By Elizabeth Garbe
Public Policy Director
Last week the legislature’s Education Task Force met and heard testimony from a variety of groups regarding their perspectives on student achievement. Board Member and Chair of UWSL’s Collective Impact Council, John Milliken, testified on behalf of UWSL and the Board. He has been a longtime supporter of UWSL and was a champion of UWSL’s transformation to Collective Impact.
John spoke to Task Force members about two important components to student achievement. One being Collective Impact, a comprehensive approach to solving community problems, and second being community schools, a place based solution that views, organizes, and utilizes our schools in a new way. He explained, “By using Utah schools as hubs, where many partners are brought together to offer a range of support and opportunities, we can improve outcomes which will allow every child to succeed in school and lead more productive lives.”
As a President of Milcom Inc., John understands the importance of educational success at the individual student level, as well as its importance in communities and the economy. He suggested that Utah “could play a role by applying the principles of Collective Impact across systems and by creating grants to help support the creation of community schools in every school. This would support the success not only of our schools and our children, but also of our families and entire communities.”
Having a Board member provide the face and voice for our work at the legislature is much appreciated. Thank you, John, for always LIVING UNITED!
