“Personal Pathways to Success!”

February 5, 2008: Patricia Ferguson, representing Trident Regional Education Center, has “mastered” the field of education many times over. She studied education at Clemson, has a masters’ degree, and has experience in grant writing, and academic enhancement courses. What shines through besides her impressive academic background, is her enthusiasm and belief that there is genuine “opportunity for genius” through education.

Ms. Ferguson is passing on what she knows, to help bring the vision of a bright future to South Carolina’s school children. Ms. Ferguson discussed how the Education and Economic Development Act of 2005 has been implemented, and what the purpose is behind it. There is a catchy motto associated with the Act: “Personal Pathways to Success.” The educators, legislators, and businesses behind the Act are hoping this motto will appeal to the public.

The Personal Pathways program is intended to accomplish a combined set of goals, including producing the workforce that will be demanded in the coming years. The relevance of the Personal Pathways to local businesses should not be overlooked. Ms. Ferguson walked us through some statistics that are cause for concern to any local resident: 53% of South Carolina high school students graduate in 4 years–that is the lowest number since 2004; 56% of South Carolina adults function at a literacy level below that of a 5th grader. The program as implemented in high schools asks students to choose a sort of “major” out of 16 different career cluster focuses, as defined by the US Department of Education.

Students are free to change their focus major yearly, and are not locked in. The purpose is to encourage students to take classes they will enjoy, and to learn more about a career path. Businesses can also get involved by mentoring, counseling, and opening themselves up to students. Ms. Ferguson was an inspirational speaker, and we thank her for taking the time to better the community.

Reported by Jackie Grau, Keyway Committee