News Releases

In a recent national poll, the American public said public education is the number one issue local leaders should address. The data was released at the launch of Give Kids Good Schools, a campaign to engage the American public in support of public education. Urban Education Partnership (The Partnership), Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative (The BHLC), and Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools (The Alliance) are partnering with their national association, Public Education Network, to implement Give Kids Good Schools in Los Angeles, California.

The Urban Education Partnership (the Partnership) today announced that the STAPLES Center Foundation will host the Partnership’s second annual Honor Roll Reception, a special event in Downtown Los Angeles honoring the extraordinary work of public school teachers in Los Angeles, and the parents and community members who support their work. The event is scheduled for Thursday, June 29, 2006, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the STAPLES Center’s Grand Reserve Club, with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in attendance.

The Urban Education Partnership, an organization that helps at-risk students improve their academic achievement through partnerships with educators, parents and the community, announced today it has received a $20,000 grant from Staples Foundation for Learning. This grant will support Career Academies, a program that combats high school dropout and low college entrance rates among
underserved high school students. This program encourages youth to pursue secondary education through small learning communities with rigorous academic standards, stimulating classes and real-life
experiences.

The Urban Education Partnership (the Partnership) today announced that the S. Mark Taper Foundation has awarded the Partnership a $75,000 grant for the organization’s health initiative program, according to Peggy Funkhouser, the Partnership’s Interim President and CEO. The grant will reinvigorate the Partnership’s health program by allowing the organization to hire new health promoters, train them in substantive areas of health, child development and health insurance enrollment, and monitor and support their work in the community.

The Urban Education Partnership today announced the results of a study analyzing the organization’s Humanitas education program, showing that student participants in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) high schools have significantly higher graduation rates and lower dropout rates than same-school peers. Participants in the award-winning Humanitas program graduate at a rate of 77%, versus 46% for non-participants.