|
Governor Gregoire supports significant capital investment in WSU-Vancouver’s bid to build a semi-conductor and electronics manufacturing and research center. Vancouver has been identified by the Governor as one of five Innovation Zones in the state. This designation, in part, has helped to secure funding for this capital and intellectual investment in WSU-V from the state legislature this spring. Expansion of the so-called Silicon Forest into Southwest Washington promises to be an investment that helps assure economic growth, promotes a sustainable future, and preserves and protects our quality of life.
Innovation, a blending of intellect and imagination, has catapulted and sustained America’s place as the dominant economic force in the global economy. Through innovation we may continue to thrive for many more generations. So, in spite of “the flat world,” consider this fact in a recent story from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, reported from Zhejiang Province, China: While Americans wonder how China can produce so many engineers, the Chinese wonder why, with so many engineers, they still cannot win a Nobel Prize. One Chinese parent pondered, “Many students here who can get good scores don’t have creativity, and they have no time to play…Maybe this explains why foreign people win the Nobel Prizes, but Chinese people don’t.” We must pay attention to rigor and world-class standards in mathematics and science, but not at the expense of those disciplines that develop and nurture creativity. Innovation and entrepreneurship will sustain America’s leading role in the world.
|
Collaboration and Connections
The context of this article is much broader than Vancouver Public Schools. Our future is inextricably linked with the future of our community. Healthy, thriving communities build partnerships. Authentic and empowered partnerships mobilize resources to make a positive difference on behalf of children and families. If we believe it takes a village to educate a child, then schools, families, and communities must interact as partners to strengthen opportunities for children to learn and grow.
Take a moment to think about the following, “What do you want most for your children or grandchildren?”
Parents or grandparents typically respond, “We want our children to live happy and healthy lives, to develop the knowledge and skills to secure a living wage job, and to raise families of their own.”
Consider the following data as reported by US Census Bureau (2003) linking educational attainment and annual median income:
| $16,322 |
Less than 9th grade
|
| $19,095 |
High school dropout |
| $25,081 |
High school graduate |
| $29,081 |
Some college
|
| $31,358 |
Associate’s degree
|
| $41,361 |
Bachelor’s degree
|
| $50,704 |
Master’s degree |
| $71,541 |
Doctorate degree
|
|
Continued 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|
 |
