“Leaving” Education
By Mary Ann Steuterman
Director of Education Initiatives, Metro United Way
Mary Ann Steuterman
At a social function recently, an acquaintance asked me how I liked my new job. Having been Director of Education Initiatives at Metro United Way for just 3 months at the time, I talked about the excitement of learning new things, the frustration of having so many new things to learn, and the fun and fulfillment of facing a new, meaningful professional challenge. That’s when she said it. And it shocked me like a glass of ice cold water was thrown at my face. My acquaintance, who knew I had been a teacher, assistant principal, and principal for 20 years before my recent professional transition said that the new job is all well and good, and she’s happy for me and all, but, “It’s such a shame you left education.”
Left education?!? Not even close!
While Metro United Way continues to do what its always done by mobilizing the caring power of community to address so many vital human needs, we are also working hard to address the root causes of those conditions so that down the road, the level of need isn’t as great as it is today. An important way we do this is through a focus on providing essential community support for educational progress.
Why education? Unfortunately, the reasons are many in number and great in impact. Globally, it’s become all too clear in recent years that our country is simply not keeping up. There are more math and science majors in China today that there are total students in the U.S. We no longer lead the world in the percentage of our population that earns college degrees and are falling further behind each year. Nationally, the dropout rate in the public schools of our 10 largest cities is an abysmal 50%. Half of these young peope are African American, and 70% are unemployed. In the past, those who did not pursue a college education could find meaningful work and a good living in the military, but no longer. An amazing 75% of young adults 17 to 25 today can not enter a branch of military service for three common reasons: obesity, a felony conviction, or lack of a high school diploma.
But the problems are not just global or even national in scale. Right here in our own backyard, lack of educational attainment has kept our community from excelling. Between 1/3 and ½ of our kindergarteners arrive at school unprepared to succeed, and 27% of our students don’t graduate high school on time. Communities with a smaller percentage of high school dropouts and a greater percentage of college degree-holders require less spending on social services and enjoy the fruits of greater economic development. By working with all of our supporters and community partners to address these foundational problems, we can build a stronger community whose needs in the future aren’t as daunting as they appear today.
Left education? Not a chance. I have to admit that I was hurt by the comment of that acquaintance who thought that I had wasted my educational background and talents by leaving a school environment to work in another setting. On the contrary, for someone who truly seeks to have a positive impact on her community through a focus on education like I do, Metro United Way is the perfect place for me to be.