Philadelphia, December 6, 2021 — Steppingstone Scholars (Steppingstone) today announced a new partnership with the Wharton Global Youth Program to provide college and business education to underprivileged students in Philadelphia.
The partnership will initially focus on three specific areas:
- Double enrollment courses High school students are enrolled in Wharton College-level courses for free. While students earn college credit, they become involved in business education by reducing the time and cost of obtaining a college degree.
- Included courses: Wharton Global Youth is working with Stingston to incorporate Wharton School pre-bachelor education into a classroom program to identify one or more schools in Philadelphia.
- Warton Community Participation With Steppingstone, opportunities for War undergraduate students will be created in the areas of support, friendship, volunteering and workplace learning. Wharton’s undergraduate degree helps connect Steppingstone scholars with college-level practices and job placement opportunities. In addition, the Wardon Faculty provides knowledge, research, and advice on the development of the Stingstonston programming curriculum.
Beginning in the spring of 2022, Lankenau High School magnet Magnet High School students (Lankenau) will participate in a two-enrollment program for Steppingston with Wharton. Lancana students will be transferred to Penn Campus after school, “Energy Education in Philadelphia Schools. This ABCS-based Academic Community Service Course is sponsored by the Pennter Community Partnership Center and teaches students about basic residential energy-saving measures and practices from a community-based Philadelphia Energy Coordinating Agency. By identifying and understanding basic STEM energy concepts, Steppingstone students develop a short “energy efficiency” curriculum and curriculum to teach three sessions in the Philadelphia School District in the middle or high school science class.
Following the launch of the program in Lankenau, Steppingstone and Worton Global Youth hope to expand the program and course offerings with the goal of reaching 25 high school students in Philadelphia. Later, Steppingston and Warton Global Youth will work to identify and incorporate high school classroom offerings to accommodate students in their regular curriculum. Throughout its programs, Steppingstone welcomes Wharton students as volunteers, mentors, and scholars on their way to college and career.
“This unique dual-enrollment program removes many barriers to high school students’ participation in pre-secondary studies and expands Wurton’s education between socio-economic divisions.” – Erica James, Dean, Warton School
“Our partnership with Wrighton demonstrates a common commitment to addressing systemic racial and economic barriers to accessing the college degree that many students in Philadelphia face,” said Stepston Scholars President Sen E. Verrin. “Less than 15 percent of Philadelphia School District students graduate from high school six years after graduating from high school, which is a matter of urban poverty. Families and students often cannot see the college road, especially at a price. This partnership will enable us to create a new way for Philadelphia students to pursue their college and business education in one of the nation’s most prestigious business programs.
“This unique dual-enrollment program removes many barriers to high school students’ participation in pre-school education and expands Wurton’s educational access through socio-economic diversity,” said Wharton School Dean Erica James. We have a huge responsibility to influence the pipeline of future business leaders so that it reflects the world around us. This partnership with Steppingstone will enable qualified students to explore business practices, explore complex global challenges, and take steps to become leaders who can transform the world economy.
Students interested in applying to Steppingstone / Wharton Global Youth Partnership and / or the Steppingstone Dual Enrollment Program are advised to contact Evy Fraga, College Roads Assistant Director at efraga@steppingstonescholars.org.
About Steppingstone Scholars
Steppingstone Scholars is an educational social movement. There are no obvious ways for low-income students in Philadelphia to get into college and get a job. Since 1999, Steppingstone has been working to solve this system problem by creating not only one way but many more. Serving students ages 10-24 Steppingstone offers three (3) solutions centered on the AcademyProvides strong learning opportunities for high-achieving undergraduate students to achieve and succeed in high-achieving high schools. RoadsUtilizes custom resources to create college roads and manpower for non-academic students in public K-12 schools (neighborhood, charter and citywide) and; VenturesSchools, nonprofits, and communities create a wide range of enrichment programs that improve the ways in which citizens are ready to enter college. This multifaceted approach will help students identify, create, and walk confidently through higher education and employment institutions, and will begin to break the cycle of wealth-sharing and socio-economic inequality that has been passed down through generations in Philadelphia. For more information about the Steppingstone experts, please visit the website at www.steppingstonescholars.org.
About Wrighton School
A.D. Founded in 1881, the world’s first college business school, the University of Pennsylvania Warton School is shaping the future of the business by creating ideas, leading insights and creating leaders who will change the world. With 235 eminent professors’ faculty, Warton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA and doctoral students. Each year, 13,000 professionals from around the world enhance their work through Wharton Executive Education, individual, corporate, and online programs. More than 100,000 Warton students form a powerful global leadership network that changes businesses every day. Visit www.wharton.upenn.edu for more information.