FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: TODD DUGAN 618-585-3116
BUNKER HILL, IL — Macoupin County PK-12 school district Bunker Hill CUSD 8 and their higher education partner Lewis & Clark Community College were recently recruited to participate in the non-profit Collegiate Edu-Nation’s first National P-20 Convening in Abilene, Texas. Completely funded by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, the team was accompanied by a representative from the Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS).
Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN), a non-profit dedicated to bringing economic development via educational opportunities to rural communities across America, hosted the event with education leaders, higher education partners, and policy makers from the following states: Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Mexico, California, Missouri, Kentucky Ohio, and Illinois. The purpose of the convening was to explore methods of creating workforce development within a PK-12 setting yet overlapping with higher education partners.
Participating in the work sessions from Illinois were: Dr. Kenneth Trzaska, Lewis & Clark Community College President, Dr. Todd Dugan, Bunker Hill CUSD 8 Superintendent, Mr. Jonathan Burris, Bunker Hill CUSD 8 Board President, and Mr. John Glasgow, Program Director for AIRSS. Various models from other states but most notably the P-20 Texas models were studied to adapt for possible duplication in other states. Bunker Hill CUSD 8 and Lewis & Clark Community College will now develop a framework of bridging the path between these institutions for students for which Collegiate Edu-Nation will seek funding.
This framework, once developed, will serve as a small-scale pilot in the state of Illinois. According to Bunker Hill CUSD 8 Superintendent Dugan, “it was inspiring to see what the Roscoe and Hamlin [Texas] Independent School Districts have accomplished in bridging the PK-12 experience with post-secondary success. That success aligns with Bunker Hill CUSD 8’s mission to provide a pathway for 100% of students to be enrolled, employed or enlisted and we are excited to partner with Lewis & Clark to develop our own model.” For more information on Collegiate Edu-Nation and their work, please visit: https://edu-nation.org/
