$1 m. grant will bring Penn's service program to other cities

The world-renowned reputation of a University community-service program that fosters interaction between Penn and area public schools has resulted in a $1 million grant to replicate the program in three other cities. In November, the West Philadelphia Improvement Corps Replication Project received its third grant in the past six years from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, which gives grants to community-service and educational service programs. The 12-year-old WEPIC program promotes school and community revitalization and fosters the involvement of Penn students and faculty members with the surrounding neighborhoods. In conjunction with 13 West Philadelphia public schools, it sponsors programs, including one in which Penn students and professors teach the local students. "Some of the most exciting [university-community programming] in the country, although people don't realize it, is going on at Penn," said James Lyple, the principal of University City High School at 36th and Filbert streets. Penn first received a grant in November 1992 to determine the feasibility of replicating the WEPIC model, which is based on the University's work at Turner Middle School at 59th Street and Baltimore Avenue. In November 1994, the fund awarded Penn a three-year, $1 million grant to implement its model at other universities. After soliciting proposals from across the country, a national board selected Miami University of Oxford, Ohio, the University of Kentucky at Lexington and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. With the grant set to expire last November, officials successfully reapplied for three more years of funds. The 1997 award allows the WEPIC Replication Project to continue its work at these universities and expand its efforts to three additional schools. Officials plan to solicit proposals from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mesa Community College in Arizona and Stanford University in California, among others. About 10 local and national leaders in education and community service, such as Lyple and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Ted Kirsch, sit on the board that will review the applications and select three schools, subject to the New York-based fund's approval. As they begin bringing programming to a new school, WEPIC officials try to ensure that the program is adapted appropriately to the area. "While we used the philosophy of what WEPIC stands for, we had the flexibility to adopt what our students, parents, teachers and community tell us they need," said Karen Baier, who coordinates the Miami University project in Cincinnati. Another purpose of the program is to transform local schools into centers all members of the community can use. "We have programs that operate after school, on evenings and on Saturdays that are open for the entire community," said Joann Weeks, director of the WEPIC Replication Project. As part of the programming at Miami University, local schools offer high school equivalence diploma programs, computer-training courses, parenting workshops and family involvement nights. "One of the groups has dinners each month where families can meet the student's mentor and listen to teacher presentations," Baier said. In another program, Penn students went to Shaw Middle School at 54th Street and Warrington Avenue to educate Shaw students on the dangers of lead paint. After collecting dust samples from around the community and analyzing them, the students made brochures detailing simple ways to reduce risk of exposure at home. In addition, WEPIC uses its money to hold national and regional conferences on town-gown relations. "We are trying to build a national network of universities, colleges and colleagues with an interest in this type of programming," Weeks said. The last national conference was held at the University December 11-12. People from as far away as Korea and South Africa have visited Philadelphia to observe the program first-hand.

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