EDUCATION IS AN INVESTMENT

February 16, 2023

Written by Channa Byerly, Superintendent Duncan Public Schools (DPS)

Education serves as an investment that improves the economic quality of a community. The school district and local businesses and industry must work in partnership to ensure our students are prepared for the workforce, and our business and industry partners have a local workforce pipeline. DPS works collaboratively with many individuals to give our students multiple opportunities to be exposed to career pathways starting in Pre-K. Education is not just about curriculum, but utilizing opportunities to prepare our students for an ever-changing workforce.

Our teachers are tasked with connecting the relevance of what they teach to how students will use those skills in the workforce. Through our Teacher Tours partnership with DAEDF, we are able to do just that. DPS teachers tour local business and industry to see first hand the jobs available in our community and the skills needed for those careers. The connection of the classroom to the workforce allows teachers to see the relevance of their curriculum and helps connect the importance of those skills to our students. In addition, during those tours, teachers are able to hear about the job and scholarship opportunities that are available.

DPS continually evaluates new opportunities to expose our students to college and career readiness. An additional goal of DPS is to continue increasing the number of students participating in our Internship program. We would love to see all our students provided an opportunity to learn employability skills and receive career training in their chosen occupations.

We want our students to graduate college and career ready, but most importantly, to be provided that career opportunity in Duncan. Our DPS graduates are assets to our community, and we want to help them find the right career. It is our responsibility to work together to overcome the shortage in our workforce. This is possible through partnerships like the one we have with DAEDF. We want to work to continuously improve the opportunities in our community for our students and ensure they are prepared through their education for those opportunities. Duncan is a community that values our students and we value our partnerships with our community.

Article featured in the 2022-2023 WORKFORCE UPDATE - READ the update HERE.

"First I learned here and now I earn here." Lisha Elroy, Duncan High School Principal, is a Duncan graduate who found a great career in Duncan. Learn more about what she loves about our community. #LearnHereEarnHere  LEARN MORE HERE.