Medgar Evers College || Learning Community Network

MEC LCN Breakfast Series 2003 - 2004

MAY 2003

The Network breakfast meeting is one of the most popular Network activities. Sharon Myrie, Vice President of Education at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, hosted the May 21st meeting. Network members and guests had an opportunity to interact with new and old personal friends and professional colleagues. The meeting was opened by a brief presentation by Dr. Lester W. Young, Chief Executive, Youth Development and School Community Services, New York City Department of Education. Dr. Young is the former Community School Superintendent of Community District 13. Dr. Young outlined how his office will address the issues of low performance schools by focusing on youth development, specifically the coherence and equity of services to at-risk youth. A major issue that Dr. Young identified was the health crisis facing the youth and their families in four New York City communities: Harlem, Southeast Queens, South Bronx, and Central Brooklyn. He stressed that the high rates of teen pregnancy, asthma, obesity, aids, and strokes in these communities have a direct correlation to low-performing schools. Dr. Young emphasized the need for organizations, such as the Medgar Evers College Learning Community Network, to address the issues facing today's youth.

Dr. Edward Joyner, Executive Director, School Development Program (SDP) at the Yale Child Study Center, was the breakfast keynote speaker. He has worked extensively with Dr. Young and other school districts throughout the country to develop and implement school improvement plans that are grounded in children development and community-school-university partnerships. Dr. Joyner's presentation illustrated his wisdom and expertise in the area of child development and achieving school renewal through developing school and community partnerships. During the upcoming 2003-4 school year, Dr. Joyner will serve as the process facilitator for the implementation of a national grant that the Network has received from The Institute for Educational Inquiry, a Seattle based organization. The goal of the grant is to strengthen school-university-community partnerships to educate America's at-risk youth in high needs communities. Over the next two year's, the network will work with members of the broader community to develop and implement a youth leadership action plan. Clicking on Institute for Educational Inquiry can access additional information about the grant and implementation plans.

Network members, Sharon Myrie and Pam Fishman, Director of Prospect Park Alliance, presented an overview of a newly, created high school, the Brooklyn Academy of Science and Environment (BASE), which will open in September 2003. BASE will be housed in the building currently known as Prospect Heights High School. BASE is one of eight New Century High Schools that were developed by school-university-community partnerships. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park Alliance formed a partnership to create BASE. As the Lead Partners, the Garden and Park invited other Network members to serve as Collaborative Partners in the development of this new, small high school whose theme is science and environment. Collaborative partners include Medgar Evers College and the Brooklyn Museum. The creation of the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) is testimony to the positive impact that the Network is having in the Central Brooklyn community. Other Network members shared information about their organizations' accomplishments and upcoming events.

2004 Summary

The 2003-4 school year was an exciting and productive year for Medgar Evers College Learning Community Network. The thrust of Network activities was the implementation of “Developing Networks of Responsibility to Educate America’s Youth” (DN) grant. During the May 2003 breakfast meeting, Dr. Noreen Hosier, Network Coordinator, announced that the Network was awarded a two-year national grant to: (1) strengthen collaboration and cooperation among community constituents, (2) uncover concerns and needs of Central Brooklyn youth and (3) explore ways to address what Central Brooklyn youth need to know and be able to do for success in life. The Network, one of eleven sites from around the country, was selected by a Seattle based organization, Institute for Educational Inquiry (IEI), largely due to the existing collaboration and partnerships Medgar Evers College has established with the surrounding Central Brooklyn local schools and broader community.

Throughout the year, 18 Network members (hot button that links to photo of group with the list of participants) who represent Medgar Evers College, Region Six schools and the Central Brooklyn broader community, participated in a Leadership Academy designed to: (1) strengthen collaboration skills and (2) identify areas of concerns about Central Brooklyn Youth. Dr. Edward Joyner, Executive Director, Yale University School Development Program and Mona Bailey, Co-Director, Institute for Educational Inquiry, facilitated the working sessions.

The Network’s involvement in the DN grant enhanced the capacity to achieve its goals and objectives, in particular, institutionalizing a tripartite collaborative relationship between Medgar Evers College, neighboring Central Brooklyn schools and broader community that will support the improvement of the educational outcomes for Central Brooklyn youth. The yearlong working sessions laid the foundation for Year Two implementation in 2004-05 academic year.