September 12, 2011

CTY-led collaborators present free guide for local high-achievers

Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels and local education leaders this week will unveil Compass: A Directory of Resources for Bright Students in Baltimore. Produced by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust, Compass puts in one place information on more than 200 public, charter and independent schools, plus two dozen resources for academically advanced students.

Last month, the guide collaborators from CTY, City Schools and B.E.S.T. were jointly named a Maryland Daily Record 2011 Innovator of the Year.

“Great universities are galvanized by great minds, minds that have been given the freedom to think anew and the resources to execute innovative ideas,” Daniels said. “Every day at Johns Hopkins, we see what talented students can achieve when they have the support they need. It’s only natural that we extend our support to the next generation of Baltimore’s best. When these students win, we all win.”

Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, said, “The most successful students have entire communities backing them, and it’s hard to think of a bigger community partner in this state than Johns Hopkins. The support they’re providing our kids is invaluable.”

Amy John, executive director of B.E.S.T., said that she looks forward to using Compass to introduce local families to area independent schools. “This guide gives a tremendous boost to important work,” John said. “It shows families who always feared their options were limited the wealth of opportunities they can look forward to in both public and independent schools.”

“The cooperation that made Compass possible is unprecedented, both locally and nationally,” said Thomas Wilcox, president and CEO of the Baltimore Community Foundation. “Public and private partners working together to give kids a range of quality educational choices—this should be a model for the rest of the country.”

Elaine Hansen, executive director of CTY, said, “Since our founding more than 30 years ago, the Center for Talented Youth has identified and cultivated academic ability in students around the world. But it is especially gratifying to shine a light on some of the best students right here in our hometown. We can’t wait to see what they’ll do with the resources we’ve been able to assemble.”

Compass joins a growing list of resources that Johns Hopkins has introduced over the past several years to help students in Baltimore. Since 2005, the Baltimore Scholars Program has covered the tuition of graduates of city public schools accepted to the university. And in 2010, the university announced Johns Hopkins Takes Time for Schools, a program that gives employees up to two paid leave days per fiscal year to volunteer in city schools.

Compass will be unveiled during an event for educators, business leaders and others at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, at CTY’s headquarters on the Johns Hopkins Mount Washington campus. Afterward, it will be available online at www.cty.jhu.edu and through a limited print run.

To attend the event or request a print version of the publication, contact Lionel Foster at
lfoster@jhu.edu or 410-735-6196
.