Is there value ....

The following is a cut-and-paste from the U.S. DoE's
publication, College Completion Tool Kit. I hope
this sparks a discussion in each of Iowa's communities.

"The days of being able to rely on high school
graduates to provide economic stability and vitality
are over. More than half of all new jobs in the next
decade will require a post secondary certificate
or degree. Accordingly, boosting the number of
college graduates should be a central goal in every
state’s workforce and economic development plan.
Raising college completion rates should be a central
part of the strategy for reaching that goal.
In the coming decade, individuals with professional
certificates and post secondary education degrees
at the associate, bachelor’s, and graduate levels are
projected to continue to experience higher levels of
employment and wage growth than those without."


Read the entire text by clicking here.

Homeless Students

The recession is having a profound impact on the lives of families. Today, more children live in poverty than any other comparable group. Additionally, we are finding more and more homeless children
Iowa Administrative Code defines a homeless child or youth as a child or youth from the age of 3 years through 21 years who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes the following:
1. A child or youth who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; is abandoned in a hospital; or is awaiting foster care placement;
2. A child or youth who has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
3. A child or youth who is living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
4. A migratory child or youth who qualifies as homeless because the child or youth is living in circumstances described in paragraphs
“1” through “3” above.
We have a commitment to these young men and women. North Cedar has two talented family advocates, Kim Hilby and Mark Norton. One of their responsibilities is to connect families and children to needed resources, for example, winter clothing. They also work hand-in-hand with area clergy, private groups, and government agencies. If you know of a student that may need assistance, perhaps they are homeless, please give us a call at 563-942-3358. We will do what we can.

Summer Vacation

Each child's family has a huge impact on his or her educational success. The wealth of the family is not so important. The race of the family is not so important. The age of the family is not so important. What is important is the emphasis placed on education by the family.
Summer vacation is just around the corner. It is a time to relax, play, and work. It is also a time to make sure that reading skills remain "sharp" or are improved. The following ideas have been shown to work, and improve student success. Each is within our control. We can make sure that ...
• every child reads, or is read to, each day.
• every child's TV viewing is regulated. Reduce time in front of the TV.
Local libraries are a great source of help. Librarians are committed to their work, they will be glad to lend a hand.
Our communities spend millions of dollars each year providing students with the best education available. You can be a part of that success. As a family, turn off the TV and read.

Failure v. Mediocrity

Most people are more frightened of failure than of mediocrity. It should be the reverse.

Failure is a broken leg — painful, but easily fixed. Mediocrity is a creeping disease — invisible and insidious — that disables so completely that there’s often no recovery.

D. Pink