This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Neil Armstrong, Dian Fossey, Steve Jobs, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos, Diane Sawyer, Martin Luther King Jr., Ellen Ochoa, Colin Powell, Annie Leibovitz, Ronald Reagan... all of these cultural and industry icons have shaped the past, present, and future of our country. Whether through business, media, science, law, technology, art or discovery, our world has been transformed by these and millions of others who arose from a common foundation: they are all products of a public school.
Throughout the world, the United States is seen as a beacon of invention, with the creation of knowledge, technology, manufacturing and industry driving the success of the U.S. economy. Central to that growth is the strength of our public schools and the impact of education on cultivating human capital, fostering innovation capacity and furthering knowledge transfer that leads to technical advancements and resource development.
While the first public school in America was founded in 1635, the shift toward public schools as we know them today began in the late 1830s with the Common School model. Throughout that period, the United States experienced continued economic growth, and since the late 1800s has consistently had the largest economy in the world.
Many factors go into economic growth and development, but at the heart of what makes our communities and our country great are our people – the creativity, ingenuity, curiosity and drive within all of us to advance our society. In the U.S. today, approximately 90 percent – or 50.7 million – of our nation’s children attend a public school, and in Colorado, over a quarter of a million students have graduated from a public high school in the past five years. In St. Vrain Valley Schools, we believe public education – second only to parenting – has the most significant impact on our society. Educating students is a mission and a responsibility that we champion with the highest regard to our role in shaping the future for everyone.
St. Vrain’s high-quality public schools contribute significantly to our community by driving local economic growth through workforce development and attracting companies that create jobs, increasing public safety, enhancing community health, strengthening our service industries and increasing property values.
“Public schools are the foundation of a city. Of course they are where our children learn reading, writing and arithmetic, but they also create the most foundational building blocks of our cities,” said Colorado House Majority Leader, KC Becker. “Civics, parent interactions, special guests coming to display their knowledge, teachers and administrators engaging young people – these are the things that create healthy and vibrant cities, towns and communities. Our public schools serve us in so many more ways than the learning that goes on inside.”
Over the past decade, St. Vrain has transformed public education in our community to emphasize the needs of the 21st century. In partnership with our teachers, families, students, elected officials, business partners and other members of our community we have prioritized student learning and instructional programs that are deeply engaging students in critical thinking to develop solutions to global problems, foster entrepreneurial thinking, and deepen cultural understanding and empathy for others.
From investments in robust early childhood programming – including high-quality preschool options and full day kindergarten at every school in the district – to the development of high school academies emphasizing leading industries including aerospace, biomedical sciences, energy and STEM, students across St. Vrain are graduating more prepared than ever to meet the rigorous demands of our complex society.
“St. Vrain continues to be one of the most forward-thinking, innovative school districts in America, and its educational leadership in workforce development is second to none,” said Pete Lorenzen, IBM Colorado Senior State Executive and IBM Boulder Senior Location Executive. “IBM is proud of the strategic partnerships we share, such as P-TECH, that provide students with the 21st-century skills necessary to thrive in our nation’s economy, both now and in the future.”
Our students are the learners, creators, problem solvers, dreamers, competitors, builders, thinkers and leaders who will join history’s icons and become our country’s future doctors, teachers, scientists, elected officials, artists, armed service members, engineers and globalized citizens who will change our world.
Public education is the greatest success story in American history, and St. Vrain Valley Schools is proud to be advancing the future of our economy and our country through the delivery of a world-class public school system.
