PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL PREPARATION - KANSAS CITY INC

PREP-KC PARTNERS WITH SIX SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THREE CHARTER SCHOOLS, ENROLLING OVER 66,000 STUDENTS AND GRADUATING WITH APPROXIMATELY 3,900 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ANNUALLY. 82% OF STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS STUDENTS OF COLOR, AND 86% COME FROM LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS SERVE 19 OF THE 20 ZIP CODES WITH THE LOWEST MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOMES IN THE NINE-COUNTY METROPOLITAN AREA. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) MARKET VALUE ASSETS (MVA) AND SCHOOL REDESIGN:MARKET VALUE ASSETS (MVAS) ARE MEASURABLE, CAREER-CONNECTED EXPERIENCES THAT HELP STUDENTS PREPARE FOR COLLEGE, CAREER, AND LIFE. PREP-KC TRACKS FOUR TYPES OF MVAS FOR STUDENTS IN OUR 21 PARTNER HIGH SCHOOLS: 1. NINE OR MORE COLLEGE CREDITS EARNED IN HIGH SCHOOLS 2. AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED CREDENTIAL 3. COMPLETION OF AN INTERNSHIP OR CLIENT-CONNECTED PROJECT 4. COMPLETION OF AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPERIENCE SINCE 2019, PREP-KC HAS IMPLEMENTED A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO EXPAND MVA ATTAINMENT. THIS WORK INCLUDES REDESIGNING HIGH SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE "WALL TO WALL" MVA OPPORTUNITIES, ENSURING THAT STUDENTS HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS TO EARN MVAS THROUGH CAREER PATHWAYS, DUAL-CREDIT COURSES, APPRENTICESHIPS, AND STUDENT-RUN ENTERPRISES. PERSONALIZED MVA PLANNING SUPPORTS EACH STUDENT'S POSTSECONDARY ASPIRATIONS, WHILE SCHOOL STRUCTURES ARE ALIGNED TO INTEGRATE MVAS INTO THE CURRICULUM AND SCHEDULE. PREP-KC'S INITIATIVES HAVE RESULTED IN 11,627 GRADUATES EARNING AN MVA THROUGH 2025, EXCEEDING THE ORIGINAL SIX-YEAR TARGET OF 10,000 MVAS. BY 2025, 74% OF GRADUATES EARNED AT LEAST ONE MVA. STUDENTS WHO EARN MVAS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ENROLL IN COLLEGE, PERSIST THROUGH THEIR SECOND YEAR, AND GRADUATE THAN PEERS WHO DID NOT EARN AN MVA. PREP-KC CONTINUES TO SCALE MVA ATTAINMENT THROUGH SCHOOL REDESIGN STRATEGIES THAT EMBED CAREER EXPLORATION, PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, AND INDUSTRY MENTORSHIP INTO DAILY INSTRUCTION. BY 2030, EVERY STUDENT GRADUATING FROM A PARTNER HIGH SCHOOL WILL EARN AT LEAST ONE MVA ALIGNED WITH THEIR POSTSECONDARY ASPIRATIONS. THESE REDESIGN EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDE INTEGRATING EARLY COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPERIENCES FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, SUPPORTING PERSONALIZED PLANS FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND. PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGY:PREP-KC'S PATHWAYS TO TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM PROVIDES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH COURSEWORK AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY FIELDS. STUDENTS ATTEND CLASSES ONSITE AT ORACLE'S SOUTH KANSAS CITY CAMPUS. SINCE 2017, 89% OF PARTICIPANTS HAVE IDENTIFIED AS BLACK, LATINX, OR A PERSON OF COLOR, AND 37% ARE FEMALE. PROJECT POLARIS ENABLES STUDENTS TO DEVELOP OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS FOR NONPROFIT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, PROVIDING THEM WITH FUNCTIONAL, REAL-WORLD TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE.MATH RELAYS: PREP-KC HOSTS MATH RELAYS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 5-12. THESE EVENTS PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CHALLENGES IN ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, DATA, AND NUMBER SENSE AT LEVELS ALIGNED TO STUDENTS' CURRENT MATH COURSES. LAST YEAR, OVER 1,000 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED. THE PROGRAM EMPHASIZES LOGIC, PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND COLLABORATION, BUILDING FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS THAT SUPPORT COLLEGE READINESS AND CAREER PREPARATION.COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPLORATION: PREP-KC SUPPORTS STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-8 IN EXPLORING A WIDE RANGE OF OCCUPATIONS THROUGH INTERACTIONS WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS. IN THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR, 7,188 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN IN-PERSON EVENTS, AND 16,750 PARTICIPATED VIRTUALLY. A TOTAL OF 1,080 VOLUNTEERS REPRESENTING 411 BUSINESSES ENGAGED WITH STUDENTS, CONTRIBUTING OVER 4,130 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE. THESE ACTIVITIES HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP AWARENESS OF CAREER PATHWAYS IN HEALTHCARE, TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS, AND SKILLED TRADES.DATA SCIENCE: PREP-KC'S DATA IN ACTION INITIATIVE PROVIDES EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS WITH PROJECT-BASED DATA SCIENCE INSTRUCTION. STUDENTS ENGAGE WITH AUTHENTIC DATASETS, WORK WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, AND DEVELOP DATA ANALYTICS SKILLS. IN THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR, 747 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE COURSE, AND 307 EARNED AN INDUSTRY-RECOGNIZED DATA ANALYTICS CREDENTIAL. TEACHERS RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND JOB-EMBEDDED COACHING TO SUPPORT CURRICULUM INTEGRATION AND REAL-WORLD LEARNING EXPERIENCES.IMPACT:PREP-KC'S PROGRAMS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO MEASURABLE, REGION-WIDE IMPROVEMENTS: - MVA ATTAINMENT INCREASED FROM 26% IN 2019 TO 74% IN 2025 - 11,627 GRADUATES HAVE EARNED AT LEAST ONE MVA THROUGH 2025 - STUDENTS WHO EARN MVAS ARE MORE LIKELY TO ENROLL IN COLLEGE, PERSIST THROUGH THEIR SECOND YEAR, AND GRADUATE THAN PEERS WHO DID NOT EARN AN MVA. - OVER 22,000 ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATE ANNUALLY IN EARLY COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPERIENCES. - MORE THAN 1,100 INDUSTRY VOLUNTEERS REPRESENTING OVER 400 EMPLOYERS SUPPORT HANDS-ON LEARNING ACROSS THE REGION.FUNDING AND SUSTAINABILITY:PREP-KC FUNDS ITS WORK THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRIVATE FUNDRAISING, COST-SHARING AGREEMENTS WITH PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND EARNED INCOME FROM CONSULTING SERVICES. APPROXIMATELY 64% OF OPERATING REVENUE COMES FROM PRIVATE FUNDRAISING, AND 36% COMES FROM EARNED INCOME. PREP-KC MAINTAINS A BOARD-DESIGNATED RESERVE AND LEVERAGES A TRAIN-THE-TRAINER MODEL TO ENSURE DISTRICT STAFF CAN SUSTAIN PROGRAM ACTIVITIES INDEPENDENTLY. THESE MEASURES SUPPORT LONG-TERM STABILITY AND ALLOW PROGRAMS TO CONTINUE SERVING STUDENTS EVEN IN THE EVENT OF FUNDING FLUCTUATIONS.