Education Progress Luncheon

Our Community Wants: Dalton State College to become a premier higher education institution with rich course offerings and advanced degrees.

Our Community Wants: To be a model environment for technical education and learning.

Our Community Wants:

2010 – 2011 Action Steps Understand and support the needs of a growing Dalton State College; Increase community awareness of existing technical education programs and job opportunities; Work to integrate high school career training with higher education entities, and…

Identify the top strengths and weaknesses of each segment of local education.

CRCT Pathways to Prosperity

Three Work Groups Formed: Prenatal to Pre-K K-12 Higher/ Technical Education

Producing productive citizens by strengthening the birth to work pipeline.

Draft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 1: Educate our community on nutrition and healthy lifestyles and their impact on learning.

Nutrition Related Issues “Kids are racing to the schools on Monday morning because they are hungry and they know they will be fed at school.” 52% of middle school and high school students surveyed consumed 0-2 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. In a local longitudinal study conducted by Northwest Georgia Healthcare Partnership, roughly 50% of 2 nd – 5 th graders were overweight or obese.

Why Should Educators Care? Poor nutrition interferes with learning. Poor nutrition impacts productivity of future workforce. It’s expensive!

What Are We Doing About It? A.C.H.I.E.V.E. Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental ChangE NWGA Healthcare Partnership Sugar- Sweetened Beverage Research

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

Draft 2012 InitiativesDraft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 2: Provide Pre-K opportunities in the face of state budget cuts.

11% of this year’s kindergarten class had no access to Pre-K.

Just the facts, ma’am... In August 2010 – May 2011: 1452 Public & Private Pre-K slots Includes 346 Head Start – Some 3 year olds 124 church and “other” slots 1576 Pre-K learning opportunities In August 2011: 654 kindergarteners (DPS) 1102 kindergarteners (WCS) 19 kindergarteners (Christian Heritage) 1775 kindergarteners

This means... We have approximately 174 kindergarteners (10 %) with no Pre-K experience.

Why Does This Matter? More likely to be on grade level in Reading & Math Less likely to be retained or placed in Special Education More likely to have lower truancy rates than peers who did not attend Pre-K More likely to graduate from high school and attend college

What We Are Doing... Community-wide Pre-K registration Summer Pre-K experience for those with no Pre-K before Kindergarten

What We Would Like to Explore Community support Diverting “extra” funding from students in Joint Enrollment/Dual Enrollment to Pre-K classrooms Transportation and other obstacles

Potential Blind Spots Lottery funding has declined, and will likely continue to do so. All of our local Pre- K programs are not governed by state standards.

Draft 2012 InitiativesDraft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 3: Make the right technology more accessible to students.

Why Technology? Equality Personalization Bi-directional Learning Cost

Moving Forward... Continue to explore high-impact, cost- effective technology. Train teachers on best practices involving technology and learning.

Draft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 4: Further develop relationships and articulation agreements between high schools, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, and Dalton State College so that students can move seamlessly between the systems.

In 2007, only 41% of jobs were held by those with a high school degree or less. Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education Pathways to Prosperity Project

By 2018, only 36% of jobs will be held by those with high school degree or less. Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education Pathways to Prosperity Project

Source: Phil Peterson’s Voices for Georgia’s Children Presentation

Census 2010 Of Whitfield County residents 25 and older: 67% had a high school diploma 15% had a bachelor’s degree

What we are doing about it... Articulation agreements between WCS, Murray County, Christian Heritage, DPS, GNTC/DSC Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy on one campus

What we are doing about it... Dalton State College’s Near Peer Program

Near Peer Program Compass test score improvement:  Math up 33%  Writing up 23%  Reading up 12%

Dual Enrollment/ACCEL/MOWR Student Headcounts Dalton State College: –Fall 2010: 40 –Fall 2011: 76 Georgia Northwestern Technical College –Fall 2010: 0 –Fall 2011: 54 –Spring 2012: 70

Dual Enrollment/Accel/MOWR/ CNA Student Headcounts Dalton Public Schools: –2010 – 2011: 5 –2011 – 2012: 9 Whitfield County Schools: –2010 – 2011: 24 –Fall 2011: 57 –Spring 2012: 86 Murray County Schools: –2011: 6 (Transportation is major obstacle)

Draft 2012 InitiativesDraft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 5: Encourage the Board of Regents to approve more bachelor's degree programs and phase in an MBA program at DSC in place of KSU program.

Draft 2012 InitiativesDraft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 6: Focus on Career and College Readiness in 5 th – 12 th grade.

Insert Explore Video

$2.61M Career Academy Grant Will allow Career Academy to expose middle school students to career classes. –Family & Consumer Science, Agriculture, Health Care, Business, and STEM Will allow building renovations. Reflects partnership between GNTC, DSC, DPS, Murray County Schools, Whitfield County Schools, and 97 local businesses.

Goals Moving Forward: Industry involvement in competitions for relevant student organizations “Career Film Festival” College and Career Fairs Share entrepreneurial and career initiatives especially with K-5 students

Draft 2012 Initiatives Initiative 7: Form an on-going, community-wide education consortium so that we can keep the community involved in education and continue to discuss long-range/emerging issues.

Next Steps Work with Boards of Education and other community leaders to refine priorities. Use University System resources to better understand problems and possible solutions. Make smart decisions and good investments that prioritize workforce development in tight economy.