In the Community

NOVEMBER 17, 2006 FROM 12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. AT THE DOYLE CONSERVATION CENTER IN LEOMINSTER

JACK FOLEY: Addressing Poverty Among Disadvantaged Youth

In the second session of the speaker series for the 2006-2007 academic year, Jack Foley will discuss the University Park Partnership, winner of Massachusetts' inaugural Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Award in 2004. The University Park Partnership (UPP) has set a national example of how creative partnerships and collaborations can transform declining urban neighborhoods into vibrant communities.

The University Park Campus School (UPCS), a collaboration between Clark University and the Worcester Public Schools, is a public secondary school for the children of the Main South neighborhood in Worcester. The school has been recognized as the top urban high school in Massachusetts and one of the top urban high schools in the country. The school, a cornerstone of UPP, provides students with a rigorous academic curriculum that prepares students for higher education. Students, who are chosen to attend the school via a lottery system, have access to supports such as a homework center and "August Academy" which helps to prepare students for the new school year through mentoring by Clark students. Graduates of UPCS who meet Clark's admissions requirements can attend the University tuition free.

78% of UPCS students qualify for free lunches, 65% are from families in which English is not spoken, and the majority of UPCS students enter the school reading at the fourth-grade level or below. These students make remarkable progress in UPCS' small learning community. According to recent scores from the Massachusetts Assessment System test, UPCS has consistently ranked in the top 20 out of 341 schools in the state, including a rank of third in math in 2003. All UPCS students have passed both the math and English portions of the MCAS test.

For more information on the University Park Partnership, visit: www.clarku.edu/community/upp

Due to limited space, registration is required no later than Friday, November 10th. To register, contact Eveliz Rivera at (978) 630-9324 or via email at: whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu. Complimentary lunch will be provided, courtesy of the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health & Safety and the Center for Democracy and Humanity at Mount Wachusett Community College.