Tag: Education
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Talent or Taxes? Where Should We Become Leaders?
If you were the Governor, or a leader in the Legislature, where would you place your bet for future economic development in West Virginia? Would you prioritize the development and recruitment of talented, highly-educated workers, researchers and teachers to build up our state’s brainpower, or take a much more aggressive whack at eliminating what are…
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Government’s Role in the New Economy
Whatever your opinion of government, whether you fall into the pure free-markets, “less is more” camp or the hands-on government camp, there should be one thing we all agree on: government has quite an influence on our state. With up to 52% of our state economy somehow connected to government spending (yes, the highest in…
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“Teach to Test” – not in the 21st Century.
State School Superintendent Steve Paine’s recognition that “we’ve relied too heavily on standardized tests to improve student performance” and that standardized tests like WESTEST are “not good as a tool to improve individual student achievement” (Daily Mail, Jan.2) is a welcome start to making education relevant again for students. Emphasizing fine arts, wellness, global awareness,…
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Measuring Return on New Economy Investment
The recent proposal by Governor Manchin to essentially mimic Kentucky’s “Bucks for Brains” program on a smaller scale is an encouraging sign that our state is ready to think beyond traditional economic development boundaries. While it would be great if West Virginia were someday on the leading edge of creative initiatives like Bucks for Brains,…
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Things are Looking Up in Upshur County
Buckhannon just seems like one of those All-American towns. One of the rare West Virginia towns built on a fairly large swath of flat land in Central WV, Buckhannon is home to the famous Strawberry Festival and West Virginia Wesleyan College. Like most small towns, the downtown started to empty and deteriorate years ago. But…
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What are Other Regions Doing?
There is no doubt that a shift in economic development strategy from “smokestack chasing” to “nurturing an entrepreneurial garden” is occurring around the country. While we don’t necessarily like the term “smokestack chasing” because it’s misleading as to what the hard-working folks in economic development offices do (who isn’t excited about Hino Motors and other…
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New State Slogan: Open for Immigrants?
Since “Open for Business” has run its course on our welcome signs, perhaps it’s time to discuss who we’re open for as much as what we’re open for. In the New Economy, any discussion has to begin with the global competition for talent. And by global, we do mean global. It’s a simple equation: The…
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Raising Our Expectations for Education
Where does West Virginia stand in the race to prepare students with 21st century skills? And what the heck are 21st century skills anyway? We tackle these questions and more in the exciting and informative Education track at the Create WV conference Nov 12-14. We encourage you to forward this track agenda to any K12…
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Welcome Future Scientists
A lot of people aren’t aware that the National Youth Sciences Foundation is located here in West Virginia, and this week is their annual camp. Budding scientists from high schools around around the country (and world) are here in West Virginia this week to learn from successful scientists and connect with their peers at their…
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How to Connect Our Communities
The technology track of the Create WV Conference offers sessions on using technology to attract and develop creative workers in your community. Many creative workers can live and work anywhere with reliable, modern broadband Internet access – the critical new “utility” for the 21st century. Wireless access makes it easier to work in public places…