Partnership for Regional Educational Preparation-Kansas City

“The organization's officers will review the form 990 prior to filing the returns with the irs.”

“All board members and directors are required to sign a conflict of interest statement annually. If interests arise during the year they must notify the corporation's board of directors or executive committee as soon as such knowledge of any potential conflicts arise.”

“The compensation of the ceo of the organization was determined and approved by the board.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public for review at their offices from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., monday through friday.”

“Prep-kc focuses on providing students from kansas city's bi-state urban school districts with opportunities to succeed in college and their careers. Working with these urban districts, prep-kc supports at-scale improvements in underserved students' outcomes, most of whom are first-generation college-goers. Prep-kc invests in research-based strategies that will prepare students for careers in high-demand, well paying jobs in the kansas city region. Prep-kc partners with six school districts and four charter schools on both sides of the state line. Together, these districts serve over 70,000 students and produce over 2,900 annual high school graduates; 81% of these students identify as students of color, as 88% low-income. By providing students from these urban schools with opportunities to prepare for postsecondary education and meaningful careers, prep-kc's work offers a path to economic opportunity. It also expands and diversifies the region's homegrown talent pipeline.”

“Since its founding in 2006, prep-kc has been developing and piloting at-scale strategies to improve student outcomes in the bi-state region's urban school districts. As prep-kc measured progress such as high school graduation rates, it became clear that a high school diploma is not enough to provide students from low-income backgrounds the preparation, experience, and relationships they need to succeed after high school, and to gain access to high-growth, high-demand careers in our region's economy. To achieve these goals, every student needs access to information, resources, and opportunities to prepare for college and career success. These supports are especially critical--but too often unavailable-- to young people growing up in the historically underserved neighborhoods served by prep-kc's partner schools. This opportunity gap for students in underserved communities limits these young people's options after high school in an era where a high school diploma provides no guarantee of meaningful employment or economic security. In 2011, prep-kc created and piloted strategies to help cohorts of students in urban high schools go beyond the standard requirements for a diploma and develop concrete evidence of their college and career readiness. As we tracked impact data and learned first-hand from our students' success, prep-kc initiated the phrase "market value assets" (mva) to describe the rigorous experiences that align students' high school education with postsecondary institutions' expectations and the 21st-century workforce needs. These assets have tangible, evidence-based value to students' prospects for postsecondary access and attainment and success in entering high-growth, high-demand career pathways. Prep-kc also found that attaining an mva increased high school graduation rates, doubled postsecondary enrollment, and increased postsecondary persistence for students. Mvas are those assets that have tangible, evidence-based value to students' prospects for postsecondary access and attainment, and success in entering high-growth, high-demand career pathways. Prep-kc now invests in and measures the following four mvas: 1) at least nine college credits earned during high school; 2) an industry recognized credential earned during high school; 3) completion of a rigorous internship or client project during high school; or 4) receiving a kc scholars or honeywell hope scholarship (these high-value scholarships provide intensive supports for students during the postsecondary application, admissions, and transition processes.) currently, approximately 34% (943 out of 2800) of prep-kc partner high school graduates earn a market value asset. Prep-kc is presently engaging in an intensive, organization-wide effort to increase graduates' percentage of earning a market value asset to 85% (2400 out of approximately 2800) by 2025. This strategic initiative will help over 10,000 students from urban schools earn these high-value assets by 2025. As the region's first organization to focus our work on helping students attain mvas, prep-kc is excited that kc rising and the ewing marion kauffman foundation's real world learning initiative have adopted the concept of market value assets across the bi-state region. Over the next several years, prep-kc is positioned to play a significant role as a source of technical assistance and strategic consultation in these regional efforts. During the pandemic, prep-kc has also helped teachers and schools find ways to continue offering students the opportunity to earn market value assets in a remote setting. Despite the challenges presented by school closures, prep-kc's partner districts were able to increase the number of graduates from the class of 2019 earning market value assets (703) and the class of 2020 (943). Dual enrollment college courses, client projects, and some internships have translated well to the virtual environment. However, most industry-recognized credentials require specialized equipme”