Program provides students with a unique opportunity to learn from an expert in their field.
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. (May 17, 2019) — The District recently launched the Mount Vernon Pipeline to College Partnership Program (PCOPP) designed to serve more than 100 high school students from Mount Vernon STEAM Academy each year. The three-year grant program from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) will run through August 31, 2021. Each year, 10 undergraduate mathematics and science students from Lehman College and 20 Mount Vernon mathematics and science teachers will be involved in the program.
The PCOPP will support the professional development of Mount Vernon mathematics and science teachers who will, in turn, strengthen teaching and learning within Mount Vernon middle and high schools by assisting participating teachers in transforming their classrooms into sites of rich peer learning that support improved student outcomes.
The program will also engage Lehman College faculty in mathematics, science, and mathematics and science education, three mutually-reinforcing project strands. Through these strands – student research in the sciences, classroom-based action research, and formal research collaboration between college faculty and District teachers and staff – PCOPP will cultivate a network of scientists, researchers, educators, teachers, and students who will work together to support student achievement.
“It’s an opportunity for our students to work directly with faculty in areas such as biology, earth science and computer science,” said Board of Education Trustee and Education Committee Chair Dr. Serigne Gringue. “They get a sense of what college is all about, and it can motivate them to do high-end work in those fields.”
The college students selected to work alongside the certified Mount Vernon science and mathematics teachers will be recruited from Lehman College’s undergraduate population of mathematics or science majors. Lehman enrolls close to 11,000 undergraduates and more than 500 students declare majors in the natural sciences each year.
STEAM Academy Sophomore Maame Forson took part in the Biology program. She hopes to one day become a neonatologist and has found the experience extremely useful.
“We are learning from a professor who’s an expert in his field,” she said. “I’m so close to going to college, and this will help prepare me. We’ve done interesting things like separating strands of DNA in fruit.”
“It’s a taste of real world science,” added sophomore Alan Valencia. “One of the best experiences was being able to dissect a pig.”
These STEM students are expected to learn about and recognize issues related to the teaching and learning of mathematics with the hope of attracting them into the career field of education and preferably employment in the District after graduation.
“PCOPP is a mutually beneficial partnership that affords our teachers and students the opportunity to collaborate with a higher education partner to ensure College and Career Readiness for our students,” said Dr. Waveline Bennett-Conroy, Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement.
The PCOPP is a partnership between the Mount Vernon City School District and Lehman College’s School of Education, Department of Biology, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Department of Chemistry and Department of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies, as well as an external evaluator from Just Inspire Inc.
About Mount Vernon City School District
With more than 8,000 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to its children as well as developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.
