Cole Speaks with PDK Members

"The Educational Agenda for West Virginia in the 21st Century" was the topic when Jay Cole, Deputy Secretary of Education and The Arts, recently addressed members of the University community at a meeting sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa, national education honorary.

Cole described several initiatives of Governor Bob Wise's educational program. The new P-20 Council is designed, he explained, to increase communication and coordination between the K-12 educational system and higher education. The Benedum Collaborative, which is based upon close relationships between professional development schools and the University, is a good example to the attempt to establish partnerships and a more free-flowing "pipeline" between the public schools and higher education.

Cole also discussed efforts to keep West Virginia's most talented young people in the state. The Promise Scholarship, he said, was an example of this initiative. The first Governor's School for Math and Science, which will be held at West Virginia University this summer and will be coordinated by Eric Pyle, an associate professor in science education, is a similar effort.