Nearly 500 education administrators, teachers, students, military leaders and community group members will join forces this week to find better ways to support students and increase educational achievement in the Mountain State.
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the West Virginia Department of Education will host the sixth annual statewide Student Success Summit on Wednesday, July 27 and Thursday, July 28 at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel and Conference Center in Morgantown. The Summit focuses on encouraging collaboration across the full length of the education pipeline. Representatives ranging from pre-school teachers to college presidents to student leaders are expected to be in attendance.
The conference will kick off with a panel discussion among education leaders to address the challenges and opportunities within the state’s education systems. Dr. Paul Hill, Chancellor of the Commission; Dr. Sarah Tucker, Chancellor of the state’s Community and Technical College System; Dr. Michael Martirano, State Superintendent of Schools; Michael Green, President of the State Board of Education and Dr. Kathy D’Antoni, Chief Career and Technical Education Officer for the West Virginia Department of Education will participate in the panel. The discussion will be moderated by Scott Finn, the CEO and Executive Director of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
“This Summit offers a unique opportunity to fuel collaboration and innovation across the full education spectrum in West Virginia. From early learning through higher education and beyond, we have to ensure that our students are prepared to take the next step in their educations or careers — and succeed,” Dr. Hill said. “Increasing the number of students who are graduating with a high school diploma and earning a post-secondary certificate or degree is going to be a critical component in moving our economy forward and reinvigorating our communities. ”
This year’s conference theme is “Excellence in Action.” The event will feature more than 60 sessions that focus on sharing practical ideas that can have an immediate impact in classrooms and on campuses across the state.
“There is no other more important metric that validates our progress than our graduation rate,” said Dr. Michael Martirano. “We know a growing number of jobs of the future in West Virginia are going to require education beyond high school, so a focus on pursuing education postsecondary is critical. When more young people achieve and graduate, our entire state becomes stronger.”
Five high schools — Berkeley Springs, Paw Paw, Riverside, Spring Valley, Tolsia and Wayne County — will send teams of students to participate in a focused Youth Summit track of the conference. Students will learn leadership skills and strategies to build and strengthen a college-going culture in their communities. They will present what they have learned during the morning plenary session on July 28.
The Summit is sponsored by the Commission and the Department of Education, with support from the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts and the State’s military service units. Registration is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.cfwv.com.
