Televised town hall probes higher education, jobs
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2628/1/Televised-town-hall-probes-higher-education-jobs/Page1.html
Cornelius Fortune
By Cornelius Fortune
Published on 04/23/2008
“Higher Education and the New Economy,” a town hall meeting, will be broadcast on WXYZ Channel 7 on Wednesday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
Dennis Archer
“Higher Education and the New Economy,” a town hall meeting, will be broadcast on WXYZ Channel 7 on Wednesday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
Hosted by Chuck Stokes, the program will feature a panel discussion on the current dropout rate of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) students and the ailing economy. The goal is to find a solution to both problems through education.
“If parents are concerned about what a child does, the child is going to be motivated to do good because that child will want to have a positive reaction from the adult in their life,” said former mayor Dennis Archer, who will be sitting in the audience and may occasionally offer comment or ask questions. “If we can encourage more of our young people to start thinking about why it is important to get an education, it would help.”
Archer’s mother had a high school education and his father only a third grade education. This was all the more incentive for their encouraging him to excel in school and go on to college. That interest proved to be a strong motivating force.
“We can’t afford to have our children drop out of high school,” Archer said. “Education is so vital, so important. It is important for us to drive home the positive nature of education, and also to drive home the positive nature of what parents can do to be involved in their children’s lives as it relates to education.”
A child’s best role model is usually the parent or a caregiver, and it starts with that foundation, he added.
“That’s the kind of encouragement that is infectious, it makes you want to do something with your life,” he said.
The town hall meeting is funded by The Skillman Foundation, The DTE Foundation, and the Detroit Regional Chamber.
“The Skillman Foundation has showed us through their hard work that there are some very outstanding schools in the city of Detroit, and they’re not all called Renaissance or Cass,” Archer said. “But these are elementary schools, junior high schools, (and) high schools.”
Preparing a workforce that is qualified for jobs in Michigan is going to spring from the demands of education and encouraging the next generation to stay the course.
“Everyone has a part to play,” Archer said.
“Higher Education and the New Economy,” a town hall meeting, will be broadcast on WXYZ Channel 7 on Wednesday, April 30, at 8 p.m. "Higher Education and the New Economy"
Dennis Archer
“Higher Education and the New Economy,” a town hall meeting, will be broadcast on WXYZ Channel 7 on Wednesday, April 30, at 8 p.m.
Hosted by Chuck Stokes, the program will feature a panel discussion on the current dropout rate of Detroit Public Schools (DPS) students and the ailing economy. The goal is to find a solution to both problems through education.
“If parents are concerned about what a child does, the child is going to be motivated to do good because that child will want to have a positive reaction from the adult in their life,” said former mayor Dennis Archer, who will be sitting in the audience and may occasionally offer comment or ask questions. “If we can encourage more of our young people to start thinking about why it is important to get an education, it would help.”
Archer’s mother had a high school education and his father only a third grade education. This was all the more incentive for their encouraging him to excel in school and go on to college. That interest proved to be a strong motivating force.
“We can’t afford to have our children drop out of high school,” Archer said. “Education is so vital, so important. It is important for us to drive home the positive nature of education, and also to drive home the positive nature of what parents can do to be involved in their children’s lives as it relates to education.”
A child’s best role model is usually the parent or a caregiver, and it starts with that foundation, he added.
“That’s the kind of encouragement that is infectious, it makes you want to do something with your life,” he said.
The town hall meeting is funded by The Skillman Foundation, The DTE Foundation, and the Detroit Regional Chamber.
“The Skillman Foundation has showed us through their hard work that there are some very outstanding schools in the city of Detroit, and they’re not all called Renaissance or Cass,” Archer said. “But these are elementary schools, junior high schools, (and) high schools.”
Preparing a workforce that is qualified for jobs in Michigan is going to spring from the demands of education and encouraging the next generation to stay the course.
“Everyone has a part to play,” Archer said.