The Philadelphia Education Fund is honored to serve as the backbone organization for the newly-formed College Access and Success Ecosystem (CASE). CASE is a data-driven, collective effort, with a goal of leveraging the talents of nonprofits, school leaders, government and industry to move the needle on rates of high school, college, and postsecondary completion.
On Thursday, December 7, at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, CASE held its first working meeting, assembling 40 attendees representing K-12, nonprofits, higher education institutions, government, community members, and business. After a review of CASE’s Collective Impact Statement – “Working together to ensure more Philadelphia students graduate on time from high school and college by using data and serving as agents of information, access and opportunity” – attendees broke out into the established action teams. During the session, the three teams – On-time High School Graduation, On-time College Graduation, and Data & Evaluation – discussed frameworks and metrics for success, and how involvement in CASE might inform their work.
A special acknowledgment and thank you to Hillary Kane from PHENND, Aja Holden and Michelle Armstrong from the School District of Philadelphia, Thom Butler from the Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable, Roxy Golas from the Philadelphia Youth Network and Farah Jimenez from PEF. These individuals – and the organizations they represent – have been instrumental in planning CASE.
For information on how to get involved with CASE, please reach out to Ellen Ridyard, PEF’s Director of Collaboration and Partnerships, at eridyard@philaedfund.org.