Peace Corps Fellows Will Design a Plan for Urban Change at Conference

For many Peace Corps volunteers the commitment to public service goes beyond time spent helping communities in remote corners of the world. That is the case for returned volunteers who will participate in a weekend conference sponsored by DePaul University’s Center for Urban Education April 21 through 24 at the Days Inn Lake Shore Drive, 644 N. Lake Shore Drive.

Each volunteer is part of the Peace Corps Fellows/USA Program, which allows volunteers to continue in the United States the same type of work they performed in communities overseas. Participants in the Fellows program have completed Peace Corps assignments and are earning advanced degrees.

"Blueprints for Change" will be a working conference that brings together 200 Fellows and faculty from 19 colleges and universities across the country. The conference will focus on building connections between schools and community. On April 23, conference participants will break into groups and visit four schools affiliated with DePaul’s Center for Urban Education.

The schools include Nobel Elementary, 4127 W. Hirsch St.; Byrd Elementary, 363 W. Hill St.; Hartigan Elementary, 8 W. Root St.; and Cesar Chavez, 4747 S. Marshfield Ave. The center, which trains teachers for assignments in inner-city classrooms through its Urban Teacher Corps program, is helping to improve teacher and student performance at each of the schools. (more)

"This conference will provide concrete examples for making meaningful school/community connections," said Barbara Radner, director of the Center for Urban Education. "The volunteers participating in the conference will examine their current programs, analyze and share information and figure out how to make the school/community connections in the places they are working even better."

The weekend, which is co-hosted by DePaul, Illinois State University and Western Illinois University, also will include sessions that allow participants to discuss the mechanisms needed to change and improve education and community development, and share experiences and information.

Since the inception of the Fellows/USA Program in 1985, more than 1,500 Peace Corps veterans have participated in the program, working with 70,000 students and/or families in the community. DePaul’s Peace Corps Fellows program is integrated into its Urban Teachers Corps so that Fellows work with individuals who are changing careers and preparing to teach through a school-based year of preparation.

Originally funded by AT&T, the Urban Teachers Corps has contributed significantly to Chicago public schools by effectively training teachers for urban assignments, and it is recognized as an outstanding teacher preparation program. One hundred of the 144 intern teachers who received certification through DePaul’s program since 1991, are currently teaching in Chicago public schools. The program graduates include 47 returned Peace Corps volunteers.

Note to editors: Barbara Radner is available for interviews about DePaul’s Fellows/USA Program and the Center for Urban Education. She can be reached at 312/325-7171. The Peace Corps contact is Beth Allgood who can be reached at 202/692-1434.