Two Detroit-Area Students Featured in Ford Education Forum
DETROIT, June 20 -- Two local high school students are traveling to San Antonio on June 20 to participate in the 3rd Annual Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) conference sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund. The students, Antoinette Fullmore, Southeastern High School, and Charles LeJeune, Northern High School, will showcase their accomplishments in a unique educational program developed by Ford Motor Company Fund in collaboration with Education Development Center (EDC) and offered by Children's Aid Society, a youth advocacy agency.
"The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies is an experience-based academic and personal development program for high school students," said Cheryl Carrier, Ford PAS program manager. "It provides a practical link between classroom learning, higher education and workplace realities."
Antoinette and Charles, as well as 13 other Ford PAS students, will present projects they completed during the school year at the Ford PAS national conference. With the guidance of a video producer, they will also participate during the conference in a hands-on activity that will challenge their preconceptions about the media and dramatize the dilemma of capturing "both" sides of a news story. They will present their findings to the 300 teachers and high school and college administrators who are attending the conference.
"To be selected from among 2,200 Ford PAS students nationally to participate in our annual conference is quite an honor," said Carrier. "We're very proud to have these students represent our program."
The Ford PAS program, which emphasizes academic knowledge, employability skills and business concepts, is composed of five semester-long elective courses taught in 10th, 11th and 12th grades. It was developed to encourage high school students to build careers in business, engineering and technology.
Through cooperative efforts with local high schools, colleges and universities, community groups and business, students experience an extension of learning beyond the classroom. In the last two years, the curriculum has been adapted to also reach out to students not fully engaged in the traditional academic setting.
"Reaching at-risk students was not the original intent of the program, but in response to requests from community groups, we adapted the curriculum," said Carrier. "We began a Ford PAS program in collaboration with Children's Aid Society in Detroit to reach young people who weren't engaged in the classroom, and the outcomes exceeded our expectations. As a result, we have adopted this modified program as one of our national models."
"Children's Aid Society is the oldest child serving agency in Michigan, but we're always looking for new ways to meet the changing needs of the children we serve," said Cal Williams, Executive Director, Children's Aid Society. "Ford PAS has given us an exciting new way to fulfill our mission and serve our client families and the community."
"By collaborating with Ford PAS, we are able to provide advanced educational opportunities to young people who otherwise would not have access to them," she added. "The Ford PAS program inspired our students to succeed, and they did. We are so proud of Antoinette and Charles and of all our Ford PAS students."
Approximately 85 sites in the U.S. will have Ford PAS programs in place by the end of the year. Many have developed partnerships with colleges and universities to help support the implementation of the curriculum. These partnerships give students an opportunity to visit local universities to use their laboratories as well as meet with professors. University of Detroit Mercy has partnered with Children's Aid Society on the Ford PAS program. University of Detroit Mercy supports several other high schools in the local area who are currently using Ford PAS.
"Henry Ford once noted that education is the greatest force in civilization, and the most deserving of help," said Carrier. "The Ford PAS program and the many other educational programs supported by Ford Motor Company Fund are carrying on that tradition."
Counseling is provided to youth and their families through funding from The Skillman Foundation and United Way of Southeastern Michigan.
Located in Detroit, CAS has helped hundreds of thousands of troubled children and families in Wayne County since it was founded by members of the Presbyterian Church to help Civil War orphans in 1862. The agency's services are supported by and coordinated with schools, the police and the community. All services are designed to build strength within the family unit with the ultimate goal of creating a foundation for a better and healthier society. http://www.childrens-aid-society-mi.org/
The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) program, created in collaboration with Education Development Center (EDC), provides high school students with high-quality interdisciplinary learning experiences that challenge them academically and develop their problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills. By building strong local partnerships with business and higher education, Ford PAS encourages and prepares students for success. http://www.fordpas.org/
Ford Motor Company Fund is a not-for-profit corporation organized in 1949. Made possible by Ford Motor Company profits, Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that enhance and improve opportunities for those who live in the communities where Ford Motor Company operates. Ford Motor Company Fund is committed to creating educational opportunities that stimulate creativity and promote cultural diversity. In 2004, Ford Motor Company Fund- supported organizations received nearly $78 million. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, visit http://www.ford.com/go/fordfund .
