By Luke Brown

Special to the Salisbury Post

On Sept. 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced a new vision for America’s quest to lead our world to the moon, to the exploration of space for the enhancement of the good of all men.

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too,’’ Kennedy said.

The implantation of that vision renewed America and drove the many advancements that this world so desperately needed over the following years. It began a series of events that moved, not just our country, but our world from industrial to agricultural, from analog to digital.

Before this technology boom, the needs of the workforce did not change often. Skills were taught to match the blueprint of the industry in certain geographical locations. It worked brilliantly.

The ever-changing workforce coupled with rapidly rising global economic competition have put education as we’ve always known it behind in its ability to prepare the next generation.

It’s important to know that the education system as a whole is not broken. There are pedagogies in practice across the country that are extremely effective and can engage students at a high level. However, there are constraints to our educational system produced by policy makers, most of whom are not experts in the field of education.

For years, professional educators have sat by idly waiting for the right moves to be made. This approach has yielded negative results.

We know that students learn much differently than ever before. For the first time in our nation’s history, we are educating digital children whose daily activities are truly global — children who have never known a world without terror, children who must be able to think critically at a high level simply to survive. Our approach to education, for their sake and for the sake of our nation, must change.

A blank canvas

If the beginning of this column sounds heavy,  that’s because this work is monumental. In my opinion, North Carolina House Bill 986 is the single most important piece of educational legislation in our state’s history behind the desegregation of schools. The bill allows Rowan-Salisbury School leaders to break the chains of high-stakes testing, calendar constraints, and budgetary guidelines that hinder the best use of our monies. It allows our teachers to again be artists of their craft, to have curricular ownership, and to create a personalized experience that promotes the life goals of their students. It’s a blank canvas for which a masterpiece must be crafted.

So, what does this opportunity mean for you?

For our students, it means that we can develop an experience that can open doors to the world you never imagined existed. This work will allow you to follow your passions. To use the knowledge gained from experts in history, English, math, science, the arts, world languages and career and technical education to solve problems that are relevant to your life and to your future. It means we can educate you based on your interests.

For parents, it means that the stresses of the many high-stakes tests for your child will be greatly reduced. Work done by your child will not be in preparation for the regurgitation of information for testing purposes; rather, it will be meaningful and relevant. It means that a world of opportunity greater than we’ve ever known will be opened up to your child.

For business owners and community leaders, it means the Rowan-Salisbury School system will be asking for you to partner with us to build a strong body of work for our students. Students need to know and understand what skills they need to be successful in the many emerging careers in our area. We will need to pair our curriculum with real world examples of its significance to student goals. In return, you will get the most future ready students our system has ever prepared.

For the public, this bill in coordination with the amazingly talented leadership of our school system means the first step in reclaiming America’s educational revolution starts in Rowan County. The masterpiece that is about to be authored in this school district will create jobs for the future, stabilize our local economy, and produce citizens that can carry the rich legacies of Ralph Ketner, Elizabeth Koontz, Fred Stanback, Mona Lisa Wallace, Bill Graham, Julian Robertson, George Knox, Phil Kirk, Elizabeth Dole, Cliff Ritchie, Susan Kluttz, Jim Hurley and the many other writers of Rowan County’s history.

Student-centered

This work cannot be done overnight. It will take time. It will be difficult work. But, from the initial conversations, student outcomes have always been the first topic of conversation. How will we create more opportunities for our students? How will we better prepare them for the future? As long as the narrative remains student-centered, the work will always be meaningful to the many educators and leaders associated with Rowan County.

This is an exciting time for education in Rowan County and I for one can’t wait to see the results of our work.

Luke Brown is principal of Salisbury High School.