TUESDAY, February 16, 2010 — With a grand opening ceremony for Paxton/Patterson's Global Learning Center just hours away, CEO Roger Davis told local leaders that his company's new facility in Sanford and the curriculum it supports would help vault Lee County toward the forefront of American education.

"The Future of Education is Here," Davis' presentation to the Committee of 100, drew about 120 community leaders and guests to Thursday's winter luncheon at Chef Paul's Café in Sanford.

Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Chapel Hill and speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, was one guest attending. Other Tar Heel leaders — Bill Harrison, chairman of the State Board of Education, and June Atkinson, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction — attended the grand opening and lab tour, held later in the evening.

Not long ago, East Lee Middle School became the state's first STEM academy, allowing middle school students to tackle a series of hands-on units that apply science, technology, engineering and math concepts and a problem-solving approach to a wide range of topics — from robotics and laser technology to digital music, video production and ecology.

The curriculum has since been expanded to all middle schools in the district and a related high school curriculum is now being introduced at Southern Lee High School.

Davis said about 500 schools currently use Paxton/Patterson's learning systems and that number is growing. Under a five-year agreement with Lee County Schools, teachers using the modules will be trained at the company's Global Learning Center, recently relocated from Michigan.

Both the curriculum and learning center, Davis told the group, place Lee County at the forefront of education. "Lee County Schools is doing it now," he said. "What others are wanting to do, it's already in place and growing here."

Cutting-Edge Instruction

Lee County Schools superintendent Jeff Moss, who introduced Davis and participated in the question-and-answer session, said the STEM initiative was just one step in a districtwide effort to prepare students for the 21st century economy.

Schools also are rolling out what educators call a "1-to-1 Laptop Initiative," essentially a plan to give each student a laptop computer for use during the school year. Laptops would be part of a larger effort to integrate instructional technology throughout the schools.

SMART boards — interactive electronic whiteboards that incorporate touch-screen and computer technology — have already been installed in elementary classrooms, along with Elmo projectors, another cutting-edge presentation device.

Taken together, Moss said, the package creates technology-rich classrooms that are unparalleled.

Skills for Everyone

While Paxton/Patterson's STEM curriculum is geared toward career exploration and developing skills essential for success in the contemporary workplace, Davis insists it's not simply a dressed-up vocational curriculum.

University-bound students and others oriented more toward the arts and humanities, he said, still benefit from developing problem-solving skills central to the STEM approach.

Teamwork, collaboration and clear communication — all hallmarks of the curriculum — also translate to any academic pursuit, Davis said, and understanding the nuts and bolts of applied science and math is necessary for anyone living an informed life in a society increasingly driven by technology.

Other Benefits for Sanford

Aside from the prestige of hosting the Global Training Center, Davis believes other benefits will accrue to Sanford as educators pour into town for training and facility tours. The most obvious benefit is filling local hotel rooms and restaurants, but Lee County students will benefit from less-obvious ways, as well.

One, said Davis, is the quality of local classroom instruction. Instructors for the Global Training Center will be drawn from teachers currently using the Paxton/Patterson learning systems, and that includes local instructors like Martin Bryant, who has been teaching the curriculum at East Lee.

Not only do those opportunities provide extra income for local teachers, but they help Bryant and others become even more proficient with the curriculum, bringing additional knowledge and perspective into local classrooms.

"That's a benefit that is not as obvious," Davis told the crowd, "but is very powerful."

Future of Education

Precisely how the partnership between Lee County Schools and Paxton/Patterson will develop is anyone's guess, but Davis said he anticipates a long relationship that will be good for everyone — his company, the schools and, most of all, local students.

"We view that the future of education is here in Lee County," he said. "And it's here today."