Texas Association of Partners in Education

Conference Sessions

TAPE 2012 Mid-Winter Powerful Partnerships Conference

Tuesday, January 31, 2012, Austin Convention Center

Session I

9 – 10 a.m.

Creative Partnerships: How one city joined with their school district to make a difference

Room: 9C

Presenter: Katie Arens, Volunteer Administrator, Austin Energy; Benito Ornelas, Volunteer Administrator, Austin Energy

City of Austin Volunteer Administrators will discuss their partnership with the Austin Independent School District which allows City employees to mentor or tutor during their work day. Topics covered will include program creation, implementation, marketing and recruitment, program evaluation, and approaches used to motivate both volunteers and the executives who support them. Companies, school districts, municipalities and non-profit agencies interested in partnering to make greater impacts through volunteerism will benefit from this session.

9 – 10 a.m.

Thinking About Starting or Re-Starting an Education Foundation?

Room: 8C

Presenter: Milli Christner, Ph.D., Foundation Innovation; Laurie Cromwell, Foundation Innovation

Stop and do it right. There are some key components that you must have in place to ensure a successful, effective, and sustainable education foundation. In the past 25 years over 300 education foundations have been established to benefit public school districts in Texas. Though a fairly recent phenomena in K12, public colleges and universities have benefited from their own foundations for years. Learn how to create goodwill for your school district, money for innovative programs and goodwill capital for public education through a methodical process that utilizes current best practices and lessons from the field.

9 – 10 a.m.

Partnering for Student Engagement and STEM Learning

Room: 10B

Presenter: John Spence, Director, Service Learning Texas; Cappy Smith, Aquatic Resource Education Specialist, Texas Parks and Wildlife; Wendy Thompson, students, and project partners, Glen Rose High School

In this session you’ll learn how students in grades 5-12 are working with biologists and other partners to improve and/or restore the natural environment and address one or more of the goals of the Texas Conservation Action Plan. Through the Texas Healthy Habitats grant—a program of Service Learning Texas, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Encana Oil and Gas, Inc. (USA), and Esri—young people are learning not just how to care for the environment but how to collaborate with professionals, use probeware and Arc/GIS software, and showcase the power of partnerships for student and community success. Participants will hear from key program staff and from students, staff, and partners at Glen Rose High School, where, Juniors and Seniors in Environmental Science classes and students from other organizations are working with Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Luminant Power, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Services, and the Brazos Valley Soil and Water Conservation District to restore 125 acres of land at Squaw Creek Park.

Session II

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Spread the Good News

Room: 10B

Presenter: Natalie Argüello, Attorney, The Fowler Law Firm, P.C

Join Natalie Niles Argüello, a school lawyer and former reporter for CBS in Houston, for an interactive workshop on proactive media and public relations. As the media’s influence in our communities grows and grows, each organization has a public face. What face will you show? Will it be the one you choose, or will someone else paint your portrait for you? Business, education, non-profit, and/or higher education partnership professionals alike will all benefit from Natalie’s practical tools for both handling bad news and spreading the good news as it happens.

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

How to Find a Community/Business Partner

Room: 8C

Presenter: Gwen Samples, Ed.D., Community Liaison, Houston ISD

This “how-to session” is filled to the brim with techniques, ideas, tips, and proven strategies for developing a partnership plan then identifying, recruiting, initiating, nurturing, and recognizing community/business partners. Replete with materials, handouts and a workbook, it is a must for the novice and a refresher for the experienced PIE coordinator, school administrator, teacher, and community member. Transferrable ideas are also relevant for nonprofit professionals.

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Mobile Marketing 101

Room: 9C

Presenter: Richard Dietz, Founder, Nonprofit R+D

Mobile searches have quadrupled in the last year.

1 in 3 mobile searches are looking for local information.

By 2014, the mobile web will be bigger than desktop internet use.

Even if you don’t think you are ready to launch a mobile campaign today, you NEED to start learning more about mobile techniques and preparing for the coming wave.

In this interactive one hour session we will cover:

What is “Mobile Marketing” and why it’s important
Different types of mobile marketing
How and why mobile marketing is relevant for today’s nonprofits and educational organizations
How you can start utilizing mobile marketing ASAP

Richard Dietz has spent the last 20 years working both in and with a wide variety of nonprofit, political, and government organizations, as well as technology companies focused on the nonprofit sector, including Sage Nonprofit, Convio and KIMBIA. Richard holds a M.S.W. from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA.

Session III

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

From Career Centers to On Site Mentoring

Room: 10B

Presenter: Ridge Hammons, Executive Director, Hammons Education Leadership Programs

There may be too much emphasis placed on college attendance at the expense of the skilled workers this country really needs. According to a recent report by the Harvard Press, many skilled workers can expect considerably more income than college graduates, and skilled trades are the fields in which the greatest shortages are to be found. Yet we continue to emphasize college as the real reason to go to high school. This disconnect is a systemic one, and resources can be scarce to redirect into vocational programs. HELP has created a school-to-work program called CareerClub, which sponsors video “visits” to local business entities and brings professional visitors to schools. HELP uses local grant and donor money to purchase and install touch screen computers and load them with interactive videos so students can virtually “explore” refineries and port facilities from the safety and convenience of school. The student can view over 50 “visits” to a variety of local businesses and, if they see a job that intrigues them, use the touch screen computer to “drill down” into the exact location/description of the job. They can communicate with the professional mentor either by text, Skype or phone. They can also visit there, and become involved in ONSITE CAREER MENTORING or apprenticeships.

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Bridging the Gap: Using Technology to Connect Communities and Schools

Room: 8C

Presenter: Pat Abrams, Executive Director, Austin Partners in Education; Shirley Heitzman, Executive Director, Office of Innovation and Development, Austin ISD

In a school district experiencing dramatic over-all growth and shifting demographics that signal more students at risk of falling behind academically or dropping out before graduation, the challenge is to deliver academic excellence in a climate of shrinking resources. A key success factor in driving an enriched educational experience for Austin ISD students has been the ability of Austin Partners in Education (APIE) to mobilize and deploy thousands of volunteers each year to support both academic and extra-curricular programs for schools in under-served communities. Learn how APIE has leveraged their technology platform to efficiently attract, engage and track relationships with schools, volunteers, donors and other stakeholders.

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Online Fundraising Basics

Room: 9C

Presenter: Richard Dietz, Founder, Nonprofit R+D

Do you feel lost or confused when it comes to online fundraising? Do you have a donate button but aren’t raising any money online? Then join us at the Online Fundraising Basics session and learn how to raise money online.

Online fundraising is about much more than a donate button and a website. During this jam packed one hour session, we will cover the core components you need to create a successful online fundraising campaign and give you actionable steps to help you get started today.

In this session we will cover: