Spotlight Archives, Pittsburgh Regional Compact



	Spotlight Archives Regional Career Schools Prepare Students for 21st-Century Careers How many teachers, students, and job seekers have heard the phrase, "A college degree is the new high school diploma"? The reality today is that most jobs in the labor market today require more education than a high school diploma, yet less than a four-year college degree. The A.W. Beattie Center, a Compact partner, is one of many career schools in our region that exposes students to the variety of post-secondary options available to them, and does so while students are still in high school. Vocational programs, associate's degrees, technical training and more are available to help current students and recent high school graduates make the leap to their futures. The Next Step: 2011 Education Planning Guide, published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, another Compact partner. Learn about how regional career schools are helping to prepare today's students for 21st-century careers. Compact Member A.W. Beattie Career Center Shows Off New LEED-Certified Building The A.W. Beattie Career Center is a regional leader, not only in providing career exposure and training for the region's future workers, but also by constructing and maintaining environmentally sustainable buildings. In fact, the Center recently held a grand opening of a "greener" sort to celebrate a renovation that's made it one of the first career and technical education centers in Pennsylvania to achieve LEED certification… and it's going for the gold! Read more *Eight Compact Member Schools Make Newsweek's* List of America's Best High Schools** Newsweek annually picks the country's best high schools based on how hard school staffs work to challenge students with advanced placement college-level courses and tests. Approximately 1,600 schools – only six percent of all the public schools in the U.S. – made the list. Among them were eight Compact member schools representing both Allegheny and Beavers counties from the 10-county Pittsburgh region. These include Blackhawk (ranked 857) in Beaver County and Upper St. Clair (905); Quaker Valley (994); Pine-Richland (1,020); Pittsburgh Allderdice/Pittsburgh Public Schools (1,538); South Fayette (1,543); and North Allegheny (1,556) – all in Allegheny County. The rankings are based on a "challenge index," which considers the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school in a school year, divided by the number of seniors graduating that year. Schools with a ratio of at least 1.0, which means they had at least as many tests as graduates, are included in the list. Compact Member Pittsburgh Public Schools Among Top 10 Best in U.S. The non-profit GreatSchools recently released its annual list of top public schools in small, mid-size and large cities. For large cities (300,000+ population), the Pittsburgh Public Schools were ranked No. 7. According to the report, "Pittsburgh Public Schools is on the move. A few years ago, the district — the second-largest in the state, with 26,000 students in 66 schools — made a commitment to improve its faltering performance, and the steady improvements in rankings and test scores are proof that its efforts are taking hold. AYP scores are rising every year and even exceeding expectations, while student performance at all levels continues to improve. And Pittsburgh — called one of the most livable U.S. cities by everyone from The Economist to the Places Rated Almanac — has a low cost of living and low crime stats. Besides, it's the home of the first Big Mac and the banana split. What family could ask for more?" America's Best High Schools U.S. News & World Report – Eight Compact member schools have made this national publication's list of the best public high schools in the country, underscoring the excellent preparation for post-secondary education and careers after graduation being provided to the workforce of tomorrow in the Pittsburgh region. In the Silver category, they are Hampton, North Allegheny and Upper St. Clair. In the Bronze category, the following were recognized: City Charter High School, CAPA and Brashear of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Homer-Center and Monaca. Congratulations! Imagine! Career Week 2009 (Article & Video) Imagine! Career Week 2009, April 20 – 24, kicked off with a breakfast to encourage dialogue about career education. Nearly 100 employers and educators came together to hear success stories and to consider how to best prepare today’s youth to become the workforce of tomorrow for regional employers. The breakfast was jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Regional Compact and The Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board. City of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl formally announced the city’s commitment to career education (PDF file) and a summer youth employment program at the event. Robotics Training Offered At Pittsburgh-Area Colleges America's Best High Schools - Nine Schools (Compact Members) from the Pittsburgh Region Make the List U.S. News & World Report has released its 2008 list of America’s best high schools, and nine regional schools—members of the Pittsburgh Regional Compact—have been nationally recognized for their excellence. As such, these Compact member schools are providing excellent preparation for post-secondary education and for careers after graduation to today’s students—tomorrow’s regional workforce. Good Morning America Co-Host Diane Sawyer segment on “Education in America.” Pittsburgh Regional Compact Member City Charter High School was recently featured on ABC’s Good Morning America for its focused approach to preparing students to enter the workforce. As part of a “Whistle-Stop Tour”—an initiative featuring reports from every state in the nation over the 50 days that lead up to the 2008 presidential election—Good Morning America Co-Host Diane Sawyer and the production crew arrived in Pittsburgh on train and sought out downtown City High for a segment on “Education in America.” Several students and faculty were interviewed, providing national media exposure for the school and for Pittsburgh. You can learn more about mentoring, internships and other career education initiatives at City High by visiting www.cityhigh.org. Allegheny Conference CEO Mike Langley interviewed by WTAE’s Sheldon Ingram, July 2008 American Eagle Workplace Tour Video, January 2008
The Pittsburgh Regional Compact is an employer-driven initiative collaboratively sponsored by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, business leaders, educators, students, educational institutions and workforce development organizations across the 10-county Pittsburgh region.