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Representatives of the HEP member institutions with a poster of the signed agreement.

Otterbein College has long worked with the Columbus Public Schools to increase student achievement and support staff development. In 2002, Otterbein College, along with The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College, created the Higher Education Partnership (HEP) with the Columbus Public Schools to formalize and improve those relationships. In December of 2003, Ohio Dominican University, Columbus College of Art and Design, and Capital University joined this unique collaboration.

The agreement calls for each partner to designate a single point of contact for each institution to monitor and coordinate all substantive research, academic projects and communications.

• Deliver a seamless network of integrated urban education programs, services and experiences that ensure students make successful educational progress from pre-school through college;
• Offer ongoing and meaningful professional development and growth opportunities for new and experienced teachers;
• Frame and execute a joint research agenda that includes empirical studies and action research related to urban challenges; and
• Develop a single point of contact among the partners.

• Single Point(s) of Contact named and increased communication among the partners;
• Development of Strategic Plan, "A Critical Few Initiatives . . .", for 2002-2003 in targeted areas of Urban Student Initiatives, Professional Development Initiatives and Educational Research Initiatives;
• Monthly meetings of Single Points of Contact to review progress on plan and update all partners;
• Monthly meetings of HEP grants departments to focus resource development on HEP strategic plan;
• Pre-proposal to Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) completed and submitted November, 2003, to support:
• HEP infrastructure;
• Community Connections expand to serve all partners.

• Project SAIL fully funded for initial period (Ingram White Castle and Jennings), with Year I successfully completed;
• Instructional Assistant Program developed and implemented beginning January, 2003, with Columbus State;
• Subsequent CSCC grant provided through ODE to develop a Para-Professional Degree, in conjunction with CPS;
• Development work to establish a CPS-CSCC early college high school, to open in Fall, 2004;
• Consortium for the Advancement of Private Higher Education (CAPHE) Conference attendance in February (Otterbein and CPS), highlighted HEP as unique model;
• Community Schools-Higher Education partnerships Conference attendance to view West Philadelphia Improvement Corps (WEPIC) partnerships (Otterbein and CPS);
• Subsequent offer for site visit from WEPIC replication director;
• Continued work toward implementation of Community Connections web application for all partners, with CPS principals receiving training on how to implement with OSU as first step;
• Targeted work through OSU P-12 Initiative serving 13 university area schools;
• Ohio Collaborative (OSU) appointed director to assist with educational policy development;
• Evaluation of 2002-2003, to contribute to work plan for 2003-2004.

The HEP also calls for the partners to take appropriate measures to designate scholarships and student aid programs for all targeted students, as well as an ongoing, annual review of the program and the partner's progress in achieving the objectives set forth in the plan.

The Columbus City School District (Columbus Public Schools) began in 1845 when its first Board of Education was elected. Today, the district is the second largest in Ohio, with 145 schools and 64,548 students. Led by Superintendent Gene T. Harris, Ph.D., the work of all staff is focused on increasing academic achievement, operating efficiently and effectively, and raising hope, trust and confidence in the district.