University of Maryland Solidifies Relationship with Northwestern High School

WHAT:

The University of Maryland and Prince George's County Public Schools held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 12, for the new Northwestern High School Partnership established through a Memorandum of Understanding between the University and Prince George's County Public Schools. This partnership seeks to enrich educational opportunities at Northwestern High School while working to build a longlasting relationship that benefits both schools.

BACKGROUND:

	NHS Ribbon Cutting 5: Provost Dr. Ann Wylie, Interim Superintendent Dr. Alvin Crawley and Dean for the College of Education Dr. Donna Wiseman prepare the cut the ribbon along with members of the Northwestern High School Partnership and NHS students

The University of Maryland has been a partner with Prince George's County Public Schools for decades. The University's rich history of working with Northwestern High School in Hyattsville includes a number of extended learning and in-class partnerships. In March 2012, the University of Maryland and Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) signed a memorandum of understanding creating the Northwestern High School Partnership which is now a comprehensive, university-wide partnership with specific goals and objectives.

The new partnership is led by the Leadership and Community Service-Learning unit of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, the Vice President of Administrative Affairs' Office for Community Engagement and the College of Education.

This wide-ranging partnership will use a community engagement model that will benefit students and faculty at Maryland as well as Northwestern and the middle and elementary school that feeds into it.

Goals include:

• To bolster educational attainment in Prince George's County, ideally towards matriculation to the University of Maryland, and keeping talented students in Maryland;
• To give Northwestern High School (NHS) students a broader understanding of their future possibilities through new experiences and opportunities, and ensure that students recognize that a college education is accessible and attainable for them;
• To reinforce College Park and the surrounding communities as a great place for families by the existence of quality schools;
• To create a strong Northwestern High School Partnership that manages and allocates funding for University-developed programs in collaboration with Northwestern High School and PGCPS;
• To support a set of signature programs with a tracked success rate;
• To expand the professional development of Northwestern High School teachers through increased engagement with the University;
• To support a growing immigrant student population at Northwestern High School;
• To support Northwestern High School's efforts to keep 9th grade students in school.
  
  The Partnership Involves:
  
  
• Leadership & Community Service-Learning, Adele H. Stamp Student Union
• Office for Community Engagement, Vice President for Administrative Affairs
• Robert H. Smith School of Business
• Jimenez-Porter Writers' House
• James Clark School of Engineering
• College of Education
• School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
• Department Spanish & Portuguese, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
• Office of Admissions
• College Park Scholars
• Project Lead the Way
• Upward Bound
• The Art Gallery (Stamp Student Union)
• Integrated Life Sciences
• School of Public Health
• Office of Multi-ethnic Student Engagement
• Department of English
• Institute of Applied Agriculture

CONTACT:

For more information, contact:

Shane Bryan
Maryland - DC Campus Compact VISTA & Community Partner Liaison
Leadership and Community Service-Learning
Adele H. Stamp Student Union
University of Maryland
301-314-8342
ssbryan@umd.edu

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Northwestern