So you're Cambridge. And Harvard University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Medical School call you home. Does this mean you'll get a good score on the Next Generation Communities "Learning" index?
Nope.
The next generation of Americans – and workers – is life-long learners. 60.6 percent of Gen X'ers has training beyond high school. But they're not only interested in terminal degrees (MBA's, JD's, and other graduate degrees.) Today's young people want to learn Pilates or Plato, salsa dancing or Spanish. Next Generation Communities have a breadth of educational options for talent of all ages.
NOTE: We determine your community's scores in the Learning index with two sets of data: (1) quantitative (numbers and stats) and (2) qualitative (focus groups.) Here are the things to look and listen for....
Learning
To determine your community's "Learning" score we measure attributes including your:
Percentage of graduates from high school, 2-year and 4-year colleges, and Ph.D. programs
Number of colleges and tech schools
In focus groups we listen for the voices like:
We have several great bookstores here...
I took a cooking and wine appreciation class last month...
My creative writing club meets on Thursdays...
Yoga classes are offered for beginners and intermediate level...
The library here is incredible...
How do Communities earn a high "Learning" score?
Restaurateurs like Milwaukee's link up to offer gourmet cooking classes
Libraries and bookstores of any size can play a critical role in promoting local authors and cultivating a culture of shared learning through book and writing clubs. Powell's City of Books in Portland has an entire shelf of Local and Visiting authors. http://www.powells.com/.
Gordy Kacala, head of Economic Development in Racine County (WI) organizes several mountain biking experiences annually. He just plain loves to teach his favorite sport to riders of all levels. Helmut? Gloves? Let's go!
How many places can people "plug into" learning – of all kinds – in your community? On a 1-10 scale (10 = perfect) what score does YOUR community earn in the Learning index?
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