Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Michael Rossi, Director of Data and Outcomes with PENCIL, a nonprofit organization linking community resources to Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to help young people achieve academic success and prepare for life. Since the organization’s founding in 1982, PENCIL has worked with private industry, city officials, and other nonprofits to achieve strategic goals for MNPS students through community partnerships.
During the interview, Michael discusses the importance of community partnerships and collaboration and how partners offer invaluable access to mentoring, job shadowing, career exploration, field trips, and more. He highlights their different programs including, PENCIL Partnerships, PENCIL Connect, and DG PENCIL Box, which is a retail space for educators that is filled with classroom essentials such as pencils, crayons, copy paper, notebooks, book bags, glue sticks, hand sanitizer and much more. The store is stocked solely by generous donations and PENCIL partners and MNPS teachers can shop at no cost, which helps ensure that no student is hindered by a lack of supplies. Michael also discusses their Connected Literacy Tutors program, where tutors provide high impact literacy tutoring to Metro Schools 1st through 3rd grade students – working with groups of three students in 30-45 minute sessions at least twice a week for twelve weeks. He wraps up sharing some of the many ways organizations and individuals can get involved with PENCIL and support their efforts.
Visit www.pencilforschools.org to learn more and get involved.
https://www.facebook.com/PENCIL4Schools/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pencil4schools/
