U.S. Department of Education Senior Advisor Michael Robbins to Speak on School and Community Partnerships in San Francisco

Senior Advisor for Nonprofit Partnerships Michael Robbins will participate in the National Academy Foundation Leadership Summit on Saturday, July 16 and National Council for Community and Education Partnerships' GEAR UP Annual conference, July 18-19 in San Francisco. Robbins will speak on the importance of community based organizations (CBOs) and school partnerships in the education field.

On Saturday, Robbins will attend the National Academy Foundation Leadership Summit where he will give remarks addressing how schools can work together with CBOs for school improvements to enhance student outcomes. His discussion, titled Strengthening School-CBO Partnerships to Propel Student Outcomes, will focus on the importance of increased attendance, improved academic performance and engagement in school, along with increased enrollment in, and access to, postsecondary education. He will also highlight how blended learning—online paired with site-based learning—could transform CBO-school partnerships, resulting in higher academic achievement, deeper student engagement, an infusion of human capital, and the next wave of education entrepreneurship. The National Academy Foundation works to foster partnerships between the business and education communities to provide opportunities to underserved students, and serves more than 50,000 students each year.

During the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships' GEAR UP Annual conference, which has drawn over 1,000 participants in past years, Robbins will reiterate the importance of CBO collaboration with schools for student opportunity and improvement. Monday's remarks will highlight how CBO-school partnerships foster improved academic performance and engagement, and increased desire for and access to postsecondary education while Tuesday's discussion will promote blended learning, addressing its potential to transform and improve CBO-school partnerships. GEAR UP—Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs—is a U.S. Department of Education initiative which provides funds to states and partnerships to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Currently funded at $323.2 million, GEAR UP grants target services for a six year period to entire grades of students, usually beginning in middle school.