Skill Sets
for Success
KRISTIN ANDERSON
Building Career Readiness in K-12
West Virginia is at a crossroads as it works to revive its
struggling economy by recruiting new business to the state,
attracting and retaining a skilled workforce and addressing
its opioid epidemic head on. And policymakers and education
officials know the state’s public education system has to be
part of the solution.
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Steven Paine was selected
in March 2017 to return for a second stint as the state’s ed-
ucation leader. He previously served as West Virginia’s 25th
school superintendent from 2005-2011. Now, for his second
tenure as the state’s head public education official, he is guided
by the principle that West Virginia’s public education system
must prepare students to make a positive impact on West Vir-
ginia’s economy.
“Relying on the lessons I’ve learned over my career, both in
the public and private sector, I feel extremely optimistic about
the future of education,” says Paine. “My goal is to build a
foundation that ensures our students are graduating prepared
for success and to ultimately make a positive impact on West
Virginia’s viability.”
Under his leadership, several major changes will take place in
the coming months linked to developing the workforce needed
to grow West Virginia’s economy.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
A Focus on Early Childhood Education
Paine plans to continue a concentrated focus on early child-
hood education. West Virginia is a nationally recognized leader
for its strong commitment to early learning and is one of a small
handful of states in the nation to offer free, full-day, five-day
kindergarten for all children and voluntary universal pre-K to all
4-year-old children and 3-year-old children with special needs.
While the Universal Pre-K program is voluntary, the state par-
ticipation rate is 76 percent, which places West Virginia as one
of six states in the nation to serve more than 60 percent of its
4-year-old population. In 2017, the National Institute for Early
Education Research (NIEER) recognized West Virginia as one
of five states in the nation to meet all 10 quality benchmarks
for its Universal Pre-K program and placed West Virginia sixth
in the nation for access for 4-year-old children.
“West Virginia recognizes that the state’s economic future
depends on early investment in its youngest citizens,” says
NIEER Director Steve Barnett. “Ensuring every child has access
to high-quality preschool can help pave the way for their success
in school, on the job and in West Virginia communities.”
The Mountain State’s commitment to high-quality early
learning continues through the elementary grades, as the West
Virginia Comprehensive Approach to Early Learning for Grades
Pre-K Through 5, established in 2012 by the West Virginia
Board of Education and Department of Education, has been
recognized nationally for its commitment to closing the early
literacy achievement gap and making gains in student achieve-
ment. Since 2013, West Virginia’s fourth grade National As-
sessment of Educational Progress scores have increased in rank
by six states, moving from 47th in the nation to 41st in 2015.
The benefits of high-quality early learning programming
resonate long beyond the elementary years of a child’s school-
ing. Research shows that high-quality early learning programs
not only benefit young children and their families but also the
community and economy. Long-term research on high-quality
early learning programs reveals p ositive outcomes, such as in-
creased high school graduation rates, lower rates of grade re-
tention, lower rates of special education, reduced delinquency,
higher levels of educational attainment and increased healthy
lifestyles. Most notably, these positive effects generate a sig-
nificant return on investment to the state. Economists have