PIE receives $100,000 grant to support its mentoring programs

The Partnership for Innovation in Education recently received a $100,000 grant — its second Community Connectors grant from the Ohio Department of Education.

PIE received its first Community Connectors grant in 2015 for its one-on-one mentoring program, which reached 32 schools and 5,000 students in grades 5-9 during the last academic year.

This year's grant is meant to help continue to support PIE's mentoring program and expand hands-on experiences for students to better prepare them for the workforce, in partnership with local businesses and community leaders.

"We see Ohio as becoming the epicenter for educational innovation, namely in creating a 'doing' curriculum honing 21st century skill sets," says Mary Welsh Schlueter, CEO of PIE. "PIE has proven through research with area universities that our world-class curriculum moves students and faculty from merely exhibiting creativity to becoming creators and problem solvers in a global economy."

The grant will allow for a expansion of PIE's school district reach and participation among regional universities like the University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, Miami University, Cincinnati State, The Ohio State University and Kent State University.

PIE is constantly working to develop new career pathway simuluations and talent pipeline identification tools with local companies — such as Kroger and Hobsons — and organizations like the Girls Scouts of Western Ohio and ArtsWave. 

"Every industry is looking for talented individuals who can solve problems, understand the value of perseverance in the face of uncertainty, and make decisions using collaborative teams often thousands of miles apart," Welsh Schlueter says. "Our programs have proven to do just that, and we are thrilled that the ODE has continued to fund our efforts grooming the next generation of problem solvers in Ohio and beyond."

Do Good:

• Learn more about PIE and its mission.

• Connect with PIE on Twitter. 

• For more information on the Community Connectors grant program, visit its website.