Community Partners

Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) is a multicultural school district comprised of 55 elementary schools, 17 secondary schools, 4 special centers and 13 charter schools that serves approximately 43,000 students. With a focus on academic success, family and community support, and creating a positive school environment, OKCPS has demonstrated a proven commitment to improve successful outcomes for its students and families.

Contributions: strategic support to help ensure a comprehensive neighborhood impact; student and school-level data; district-wide all-day Pre-K and Kindergarten; extended learning calendar; prioritized Teach For America teacher placement in NEOKC schools; partnership with the University of Central Oklahoma to place graduates from its Urban Teacher Prep Academy in NEOKC schools; manage transformation grants for “In Need of Improvement Schools” in NEOKC; use of school facilities

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Founded in 1891, Frederick Douglass High School is a historical part of the NEOKC community. For more than 100 years, Douglass has been recognized by residents within the community as a primary source of education. Currently, Douglass’ state-of-the-art facility offers middle and high school students a place for academic success and also hosts activities and events for parents and the community. With the principal, teachers and staff reflecting an unwavering commitment to preparing students for college and other post-secondary educational opportunities, Douglass strengthens the WIT team.

Contributions: use of school facilities; neighborhood hub for WIT activities; encourage student and parent participation in WIT activities; high-quality curricula for students’ academic success; performance management system to monitor teacher quality; manage behavioral barriers and solutions; support of extracurricular activities to increase student engagement; develop character and expand students views of the world and their futures

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Edwards Elementary is the first target elementary school within our defined neighborhood. With a principal invested in creating successful outcomes for her students, Edwards has partnered with civic and faith organizations to collaborate and bring resources into the school, specifically to address reading, the arts, real-world life experiences, character and relationship education, physical needs of students, and behavioral health. Edwards Elementary has become a model for what can happen when a school cooperates with a host of community organizations in a coordinated strategy to advance its students.

Contributions: pilot site for testing community-based initiatives and innovations; commit to the Summer Reading Camp; high-quality curricula and tools for improving students’ academic success; increased student testing and improved teacher quality; support of extracurricular activities to increase student engagement, develop character and expand students’ views of the world and their futures; use of school facilities for WIT activities; encourage student and parent participation in WIT activities

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KIPP is a charter school that is a free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public school where underserved students develop the knowledge, skills and character traits needed to succeed in top-quality high schools and colleges, and the competitive world beyond. KIPP has clearly defined and measurable high expectations for academic achievement and conduct that make no excuses based on the students’ backgrounds. Students, parents, teachers and staff create and reinforce a culture of achievement and support through a range of formal and informal rewards and consequences for academic performance and behavior. By providing a safe and structured learning environment, more time in school and passionate, committed teachers, KIPP has helped students make significant academic gains.

Contributions: provide opportunity for students to access excellent education; inform best practices for testing and intervention strategies

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Metro Technology Centers, with its mission to prepare people for successful employment and life in a global economy, offers career and technology education to high school students and adults at five campuses throughout the OKC area, with its main campus in the WIT neighborhood. Recently, Metro Tech opened the Metro Career Academy (MCA) serving up to 400 students, ages 15 and older, who are referred by an OKCPS principal and face barriers to obtaining a high school diploma and career training.

Contributions: alternative education; adult education; family and community engagement; college and career readiness; Metro Career Academy; a parent resource center

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Public Strategies is a culturally and professionally diverse team committed to helping organizations and individuals reach their full potential while maximizing their impact on the public good. PSI has received national recognition for its work in the areas of program design, program implementation, technical assistance to local programs, experience moving research to practice, and parent engagement.

Contributions: family and community engagement; provision of in-school behavioral health; oversight of performance measures and any evaluation activities; model mid-size company support for WIT schools; provide volunteers, resources and design supports and interventions to improve student learning and family lives; leverages other PSI programs to support the WIT Neighborhood; provide and help raise funds for projects associated with WIT; use of facilities

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The mission of UCO is to help students learn by providing transformative education experiences to students so that they may become productive, creative, ethical and engaged citizens and leaders serving our global community. As Oklahoma City’s largest university, UCO contributes to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social advancement of the communities and individuals it serves. Because it provides more teachers to the OKCPS system than any other university, UCO has altered its educational program to better prepare new teachers for work in urban schools. Their Urban Teacher Preparation Academy (UTPA) enhances pre-service learning, the infusion of technology and the clinical experiences necessary to equip and prepare teachers to work in urban classrooms. Additionally, UCO has a strong college recruitment program and will lead all area universities in helping to engage Douglass graduates in pursuing a college education.

Contributions: teacher preparation; teacher training and professional development; college and career readiness; engagement with families to get parents and students thinking about college; organize opportunities for families to learn about financial aid, entrance exams and other collegiate expectations; get students signed up for the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship Program; work with schools to set up test prep classes; campus tours for families

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Teach For America (TFA) is growing the movement of leaders who work to ensure that children growing up in poverty receive an excellent education. Since 1990, nearly 33,000 leaders have joined TFA to help reach that vision. TFA has reached more than 3 million students across 43 urban and rural communities and their alumni have founded dozens of high-performing schools; boldly led school districts and charter management organizations; and helped pass groundbreaking education legislation. TFA launched a program for OKCPS in 2011-2012, with 56 teachers placed in schools throughout the District.

Contributions: teacher preparation/pipeline; teacher training and professional development; 23 Teach for America teachers placed in WIT schools for the current school year; improve overall teacher performance by modeling and providing professional development and resources to teachers in WIT schools

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Smart Start Central Oklahoma has the vision that is required to guide our comprehensive early childhood strategy during the planning period, consistent with their mission that “all Oklahoma children will be safe, healthy, eager to learn and ready to succeed by the time they enter school.” The organization is a leader in a nationally respected, well-coordinated effort to establish an early childhood system focused on strengthening families and school readiness.

Contributions: lead early childhood working group; development of a WIT neighborhood-specific early childhood network; implement strategies to improve the training and quality of childcare in the neighborhood; co-facilitate focus groups with providers; share in fundraising responsibilities; provide senior leadership to the development of early education strategies; provide early bird classes in all WIT elementary schools; assist with the recruitment of reading mentors for all WIT students

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OKDHS believes that “Stronger Families Grow Brighter Futures,” following its mission to “help individuals and families in need help themselves lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives.” OKDHS works to improve family stability and quality, with a specific commitment to NEOKC that has provided the foundation for multiple relationship education and other development activities for families in the WIT neighborhood. Additionally, OKDHS provides graduation coaches for foster care youth and partners with WIT schools to house school-based service workers during the school day so that families can have ready access to a wide range of services and family supports. The agency leads the nation with its child care rating system and has made significant progress in the improvement of childcare for children in a variety of childcare settings.

Contributions: participation in the early childhood network; provision of childcare monitoring and training to improve the quality of neighborhood childcare; support of programs and services being expanded and strengthened in the WIT neighborhood; leverage influence in service areas to break down silos and encourage collaboration; provide school-based service workers and graduation coaches to address service gaps for students and their families

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Mathematica is dedicated to improving public well-being by bringing the highest standards of quality, objectivity and excellence to bear on information collection and analysis. Considered an architect of social policy research, Mathematica’s capabilities and reach allow them to respond to new public policy challenges and information needs. They are national leaders in thorough and innovative program evaluation, objective policy research and interpretation, sophisticated survey design and data collection, and comprehensive performance measurement and data management.

Contributions: lead the needs assessment and segmentation analysis; support data collection and conduct analysis; identify strategies for data linkages; support creation of data management system for WIT programs

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With a mission of providing students with a broad, interdisciplinary education inclusive of a focus on Africa and the traditional areas of the African American Studies/Black Studies discipline, AFAM shares this team’s dedication to developing the next generation of community leaders committed to working for positive change in the African American community. AFAM has worked with IMCI for the past two years to ensure our solutions are culturally relevant and that University of Oklahoma students will become engaged in our activities, thereby helping Douglass students to find their own vision for achieving a college education.

Contributions: lead arts & humanities working group; develop curricula for arts-based after-school program; teacher training and professional development; provide mentors and volunteers; provide high-quality faculty and support staff for arts programming; provide arts education in-service for teachers in NEOKC

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The Inasmuch Foundation is dedicated to the betterment of people, communities and neighborhoods in which we live. From education and health to the arts and environment, the foundation assists charitable and educational organizations achieve their goals. The Foundation led efforts to raise $3 million to bring Teach For America to OKC; led a fund drive of $10 million to establish an Educare early childhood center; and provided expertise and support for the expansion of all-day Pre-K to 120 classes in OKCPS.

Contributions: provide match for the WIT planning grant; fund and help raise funds for projects associated with WIT; advocate for the business and foundation community to support the WIT Promise Neighborhood concept and initiative

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SandRidge Energy is an emerging Oklahoma City-based oil exploration and production company committed to a set of core values including excellence, integrity, diversity and innovation, among others. SandRidge has a strong focus on community service, with specific commitments to improving the health, education and well-being of children living in disadvantaged situations. In 2011, SandRidge made a significant commitment to providing leadership and support for work in NEOKC, to improve the neighborhood, the lives of families, and the academic outcome of children.

Contributions: provide reading coaches and other volunteers; provide a loaned executive to manage the Reading Explorers volunteer program; fund WIT activities and provide leadership to the engagement of other businesses and foundations for supporting NEOKC strategies; encourage community-based organizations to engage in services for NEOKC families; model large-size company support for WIT schools; develop a model that integrates multiple character education programs into a common curriculum for implementation at WIT schools

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