Mid Columbia STW Consortium
Hood River, Oregon
Contact:
Stevie W. Blakely
School to Work/YTP Coordinator
Mid Columbia STW Consortium
3900 Fairview Drive
Hood River, Oregon 97031
Phone: 541-296-9127
fax: 541-296-1316
Email: sblakely@chenowith.k12.or.us
Mission
The mission of The School-to-Work system in the Mid-Columbia region of Oregon is to integrate career education with academic curriculum to include all students.
Organization
Organization Type: Education Agency - Regional or Intermediate, Local, School
Geographical Area: Rural, Towns and cities, Region
Primary Setting: High School
Funding: External funding - State School-to-Work Implementation Grant and Youth Transition Program Grant
Consumers
Target Population: Postsecondary education students with and without disabilities, Secondary education students with and without disabilities, Teachers or faculty, Parents, Business people or employers, Other youth - At-risk of dropping out, Teen parents
Disability Areas: All disabilities
NTA Framework Categories
Description
The School-to-Work System in the Mid-Columbia region of Oregon is a consortium of eleven rural Oregon School districts, staffed by a coordinator and several School to Work/Youth Transition Technicians.
The Oregon Systems Change Project and Project Choices developed a planning guide for Personal Futures Planning. The region modified their materials to bring community stakeholders together to produce a strategy to include ALL: The School to Work Action Plan. (SWAP)
The process used to develop our regional and school plans is similar to the process designed to assist individual students (especially those with disabilities) map their future.
Beginning in the Freshman year, transition plans are developed and implemented for all high school students, generating a step by step progression to reach post-graduate goals. To ensure student’s access, assistance is provided with postsecondary school applications, financial aid, military and other training opportunities. When appropriate, students are referred to programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation and employment and training agencies. In addition, students with disabilities are provided supplementary support with job shadowing, internships and mentorships to guarantee their participation in all aspects of our School to Work system.
Technical assistance from the Oregon Systems Change Grant and the University of Oregon trained staff help to facilitate the procedure. Because of the process and system which has been developed, every school regardless of size can implement a STW program for ALL students resulting in a long-term systemic change.
In addition, the School to Work technicians connect with key players in each school to ensure the Action Plan is carried out.
As a result of the planning process, the integration of students with disabilities into STW and other programs has been a long term systemic change.
Evidence of Success