As APIE moves into its third year as a not-for-profit organization, the focus is on the growth and expansion of existing programs. Tech Corps, Math Study Groups and Partners in Reading, (formerly Literacy Study Groups) will add classes and campuses as more and more schools see the gains students make as participants.

Tech Corps is expanding to 7 middle schools this spring, thanks to funding from Applied Materials and A Glimmer of Hope Foundation. Student Help Desks will grow to all middle schools by the end of the 2007-08 school year thanks to funding from Hewlett Packard. Dell TechKnow continues with 34 classes of 20 students each per year, totaling over 1500 students since the APIE inception.

The Math Study Groups program is on 4 campuses and serves 280 students in 11 classrooms. Teachers have reported that their students are showing better grades and are beginning to understand the relevancy of math to their lives. We added four classes this spring; here are comments from our volunteers:

• "This is my third class for APIE and I really thought it went well. Even though the girls in my group were very quiet, we eventually started to talk and I think next time will be even easier. Geometry really is conducive to this type of group work."
• "It went great! I'm really excited. I love the new setup Mr. Penaflor has going for the class. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year."

The 200+ second grade participants in Partners in Reading's 12 elementary school classrooms received a book of their own to celebrate their participation in the fall semester. Thanks to the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas, Bookfanz, and private donors for making these books available.

On February 17th, APIE will work with United Way, AISD and Spanish Media outlets to deliver education information to an expected 5,000 Spanish-speaking parents and students! To see more information and find out how you can participate, click here: www.feriaeducativa.org

We are further developing the district-wide College Readiness Program to ensure that we increase the number of college ready AISD graduates by 7.5% for this year. Improvements include reduced volunteer to student ratios, teacher training, speakers, targeted tutoring, and a proposal for funding for student and teacher stipends.

We expect close to 100 past APIE and Adopt-a-School leaders to join hosts, Dan Bullock, Allyson Peerman, Mel Waxler, and Glenn West on February 22nd, to celebrate 24 years of partnership success.

APIE received a $10,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation to improve our data collection system, to create a wish list that schools can use to post requests for needed items, and the community can review for items they can donate.

APIE is in the process of launching 200+ mentors for Kealing Middle School and Brown Elementary School. This initiative is managed by the Women in Natural Sciences program at The University of Texas at Austin. Because of the overwhelming student response the program is looking to expand to additional campuses this semester.

In addition, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation has created a fund to provide approximately $30,000 annually for teacher training, tech support and supplies for all 17 Dell TechKnow middle school campuses.

In our collaborative quest to move the needle on academic achievement for all students, we thank the community for your heroic involvement in systemic change.

Join us for Salute 2007 when we gather to honor teachers, staff, volunteers and partners who make a difference in Austin education.

For 23 years, the Austin Independent School District, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Partners in Education, and our steadfast business partners have collaborated to create ever growing opportunities for students. Each year Salute provides us an evening to say "thank you" to all those working continuously to make our schools and community stronger.

Please mark your calendars now and plan to join us on Monday, May 7th , at 6:00pm at the Downtown Austin Hilton Hotel as we recognize outstanding AISD teachers, staff, volunteers and partners while celebrating AISD's 125th anniversary.

Each year we also present awards to honor teachers, staff, volunteers and business partners for their continued dedication to student excellence and school achievement in Austin ISD. The Salute Community and Campus Awards nomination forms are now available on the APIE website at www.austinpartners.org. The forms are available in both English and Spanish and we invite you to submit your nominations by February 28th, 2007.

Event online registration is also available this year for the first time. If you have already purchased tickets or would like to reserve seats, please go to the APIE website at www.austinpartners.org to enter your name and names of your guests.

For information about Salute 2007 or becoming a sponsor, please feel free to contact Helen Moore at (512) 637-0980 or hmoore@austinpartners.org.

Through the generosity of our sponsors, we continue to celebrate the best and brightest teachers, staff, volunteers, and community partners, as we connect Austin's business and education in ways that make our schools, our businesses and our community stronger.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

TITLE SPONSOR Tan International Group / Chinatown Center

DIAMOND SPONSOR Seton Family of Hospitals

PLATINUM SPONSORS           Austin Community College CAS Consulting and Services, Inc. Dan Bullock Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Housing Authority of the City of Austin National Instruments Pfluger Associates, L.P. Wells Fargo

GOLD SPONSORS Brath, Inc. Graeber, Simmons & Cowan Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schulze & Aldridge, P.C.

SILVER SPONSORS Austin Energy Braun and Butler Construction, Inc. IBM William Gammon Insurance

BRONZE SPONSORS Applied Materials Maxwell Locke & Ritter, L.L.P. McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P. SpawGlass Contractors, Inc. Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P.

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS Four Seasons Hotel Austin JetBlue Airways Omni Hotel Austin Downtown Seton Family of Hospitals ShoeHorn Design, Inc. TateAustin

The 21st Century programs were created to provide a positive, safe, and fun environment for students after school. Austin Partners in Education partners with the 21st Century program and Boys and Girls Club to provide volunteers for their after-school program on five middle school campuses: Bedichek, Burnet, Kealing, Mendez and Porter. Boys and Girls Club manages the program and APIE volunteers spend one hour a week assisting students with their homework. Volunteers are encouraged to stay longer for enrichment classes which could consist of dance, poetry, sports, and many other fun activities. APIE is currently recruiting for the spring semester. If you are interested in volunteering, and enjoy spending time with middle school students in a fun atmosphere please contact Tearson Larum at (512) 637-0985 or tlarum@austinpartners.org.

The results are in: Partners in Reading, formerly known as Literacy Study Groups, is a success! The goal of the pilot program is to improve the reading ability of 2nd grade students. Volunteers work in the classroom with a small group of students and support the students' reading by reading aloud, practicing reading, and offering feedback and encouragement.

Survey results collected in December, 2006, from teachers, volunteers and students involved in the program provided overwhelming praise for the program. Some comments below:

• 100% of the teachers agreed that the program is beneficial to their students and that students are improving their fluency as a result of the program
• Volunteers' comments:
  • "I have never volunteered at a school, so this was exciting and new to me. I always had respect for the teachers, but more so now that I was able to see a part of what a teacher does in class."
  • "I think this is a wonderful effort and I am very excited to be involved in the program. It is really rewarding to see these little guys improving their reading skills each week."
• 93% of the students said that they can read better when they practice.

Partners in Reading currently operates in four high needs schools in twelve different classrooms. About 60 volunteers meet weekly with more than 210 students. We continue to be impressed with the commitment of the volunteers and the support of the teachers. With your involvement, we can serve even more children!

If you would like to learn more about Partners in Reading, please contact Sandy Bootz, at sbootz@austinpartners.org or 637-0975.

APIE Celebrates 20 years of Project Mentor

Across the country January was celebrated as National Mentoring Month, but 2007 also marked the 20th year of Project Mentor in Austin Independent School District.

Project Mentor first began in 1987 through an IBM executive-on-loan initiative. The pilot involved 67 mentors for a 12 week program. Currently, over 1500 mentors support the district through campus-run and community sponsored programs. APIE works with community mentors to serve approximately 80 AISD campuses. In addition, APIE collaborates with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, Communities in Schools, and the Travis Community Education Foundation to supply mentors to various campuses throughout the district.

Austin Partners in Education extends its sincere appreciation to the thousands of mentors making a difference one student at a time in Austin public schools; though the number of mentors is significant, more are still needed. In response to the tremendous volume of student and campus requests for mentors, APIE has announced a new drive for mentors for the current school year.

APIE's mentoring initiatives receive full support from AISD. "We are thankful for the 20 years of service mentors have given our students and urge community members to continue this legacy by becoming a mentor today," said AISD Superintendent Pat Forgione. "Mentoring initiatives are just one of many successful business/ education partnerships that result in student achievement."

One hour a week can make a lasting impact on the life of a student. If you know someone who would be a great mentor, please have him/her visit our website www.austinpartners.org or contact Christi Caballero at (512) 637-0983 / ccaballero@austinpartners.org.

Every Monday and Wednesday a group of bright, motivated young students meet after school at the Business Professionals of America chapter meetings at Martin Middle School. This student organization has ranked high at national and state competitions, but is currently in need of community support as they prepare for this year's challenges.

The club's mission is to develop leadership abilities through participation in career/technical education, civic, recreational, and social activities, to assist students in establishing realistic employment objectives and to foster an understanding of the functions of labor, entrepreneurial, and management organizations in the American free enterprise system. "The club allows the students to get involved in a positive student organization, work together, develop social skills, become leaders, set goals, learn about the business world and grow into a productive individual." Katrina Hicks, Martin Middle School teacher and club co-sponsor.

At last school year's state BPA competition, the group placed 1st in Extemporaneous Speech, Career Research and Website Development, and advanced to fourth place at the national level in Website Development. This spring, the students will compete at the state competition in Corpus Christi, and will later travel to New York City for the national event.

The organization meets every Monday and Wednesday from 3:45 to 5:45 pm at Martin Middle School and is looking for volunteers, especially those interested in helping students design web-pages. There are also opportunities to sponsor students to attend the state and national competitions through monetary donations or donated items for a silent auction.

If you would like more information on how you can support the Martin Middle School Business Professionals of America chapter or other campus programs in Austin ISD, please email vluna@austinpartners.org or call (512) 637-0984.

Spansion Inc. has become a recognized Partner in Education at two Austin ISD campuses for the 2006-2007 school year. Only a year old, and with more than 1,000 employees in Austin, Spansion's community involvement focuses on K-12 education, basic human needs and community development.

With a special interest in supporting K-12 math and science initiatives, Spansion will make various contributions to support student learning in these subject areas at Travis High School in South Austin and Allison Elementary School in Southeast Austin.

A generous $3,000 donation to Allison Elementary will provide math and science equipment for classrooms and student incentives. During the spring 2007 semester, Spansion will sponsor various campus programs such as perfect attendance giveaways and Saturday tutoring camps.

"Spansion's partnership is going beyond financial support and is working to meet some of our more immediate needs. During our first meeting, we mentioned the school safety patrol had never had vests. The next morning, there was a box full waiting for a group of very excited students. The donation has not only helped ensure the student's safety, but has added to their sense of leadership," said Guadalupe Velasquez, Allison Principal.

At Travis High School, Spansion has committed to contributing $2,000 for math equipment, benefiting the English as a Second Language (ESL) math students.

"The classroom was selected based on the teacher's use of technology to enhance the mastery of math concepts difficult to visualize for ESL students. The purchase of technology for this classroom will no doubt extend the capability of demonstrations and investigations outside of the graphing calculator," reported Yolanda Martinez, Travis High School ESL Math Teacher.

Austin Partners in Education welcomes Spansion as a new Partner and encourages other area businesses, agencies or organizations to develop partnerships with Austin ISD campuses. If you would like more information, please contact the Adopt-A-School Coordinator, Veronica Luna, at vluna@austinpartners.org or call (512) 637-0984.

The City of Austin has been a continuous and active partner of the district for the past few years - so much so that the 23 departments each have volunteer coordinators. APIE would like to recognize the Library Department for their extensive involvement in Austin schools.

Not only was the Library Staff Association responsible for coordinating the highly successful City of Austin Build-A-Backpack drive at the beginning of the school year, currently 33 Library employees serve as mentors and tutors. This year, staff members rallied around APIE's literacy initiative, Partners in Reading, supporting it with 12 volunteers.

Many thanks go to the dedicated staff of the City of Austin Libraries as well as their volunteer coordinator, Sharon Edwards.