Project DII.3
Urban Network Development Project

Project Director:

• Erika Nielsen-Andrew, University of California, Berkeley (Year 3 of 5)

Keywords:

• network development
• integration
• school to work
• school-to-employer connections
• Tech Prep
• technical assistance: school-to-work issues
• urban schools

The purpose of this project is to deepen and intensify NCRVE's relationship with schools and institutions around the country engaged in the implementation of three guiding ideas: the integration of (1) vocational and academic education, (2) classroom- and work-based learning, and (3) secondary and postsecondary institutions. Building upon the efforts of the Urban Schools Network, we will (1) expand our teams to deepen the capacity of the entire school and district, (2) intensify our assistance to schools through field consultants and cross-team work, (3) unite our efforts with other organizations to better assist the teams, and (4) make better use of performance data to document school progress and create a culture of continual learning and improvement.

Deliverables

This project will have several deliverables: (1) site reports from both urban network and partnership academy sites for a total of 20; (2) three briefings (within NCRVE publications) and two journal articles about our lessons from network schools. Briefing examples include the development of products that provide blueprints for action, provide a firsthand view of workable models of reform, organize exemplary communities as a clear and forceful voice in policy, or integrate study communities into all aspects of NCRVE advocacy, further research, or technical assistance. Briefings and articles will prepare the field and inform policy of central design elements and expansion strategies, provide detailed profiles of key features and change strategies of study sites, function as "how to" guides on design, or report on research findings to add to the NCRVE data bank on strategies that work. We need deliverables that effectively convey the rich body of information and results discovered in these schools; (3) an end-of-year report that links both summative and formative data about the urban schools network. This document can form the basis of a proposal to secure more funds, market our successes, and redesign our efforts for the following year; and (4) quarterly reports.

Dissemination of information regarding the Urban Schools Network and potential Alliance will be a major responsibility of this staff. The primary avenues for dissemination of information will be direct mailing, the NCRVE newsletter, and major educational journals.

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