using NASA STEM education resources.

Storm enjoys designing and implementing programs which inspire teachers and students to “gaze at the stars”

to ask questions about their discoveries, and develop understandings of the universe in which we live.


School Business Partnership Program The School Business Partnership Program offers opportunities for students, teachers, businesses and community agencies to build partnerships that will enhance students’ experiences, provide more knowledgeable future employees and consumers, and build bridges of understanding and positive working relationships between the business and education community.

Program Goals

1) To improve and reinforce students’ skill development and supplement classroom curriculum with relevant learning experiences in business and community.

2) To affirm student’s self-identity and cultural awareness by providing opportunities for interaction with the business community.

3) To give students a realistic picture of the business world and make them aware of the range and extent of business activities and opportunities.

4) To establish a mechanism for the businesses and schools to share their expertise and services with one another.

5) To develop mutual support and understanding between education, business and community.

Program Structure

The School Business Partnership Program is designed as an on-going program in which businesses give assistance directly to Institute for Innovators and vice-versa. The purpose of such a program is to help young people appreciate the importance of an excellent education and its relationship to the world of work. The partnerships share a common goal and a common requirement that the program be one of commitment of businesses and schools working together in a positive relationship. Each School Business Partnership is unique in that there is not a set curriculum. Therefore, the program is based solely on the needs and resources of the school and business. Cost and time commitments also vary from program to program. The School Business Partnerships program recruits new partners, facilitates matches, and handles questions, concerns and organizational matters.


Benefits of a School Business Partnership BENEFITS FOR THE BUSINESS AND THE COMMUNITY: • Improve school programs by providing real-life experiences for students • Increase the students’ and staffs’ understanding of the free enterprise system • The opportunity to interact with students, presenting requirements, satisfactions, concerns and expectations of the business world • Involvement in the education of Atlanta youth • Positive public relations and recognition BENEFITS FOR THE SCHOOL: • Increase resources and services to enhance the education of students and to provide assistance to teachers and administrators • Adult role models provide expertise otherwise not available in the classroom • Demonstrates to the students how basic skills are used in the work place connecting the relevancy of academics and responsibilities of work outside the classroom • Develops a greater understanding and appreciation of the community and business world

Examples of Partnership Activities Depending on the needs and resources of each partnership, a variety of projects can be undertaken. Listed

below are some examples:

SKILL DEVELOPMENT: • Help students set up mini-businesses. This project includes development of math, language arts, economics, creative and critical thinking and leadership skills. • Show students new “state of the art” technology, what it has replaced and how it is used. • Invite business people to take part in discussions with students on major current events. • Have students interview or observe workers to see how basic skills taught in school are used in the work place. Use as a basis for an oral or written report to the class. • Provide information to students concerning money and how to handle it, checking accounts, credit and installment buying, investments, and setting up accounting systems. CULTURAL AWARENESS: • Establish mentorships between minority students and employees. • Involve retired employees in partnership activities.


• Provide employees with time away from their work to tutor minority students. • Have minority student art exhibits or musical performances at your business. • Provide recognition or awards for special education students. CAREER ORIENTATION / CAREER PREPARATION: • Have a career fair for students and parents either at your business or in the school. • Participate in career fair presentations on a district wide basis. • Arrange for educator and student tours of your business facility. • Provide for student internships or work study programs • Arrange for employees to help students explore career, vocational, and personal goals • Personnel Department share job search techniques with students through applications, resume writing and interviewing skills

COMMUNITY RELATIONS: • Students invite employees to lunch, to spend time in the classroom or special events • Students establish “special days” that recognize their School Business Partnership • Business representatives are invited to meet administration and staff and tour existing and new programs and facilities in the school • Business representatives are introduced to the staff and parent teacher organizations as the schools new educational partner • Business representatives become students for a day, attending classes and special events to gain a better understanding of the education environment • Participate in “Executive Exchange and Teacher Exchange Days” • Publicize the partnership in school and business newsletters

• Businesses invite students and staff to spend time in the business, attend meetings and a business luncheon

• Students and businesses identify a community service project to work on together.


The Process for Forming a Successful Partnership

Let us know you are interested: The School Business Partnership Program is totally voluntary. A program usually begins when you let us know you are interested.

Tell us what you would like: A member of the partnership staff will sit down with you to discuss your needs and resources. We will review the steps necessary to form a partnership and we will listen carefully to what you want to achieve.

Set the planning in motion: We will set up a meeting with you to discuss exactly what you want and would like to accomplish as a partner. This meeting is usually the most crucial and creative part of the partnership process. A formal partnership agreement will be drawn up and signed by both partners. Once signed, each contact listed in the agreement will receive a copy. The agreement can be edited and updated at any time and is good for two years. After two years, each contact will receive a notice that it is time to renew their partnership agreement.

Partnership begins: Partnership activities which benefit both the school and the business begins.

Program evaluation: One of the keys to maintaining a successful partnership is to monitor and evaluate the program. Each year an evaluation will be given to you to complete. This will be done on both the business and education side. Your participation is critical in the assessment of the success of the School Business Partnership Program.


Guidelines for Businesses * Business is used throughout this discussion, but represents local, state and federal government as well as non-profits and other organizations.

Business Partner Roles & Responsibilities The following guidelines are suggested to assist the business partner in the development of the partnership: 1) Upper management should have an understanding of and commitment to the program. 2) The Business designates a coordinator with approved on-the-job time for the program. If feasible, a Partnership Committee should also be created. 3) The coordinator and any others working with him or her should identify possible resources and needs of the business. 4) The coordinator meets with the school representative to discuss mutual support services and match resources and needs 5) The coordinator meets with the Partnership Committee to develop an overall plan and activities 6) Upper management and the coordinator share the overall plan and activities with employees and encourage them to be positively involved 7) The coordinator maintains regular communication with the school and the school’s representative. 8) The coordinator maintains records that will reflect the business involvement and be able to readily share that information in the School Business Partnership evaluation process.

Business Executive or Organization Leader Role The Chief Executive Officer or Organization Leader must have a personal and corporate commitment to the School Business Partnership Program. This commitment is evidenced by his/her understanding and approval of the goals of the program and communication of this commitment to all levels of the organization: Responsibilities: • Appoint an enthusiastic, competent Coordinator • Motivate the organization to positively participate in the program • Allow identified resources to be utilized • Recommend changes or additional resources to ensure success • Stay in touch with the process and progress of the program • Express approval and recognition of programmatic achievements and volunteer efforts • Confirm the organization’s commitment to the program • Encourage recognition of the importance in developing understanding between the business and education community


Business Coordinator Role This person is the direct link between the school, the business and the School Business Partnership Program. Experience indicates that this person is most successful if he or she is at a high enough level to make decisions, is well informed, believes in the value of the program, and has an interest in education and a commitment to young people. Responsibilities: • Become familiar with the school and work with the school representative • Keep Executive level professionals aware of the process and progress of the program • Prepare materials, inform and recruit potential company volunteers • Obtain support and authorization from supervisors for release of volunteers • Arrange orientation and other training/meetings as needed • Coordinate the business side of scheduling, placement, time, changes and evaluation • Arrange for business recognition of volunteers and in-house promotion of the program • Develop the partnership plan along with the school representative and the program supervisor • Facilitate communication within the business as well as between the business and the school • Attend periodic coordinator’s meetings • Communicate business participation to the School Business Partnership representative

Business Resource Assessment 1) What kind of training or expertise do our employees have that could be shared with the school? Examples:

Improving Student Achievement

☐ Teacher Assistants

☐ Resident Teachers (teachers who complete student teaching at Institute for Innovators and are hired upon meeting requirements)

☐ Tutors

☐ After-school enrichment programs Faculty Development - Provide teacher professional development i.e.:

☐ STEM employees train teachers on latest science, tech, and engineering skills and developments

☐ STEM Job shadowing

☐ Business site visits

☐ STEM employees work with teachers to plan real-world STEM projects for students

☐ Teacher mentors

College Readiness

☐ Host/Sponsor up to three school-wide college field trips per year

☐ Provide dual/joint enrollment for students meeting agreed upon qualifications

☐ Provide college student mentors for high school students Donor/Sponsorships

☐ Donate old computers and equipment

☐ Build a STEM lab or makerspace

☐ Purchase or donate supplies for labs and makerspaces

☐ Sponsor STEM field trips and events

☐ Build or purchase a new school building


Career Readiness

☐ Internship opportunities or work study programs for students meeting agreed upon qualifications

☐ Job shadowing opportunities

☐ Business site visits

☐ Minority employee and student mentorship or tutoring

☐ Recognition or awards for exemplary students

☐ Employee and student career and personal goal setting

☐ Resume writing and interviewing skills

Community Development

☐ Provide socially beneficial opportunities for parents of students including workforce development, health and wellness, and adult education. Other

☐ Athletic Coaching

☐ Public Speaking

☐ See examples on pages 3-4 for more ideas

2) Are we willing to provide release time from work for employees to take part in school activities? 3) What resources are available for providing incentive awards? 4) What resources are available for providing career awareness programs? 5) Are we interested in working on or co-sponsoring community service projects? 6) Would we sponsor a student club or athletic team? 7) Do we have employees that would be willing to make presentations to students about their profession? 8) Are we able to teach mini-courses? 9) Would we be willing to develop a recognition program for outstanding students or staff members? 10) What can the school do to assist us? What are our needs?

Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy School Needs List School Business Partnerships offers the business and education community a unique opportunity to build bridges of cooperation for the enhancement of student educational experiences. The ways to become involved are endless, stimulating your creativity and willingness to become pro-actively involved in the future of Atlanta through its students. Some ideas for your participation are as follows:

• Act as mentors or tutors for any subject and any grade level. • Assist with the Back to School Program at the beginning of school or the Open House in the first month of school. • Assist with student recognition. • Assist with teacher/staff recognition. • Make class presentations on special subjects/projects. • Help prepare for or judge the Science Fair or other special projects, e.g. Science Olympiad, Battle of the Books.


• Assist with End of the Year programs in May/June. • Assist with developing computer technology, Internet, staff or student workshops. • Assist with special presentations; supervise sport activities, quiet activities, and or games. • Display student art work and other student achievements. • Give assistance with field trips or special tours. • Commit at least one hour per week for your employees to come into school on a pre-arranged basis, to help on pre-assigned topics, e.g. reading to at-risk students. • Assist with the development of a service project through which students and your business could give back to the community, e.g. participate together in United Way Day of Caring with in trash pickups, visits to senior centers; hang lights for the Chamber's City of Lights program together. • Provide speakers on topics such as solving problems that occur at work, skills necessary to be successful in this particular business. • Offer field trips to your business and allow students to shadow employees in order to get a sense of the job, what requirements jobs have in common, etc. • Conduct presentations on all forms of seeking and keeping a job, e.g. resume writing, filling out a job application, interviewing skills, the necessary skills to hold a job, etc. • Provide on the job training or mentorships, for students. • Provide expertise as consultants to students in operating school-based enterprises. • Provide students with opportunities to use technology that is utilized in your business. • Assist in Curriculum Development, e.g. making the curriculum relevant to life after high school. Build a facility, sponsor a makerspace or become a school sponsor

Office space for start-up year • You may have some specific ideas that would be appropriate for the Partnership that are not listed here - let's talk about them!


School Business Partnership Application Thanks for your interest in School Business Partnerships. Please complete the application by clicking the link below, or visiting our website at www.instituteforinnovators.org and click “Join the School Business Partnership Program”.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lj-Qe-nFvXHj3Psa5eD4jqu8CO1qUDQ-gsjm3Z2XyPs/viewform?usp=send_form

For further information, contact our CEO:

Aja Kweliona [email protected] (646) 287-5378

http://www.instituteforinnovators.org/



mailto:[email protected]

Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy School Business Partnership Program

Documents

Transcript of Institute for Innovators College & Career Academy School Business Partnership Program