Align4edu

Alignment Collaborative for Education - ACE

Community Awareness

Municipalities Join Alignment in Recognizing Teachers, Staff and Administrators

Alignmet-Teacher appreciation poster

Please join us for a message of community-wide support as proclamations are read recognizing and encouraging U-46 teachers, staff and administrators:

Village of South Elgin
Monday, November 16th, 7:00 pm
Access Zoom meeting link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86276240284?pwd=YmJicmtWZ1piaisxUlBEWTEvSmxVUT09
Meeting ID: 862 7624 0284
Passcode: 558843

City of Elgin
Wednesday, November 18th, 7:00 pm
Access via the City’s website at https://www.cityofelgin.org/141/Video-Center

Village of Bartlett
Tuesday, November 17th, 7:00 pm
Access Zoom meeting link:
https://zoom.us/j/93990573068

Village of Hanover Park
Thursday, November 19th, 7:00 pm
Access meeting at:
http://www.facebook.com/VillageofHanoverPark

Village of Streamwood
Thursday, November 19th, 7:00 pm
Access meeting agenda at:
http://www.streamwood.org

Best of the Best Award, Illinois Park and Recreation Association

Streamwood Park District and Alignment were recognized on Thursday, November 12, 2020, by the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association at the Best of the Best Awards Virtual Gala for their partnership to provide a summer reading distribution at Kiddie Corner Park. 

Alignment and the Streamwood Parks District were joined by the Elgin Partnership for Early Learning, School District U-46 Food Services, and the Streamwood Police Department this summer to bring early education and food resources to more than 1,000 children. 

Thank you to the Streamwood Park District for the great partnership.

Alignment Hosts College Panels for U-46 Juniors and Seniors

Elgin Community College, Judson University, Northern University and Roosevelt University joined Alignment to provide a live introduction to the admissions and college search process.  Each institution’s admissions representative shared:

  • The admission requirements for their institution to include GPA requirements, standardized test scores, and placement testing.
  • Sources of financial aid and scholarship funding available to freshmen students.
  • The institution’s programs of study and how to access more specific information about individual programs.
  • Critical dates within the academic calendar for admissions, financial aid and scholarship applications.
  • Best advice to students participating in the college search and decision process.

Students were then given the opportunity to ask individual questions on an assortment of topics. Feedback from students, high school counselors and the admissions representatives was overwhelmingly positive with plans to implement virtual college panels in all U-46 high schools in the fall.

Dream Academy, Larkin and Streamwood graduating seniors also benefited from a Virtual, ZOOM experience of the ECC Admissions Office meeting multiple ECC representatives.  The step by step workshop covered all necessary requirements to enter ECC in August to include the application process, placement testing, advising, financial aid, apprenticeships, and college work study programs.  Students had the opportunity to ask multiple questions to help clarify the college admission process.  Thank you to ECC and our partner universities for sharing their time and expertise with our U-46 students!

Work-Based Learning Initiated in all U-46 High Schools

Work-Based Learning Initiated in all U-46 High Schools
Streamwood Academy students participate in entrepreneurial and international business career panel

Alignment in partnership with School District U-46 is launching U-46’s system wide work based learning plan.  Working with each high school principal, Alignment is providing career panels in each of the five high schools and the Dream Academy partnering with industry professionals representing various industry clusters. Alignment will also provide industry and professional tours for specific student audiences to include such programs as automotive, early education, engineering, health care and manufacturing.  Career panels to date have served over 1,100 students. 

Thank you to our panelists representing the following companies and organizations:  Advocate Sherman Hospital, AVID CNA, City of Elgin Police Department, Elgin Community College, Elgin Sweeper, HLR, ITW Shakeproof, Junior Achievement, Nokia, PNC Bank, SGS, School District U-46, Streamwood Behavioral Healthcare System, Taylor Family YMCA, The Overture Group, and Village of Streamwood.

Alignment Named Elgin’s Non-Profit of the Year

Alignment Named Elgin’s Non-Profit of the Year
Alignment members accept award at the Elgin Area Chamber “High Five” Award Event on January 30, 2020

The Alignment Collaborative for Education was awarded the Elgin Area Chamber’s Nonprofit Award in recognition of Alignment’s work to measurably improve the Elgin community by creating partnerships between businesses and U-46 schools. Much of the community-wide work has focused on helping businesses offer educational experiences for students to demonstrate the link between their classes and possible career pathways.

Nancy Coleman told the community “The Alignment Collaborative’s purpose is to broaden educational opportunities that encourage our youth to experience academic, career, and personal success. In working together to raise student achievement, we build stronger schools that result in a stronger community.”

Mayor Kaptain Names Alignment as a Priority in 2020

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain

When asked by the Daily Herald to identify the most important thing he hopes the community can accomplish in 2020, Mayor Kaptain responded “Our greatest successes happen when we plan for the long-term needs of our community. A prepared and educated workforce is fundamental to that. The city will continue to be a leader in the Alignment Collaborative for Education, a partnership with Elgin Area School District U-46, with commitments from more than 130 organizations to work together on new ways to improve educational outcomes and better connect our students to local jobs. From our youngest students to those ready for a career, we are all working hard to set up our future generations for success.”

Read the full Daily Herald article here.