Last week, a Regional Education Summit was held in the Oak Room of the Jack Hill Building at Ogeechee Technical College. The brainchild of Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber President Jennifer Davis, the event brought together local leaders and representatives from education, government, and the business sector.
After learning more about the state of literacy in Georgia a couple of weeks ago at the Georgia Council on Literacy meeting, I was grateful to be able to attend this community collaborative. The Council is working hard to make improvements to literacy through the education system, and this Summit welcomed all those who can support that system.
As not only a writer but also as a mom, Girl Scout leader, and school volunteer, literacy is especially near and dear to my heart. We hear a lot of talk about different sectors working in "silos," but this was a chance for these groups to come together and talk face to face -- always a welcome and necessary step to community change and growth.
Attendees included all the local education heavy hitters, like Georgia Southern President Dr. Kyle Marrero, Ogeechee Tech President Lori Durden, and Superintendent of Bulloch County Schools Charles Wilson. Representative Lehman Franklin and Senator Billy Hickman were also there. The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Dana Rickman, President of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE), who gave facts and figures on both the educational system and our Georgia workforce. The two are inextricably linked.
Education drives economic success
Dr. Rickman said that the education system of any nation, state, or county is an economic development tool -- perhaps its most important. And we're seeing some unhealthy numbers from that system in Georgia. One statistic she shared that was surprising to me is that in some Georgia counties, as much as 45% of adults do not have a high school diploma. 45%! There is a pipeline set up to take Georgians from early education to economic success, but somehow we're losing too many people along the way.
"Education is a driver of economic success," she said. "Our systems are designed to get people through, but what happens when there is a crack in the pipeline?"
There are many barriers for Georgians who are living outside of a healthy economic lifestyle. Our population's skills don't properly match the needs of the workforce. We are lacking enough students -- and enough diversity -- in post-secondary education. Childcare is incredibly expensive, and in some cases, not available during shift-work times. This is just to name a few of the big ones. And sadly, a huge crack in the pipeline exists in our early literacy rates.
According to Dr. Rickman, differences in achievement across racial, socioeconomic, and native language lines tend to disappear when children are proficient in reading by the third grade. In other words, their early literacy success can be a predictor of high school graduation and long-term success, no matter their circumstances outside school.
"It's not an achievement gap but a resource opportunity gap," she said. "Kids will achieve. They just need the right resources and inputs to do it."
You can watch archived GPEE presentations about some of these issues here or check out what GPEE considers the top ten issues facing Georgia's education system here.
Insulating the pipeline as a community
Simply put, literacy rates in Georgia are staggering. Our children are falling behind early, and many are not catching back up. We are poised for incredible growth over the next few years, but we have to produce a literate and skill-matched workforce to sustain that growth. And working together, I think we can do that.
Following Dr. Rickman's presentation, we were invited to have roundtable discussions, with suggested topics provided. She left us with these guiding words: "Every community has assets, but what if everybody aligned around the same goal? We can insulate the pipeline and eliminate the cracks to keep kids in the pipeline from start to finish. Everybody in the community has a different job. How do we connect them?"
We had been given color-coded nametags to make sure that we didn't sit or communicate with only people from our sector. At my table alone, I had representatives from the City of Statesboro, Bulloch County Schools, the Georgia Department of Education, and the DeWitt Insurance Agency. It was a perfect mix of perspectives, expertise, and resources.
In just a few minutes, we started making connections, sharing resources, and coming up with ideas on how we could all work together. This is what it's all about.
Following the roundtables, we heard from a panel of local leaders and advocates including President Lori Durden, Superintendent Charles Wilson, Bulloch County Schools' Early Learning & Literacy Director Crystal Simpkins, the Altrusa Club's Nancy Shumaker (Altrusa focuses their philanthropic efforts on literacy), Bulloch County Schools' Career Technical Agricultural Education (CTAE) Director Bethany Gilliam, and Bobby Jones of JTEKT Corporation.
They all emphasized the importance of community leaders working together to support the county's literacy efforts to, in turn, produce a more literate and effective workforce.
So, what can WE do?
Did you know the Bulloch County Literacy Council has grant funding that will allow them to set up a Reading Nook in your place of business at absolutely no cost to you? They will bring shelves, books, and seating, and kids are able to borrow or keep the books. (Imagine taking your kids out to dinner and finding a little library to keep them occupied while waiting or at the table!) They will replenish the shelves when you're running low, too. We need more of these nooks! The Bulloch County Book Bus has also given out more than 20,000 free books to date.
Altrusa is always working hard to collect books to send home in the Backpack Buddies program so that literacy support begins early and often. Your donations are needed, so if you're involved in a civic group, why not consider a book drive?
Our school system is helping our kids identify not only their strengths in aptitude but also their interests, ideally finding alignment between the two. Related to that, Bobby Jones gave examples of how industries can open their doors to students for field trips so they can see the reading, mathematical, and technical skills needed to work in these places and then become work-ready. Could high school students benefit from seeing how your business works?
There is so much work being done and to be done, but these leaders need our help.
"We can't do it by ourselves," Simpkins said. "The work is a community effort; we just need the space. The cost of illiteracy has an impact on not only our children but also our future."
Join Grice Connect in supporting literacy in Bulloch County
At Grice Connect, we're brainstorming about how we can better support local literacy efforts. As journalists and community media representatives, the literacy of our readership is essential to our success. Our summer intern Ja'Kori has certainly increased his career literacy skills in the time he's spent with our office, but there's so much more we can do to offer reading and writing opportunities to the young people of our community.
The bottom line is that we can all do something to support literacy efforts in Statesboro and Bulloch County, from the youngest readers, to those who may have been left behind somewhere in the educational system, to adult learners trying to catch up and better their lives.
Think about your business or your volunteer efforts, and ask yourself, "How can I incorporate literacy into what I'm already doing?" As Dr. Rickman said in her presentation, you don't have to do anything new; you just have to do the same work in different ways. Say yes to a Reading Nook, collect books for The Book Bus or Altrusa, allow a field trip or student shadow day, or accept a Mystery Reader invitation. Every little bit helps.
The running theme of the summit was that this is a community issue that will require a community solution, and what better time than the present! I don't exaggerate when I say that our future is depending on it. Let's work together to seal and insulate that pipeline so that all of Georgia's children -- and adults -- make it out on top!
