A Tisket, a Tasket, an Education Basket

I think it’s actually a green and yellow basket! I am sure we have all heard of the basket of goods that is required of the Wyoming education system. Some days, I’m not sure if they have completed the basket or have dropped their basket, but I am sure we need to work on some issues related to education. Two items that are important to your Chamber of Commerce and Chambers around this country are Civics Education and Purple Star Schools.

Civics education seems like an obvious one, but the US Chamber Foundation has launched an initiative to educate students about the country they live in. If you don’t understand your system of government, how can you be an effective citizen or voter? You might be saying to yourself right now, “I know all about my country.” So, let’s test that brazen statement. You can take this short Civics Quiz to see if your audacity is well placed. I will warn you that I have passed it out to many folks and there are very few perfect scores. I think we can all agree that an informed electorate is a good electorate, and the more we know about our nation, the better off we all will be.

The second issue we are pursuing is the Purple Star Schools initiative. The Purple Star Schools initiative is all about how military children are handled in our schools. It’s tough moving often and it’s even tougher when the system isn’t set up to handle the special issues that pop up for military kids. I think we do a pretty good job in Cheyenne and Wyoming of taking care of military children, but we can always do better. The Purple Star Schools initiative standardizes our efforts and makes sure we are effectively serving the children of those who serve us. 

Thanks to everyone working on this issue and a special KUDOS to Representative Bill Henderson for helping to carry this issue forward.

Story by Dale G. Steenbergen, President/CEO Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce