About P-12
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:
- Initiate, incubate, and support projects closely aligned with school improvement and increased student performance
- Provide a single, initial point of contact for those interested in P-12 activities
- Provide an organizing structure to relate Ohio State’s P-12 activities into a consistent campus-wide outreach program
- Develop and sustain an ongoing relationship with university-area schools to improve the educational opportunities for the students and families in Ohio State’s immediate neighborhood
- Link initiatives, people, and projects in order to increase impact and avoid redundancy
What We Do
The P-12 Project stimulates partnerships between schools and the university in order to improve schools:
- Acts as a single point of contact between the university, schools, and communities
- Fosters college aspiration in children and youth
- Opens doors to facilitate university collaboration with local, regional, and state communities
- Smooths paths to Ohio State for P-12 teachers and administrators
- Builds ownership in partnerships
- Aligns P-16 structures
The P-12 Project supports Ohio State faculty:
- Developing over $2 million in collaborative projects with faculty and local school districts
- Establishing programs and partnerships that become research opportunities resulting in publications, presentations, and funding
- Documenting Ohio State’s partnerships with school systems across the state
- Providing faculty with advice, assistance, and resources for developing successful partnerships
P-12 Activities
The P-12 Project links Ohio schools and communities with the Ohio State 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. Current initiatives:
- Partnerships with schools, including visits to campus
- Development of a model for school partnerships and documentation of Ohio State’s partnership activities
- Collaboration with the Economic Access Initiative and other campus units on college aspiration and access initiatives
- Coordination of the Higher Education Partnership between Columbus City Schools and local higher education institutions. P-12 represents Ohio State in this collaborative with Columbus City Schools (CCS), Otterbein College, Columbus State Community College, Ohio Dominican University, Capital University, and the Columbus College of Art and Design.
- In collaboration with the Interprofessional Commission of Ohio, ongoing development of The Principal’s Office, a website that provides principals with information and continuing education
- Professional development for teachers and administrators, in collaboration with the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, Office of University Outreach and Engagement, and other entities
Learn more about P-12’s history >.
Staff
Project Director Nancy Nestor-Baker leads the P-12 Project in developing partnerships, fostering effective research and practice in public education, and seeking more coherent, more consistent approaches to engagement with public education. Dr. Nestor-Baker has widespread experience in developing and maintaining partnerships between and across educational institutions and the agencies with which they interact. Her research and service efforts include topics such as trust development, tacit knowledge, school/community partnerships, school governance and leadership, and university outreach. Formerly a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, Nancy also served nearly 15 years as an elected member of the Westerville Board of Education. A three-time graduate of The Ohio State University, Nancy holds a BS in English Education with a Communications specialization; an MA in Educational Services and Research-Gifted Education; and a PhD in Educational Administration. Phone: 614-247-6398; e-mail.
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. Phone: 614-688-0474; e-mail.
Communications Manager Sandra Kerka works with the P-12 Project, University Outreach and Engagement, and Service-Learning Initiative. Previously at Ohio State, she was an editor and writer for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education and for LearningWork Connection, a project that provided 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 thinks of her professional work as “Dances with Words” and nourishes the right side of her brain with quilting/collage, gardening, and volunteering for the Spirituality Network. Phone: 614-247-4429; e-mail.
Graduate Assistant Kathy Cameron is a D.M.A. candidate in Flute Performance, with a career goal of teaching flute at the university level. In addition to her doctoral studies and work with The Ohio State University P-12 Project, Kathy teaches middle school general music at St. James the Less School in Columbus and St. Agatha School in Upper Arlington. A native of Allison Park, Pennsylvania, Kathy earned her Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree with a minor in Special Education from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 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’s presentation on “Effects of Vibrato Production and Use on Collaborations among Woodwind Instruments” captured first place in the arts category of the 23rd Hayes Graduate Research Forum in April 2009. Phone: 614-247-6252; e-mail.
Office Assistant Darik Andersen is currently working on his second bachelor’s degree, a BS in Computer Science & Engineering, at The Ohio State University. Originally from a farm in western Iowa, Darik earned his first degree, a BA in English with a minor in history, at the University of Northern Iowa. He has had a variety of work experience, including nearly 5 years as an Annuity Service Consultant for the ING Annuity Service Center in Des Moines, Iowa; a Customer Service Associate for the Sears Credit Center in Des Moines; a camp instructor at the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Center; and an attendance office assistant for the Malcolm Price Laboratory School at the University of Northern Iowa.
P-12 Listserv
- Do you want to know what is going on at the Ohio State University for P-12 educators?
- Does your school need tutors, mentors, or volunteers?
- Are you looking for summer programs for your students?
- Do you want to find professional development activities?
If your answer is YES to at least one of these questions, the P-12 Project can assist you in finding relevant resources to meet your needs. Join our listserv to receive P-12 e-mails about events, activities, and programs for P-12 educators. Information is posted weekly and reaches over 6,000 subscribers at Ohio State and throughout Ohio.
To subscribe to the P-12 listserv, send a message to listproc@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu with no subject line; in the body of the message, write:
subscribe p12news Firstname Lastname
For example, Jane Doe would subscribe by writing “subscribe p12news Jane Doe” in the body of the message.
Support the P-12 Project
Contributions to the P-12 Fund support the activities of the P-12 Project. Every dollar you contribute helps us make connections among the university, schools, and communities and foster effective research and practice in P-12 education. To donate to this fund, go to https://www.giveto.osu.edu/igive/index.asp. In the Special Instructions box, enter the name and fund number: P-12 Fund (fund #311739). You can also use this fund number when making a gift through the annual Campus Campaign.
