ROGERS -- Springdale Superintendent Jim Rollins urged business professionals to consider how to participate in the education of children in Northwest Arkansas.
"Those doors are open, and the need is enormous," Rollins said. "My appeal is for you to take this role personally."
Rollins was the featured speaker Thursday for The Summit business luncheon at the Cross Church, Pinnacle Hills campus. The weekly lunch drew an audience of 370 people.
Quality schools require three essential elements: great teachers, quality building principals and partnerships with parents, businesses and community leaders, Rollins said. In Springdale, Rollins is promoting the importance of preparing students not only for college and careers but also to compete in a world that changes rapidly with advances in technology.
One example of business leaders contributing to education is the group of business leaders who serve on advisory boards for high school career academies in information technology, medicine, engineering, law and public safety, agriculture and construction, Rollins said.
Another partner of the school district is the Springdale Chamber of Commerce. The chamber works to bring educators and business leaders together to work on goals related to work force development and career education, said Perry Webb, chamber president.
An ongoing conversation among employers in Springdale and across the country is the need for skilled employees, Webb said. At the same time, thousands of people can't find a job.
"It's a technology void," Webb said. "Our soft skills, hard skills have not kept up with what business has done with technology."
The chamber is working to develop an academy to link the business community with school guidance counselors and career and technical education teachers so they have up-to-date information to share with students about what businesses need, Webb said. He anticipates the academy will be established within the first half of this year.
Rollins' words rang true for Ron Harris, president of the nonprofit group A Level Up, based in Springdale. Harris's organization focuses on helping students prepare for the work force in 35 schools, including George Junior High School in Springdale.
Harris sees how education is shifting to make the educational experience more relevant to individual students, but he sees that some children lack a mission and a vision for their future, he said. They need parents and other adults in the community to help understand the relevance of their education to work.
Benton and Washington counties are home to nearly 81,000 5- to 17-year-olds, according to 2013 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Springdale schools alone enroll 22,000 students, and the high schools graduate 1,200 seniors annually, Rollins said. Those students will take on leadership roles in government, in businesses, in churches and in community organizations, and everyone can contribute, he said.
"I have so much admiration for the young people I get to know," Rollins said. "They are worthy of our commitment and our contribution and our willingness to help them."
Brenda Bernet can be reached by email at [email protected].
NW News on 01/23/2015