What Central Ohio is Saying about Education; It Isn't What You Think!

The audience of educators, business leaders and concerned citizens who gathered at the Columbus Metropolitan Club on Wednesday, Oct. 5, received eye-opening information on the state of education in our community.

Janet E. Jackson, United Way of Central Ohio’s CEO and executive director, began the Voices of the Community forum by sharing the results of Community Conversations held by United Way with small, diverse groups of people across Franklin County.

Some of the key themes found in these conversations and shared with the CMC audience included:

• Participants are concerned about all children in the community, not just their own.
• They want to see less emphasis on testing and more on learning that develops artistic and creative abilities.
• People feel that our community and schools are at a tipping point, and that change is urgently needed.
• They recognize that a lack of parental involvement and the absence of strong connections between schools and the community are holding us back.

Panelists Dr. Gene Harris, superintendent of Columbus City Schools; Steve Votaw, executive director of Learn4Life; and Mark Real, president of KidsOhio shared their thoughts on the findings in Janet’s presentations and offered their perspectives. Some of what they shared was surprising. All of it was inspirational and informative. For instance:

Dr. Gene Harris:

She struggles with calling a snow day, especially on Fridays, because she knows many CCS children won’t get the two nutritious meals they would have at school that day or over the weekend.

Mark Real:

44% of children living in poverty are enrolled in suburban school districts, reflecting that suburban school districts are more similar to urban school districts than we realize.

Steve Votaw:

The schools can’t be responsible for everything that affects a child. There are family issues, community issues, poverty issues. We must engage the whole community to create a better path for kids to be successful.

Following the panel discussion, audience members were encouraged to ask questions and give their thoughts on the condition of education in our community. The thoughtful questions and the obvious engagement of the audience proved what past Community Conversations have revealed: individuals are deeply concerned about education; they know that we need a change now; and they want to be involved in making that change happen.

To view the video of Voices of the Community: What Central Ohio is Saying About Education with Janet Jackson or hear the audio clip, visit www.columbusmetroclub.org.