114TH PARTNERSHIP

Named for the meridian that bridges the Great Continental Divide, the 114th Partnership is a national nonprofit that facilitates productive partnerships between educators and employers. Our collaborations support ongoing relationships and measurable outcomes.

By 2020, we aim to equip 1,000,000 students (half from underserved populations) to navigate education and career pathways.

Since 2013, we have reached approximately 2,000 educators and 500,000 students. By connecting classwork to professional pathways, we will help one million students graduate college- and career-ready by 2020. Although the effect of any given instructional experience is small, case-study experiences can have a significant cumulative effect on students' professional
pathway choices. The 114th Partnership case studies have helped students better understand the connections between school and work and identify careers that interest them.

Whether the experience is delivered by employers or by teachers, students benefit when given a chance to put their academic skills into practice. Students who participate in 114th Partnership programs report they are more aware of what industry professionals do, better understand how they can apply the skills they learn in school to the workplace, and want to find out more about the careers profiled.

To achieve the stated goals, we plan to:
1) Engage 500 employers to develop 200 Spark 101 videos for classroom use, and to volunteer or mentor 200,000 students through the Pathway Ready program.
2) Engage 30,000 classroom teachers, mostly through teacher membership organizations, to deliver case challenges to 2.8 million students.

More on Spark 101's strategy:
Our 10-minute interactive format is easy for teachers to use and proven to boost STEM engagement in underrepresented student populations. They are facilitated by teachers in the classroom, available online at no cost to schools, and are based on national, state, and local educational standards. Evaluations show that students of all backgrounds become more motivated to engage in STEM coursework and career pathways after working with our videos, and teacher surveys show that students become better problem solvers, better prepared for the future, and more engaged in schoolwork.

More on Pathway Ready's strategy:
Now businesses can substitute live coaching for conventional volunteer presentations. Employee volunteers coach students to solve real workplace challenges in high-growth STEM careers and beyond. Challenges can be based on a Spark 101 video or a new scenario as desired. Companies select the time commitment that fits their employee volunteer program. The live events are facilitated by volunteers in a facility or classroom, no cost to schools, and are based on national, state, and local educational standards. Evaluations show that students become more interested in the careers, teachers value the authenticity of the challenges, and volunteers participate with enthusiasm.

Team:
We have compiled an extremely competent staff with extensive and recognized leadership and expertise in employer/educator collaborations. We pride ourselves on effective & efficient use of consultants, and have an engaged, knowledgeable and connected Board and advisors.

Technology:
Spark 101 is both web-based and free to educators. Our cloud-based survey instruments allow for simple data collection and effective reporting thereof.

Data- & Process-Driven Practices:
Our team maintains extensive use of project and program management tools. We are constantly collecting additional data to drive performance improvement.

As of summer 2016, we have aligned our mission, goals, strategies and program outcome indicators. We have vetted processes and standards that drive quality product development. We have strong programmatic results verified by independent evaluation, and are confident that we have an incredible resource that's free to schools.

We continue to cultivate strong partnerships with employer membership organizations for content development. We are also actively working to make Spark 101 easier for teachers to find and use through Integration with other classroom resources and video tutorials.