Change the dialogue towards achieving higher educational attainment

1. Idea: Change the language

1.1. Language, to include the implied belief in the student to gain higher education (P-20). "Where are you going to college? What are going to study?"...follow up questions may include: why? and this is how you can get there...parents need to be informed about the what, where, how and why

1.2. Be cognizant of individuals time. Fit their schedule. Incorporate and acknowledge students who may have to rely on someone other than a parent.

2. Give parents the "how to" guide to using specific language

2.1. Parents need the practical, "how-to" guide. They may also need the information. Confidence in delivering the message is just as important or perhaps more so important as knowing the information.

2.2. Parents need just as much support to be active in this venture despite their own level of education and background.

3. Become INFORMED about the critical U.S. state of affairs and how is and will effect us in the future. Scare tactic needed?

3.1. Must be short, and engaging. Succinct messages that convey the issue and produces an emotional response..call to action.

3.2. i.e. show the Crow "challenges powerpoint", needs to be consistent (throughout the year), information given in different formats (i.e. youtube video, music, art, discussion), must be culturally relevant and age-appropriate.

4. Build community hubs

4.1. Within the school(s): administration, staff, faculty, students. Same language.

4.2. Utilize venues to inform, teach and "practice" the language. i.e. parent-teacher conferences, "parent pep assemblies", school activities, social media, "parent homework: provide discussion topics, questions to ask.

4.3. Must be culturally responsive, relevant and age-appropriate.

5. Interview Findings: "How would you solve the challenge?

5.1. Make practical

5.2. Build strong community

5.3. Ensure to have right tools for success

5.4. Keep in mind different cultures, background, etc.

5.5. Use technology, have support for technology

5.6. Transform education

5.7. Have adequate funding

6. Interview Findings: "Feedback for idea"

6.1. Like building strong community

6.2. Seems easy to implement, with little to no cost

6.3. Include other experiences maybe, study abroad, promotes higher ed also

6.4. Gets them ready ( students and parents)

6.5. Include other experiences maybe, study abroad, promotes higher ed also

6.6. Can use today, can scale up, might consider mentoring

7. Business Model Considerations:

7.1. "Customer": Parents/Students/School Admns/Teachers , Key resources: are the "customers" themselves

7.2. "Offer": practical "how to" to encourage higher educational attainment

7.3. "How Offer": through practical tools, information, support, encouragement via school activities

7.4. "Relationship": promoting personal and interpersonal relationship between all "customers"

7.5. "Selling it?": need buy in via expressing critical nature if we don't do we can to increase educational attainment, Could "sell" idea to programs that are already established. Could be an additional product to incoprorate into their program

8. U.S. is in a critical state

8.1. Outsourcing

8.1.1. If you won't do it, someone else will... for less money!

8.2. Declining educational attainment

8.2.1. Our decline as a nation is an increase for some other country who can fulfill the needs of today and tomorrow.

8.3. Declining global competitiveness in education

8.3.1. Declining global competitiveness in education will lead to declining global competitiveness in all other areas.

8.4. Unawareness of the general U.S. public

8.4.1. The general U.S. population is completely unaware of the critical state of affairs. Or worse, prefer to purposefully ignore the issues.

8.5. Building human capital consistently and continually is crucial to survival

9. Childhood memories

9.1. Dialogue change: from "What do you want to be when you grow up?" to "Where are going to go to college?" and "What are you going to study?"

9.2. Implied: I was going to go to college OR gave me the opportunity to express something else. This dialogue began at a very young age (kindergarten?) and continued throughout high school. Consistency..in the message.

9.3. Had role models. Had role models who looked like me. Had my siblings as role models.

9.4. Parents played an active role in my education. Parent teacher conferences although they couldn't really help me academically (homework), the expectation was I had everything handled academically. Supportive.

9.5. Other support: Teachers: fortunate to be in "advanced" courses. Peers: Peers in advanced courses modeled what a "good student" looked like and often had parents who were actively involved in their academics. Coaches: required "passing grades" to play sports.

10. Push Back is Inevitable

10.1. Naysayers: -no money, no time, too much effort, teachers: "we are already overworked, unappreciated,and underpaid", parents: "why? my kid is fine.", "they can't go to college, he/she is not smart enough, I don't have the money to send him/her'", staff/administration: "why? some will make it college, some won't, why don't we focus on those who have a chance?"

10.2. Dear Naysayers: What do you suggest we do? Has what we've done so far worked? Why is the U.S. declining in educational attainment? If not you/us, then who? What kind of world do you want to leave to you kids, grand kids, their kids and their grand kids?