10 Oregon High Schools Launch FUTURE YOU: Nike School Innovation Fund Initiative Designed to Fuel Innovation in Education, and Inspire Students to Create Their Futures
Pioneering, future-thinking pilot program to be shared with schools
nationwide
BEAVERTON, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, more than 20 Nike leaders hosted students and educators from ten
Portland, Parkrose, Beaverton, Hillsboro and Salem-Keizer high schools
at the Nike World Headquarters for a one-day “FUTURE YOU” workshop
designed to inspire students and high school educators to envision
their futures.
FUTURE YOU is a two-part program aimed at further fueling innovative,
future-thinking in education. The first part is a process that school
teams go through to find their authentic voice and vision to serve their
specific students. The second part is an implementation strategy to
bring staff, students, parents and the community along on the journey to
make school more student-centered and better engage kids in their own
future.
“Schools are the key to kids’ futures; that’s why we’re creating
resources to help them—so students can find a unique view of who they
are and what they can be,” said Ken Black, Nike Vice President, Digital
Design Transformation, who has been instrumental in creating FUTURE YOU.
“The cool thing is, it’s also relevant to a teacher or families or
communities that want to find and own their own vision. The brilliance
of every kid has a home somewhere. We want to help prepare them for
whatever that will be.”
These ten Oregon high schools are piloting FUTURE YOU, with the goal of
making the framework and toolkit available to others next year, so
schools across the country can apply it:
- Beaverton, Southridge and Sunset from Beaverton School District;
- Century and Liberty from Hillsboro School District;
- Parkrose from the Parkrose School District;
- Lincoln, Madison and Roosevelt from Portland Public Schools;
- McNary from Salem-Keizer School District.
Dan Goods, who leads the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory team to develop
creative ways of communicating and transform complex concepts into
meaningful stories that can be universally understood, helped kick-off
the day-long workshop. Representatives from AVID
(Advancement Via Individual Determination), EPIC
(Educational Policy Improvement Center), and Nike School Innovation
Fund partners also attended the session. AVID’s research-based
strategies and curriculum provide educators with training to better
prepare students for success in high school, college or a career. EPIC
is a nonprofit consulting group that strives to help educators better
equip students for success.
FUTURE YOU Inspired by Beaverton High School
FUTURE YOU was inspired by Innovation Schools work at Beaverton High
School supported by the Nike School Innovation Fund that helped the
school kick-start the concept that has now evolved into the ten-school
pilot. Members of the school administration and faculty, along with Nike
leaders, have used FUTURE YOU to create a visioning framework to focus
and align student and faculty efforts, so all students graduate prepared
for and excited about the futures they choose.
FUTURE YOU will also help Beaverton High School Principal Anne Erwin and
her staff respond to shifting realities—economic and technical: “Every
space in our school needs to be a 21st century learning site—the
library, choir room, weight room and every classroom,” she said.
Nike talent development experts shared “design thinking” strategies with
Beaverton High School to help shape FUTURE YOU, focusing on staff and
students needs first and foremost. “FUTURE YOU is not what I or other
administrators have decided is the way to solve a particular problem,”
says Erwin. “This process helps us think about how we will work
collaboratively toward effective change.”
Said Nike’s Ken Black, “I hope this goes wherever there’s a kid who
needs a glimpse of what their life could be.”
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiary brands include
Converse, which designs, distributes and licenses casual sneakers,
apparel and accessories; and Hurley, which designs and distributes a
line of action sports and youth lifestyle apparel and accessories. For
more information, NIKE, Inc.’s earnings releases and other financial
information are available on the Internet at http://investors.nike.com
and individuals can follow @Nike.
About the Nike School Innovation Fund
Since 2007, the Nike School Innovation Fund has partnered with school
leaders in Oregon, investing over $12 million to date to support public
schools. The Fund provides resources to support key program innovations
in schools with the goal of increasing the number of students who
graduate on time and preparing them to succeed after graduation, as well
as personal involvement from Nike leaders and partners.
Nike School Innovation Fund has also paired Nike leaders with ten
schools for its Innovation Schools program.
As a part of this program, each principal and Nike Leader team works
independently on innovative programs that address specific and unique
needs of their students and school. Nike is working to make sure the
results are sustainable, scalable and transformative across the state,
so students can walk into any classroom, and expect a rigorous and
relevant education. http://about.nike.com/pages/nike-school-innovation-fund
Contacts
Weinstein PR
Dawn Myrah, 503-757-7487
Dawn@weinsteinpr.com
