Wake Education Partnership

INDEPENDENT NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO MAKING WORLD CLASS SCHOOLS POSSIBLE IN WAKE COUNTY THROUGH BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.

PROGRAMS - WAKEED PARTNERSHIP WORKS CLOSELY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, BUSINESS PARTNERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS TO HELP COORDINATE EFFORTS AND PROVIDE RESOURCES TO IMPROVE EARLY LITERACY SKILLS. THE ORGANIZATION HELPS TEACHERS EXPAND THEIR HORIZONS AND BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR CAREERS OF TOMORROW. WITHOUT OUR PROGRAMS, A HUGE GAP IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WOULD EXIST IN WAKE COUNTY.WAKEED'S SUMMERSTEM AND LINK PROGRAM TACKLES THAT NEED BY EXPANDING TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH SKILLS AND CAREERS IN HIGH DEMAND IN OUR REGION TODAY. EACH SUMMER OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS HOST TEACHERS IN CAREER IMMERSION EXPERIENCES IN LEADING COMPANIES THROUGHOUT THE TRIANGLE, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT IS CEU CERTIFIED BY WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THEN DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR TEACHERS CREATE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING (PBL) UNITS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE CLASSROOM, CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO SUCCEED IN STEM CAREERS AND SHARE THEM WITH OTHER TEACHERS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.OUR COMPANION LINK PROGRAM PAIRS INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES TO BRING INNOVATIVE IDEAS TO THE CLASSROOM. PARTNERS IDENTIFY, DESIGN, AND IMPLEMENT A YEAR-LONG PROJECT THAT ALIGNS WITH THE SCHOOL'S GOALS AND THE BUSINESS' EXPERTISE, CONNECTING BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES WITH THE SCHOOLS AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO RECEIVE A REAL-WORLD EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.IN THE LAST 3 YEARS:* 5,980 STUDENTS DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY SUMMERSTEM TEACHERS; AND THROUGH EXPANDED PBL UNIT APPLICATIONS* 12,980 STUDENTS IMPACTED INDIRECTLY THROUGH OBSERVATION OF PBL OUTCOMES* 350 EDUCATORS PRESENTED PBL AND/OR PROJECT FROM SUMMERSTEM PARTICIPANTS

GRANTS - GRANTS RECOGNIZE, HONOR AND AWARD FUNDING THAT INCENTIVIZES INNOVATIVE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND COLLABORATION AMONG AND ACROSS SUBJECT AREAS AND GRADE LEVELS. THESE GRANTS PROVIDE A FOUNDATION FOR ESTABLISHING BEST EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES THAT CAN BE REPLICATED SYSTEMICALLY IN WAKE COUNTY. ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT IS BASED ON AND MEASURED AGAINST SMART GOALS GENERATED BY THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER OR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAM FOR EACH GRANT.

RESEARCH & ADVOCACY - WAKEED WORKS TO INFLUENCE AND CHAMPION COMMUNITY DISCUSSION AND ACTIONS BY ELECTED LEADERS REGARDING CRITICAL EDUCATION POLICY ISSUES. THIS INCLUDES EMPHASIZING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF AN EXCELLENT PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. WAKEED WORKED WITH MEMBERS OF THE WAKE COUNTY LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO ADVOCATE FOR INCREASES IN TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR COMPENSATION, FUNDING FOR A TEACHER CAREER PATHWAY PROGRAM, FLEXIBILITY IN IMPLEMENTING THE NEW K-3 CLASS-SIZE MANDATES, AND FUNDING FOR PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT TEACHERS. WAKEED WORKED WITH THE WAKE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TO RESOLVE BUDGETARY GAPS IN THEIR RECOMMENDED SCHOOL FUNDING VERSUS THE PROPOSED BUDGET SUBMITTED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.