When Pitsco co-founder Harvey Dean was in high school, he was a below-average student who was nearly disciplined out of school because he didn’t see how what he was learning was applicable in the real world. Thanks to the support of his shop teacher Jim Coffey, however, he found success through kinesthetic learning, or learning by doing. And that is still the principle that Pitsco, now a multi-million dollar, national education supply and curriculum development company, stands by today.
The world of education is changing, but one thing that will never change is that not all students learn the same way. Many students require that extra bit of attention to help them achieve better grades. Since 1995, Club Z Tutoring has been expanding its presence and providing the individualized, one-on-one instruction in homes, schools, after-school facilities, libraries, and community centers those children need.
Outside of filling the brains of America’s youth with knowledge, America’s schools are charged with filling their stomachs as well. Founded in 1967, Preferred Meal Systems is a school meal program pioneer, well-suited to help school systems deal with expanding enrollment and modern economic and nutritional demands.
For many years, school districts have been telling publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) about their two-part challenges: to stretch dollars in tough economic times while continuing to invest in forward-looking educational systems. HMH, a global education company, is working with districts to accomplish these goals. Among the key ingredients is an education solutions package that puts entire learning programs and professional development resources in one online location.
According to Dr. Bruce Douglas, executive director of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) in Connecticut, the country is struggling with the “stagnant quo” of public education and the solution is innovative and entrepreneurial people who can not only create effective programs, but also implement them despite extremely limited resources. That’s exactly what the team at CREC does. This education service agency, Douglas said, employs 1,700 individuals who are committed to serving the best interests of children and families in Connecticut and giving students every opportunity to succeed.
The times they are a changin’ in today’s public education system and so far, not for the better. With many states facing near-calamitous deficits and others enduring political power plays attempting to strip public education workers of their collective bargaining rights, it’s been a trying time for most. But for organizations like the National Education Association (NEA), it’s been a time of solidarity and an invitation to embrace the positive changes that may come from all of this, according to John Wilson.
