A Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities for the Greater Philadelphia Region

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PATHS/PRISM is a program of The Philadelphia Partnership for Education, representing colleges and universities, foundations, and corporations in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia. The acronym PATHS stands for the Philadelphia Alliance for Teaching Humanities in the Schools; PRISM stands for the Philadelphia Renaissance in Science and Mathematics. This project, submitted by PRISM as a representative of the Greater Philadelphia Regional Consortium, involves a cooperative effort among the following institutions and organizations: four metropolitan school districts; thirteen universities, colleges and community colleges; museums; corporations; and minority community organizations. Leading higher education partners in the Consortium include Lincoln, Temple, and Drexel Universities, and the University of Pennsylvania. It consists of a set of coordinated activities, targeted throughout Metropolitan Philadelphia, designed to significantly increase the representation of minorities in careers in science, engineering and technology. The formal consortium, already in existence, was established to further these efforts. Figures on minority enrollments in the colleges and universities in the Consortium show Lincoln University (1,245, 90%), the Community College of Philadelphia (6.642, 45%) and Temple University (4,898, 16%). Minority enrollment in the School District of Philadelphia is 141,351 (73%). The central programmatic strategy of the Center is to focus on the introduction to and retention of minority students in the science, mathematics and engineering pipeline from the first grade through the undergraduate years. This is being accomplished through the integration of three principal components: Precollege professional development programs in science and mathematics for teachers; Precollege student programs; and College level programs. Under the precollege rubric, the first category includes five programs which will be implemented with a focus on teachers, counselors and parents: The Elementary and Middle School Project (teachers); The Secondary School Project (teachers); The Mathematics Project (elementary and middle school teachers); The Teacher/Private Sector Project; and, Counselor & Parent Programs. The second category of precollege activities, designed for students (Grades 9-12), includes a set of projects originally developed and implemented by PRIME (Philadelphia Regional Introduction of Minorities to Engineering) which are being expanded with Center support. Other similar summer programs for students are being supported at colleges and universities in the region. At the college level, research experiences, internships, scholarship support, mentoring, tutoring and minority student support groups, and career awareness are being implemented. This project is an excellent example of a Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities. It is targeted at a minority population of substantial size , and it is comprehensive in terms of attention to the various educational levels and age groups, in disciplinary coverage, in coordination and cooperation among school systems, colleges and universities and community organizations, and in its focus on nurturing, encouraging and motivating minority students. Significant additional financial support is being contributed to the project by the participating organizations and groups.