January 6, 2009 
The Delmarva Education Foundation -- A Bridge Between The business & Education Communities
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Notes from Community Stakeholders' Discussion Session

Community Stakeholders hold a lively discussion

during their breakout session.

Ruth Baker and Robert Gibbs, facilitators, led a small group discussion that brought forth these ideas:

Demographic changes

  • Hispanic, etc.
  • What is impact on educational system?
  • How can system adjust to this change?
  • How can needed changes be adopted and implemented?
  • Included = aging
    • what are their educational needs?
    • what resources do they bring?
    • how does this shift change tax base?
    • how do these shifts affect our sense of "place" and trend toward "place-based education?"
    • differences in how different groups value education

What is "place-based education," how do we learn more about it and might it be appropriate for our region?

  • "Brain drain"

Attitudes toward education: some don't value it.

  • Lack of high-paying jobs; some don't see the point

"Chicken and egg" problem

  • Lack of high-paying jobs/lack of skilled workers to fill these jobs (construction, manufacturing)
  • Also work ethic issues
  • An obstacle to economic development

Are our schools teaching the right skills to fill available jobs?

  • Entrepreneurship?
  • Who's guiding the non-college-bound kids?
  • Do we need to change our concept of guidance counseling?
  • How to better connect kids to post-graduation opportunities?
  • How do $ streams and testing influence this?

Timely communication, planning and information dissemination across region

  • Throughout region re: education and training opportunities
  • Between education and industry re: needs: Who should have what role?
  • How do we do this regionally?
  • Role of schools in community

Pail 1: context for educating

  • Demographic
  • Economic
  • etc.

Pail 2: Community/regional planning and collaboration

  • attitude
  • dissemination
  • education and industry
  • connect learners to workforce
  • "place-based" education

School's role in community

  • after school program
  • larger education role (adult continuing education, community activities)

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