SouthCoast Education Compact

The SouthCoast Education Compact (the Compact) is an education partnership between business leaders, area School Superintendents, the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth and Bristol Community College to collectively address the level of educational attainment in the South Coast region.

New non-profit breakfast workshop series

The Center for University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) is launching a nonprofit breakfast series, Nonprofit Breakfast Briefs, in April. The low-cost series will offer a workshop each month at an affordable rate. Future briefs will include workshops on nonprofits and the use of social media, setting up a nonprofit community organization, completing the IRS 990 form, and financial fundamentals. We also have an all-day strategic planning session scheduled for June.

Scheduled workshops for the next three months include:

• April 16: Marketing on a shoestring (pdf)
• May 11: Social media use for nonprofits
• June 16: Strategic planning for the long haul

2008-2009 College Planning Guide

The SouthCoast Education Compact developed this guide to be a useful tool that brings together in one place a variety of resources on the college admissions and financial aid process. Students can review important information on continuing their education that is easy to read and helps to outline the steps that need to be taken to prepare for college and a career.

Download the guide (PDF; 3.5MB; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

History, Goals and Achievements

Founded in 1997, the Compact serves 12 cities and towns with a total population of 345,610. The communities involved in the Compact include Fall River, New Bedford, Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Rochester, Somerset, Swansea, Wareham, Marion, Mattapoisett and Westport.

The Compact serves as a catalyst to facilitate increased involvement by the region's Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), area businesses, and the education community in programs and activities that build successful education partnerships with area public schools across school district lines. Many of these SouthCoast communities are under-served cities and towns that struggle with the challenges that effect many cities across the country. These challenges include high unemployment rates, steep high school dropout rates, a weak tax base, a high number of single parent families, a largely unskilled workforce, high rates of child poverty, and declining industries.