Create West Virginia

Educational Attainment Rankings

The U.S. Department of Education produces a report on educational attainment by state. Here you can view in detail what % of adults 18 years and over have attained high school, two-year, four-year and graduate degrees.

Changing the trajectory of a region in this critical arena of life is difficult. Most of the lower-ranking states are poor and southern, demonstrating how long-term politics and economics shape the future of regions. There is such a tight correlation between the level of academic achievement, the economic prosperity of individuals and their long-term health that it's a wonder that states lacking in these rankings haven't risen up and demanded signficant change.

It's often been the case that desperate times call for desperate measures. But the willingness in West Virginia to embrace new educational paradigms and pilot projects has not matched the urgency that our results would indicate. While the WV State Department of Education has received positive feedback nationally for its 21st Century Education plans, it is difficult to infuse these new concepts and ensure teacher readiness at a local level.

We are very excited about the "Disrupting the Classroom" theme of this year's Education Track at the Create WV Conference. We encourage everyone across the state to personally invite their superintendent of schools and school board members to attend. Watch this blog site for ongoing updates on the topics covered in this track.

Turning Learning Right Side Up

Must be the time of year when books about innovation and education are on everybody's summer reading list.  Here is a write up about the latest from Russell L. Ackoff, Anheuser Busch Professor Emeritus of management science at The Wharton School.  (I want a title like this someday, Yeungling Professor Embarrasus)

http://www.changethis.com/47.02.TurningLearning

From the Back Cover of his new book, Turning Learning Right Side Up

In the age of the Internet, we educate people much as we did during the Industrial Revolution. We educate them for a world that no longer exists, instilling values antithetical to those of a free, 21st century democracy. Worst of all, too many schools extinguish the very creativity and joy they ought to nourish.

In Turning Learning Right Side Up, legendary systems scientist Dr. Russell Ackoff and “in-the-trenches” education innovator Daniel Greenberg offer a radically new path forward. In the year’s most provocative conversation, they take on the very deepest questions about education: What should be its true purpose? Do classrooms make sense anymore? What should individuals contribute to their own education? Are yesterday’s distinctions between subjects--and between the arts and sciences--still meaningful? What would the ideal lifelong education look like--at K-12, in universities, in the workplace, and beyond?

Ackoff and Greenberg each have experience making radical change work--successfully. Here, they combine deep idealism with a relentless focus on the real world--and arrive at solutions that are profoundly sensible and powerfully compelling.

Why today’s educational system fails--and why superficial reforms won’t help
The questions politicians won’t ask--and the answers they don’t want to hear

How do people learn--and why do they choose to learn?
Creating schools that reflect what we know about learning

In a 21st century democracy, what values must we nurture?
...and why aren’t we nurturing them?

How can tomorrow’s “ideal schools” be operated and funded?
A plan that cuts through political gridlock and can actually work

Beyond schools: building a society of passionate lifelong learners
Learning from childhood to college to workplace through retirement

Reinventing Learning for the Next Century: How We Can, and Why We Must

An extraordinary conversation about the very deepest questions...

Today, what is education for?

Where should it take place? How? When?

What is the ideal school?

The ideal lifelong learning experience?

Who should be in charge of education?

And who pays for it all?

Over the past 150 years, virtually everything has changed...except education. Schools were designed as factories, to train factory workers. The factories are gone, but the schools haven’t changed. It’s time for us to return to first principles...or formulate new first principles...and reimagine education from the ground up.

In Turning Learning Right Side Up, two of this generation’s most provocative thinkers--and practical doers--have done just that. They draw on the latest scientific research, the most enduring human wisdom, and their unique lifelong personal experiences transforming institutions that resist change. And, along the way, they offer a powerful blueprint for a thriving society of passionate lifelong learners.

I just bought the book.  Stay tuned...

Under the category of who knew - another great piece of news from West Virginia's new Creative Economy

Laurie A Helgoe, Ph.D. of Charleston is the author of five mass market books, including Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength (July 2008) and is contributing columnist for Wealth Manager Magazine. She consults and operates a design consultation service, Introvert Style.

The book has been honored with a starred Publisher's Weekly review. "Most Americans, whether introverted or extroverted, have learned to look like extroverts," writes Psychologist (and introvert) Helgoe in this well written and well-reasoned analysis that challenges the perception of introverts as a silent, problematic minority.  The author reveals that 57% of the U.S. population identify themselves as introverts and are so commonly misunderstood because many of them have become adept at mimicking extroversion (becoming a "Socially Accessible Introvert") to get by.  Helgoe encourages introverts to see themselves as perfectly functional and to fulfill their need for solitude with regular retreats and creating a private space in their homes.  Helgoe's book is wide-ranging and cross cultural, invoking how other societies (particularly in Japan and Scandinavia) are more compatible with and accepting of introversion.  Helpful sections are details why introverts need extroverts in their lives and how extroverts depend on introverts for their artistic contributions and inner "richness". From the July Publisher's Weekly review "The author's voice is vivid and engaging, and she skillfully draws real-life examples of awkward scenarios introverts find themselves in when forced to play a role in society or the workplace.  Readers will find much insight, as well as a comforting sense of being understood and validated."

For almost 20 years, Psychologist Laurie Helgoe has been helping clients pursue their desires through therapy.  She also follows her own advice and allows her desires to expand her.

In addition to her therapy practice at Family Psychiatric Services in Charleston, WV. Laurie is writing, acting, speaking and consulting, and has been in a number of commercial and print ads.

Laurie is interested in how we can view our lives artistically and appreciate the amazing stories we are living.  She resides in Charleston, with her husband, two boys, and golden retriever, where she faithfully indulges in movie therapy, is slowly learning Arabic, and continues to add to the four-wall collage in her home office.

She has scheduled "Got a Book? Get it Published!" seminar Saturday, September 13, 2008  from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM at the Arnold Agency, 117 Summers Street, Charleston.  Visit her website, www.wakingdesire.com for details.

Her publishers include Penguin and Sourcebooks, as well as foreign rights publishers in Spanish and Portuguese. In addition to her assignment with Wealth Management she is an expert consultant for Seventeen magazine.

Will Smaller Upstarts Fill the Broadband Gap?

Broadband coverage in West Virginia has been a source of frustration on all sides. Economic development advocates are frustrated that major providers won't invest more aggressively to fill gaps in small towns and rural areas, effectively shutting off those communities from Internet-based opportunities in e-learning, ecommerce and online health services. Telco providers point to the low "take rate", or the lower percentage of folks in West Virginia who subscribe to broadband Internet service even when it's available, and the risk involved in such hefty investments.

Meanwhile, some smaller telcos are looking at the gap as an opportunity. The Charleston Daily Mail outlines FiberNet's aggressive plans for providing fiber (a MUCH faster broadband technology) throughout major portions of the state through its "Gigabit Passive Optical Network". The company has invested $100 million in the state and now has about 3,000 route miles of fiber, mostly available to businesses. To date, they've deployed GPON in 19 of WV's 55 counties, with plans for expansion. Speeds of up to 100 megabits are available, as compared to the 1-megabit to 7-megabit speed of DSL. The fiber infrastructure lays the groundwork for interactive television and other consumer services in the near future.

David Armentrout, FiberNet's Chief Operating Officer, stated that communities with fiber connectivty can "... can go after businesses that must have 'big' broadband and are looking to relocate and take advantage of West Virginia's quality of life and cost of living."

Here's hoping this spurs on more competitors to provide advanced, high-speed service to West Virginia communities so that more companies like www.twolanelivin.com, www.practicelink.com and others begin to pop up in greater frequency in small towns and rural areas in our state. 

Turning the "LightsOn" in Oak Hill

The gang at LightsOn West Virginia have opened their LEED-certified office building in downtown Oak Hill, and it's an exciting example of a concept that Jeff Miller and others in the sustainable development field promote: Why not leverage the "embedded energy" that exists in the hundreds of existing structures in West Virginia communities and put them to new, progressive use?

Brandon Holmes and George Rogers are serial entrepreneurs in Fayette County. Their first endeavor was an adventure tourism videography and marketing firm, but needing a new office of their own, they began to get excited about the potential of real estate and development, particularly as it relates to refurbishing the forgotten gems found throughout West Virginia small towns.

The fruit of their idea is now a reality - the Bellann Building, a circa 1930's brownstone in downtown Oak Hill. The team has completed their renovations and are on track to become the only LEED-certified private sector building in the state pending a year of data collection required for that designation.

In addition, the company has provided new, exciting space for up-and-coming organizations and entrepreneurs in the area. Companies that have already located in the building include Earthmark, Drive Current and the National Parks Conservation Association.

From the State Journal article:

"Quality of place issues and connectivity to the web are changing the business landscape in an unprecedented way," Holmes said. "...We can make progress and recruit people who want to live in a spectacular place like the New River Gorge. We are recruiting the newest generation of West Virginians."

Disrupting Class = Chapters 4

Here is the Meat of the Disruption

Chapter 4 - Disruptively Deploying Computers

"The disruptive transiton from teacher-delivered to software-delivered instruction is likely to proceed in two stages. We call the first of these stages computer-based learning.  In this stage, the software will be proprietary and relatively expensive to develop; and it will be monolithic, with respet to students' types of intelligences and learning styles...The second phase of the disruption we term student-centric technology, in whcih software has been developed that can help students learn each subject in a manner that is consistent with their type of intelligence and learning style.  Whereas computer-based learning is disruptive relative to the monolithic mode of teacher-led instruction, student-centric technology is disruptive relative to personal tutors."

Four factors will drive this disruption.

"First, computer-based learning will keep improving...in 2012 the technology's market share will grow from 5 percent to 50 percent.."

"A second driver of this transition will be the ability for students, teachers, and parents to select a learning pathway through each body of material that fits each of the types of learners-the transition from computer-based to student-centric technology."

"The third factor that will likely fuel the substitution is a looming teacher shortaage."

"The fourth factor  is that costs will fall significantly as the market scales up."

"..10 years from the publication of this book, computer-based, student-centric learning will account for 50% of the "seat miles" in U.S. secondary schools.  Given the current trajectory of the substitution, about 80 percent of courses taken in 2024 will have been taught online in a student-centric way."

"As the monolithic system of instruction shifts to a classroom powered by student-centric technology, teacher's roles will gradually shift over time, too.  The shift might not be easy, but it will be rewarding.  Instead of spending most of their time delivering one-size-fits-all lessons year after year, teachers can spend much of their time traveling from student to student to help individuals with individual problems.  Teachers will act more as learning coaches and tutors to help students find the learning approach that makes the most sense for them."

Appalachia Scheme Wins Buckminster Fuller Contest

From the Architectural Record:

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge, a new annual design competition created to honor the late architect-inventor-ecologist who would have celebrated his 113th birthday this Saturday, has a winner.

John Todd, a Cape Cod-based scientist and environmental planner, has taken home the blue ribbon for his “Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia,” an economic plan that calls for cleaning up and replanting 1.5 million acres of land from Ohio to Alabama that coal producers have strip-mined.

To insure jobs won’t be lost as mines close, Todd details how to transition the region’s fossil-fuel-based economy to one that relies on the sale of wind power and wood. He also explains how not-for-profits could tap federal mine-remediation funds to buy land from private companies.

Registration Now OPEN for Create WV Conference

A special, “early bird” discount price is available for the 2008 Create West Virginia (Create WV) Conference. The special price of $229.00 will only be in effect through August 31. This year’s conference, aimed at helping communities expand and improve their economies through cultivation of the creative and high-tech industries, is set for October 20-22 and will take place at Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

Registrations can be reserved at www.createwvevents.com.

Last November, the Creative Communities Team of Vision Shared hoped to attract 100 community and business leaders to the first annual Create WV Conference. By the end of the event, over 250 attended. This year, the Create WV Conference is expected to draw close to 300 registrants to Snowshoe Mountain Resort to learn more about new jobs and opportunities in today's wired, global and innovation-driven environment.

“The Create West Virginia Conference demonstrates - step by step - how communities can generate New Economy jobs in their region,” said Creative Communities Chair Jeff James. “These are the jobs that are driving growth around the world, and it’s already happening right here in West Virginia. This conference is about how to add fuel to that fire.”

The conference is an energizing, informative mix of hands-on workshops and inspiring keynote presentations, spanning topical areas such as talent, technology, education, diversity and place. Keynote speakers include such notables as Dale Dougherty, founding publisher of Make magazine; Robert Kitchins of Northern University of Ireland; and Vaughn Grisham, director of the McLean Institute for Community Development and professor of Sociology at The University of Mississippi.

Registration price for the conference returns to the normal rate of $349 after August 31. Snowshoe Mountain Resort has reserved special room rates, beginning at $84 and up. Those interested in attending should register now; the Create WV conference is expected to draw over 300 attendees. For more information about the Create WV initiative or to register for the Create WV conference, please visit www.createwv.com.

About Vision Shared

Vision Shared is a cultural movement of significant importance to the state of West Virginia, which encourages citizens to work together in new ways. Fundamentally, the effort seeks to bring about positive change and grow the state’s economy.

Disrupting Class = Chapters 1-3

I thought I would start posting a couple of comments from each chapter of Disrupting Class to give conference attendees a sense of what will be discussed in the Education Track.

Chapter 1: Why Schools Struggle to Teach Differently When Each Student Learns Differently

Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner defines intelligence:

-The ability to solve problems that one encounters in real life.
-The ability to generate new problems to solve.
-The ability to make something or offer a service that is valued in one's culture.

(That is not exactly the definition of an IQ score that most people use.)

Further, he came up with eight distinct intelligencies:

-Linguistic-ability to think in words
-Logical-Mathematical-ability to calculate, quantify,
-Spatial-ability to think in 3-dimensions
-Bodily-Kinesthetic-ability to manipulate objects, physical skills
-Musical-ability to create rhythm,tone,pitch and melody
-Interpersonal-ability to understand and interact with others
-Intrapersonal-ability to construct an actual self-perception
-Naturalist-ability to observe patterns in nature, understand systems

Most people have some capacity in each of the eight, most people excel in only two or three of them. Within each type of intelligences there are different learning styles. Nested within each learning style, people learn at different paces.

Here is the dilema: because students have different types of intelligence, learning styles, varying paces and starting points, ALL students have special learning needs.

Chapter 2: Making the Shift: Schools Meet Society's Needs

"Schools actually have been improving...In a manner analagous to disruption in the private sector, society has moved the goal posts on schools and imposed upon them new measures of performance. What is unique about public schools is that laws and regulations make them a virtual monopoly, which makes it difficult and sometimes impossible for new business models to compete on the new measures. Society has asked schools to pursue the new metric of improvement from within the existing organization, which was designed to improve along the old performance metric. In essence, the public schools have been required to do the equivalent of rebuilding an airplane in mid-flight-something almost no private enterprise has been able to do."

Chapter 3: Crammed Computer Classrooms

"In 1996, President Clinton announced a transformative vision for computing in schools. He called for: 1) modern computers and learning devices available to all students, 2)classrooms connected to one another and the outside world, 3) making educational software an inegral part of the curriculum and as engaging as the best video game, and 4)having teachers ready to use and teach with technology.

(S)chools have crammed them into classroooms to sustain and marginally improve the way they already teach and run their schools, just as most organizations do when they attempt to implement innovations...If school administrators will change course, however, and first implement computer-based learning in places and for courses where there are no teachers to teach, then computer-based learning will, step by step, disrupt the instructional job that teachers are doing in a positive way, by helping students learn in ways that their brains are wired to learn and by allowing teachers to give students much more individual attention...(S)chools use computers as a tool and a topic, not as a primary instructional mechanism that helps students learn in ways that are customized to their type of intelligence..Computers have not increased student-centered learning and project-based teaching practices. The implementation of computers has not caused any measurable improvements in achievement scores...computers have made almost no dent in the most important challenge that they have the potential to crack: allowing students to learn in ways that correspond with how their brains are wired to learn, thereby migrating to a student-centric classroom."

Crystal Good is the Creative Economy!

Crystal Good, 33 years old, Charleston, WV

New Economy Factor: Though Ms. Good was born in Charleston, at various times she has made her home in Richmond, Atlanta, Tallahassee, New York, and Dallas. She has three sons, ages 12, 9, and 5. Like so many Americans, she is biracial; (black and white), but unlike many West Virginians, she identifies as “Affrilachian.” She is also an accomplished poet (http://www.affrilachianpoets.com/history.htm).

She graduated St. Albans High School as well as West Virginia State University, where she earned a bachelors degree in Communications with an African American Studies minor. In her free time she likes to white water raft, shop and read about quantum physics for fun.  (Poster's note:  I'm reminded of Minnie Driver in "Good Will Hunting" -- "Organic Chemistry for fun??  Are you MAD???  This is really hard!")

Currently, Crystal is the Assistant Director of Covenant House, a nonprofit organization providing direct services, education and advocacy to those I need. http://www.wvcovenanthouse.org. She identifies one of West Virginia’s strengths as “the resourcefulness of its people.”

On West Virginia in the New Economy: I have found no other place that accepts a six foot tall, single, bi-racial mother who eats CoCo Wheats for breakfast, and who makes one-syllable word two more than my West Virginia!

At times, I feel isolated from the rest of the country world. Usually we are behind -- even Wal-Mart was a little slow in getting to West Virginia. On the other hand our distance from major urban areas makes me feel protected and offers freedom to be creative in my own way, not judged against someone else’s idea of what an idea should look like or sound like. Not every place can set trends.

I appreciate the opportunity of taking a look at what has already worked and has not in other places and then molding those efforts into something entirely new and West Virginian. For instance, I organized a West Virginia-style Poetry & Politics slam in Charleston a few years back -- the first such event in Charleston even though slams had been going on across the country for years. It was enormously well-received and we now have a posse of new activist poets in the Kanawha Valley.

Our most important priority should be changing negative internal image – creating “I THINK I CAN HERE” attitudes among youth and young adults and by encouraging entrepreneurs and our creative class.

Posted by: Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher