Whitman Elementary - Tulsa Public Schools

There are a number of ways in which partners are involved with the schools:
• Serving as volunteers by reading to students, mentoring during the lunch hour, or
serving as guest speakers
• Donating school supplies
• Recognizing top‐performers with victory parties and other incentive programs
• Sharing a company's technical expertise with a school
• Awarding attendance or good behavior in the classroom
• Hosting teacher appreciation lunches or providing teacher appreciation awards
• Catering PTA meetings to encourage parent participation
• Many, many other ways!
OKLAHOMA SCHOLARS
• Launched in 2004, in partnership with the Tulsa Metro Chamber, Oklahoma Scholars
encourages eighth grade students to enroll in a more rigorous curriculum in high school. The
coursework will better prepare them for post‐secondary education and training, providing
more opportunities as they begin work.
Students participating in the
Oklahoma Scholars course of study
receive incentives to continue the
coursework, and those who complete
the program earn special recognition
at graduation. In Texas and Arkansas,
students in the Scholars program
have higher ACT and SAT scores, take
fewer remedial courses at the college
level, and demonstrate better college completion rates.
Business leaders present the program to eighth grade students by demonstrating a realworld
monthly budget based on a $32,900 per year salary. Students actively participate in
the discussion, and are typically shocked to realize they have no money left at the end of the
month for clothing and entertainment. The presentation illustrates that their job supports
their lifestyle, and their career possibilities are directly linked to the training or education
they receive when they graduate from high school.
Over 50 business representatives have completed the two‐hour training session required to
become a classroom presenter.
The Tulsa Metro Chamber has partnered with the OU‐Tulsa Community Engagement Center
and Tulsa Public Schools to launch a new program called Career Access College Readiness
(CACR) to help students prepare for college upon graduation.