On Fridays, three lawyers from Venable, Baetjer and Howard arrive at East Baltimore's Collington Square Elementary School to tutor first- and second-graders in math and reading.
Black & Decker Corp. representatives meet regularly with administrators of three area high schools to help form a science and technology curriculum that will prepare students for work in the real world.
Three Sollers Point/ Southeastern Technical High School students spend nine hours a week at Bethlehem Steel's Sparrows Point plant learning the ins and outs of things like maintenance planning and scheduling.
More and more, businesses are taking an active role in the public education of today's students -- tomorrow's work force.
"I think you're seeing it all over," said Beth Buehlmann, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Center for Workforce Preparation. "There's a great deal of thought that the business world needs to become more critically involved in the education system other than financial support. I'm not saying the sole purpose of an education is to put somebody to work, but the world outside of school has in it employers.
"And how many times have you heard a student say, 'What does this have to do with what I'm going to do when I get out of here?' "
Ten years ago most business support of education came in the form of money, said Sharon Norman, director of business, community and parent relations for Baltimore County Public Schools. "The most common support today is not financial but human resources."
She likes the change.
"It demands accountability on the part of the school; it's not a question of giving a $100 check and never knowing if it made a difference," she said. "The partnership means both are involved -- the educator and the business. It's getting kids tuned in to the expectations of the business community, of a good work ethic, strong attendance, giving their best every day. Teachers say that every day, but how affirming it is when a businessman or woman comes in and says, 'That's what we're looking for.' "
While businesses often tout their commitment to civic involvement, many acknowledge that altruism is not the only motivator. Bethlehem Steel, for example, has had trouble finding qualified workers.
"Because of technological advances, it has raised the standards of entering the plant," said John Contic, a senior engineer in maintenance services who oversees the intern program. "We have to help the educational system to help students entering the work force because we have a vested interest in it. Everybody's going through this now."
Raymond A. "Chip" Mason, chairman and chief executive of Legg Mason Inc., chairs the board of directors of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. The 6-year-old group is made up of leaders from more than 100 businesses with the aim of supporting education reform.
"Thirty years ago you could be difficult in school, drop out in 10th grade and go work in a steel or auto plant and it worked out fairly well," Mason said. "If you couldn't read or add or subtract, it didn't matter. Today those jobs don't exist."
Even Legg Mason has felt the effects of unprepared applicants.
"The biggest problem is in entry level," he said. "Literally, when they come for an interview, their writing skills, reading skills and math skills are at levels we just find shocking. We train people for jobs, but they've got to have all the fundamental skills or we can't hire them. We can't go back and teach seventh grade or something."
A review of two dozen major employers in the Baltimore area found that 22 had gone beyond the traditional ties to organizations that benefit students like Junior Achievement to form direct relationships with public schools. The involvement ranges from one-on-one tutoring to helping principals become better managers to informational lectures and hands-on projects.
Some companies choose to work directly with the students. Volunteers from Piper & Marbury, Venable, the St. Paul Cos., Giant Food Inc., NationsBank Corp. and W. R. Grace's Grace Davison chemical division, for example, tutor students on a regular basis.
For four months during the last school year, David S. Musgrave and seven other Piper lawyers spent their Saturday mornings with third- and fifth-graders at Cherry Hill Elementary School to .. help the students prepare for the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program tests. They are hoping that when the results are released, at least 15 percent of the children will have scored 70 percent or more.
"It's really a shame," Musgrave said of the none-too-lofty goal. "It shows how far the school has to go."
Last year, 12 Venable lawyers adopted a first-grade class at Collington Square Elementary School. Three members of the group met with the students every Friday to help with math and reading skills. Firm partner Terri Turner, who initiated the program, said this year it has expanded to two second-grade classes, and she's hoping to nab eight more lawyers to help.
"It doesn't pay much to complain if you're not willing to invest the time to help," she said.
Other companies send volunteers to the schools to present lectures or head up educational projects. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. frequently brings speakers to schools to teach lessons on energy, and it distributes energy-curriculum materials classrooms. In all, BGE spent $1.5 million throughout the state on public education in 1997.
This year Northrop Grumman Corp. engineers have visited 74 area schools, primarily public, in conjunction with the defense contractor's Discover "E" program. The volunteers get students involved in hands-on projects, such as building toothpick bridges, that provide tactile demonstrations of the engineering profession. The company also gives each school it visits a check for $1,000, which is to be used for math- and science-related activities.
"We need to make sure this country continues to graduate a sufficient number of mathematicians and scientists to keep this country moving forward," said Northrop spokesman Jack Martin. stand to benefit by having a potential local employee pool. It's win-win for everyone."
When Cynthia Terry, manager of corporate diversity and community development for Giant Food, visits schools, the students always ask the same question.
"They want to know how much money I make. They also want to know if people without formal educations can become a manager at Giant, and of course the answer is yes," she said. "They ask what if the teacher tells you that they don't come to class, and I say it's a reflection they may not show up to work when they're scheduled.
"I like going to schools -- the kids have a lot energy and they're hungry for information."
Internships and shadowing programs are another popular way for businesses to get involved with students.
Black & Decker offers two high school internships for minority students at Polytechnic Institute. The goal is to work with the students all the way through college and ultimately recruit them to work at the Towson company.
Bethlehem Steel's internship program brings three to four students to the plant three hours a day, three days a week for 13 weeks.
"They work with planners to learn maintenance-work planning and scheduling and they work with personal computers," Contic said. "It brings them into business and industry to understand the world of work and it gives them a better understanding of how to prepare themselves to go out in the work force."
Eugene "Geno" Brown, a project manager in information services at the St. Paul Cos. (formerly USF&G;), is a liaison for the insurance company's partnership with Lake Clifton-Eastern High School -- one of the company's five partnerships with area public schools.
His program brings students in four times a year to follow, or shadow, an employee for the day.
"We take them through the things that will be expected of them such as business attire and what's appropriate and what's not. We show them how to introduce themselves, to have eye contact and give a firm handshake as opposed to looking at the floor," he said. "Normally these kids don't deal with adults other than their teachers. An office environment is foreign to a lot of them."
Of course, there's still the cash donation. Some area companies give money in conjunction with more direct involvement, while others limit the relationship to a financial one.
T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., the Baltimore mutual fund company, matches employee donations up to $1,000. Insurance company Aegon USA's matching limit is $1,500. St. Paul donates $10,000 a year to each of its five partner schools.
Over the past 10 years Giant Food has doled out $52 million worth of equipment to private and public schools through a cash register receipt collection program.
Several companies support College Bound, a program that puts financial-aid advisers in high schools and provides students with money to fill in the gaps that scholarships and loans do not cover. Venable partner Ken Hoffman, the first in his family to attend college, sits on the College Bound board. His firm is in the middle of a fund drive and is hoping to raise $75,000 for the program.
"When you're dealing with children who might be the first in their families to go to college, the support can mean the difference between applying to college and not applying," he said.
Piper & Marbury donates $16,500 to College Bound each year. Black & Decker also supports the program, but would not disclose its funding levels.
In one of the more innovative and aggressive ways businesses are helping shape public education, many company officials sit on school improvement boards. Their responsibilities range from helping principals outline a strategic plan to reviewing curricula to make sure schools are teaching what the companies consider to be relevant subject matter.
Black & Decker, for example, has close ties to Merganthaler Vocational-Technical, Eastern Technical and Harford Technical high schools.
"We look at their curriculum to see if what the students are learning is practical in the context of the work world," said company spokeswoman Barbara Lucas. "We're helping to create more lifelike and reasonable environment for students. With the kinds of skills they're learning, if it's appropriate for Black & Decker, it's appropriate for a lot of organizations."
June E. Streckfus, executive director of the education round table, said there are three reasons business leaders are involved in education.
"Number one, it affects their bottom line. They need a work force they can count on, and the best way to achieve that is to work within the system," she said. "Second, they really do care about the community in which they live and work. And thirdly, they believe every child deserves our best effort."
What companies are doing
A survey of 24 area companies found that 22 hav directinvolvment with public schools. These are some of the things they're doing:
Aegon USA*
Matches employee donations up to $1,500
Member of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education
$ BT Alex. Brown Inc.*
Has no public school partnerships or programs in Baltimore area, according to a spokeswoman
Member of the education roundtable
-! Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.*
Spent a total of $1.5 million on statewide public education in 1997
Distributes energy-related course materials to area schools
Sends speakers to schools to discuss energy topics
Hosts a job shadowing program
Sponsors teacher recognition awards
Gold-level sponsor of Reading by 9 program
Member of the education roundtable
$ Bell Atlantic Corp.*
Spent $1.6 million to supply Internet access and home computers to all third graders at Logan Elementary School in Dundalk in a pilot project with the state
Spent $5 million to wire various high school and college distance-learning sites
Hosts an internship program
Helped establish a telecommunications course at Edmondson Westside High School
Gold-level sponsor of Reading by 9 program
Member of the education roundtable
& Bethlehem Steel Corp.*
Internship program with Sollers Point/Southeastern Technical High School
Helps high schools plan curricula
Helping develop an environmental science magnet program at Sparrows Point High School
Member of the education roundtable
$ Black & Decker Corp.
Partnered with three area high schools to aid in curricula planning
Gives students tours of the plant
Provides two internships for minority high school students at Polytechnic Institute
Supports College Bound program
Helping develop engineering projects at Parkville High School
First Maryland Bancorp*
Provides schools with math curricula support materials and hosts an annual math tournament
Gold-level sponsor of Reading by 9 program
Member of the education roundtable
'
General Motors Corp.
Partnership with Pimlico and Rognel Heights elementary schools
Participates in career and reading days at area schools
Involved with improvement teams at Pimlico and Rognel Heights
#
Giant Food Inc.*
Apples for Students program provides schools with equipment
and supplies
Sponsors "It's Academic" high school TV quiz show
Participates in mentoring and school visit programs
Member of the education roundtable
.
W.R. Grace - Grace Davison*
Donated $150,000 to Southern High School over the past five years
Partnered with Hamilton Elementary/Middle School to provide $1,200 in attendance incentives
Participates in career days, science fairs, and does in-class lessons
Helps schools formulate curricula
Has a mentoring program at Riviera Beach Elementary School
Member of the education roundtable
Integrated Health Services Inc.
Has no public school partnerships or programs, according to a spokesman
#
Legg Mason Inc.*
Chief executive Raymond A. "Chip" Mason heads the education roundtable board of directors Gold-level sponsor of Reading by 9 program
Hosts a shadowing program
'
McCormick & Co.
The company has a minor relationship with a Baltimore County school, according to a spokesman
/!
Mercantile Bankshares Corp.*
Donated six computers to Northwood Elementary this year
Member of the education roundtable
%
NationsBank Corp.*
About 2,000 employees take two paid hours a week to volunteer in area schools.
Member of the education roundtable
*
Northrop Grumman Corp.*
Sends engineers to schools to facilitate engineering projects
Donates $1,000 to each school it visits
Member of the education roundtable
(
Piper & Marbury, LLP*
Runs the Law Club at Patapsco Elementary School
Tutors students at Cherry Hill Elementary School
Donates $16,500 to College Bound annually
Member of the education roundtable
%
The St. Paul Cos.*
Has mentoring, advisory and financial partnerships with five area schools
Member of the education roundtable
Rouse Co.*
Donated $30,000 to New Song Academy this year
Member of the education roundtable
$
Ryland Group Inc.
Donated $7,500 to Hollifield Station Elementary School last year
0'
Sylvan Learning Systems Inc.*
Hosts monthly after-school educational events for students, and their parents, who are involved in Sylvan programs through the public school systems Member of the education roundtable
1#
T. Rowe Price Associates Inc.*
Matches employee donations up to $1,000
Member of the education roundtable
3%
Venable, Baetjer and Howard LLP*
Tutoring program at Collington Square Elementary School
Partner is vice chairman of the College Bound board of directors
*Member of the education roundtable
Pub Date: 11/15/98