About P-12
P-12 Quicklinks
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About P-12
Why P-12?
The P-12 Project is a university-wide partnership created to assist in improving Ohio's schools with a special focus on the education of Ohio's underserved children and youth. Our primary goal is simple: increase
success for all students. Our name reflects our focus: preschool
through 12th grade. We develop strong partnerships and foster effective research and practice in P-12 education.
Mission and Goals
The mission of the P-12 Project is to assist in the improvement of Ohio’s schools, particularly in districts that serve children and youths from lower socioeconomic families. In order to develop, implement, and nurture a coherent strategic P-12 outreach plan, we have the following goals:
- To initiate, incubate, and support projects closely aligned
with school improvement and increased student performance.
- To provide a single, initial point of contact for those interested in P-12 activities.
- To provide an organizing structure to relate OSU’s P-12 activities into a consistent campus-wide outreach program.
- To develop and sustain an ongoing relationship with the thirteen university-area schools to improve the educational opportunities for the students and families in Ohio State’s immediate neighborhood.
- To link initiatives, people, and projects in order to increase impact and avoid redundancy.
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Guiding Principles
- Engaging the P-12 educational community means working with the community, not working on it.
- Service, as well as research and teaching, are important ways for a university to engage in outreach.
- Outreach is more powerful when collaborations and partnerships include benefits for all parties.
- To be effective in assisting in school improvement, outreach partnerships and activities must be sustainable.
- All outreach activities should be regularly assessed to judge their efficacy and to improve their impact.
- Improving schools requires the engagement of families, agencies, and communities throughout the school years and beyond the 8:00AM to 3:00PM school day.
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P-12 Activities
P-12 Project links Ohio schools and communities with the OSU community
to identify and meet the needs of children, young people, and the
institutions that serve them. Our activities include researching
and facilitating potential partnerships, consulting with and convening
partners, developing specific research, teaching, and service initiatives,
and finding ways to sustain and house successful efforts. A brief
profile of The P-12 Project activities includes:
- Working with University Neighborhood Schools to provide academic
and social services to schools, students and families.
- Partnering with Columbus City Schools and local higher education institutions to assist the students of the greater metropolitan area.
- Hosting a clearinghouse of all of OSU’s outreach to the P-12 community.
- Supporting Community Connection to link OSU faculty and students with volunteer opportunities in schools and community service organizations.
- Initiating and incubating new programs and initiatives that benefit P-12 students and facilitating their permanent placement in the university.
For more information about our outreach and engagement activities, please visit P-12
Initiatives page
P-12 Project Four-Year Retrospective (2000-2004)
This document is a history report of the P-12 Project's first four years.
The report attempts to categorize and consider the effectiveness of P-12
Project activities. It is organized by efforts, impacts, and implementation,
and describes various ways that the mission of the P-12 Project and the
goals of the University's Academic Plan are met. The document is in downloadable
PDF format and is 54 pages long.
Download Report
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Project Staff
Project Director Nancy Nestor-Baker was Assistant Professor
and Coordinator
of the Educational Administration Program at the University of Cincinnati. She holds three degrees
from Ohio State: a Bachelor’s degree in English Education, a Master’s degree in gifted
education, and a Ph.D. in Educational
Administration. With extensive involvement in the Ohio education
community, including 12 years on the Westerville Board of Education
and a stint as Community
Development Director for Ohio’s BEST, Nancy brings a wealth of understanding
and experience in building partnerships. Her numerous papers, publications,
and presentations include topics such as trust development, school/community
partnerships,high school redesign, school district governance, and
tacit knowledge.
Nancy lives in Old Westerville with her husband and children and a
multitude of cats and dogs.
Assistant Director Cynthia Overly has more than
20 years experience as a teacher and an administrator in the field of education. As an administrator, she was accommodations coordinator at Hackett Catholic Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and director of the Academic Skills Center at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. In addition, she taught high school special needs English, as well as college
success classes, college reading, freshman writing, GED preparation, and freshman year experience courses at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and Columbus State Community College. She has a BA in English from Wittenberg University and a master’s degree in the teaching of reading from Western Michigan University. Cynthia lives in Dublin with her husband and two children.
Communications
Manager Sandra Kerka serves the P-12 Project,
University Outreach and Engagement, and Service-Learning Initiative.
She formerly
worked with the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational
Education at Ohio State as an editor, writer, and coordinator of
database processing. She was also a writer and editor for LearningWork
Connection, an Ohio State project that provides training and technical
assistance to youth development programs. She has a BA in Medieval
and Renaissance Studies from Ohio State and a Master’s degree in
library science from Case Western Reserve University. As a
student of dance and the arts, she refers to her professional work
as “Dances with Words” and nourishes the right side of
her brain with quilting, gardening, and working with the Spirituality Network.
Graduate Assistant Kathy Cameron is a D.M.A. student in Flute Performance,
with a career goal of teaching flute at the university level. After
growing up in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, Kathy earned her B.S. in
Music Education with a minor in Special Education from Slippery Rock
University of PA, a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from
the University of Northern Iowa, and a Master of Arts degree in Ministry
from Loras College. She has taught K-8 music for St. Vitus School
in New Castle, Pennsylvania, served as a graduate teaching assistant
at the University of Northern Iowa, served as youth ministry coordinator
for the Church of the Resurrection in Dubuque, Iowa, and was on faculty
at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa. Kathy enjoys being outside, playing
flute, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Office Assistant Darik Andersen
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Contact P-12 Project
P-12 Office |
P-12 Project
153 Arps Hall
1945 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
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e-mail: p12@osu.edu
phone: (614) 688-3621
fax: (614) 247-2304 |
| P-12 Staff |
Nancy Nestor-Baker
Project Director
(614) 247-6398
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Cindy Overly
Assistant Director
(614) 688-0474
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Sandra Kerka
Communications Manager
(614) 247-4429 |
Darik Andersen
Office Assistant
(614) 688-3621 |
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Kathy Cameron
Graduate Assistant
(614) 247-6252 |
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