Children growing up in disadvantaged communities must have access to good education if they’re going to succeed in the knowledge economy. Current school curriculums are not preparing students well enough for them to prosper in a career or in college.
Luckily there are programs like Partnership for New York City and School the World that are supporting businesses, parents, and broader communities in coming together to support children in getting the education they need.
Headed up by business leaders including Bill Ford (General Atlantic Chief Executive Officer), James Gorman (Morgan Stanley Chairman and CEO), and Chad Dickerson (Etsy Chief Executive Officer), Partnership for New York City is working to connect children and community businesses to facilitate the kind of well-rounded education needed to survive in the American economy today.
According to the Partnership’s website, “The only sustainable solution to income inequality is a good education and access to the skills required to succeed in the knowledge economy.” To that end, the Partnership promotes business engagement with schools. By giving students access to business leaders in their community, it’s possible to get students ready to succeed in college–and in life.
The Partnership has worked toward other goals as well, such as creating a wage reporting system that will collect data about common jobs and wages of recent college graduates in every state. The same initiative will look at workforce development programs and how they are (or are not) succeeding, which will help determine where money is best spent in this area.
A little further south, School the World is working hard to empower rural villagers in Central America by providing more education options. Coordinating with local governments, partners, and parents, School the World has built 38 primary schools, trained 157 teachers, and enrolled more than 4,000 students in Honduras and Guatemala.
With job markets all over the world requiring both STEM and liberal arts backgrounds at a higher level, School the World works hard to promote lifelong education that will ensure those involved can get higher-paying jobs that will better support their families. With government and community buy-in, communities in Central America can prepare their children—even those living in rural areas—for successful professional lives.
Communication and education are more important now than ever, and programs like the Partnership for New York City and School the World are spreading a love of learning across the continent, with an emphasis on getting children the schooling they need to succeed in the knowledge economy.
