Extended Learning Opportunities�Dec 10, 2024

Sean Peschel, Oyster River High School

Christine Thompson, Kennett High School

Kerrie Alley Violette, Sanborn High School

Lisa Kent, VLACS

​

Agenda:

Industry-Professional Partners/Teacher Mentors

​

• Overview of 2 Hours
• 1 hour - Group Meeting
• 30 mins Regional Meeting
• 30 mins Leadership Meeting
• Summary of 1 Hour Professional Partners
• Welcome and brief introductions
• Tips for how to grow your network
• Sharing out of best practices

​

​

Importance of Professional Partners

​

​

• Workforce Development:
• Mentors prepare students to enter the workforce with a deeper understanding of industry expectations and career pathways.
• Job shadowing helps students build the practical knowledge and confidence needed to thrive in professional environments.
• Student Skill Development:
• Students gain hands-on experience and refine essential skills like communication, problem-solving, and time management through mentorship and job shadowing.
• Exposure to real-world challenges helps students align their academic learning with industry requirements.

​

​

Importance of Professional Partners cont’d

• Economic Development:
• Investing in student mentorship contributes to a community’s economic growth by cultivating a pipeline of skilled, job-ready professionals.
• Strong partnerships between professionals and students strengthen local industries and encourage innovation.

Building Community Connections

Identify Potential Partners:

• Research local businesses, organizations, and professionals aligned with your students' career interests.
• Set up site visits for potential partners
• Use community resources, industry associations, and alumni networks to find professionals who are likely to engage.
• Attend Chamber of Commerce networking events i.e. Chamber After Hours and/or Ribbon Cutting events or host a Chamber/business networking event like a “Chamber Before Hours”
• Post on LinkedIn to recruit potential partners
• Make a plan to write quarterly press releases highlighting successful partnerships in order to pique interest of other potential partners

​

​

​

Building Community Connections Cont’d

​

​

​

Leverage Networking Opportunities:

• Attend industry events, job fairs, and community meetings to meet potential mentors.
• Host Job Fairs and Career Fairs in order to make new connections
• Use social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn to connect with professionals and share your mission

Craft a Compelling Outreach Message:

• Consider drafting a marketing plan in order to organize outreach efforts
• Clearly communicate the benefits of mentoring students and outline how the partnership contributes to workforce and community development.
• Highlight how the mentor's expertise can make a meaningful impact on the students' career preparation.

Maintaining Community Connections

Create Engagement Opportunities:

• Host events like career panels, mentorship mixers, or industry tours to bring professionals and students together in informal settings.
• Organize job shadowing days where professionals can share their daily routines and insights.

Foster Ongoing Relationships:

• Build trust and collaboration by maintaining regular communication with mentors.
• Provide feedback and updates on how their involvement has benefited the students and community.

Recognize and Celebrate Contributions:

• Show appreciation for professional partners through thank-you events,community partner breakfasts, social media spotlights, press releases or certificates of recognition.Highlight their contributions publicly to encourage continued and expanded partnerships.

​

Benefits of Teacher Mentors

• Individualized Goal Setting: Meeting students where they are as developing individuals, is where personalized learning begins.
• Relationships Built on Trust Mentors serve as a thought partner for students on their academic journey and help empower students to become autonomous learners and agents of their own change.
• Developing Self-Awareness and Fostering Passions: An essential component of mentoring sessions is student self-reflection, which gives students the chance to build awareness around their ability to set and follow through on appropriate academic goals. Exploring personal interests goes hand-in-hand with identifying strengths.
• Reaching All Students: Mentorship offers a structured, consistent time and space for teachers to get to know the student, apart from a whole-class or even small-group setting.
• Opening Doors to Possibilities: Through mentorship, educators have a unique opportunity to help open doors to future academic and career possibilities. Just as students are more likely to succeed in school when they’ve had opportunities to develop skills such as self-directed learning and a growth mindset, educators who help students develop these habits are more likely to be successful in impacting every student.

​

Provide Resources for Community Partners

• Make sure you provide community partners with guidelines for working with students
• Give guest speakers a “cheat sheet” of ideas
• If you are hosting a job and/or career fair, make sure to give vendors tips for appealing to students
• Provide ample opportunities for partners to ask for help or provide feedback

​

Your Turn

​

​

​

Time to share what has worked for your school/program with regards to community engagement and growing your network.

Resources

​

ELO Permission Form with Partners Example - Christine Thompson

Jobboard padlet - Kerrie

Community Partner Handbook--Kerrie

Career Speaker Handbook--Kerrie

Next Meeting Jan 14th

Internal Partnerships

Partnering Within the Building

Propose Collaboration, Not Extra Work

• Frame this as a partnership: you manage the program, and their role is focused solely on assessment.
• Suggest a pilot phase or a limited number of students to show the program’s value without overwhelming them.

Showcase Student Success

• Share examples of students who have benefited from learning outside the classroom, particularly if they’ve translated those experiences into tangible outcomes like college acceptance or skill development.

Involve the Teacher in the Process

• Invite the teacher to help design the program’s assessment criteria or learning goals, ensuring they see their expertise reflected in the program.
• Highlight how their involvement will enhance student outcomes and align with school improvement goals.

Provide Incentives and Support

• Discuss how the program could align with their professional development goals or evaluation framework.
• Offer ongoing support, such as arranging for time during the school day to review student work or assisting with clerical tasks.

​

Changing the Culture

Creating an environment where ELO work is welcomed and expected.

Removing barriers to success for the overall program.

What are the barriers within the building, in your sphere of influence?

• Time (teacher, admin, coordinator)
• Money
• outlook/attitudes

How to?

• High visibility of student success
• Student showcases
• Press releases/posts etc

​

• Positive presence willing to participate and support ie, position ELOs as part of a solution (NOT another other)
• ​

Meeting Agendas

• Overview of 2 Hours
• 1 hour - Group Meeting
• 30 mins Regional Meeting
• 30 mins Leadership Meeting

• Summary of 1 Hour Professional Partners
• Welcome and brief introductions
• Tips for how to grow your network
• Sharing out of best practices

​