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August 31, 2006
Editor's note:
The following is prepared and distributed by The Partnership for Successful Schools, a Lexington, KY-based organization that, for the last 15 years, has engaged all aspects of the community in education through grassroots initiatives and policy discussions. Comments and questions about this column should be directed to: ahdavis@partnershipforsuccessfulschools.org.
Finding Your Voice, In School and In the World
By William H. Crouch, Jr.
It is part of my job as the president of Georgetown College to rally the troops, so to speak, especially now as another school year begins.
In that role, I've given speeches throughout the years to incoming freshmen and returning students, to faculty, to donors and potential contributors, extolling them to do their best and give their all in the upcoming academic year.
As a board member of the Partnership for Successful Schools, a group that builds relationships between the world of school and the world of work, I also get the opportunity to rally the troops in a larger audience. I get to ask corporations, community groups, legislators, and the general public to support and affirm schools and the people who teach and learn in them.
When I speak to young people starting their academic careers at Georgetown College, I talk to them about finding their "voice." And I define voice to them as the place where their talent (natural gifts and strengths); their passion (those things that excite and inspire them); their consciences (those still, small voices that tell them right from wrong); and the world's needs come together and produce significant results that last throughout their lives.
To me helping young people become educated is all about helping them develop their voices, those powerful tools for living productive lives. We do that by helping them discover their talents and passions, listen to their consciences, and learn about the world and its needs.
We have a role to play as adults in this process, even those of us who are not in a classroom every day. We must all trust and expect students to give us their best; show respect, believing students will be responsible and should be treated accordingly; be optimistic and intentional, knowing that students possess untapped potential and that part of our job is to invite personal growth in all students.
As I read about and listen to young people, I hear them calling out to us, not just as educators but as family, employers, and community members, to stand behind them, and even to challenge them in school and work.
Life After High School, a report released last year by Public Agenda, asked young people across the country to talk about their hopes and prospects. There was a lot of heartening news in the report. The majority of the young adults surveyed believe in the value of a college education, seeing it as a way to earn respect as well as higher incomes and financial security. A large percentage of students surveyed had a teacher or coach in high school who inspired them and parents who strongly expected them to go to college.
But while it looks like we may be doing a good job in inspiring young people, we are not providing them with the assistance that they need to reach their goal. In the Public Agenda survey, almost half of the students who did not go on to college said they couldn't afford to do so. Almost half of the students who did go on said their high schools should have done more to prepare them for college level work.
These students didn't place all the blame on their teachers, however. Of the students who completed a degree, 78 percent said they "could have paid a lot more attention and worked harder in high school."
As supporters of education both inside and outside of the classroom, we also need to find, and raise, our own voices. We need to share with students in our communities the messages that school matters and that taking challenging courses and doing their school work is important to them and their future, whether or not they go to college. We need to use our voices to tell students that they must do their best, just as we ask teachers to hold all students to high expectations.. And we need to be intentional in our support of schools, teachers, and most especially students.
We need to advocate for students and for them getting the kind of education that will help them find their voices and use them to achieve their place in the world.
William H. Crouch, Jr., president of Georgetown College since 1991, serves on the board of directors of The Partnership for Successful Schools. The Partnership, based in Lexington, KY, works with employers, schools, and communities to increase the percentage of students who graduate from schools and are able to be successful at the next level.
