Fund for Educational Excellence
The Abell-funded Baltimore City Schools report, “Preparing All Students for Economic and Career Success” (2019) uncovered issues and made recommendations for improving the school system’s Career and Technical Education program. As a working group created a four-year Master Plan for CTE, a number of questions arose that required more data collection and analysis. This grant has enabled City Schools to contract with Project Evident to analyze CTE coursework, facilities, teacher recruitment/training and student career interest. Final CTE program recommendations will enable the Master Plan to be complete by Summer 2020.
Baltimore Urban Debate League
The Baltimore Urban Debate League (BUDL), a national initiative, has reintroduced debate into Baltimore’s public school classrooms over the last two decades as a strategy to engage and inspire students from our city’s most under-resourced schools. BUDL has reached thousands of students from 4th grade to 12th grade, and changed their personal and academic trajectories by helping them discover their voice and reach their potential through debate. This grant will support the expansion of the Debate League to 53 schools (including 11 high schools) and serve over 8,500 students in the 2019-2020 school year.
Baltimore Corps
Relaunched in 2019, the Baltimore City Mayoral Fellowship recruits a cohort of 10-15 graduate and undergraduate interns to work on executive-level projects in City agencies and departments over 10 weeks during the summer. Baltimore Corps, in partnership with the Mayor’s Chief of Staff’s office, selects, places and oversees programming for the Fellowship, including weekly speaker sessions, community service and a final symposium. The Fellows program aims for 100% completion, 90% level of satisfaction, and hiring of 3 candidates within a year of program completion. Fellows will reflect the demographics of Baltimore City.
The Maryland Book Bank, Inc.
With a goal to distribute 550,000 books in 2020, the Maryland Book Bank bridges the literacy gap through increased access to quality age-appropriate books in homes, school classrooms, and community program settings. Operating out of the new Baltimore Warehouse Collaborative in Clipper Mill, The Book Bank distributes new and donated books through two Bookmobiles, a Home Library program in 27 City schools, and open warehouse hours for families and educators. Its social enterprise that sells donated adult books of value and trains warehouse employees generates $80,000 of revenue annually.
University of Maryland Medical System Foundation
The new simulated Operating Room will enable Surgical Tech (and an additional 100 Nursing Assistant) students at Edmondson to begin applied learning in 10th grade, and be fully prepared for hosptial clinical rotations in their senior year (rather than January) with completion of required hours/certification testing by high school graduation. It is expected that the Simulation Lab will increase enrollment in the Surgical Tech CTE pathway and that more students will earn the National Surgical Tech certification.