Social Environment 8.3: Education

The Island’s physical isolation from colleges, universities and the other resources of a metropolitan area on the mainland limit education on Martha’s Vineyard – whether grade school, continuing adult education, or professional development. For example, it is much more difficult for senior high school students to take advanced college courses, or for adults to pursue a degree, certificate, or occasional night course.

In just one generation, society has witnessed a tremendous change in individuals’ typical career paths, with far fewer people staying in the same vocation throughout their working lives. The best schooling is one that provides students choices and teaches them skills that are transferable and adaptable.

The Vineyard’s public schools have long addressed this by conducting field trips and excursions, to broaden students’ perspectives and experiences. Dramatic technological advances in communications have expanded instructor and student access to worldwide information and hold the promise – not yet fully realized – for access to more educational opportunities and student-specific training. This also could satisfy the desire of residents and visitors for continuing education and personal enrichment.

The Martha's Vineyard six public schools and the MV Public Charter School provide pre-kindergarten to grade 12 education, generally recognized as being of excellent quality. For example, the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School has a 91% graduation rate, 6% higher than the state average, and a dropout rate of just 1%. The school population has been declining for about eight years; the 2008 enrollment of 2,245 students was three-quarters of its facility capacity of 2,980. The public school system is the largest single Island employer, with about 600 employees.

Another important challenge in public education is that the high cost of housing and living on Martha's Vineyard is a significant challenge in recruiting and keeping teachers. Also, professional development for teachers is more difficult here than on mainland locations which have easier access to evening college courses.

The challenge of continuing development applies to other professions, as well. Many public employees and volunteers must regularly obtain training to remain certified. The addition of travel time to the required hours of instruction is a significant burden to people needing such instruction and a deterrent for some people to accept these necessary civic positions.

Objective S3: Turn the whole Vineyard into a school-without-walls by providing community-based pre-K-to-12 education for students in the school system, and by encouraging and promoting opportunities for residents and visitors to pursue education throughout their lives.

·  Strategy S3-1: Provide greater vocational training geared to employment opportunities: Not all students are college oriented, and there is a need for many skilled workers and entrepreneurs on-Island and off. In response to this need, the High School already provides courses in culinary arts, hospitality, landscaping, and carpentry/ construction, and most recently added courses in banking/financing and farming.

·  Strategy S3-2: Provide more opportunities for community-based education for school students: About 200 students participate in some work-study program each year, not including summer internships.  However, Vineyard schools, and especially the High School, could expand opportunities to allow students to integrate their education with the rest of the community, both on and off Island, with techniques such as internships, mentorships, on-line courses, and programs offering a year off between high school and university  (e.g. City Year, other AmeriCorps programs). This will help Island students make the transition to jobs and/or university.

·  Strategy S3-3: Provide professional development programs: We can make it easier for residents to take professional courses and work towards certification in various fields such as teaching, nursing and, perhaps, for emergency response personnel. Past efforts to collaborate with off-Island colleges and universities have been mixed, since our small population base makes it difficult to support programs here. The Dukes Academy provides training courses for Island Realtors. A model for other professions might be the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s successful nurse certification training, combining on-Island courses with visiting professors, together with concentrated off-Island specialized training.

·  Strategy S3-4: Provide post secondary education for residents and visitors: Though past efforts, such as the Nathan Mayhew Seminars, have faltered, there is a sense that the community wants and could support a more robust program of continuing education. The new Adult & Community Education program at the High School offers a range of language and enrichment courses.

·  Strategy S3-5: Improve availability of daycare and pre-kindergarten schooling: Daycare is needed for children (especially infants) particularly for non-traditional work hours. This includes before- and after-school care and summer care for school children. The Vineyard Affordable Child Care Project is one entity working on this. Preschool benefits toddlers educationally and socially, but its cost is often prohibitive. Perhaps with shrinking school populations, existing facility space can be used for preschool initiatives that can incorporate childcare training for older students, as is presently done at the High School with Community Services Daycare Center.