West Virginia Student Success Summit focuses on career-readiness
Charleston, W.Va. – More than 550 educators, counselors and administrators from the pre-school, elementary, secondary and postsecondary education systems; workforce professionals; business and community leaders; military personnel; and students gathered at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston for the West Virginia Student Success Summit on July 12 and 13, 2023. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, and the West Virginia Department of Education partner together to host the Summit every summer. The theme of this year’s Summit was Creating a Career-Ready West Virginia.
The West Virginia Student Success Summit is the state’s pre-eminent collaborative event between PK-12 and higher education systems, as well as community stakeholders. The Summit focuses on creating a college-going culture and promoting college- and career-readiness in West Virginia’s schools. This year’s Summit emphasized forging student career pathways to meet the demands of future job markets. A new addition to this year’s Summit was the Student Showcase where students from across the state presented innovative career-driven projects and programs.
The Summit featured plenary panels comprised of K-12 and postsecondary policy leaders. Additionally, internationally renowned speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and youth advocate, Christian Moore delivered the final plenary session on being a mentor and advocate for students facing trauma and adversity. Attendees of the Summit attended several breakout sessions on a variety of topics including dual enrollment, workforce development, college access and awareness, financial aid, community engagement, mentoring, career exploration, student behavior and mental health, adult education and career and technical education.
“West Virginia’s job market is changing,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “With more and more jobs requiring some form of postsecondary training or education, it’s up to us to inform students of the various career pathways that will allow them to be successful. The Student Success Summit is a unique opportunity for educators and community leaders to gather, share resources and find innovative solutions to help West Virginia students from across the educational spectrum succeed.”
“The event is the highlight of the summer for many of our educators and partners,” said State Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt. “It provides the opportunity for them to focus on the solutions to our challenges and to better understand how to grow our collective efforts. The WVDE team members who attend and support the Summit value the opportunity to share and to learn as we prepare for the upcoming school year.”
“Collaboration among students, teachers, administrators, higher education professionals, businesses and communities is vital for student success and achieving workforce educational goals for the state,” stated Elizabeth Manuel, Senior Director of Student Services at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. “By addressing some of the state’s biggest issues head on at the Student Success Summit, participants left equipped with strategies to better achieve student success within their classroom, school, college and community.”
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Related social media hashtag: #StudentSuccessWV
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