Knowledge Works

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out 

(Proverbs 18:15)

February has emerged as one of my favorite months to spend time online and on social media. During Black History Month, I get exposure to many dynamic stories that force me to evaluate what I was taught during my public school education, but most importantly, to seek additional knowledge and learning for myself. My professional background is not in education, but I have been spending a considerable amount of time in public schools in support of career readiness and workforce development. Last week, I heard a teacher’s reference to Margaret Ammond’s definition that the purpose of education has evolved from producing a literate society to producing a learning society (http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_update/eu201207_infographic.pdf).

Referring back to February and Black History Month: It was during this time last year that our church used the weekly announcements to focus on Education by introducing the congregation to stories of the Rosenwald Schools. During the early twentieth century, Julius Rosenwald, an executive of Sears, Roebuck, and Company, partnered with Booker T. Washington to build quality schools to educate black children in the south. The purpose of that Sunday morning program was to solicit people to contribute to preserving the history of these schools. To learn more about the initiative, visit https://savingplaces.org/places/rosenwald-schools.

That evening, I searched the related Fisk University archives (http://rosenwald.fisk.edu/) and proudly learned that I was a benefactor of the Rosenwald investment in education. My mother graduated from Holman School, one of three segregated high schools built in Arkansas County, Arkansas for black children. After desegregation in 1970, Holman remained a critical part of our community, yet there was a lot about the history of the school literally in my back yard that I did not know. Desiring to learn more, I came across this link that gave more insight into the legacy http://www.abandonedar.com/holman-school/.

Fast forward to present day and the education reform debate continues. I am witnessing the pendulum shifts from a focus on humanities, to STEM-centric, to the current STEAM emphasis. Without jumping into politics, it is safe to say that the current Education Secretary has not eased or enhanced the debate on what the country defines as quality education. At least today, education is still viewed as a human right. At this point, I am more grateful that as a parent and a lifelong learner myself, I am not limited to what is taught in schools, nor does curriculum limit my family and community’s education. Education begins at home.

Stay tuned and follow the journey of education engagement, economic development, and entrepreneurial readiness. We value your input. Feel free to comment, or drop us a line at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. 

Million Women Mentors

Partnership Seeks to Engage

More Than One Million Girls and Young Women

in STEM Education and Careers

I am so thankful to be graced to continue to share this journey of Purposed Work. My 2014 travel schedule has started. In lieu of a blog post this week, I’m sharing information about an exciting program for “advancing women and girls in STEM careers through mentoring.”

The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) announced its partnership with the "Million Women Mentors" (MWM) initiative, launched January 8, 2014, in Washington, D.C., at the National Press Club, as part of National Mentoring Month. A collective effort of more than 40 nonprofit, media, education, government, and industry partners and 9 corporate sponsors, MWM will support the engagement of 1 million science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) mentors--male and female--to increase the interest and confidence of girls and young women to pursue and succeed in STEM degrees and careers.

In the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs has been three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs. Today 80% of the fastest growing occupations in the United States depend on mastery of mathematics and knowledge and skills in hard sciences. Although women comprise 48% of the U.S. workforce, just 24% are in STEM fields, a statistic that has held constant for nearly the past decade. Although 75% of all college students are women and students of color, they represent only 45% of STEM degrees earned each year. Too many of these young women begin in STEM degree paths but leave despite their good academic standing, often citing uncomfortable classroom experiences and disconcerting climate. Even when women earn a STEM degree, they are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM field--even though STEM jobs pay more and have a lower wage gap: 92 cents on a dollar versus 75 cents in other fields.

NAPE, through its Education Foundation, has developed a suite of professional development programs for administrators, educators, and counselors/advisors to improve opportunities for underrepresented populations in STEM courses of study and careers, including STEM-related Career and Technical Education. NAPE's  STEM Equity Pipeline™ offerings include the  Program Improvement Process for Equity™,  Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student™, and the  Focus on Counselors Initiative. To date, NAPE has provided professional development in these programs to almost 1,700 administrators, educators, and counselors/advisors in 372 schools. 

As part of National Mentoring Month, on January 16, 2014, at 1 pm EST, NAPE will actively engage those who mentor girls in STEM in a webinar titled Building Trust.  NAPE COO Claudia Morrell will discuss the importance of paying attention to the use of subtle but powerful micromessages in building trust in mentor/mentee relationships. As explained by Ms. Morrell, "Without honesty there is no credibility in the mentor/mentee relationship, and the mentor becomes just one more person in a long line of people repeating things the mentee doesn't believe. NAPE is excited to contribute to this initiative by providing guidance to mentors about the best ways to communicate with their mentees."

Register for this free webinar today!

 To become involved with NAPE or Million Women Mentors, please visit www.napequity.org  or www.MillionWomenMentors.org . Contact: Claudia Morrell, Chief Operating Officer, (610) 593-8038.

If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Giving Good Works

Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—

pressed down, shaken together to make room for more,

running over, and poured into your lap.

The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

(Luke 6:38)

I am writing this blog post on the evening that I learned of the death of a beloved world leader, Mr. Nelson Mandela. I can remember where I was on the day that he was freed after serving 27 years in prison and when I became a student of his great work. To go from prison to president sounds unimaginable to the faithless, but in his own words: It always seems impossible until it is done. Personally, my favorite Mandela quote is that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Education comes in various forms, as a process for acquiring knowledge and skills. Most people think of the formal classes we take to learn a particular subject matter. Personally, I am a hands-on-learner and subscribe to the conventional wisdom of “give me a fish and feed me for a day, teach me to fish and I will feed myself and my family for a lifetime.” Education, for me, takes form when I have real world experience and application.

As advocates of educating young people about the possibilities of future careers in manufacturing, we know it is just as important to begin engaging students as early as possible with relative application today. We want to give kids hands-on-experience in math, problem solving, teambuilding, assembly, and competition. Our proposal is to get more students actively involved in combat robotics. Latrobe has committed to becoming a sponsor of the National Robotics League competition to be held in Cleveland, OH on May 16^th and 17^th, 2014. (To learn more, visit the NRL website at http://www.gonrl.org/index.php or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GoNRL .) Personally, I have committed to getting more smaller school districts in my home state of Arkansas engaged in cost-effective robotics league programs. I have begun discussion with local educators and hope to have formal programs ready to launch (and fully funded) for the 2014-2015 school year. Our goal is to allow real world experience and application of manufacturing and science concepts for children who may otherwise not get the early exposure.

Pay-It-Forward is a common meme about giving, sowing into others without expectation of repayment, because of the blessings that have been bestowed upon you. My gift to the small communities that have nurtured me over the years is investing in our youth today, through robotics and other STEM-related programs, to get them to see the potential in careers in manufacturing. Personally, my hope is that a seed of good works is planted in the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs. What are you giving to your community to educate and equip our children with lifetime knowledge to change the world? Let us know by commenting or sending me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.