Wicked Problems - A deep dive into educational achievement points along the pathway from Kindergarten to Post-High School.

Today only 30% of Spokane Valley students enroll in two-year or four-year college after graduation and only 2/3 of those persist beyond the first year. This presents a “wicked problem”, a problem that can be addressed but defies “silver-bullet” solutions. In this presentation, Dr. Cronin shares the pathway from kindergarten readiness to post-high school success that every student must navigate and, using local data, illustrates the hurdles that trip up many students along the way. He shows that there are a multitude of ways to help students overcome those hurdles.

Some of them, such as navigating college financial aid are simple and easy to implement.  Others, such as addressing housing insecurity, require some investment but improve opportunities for children.  His data intensive approach offers audiences new and inspiring perspectives to this problem that offer hope for the future.

LaunchNW is committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity and support to pursue their career and education of choice and to be a successful contributor to the Spokane Valley community.   LaunchNW is based on five essential philosophies that include: Collaborative Governance, Strategic Data Approach, Comprehensive Supports, Sustainable Funding and Sustainable Scholarship Incentive.
In short, LaunchNW believes that offering a Promise Scholarship will remove barriers for students who are most in need ONLY if we also nurture a network of supports and resources for students and families all along the pathway to graduation.

Speaker Bio-
Dr. John Cronin is an accomplished educational leader, innovator, and researcher who grew up in Spokane and started his career teaching and coaching debate at Gonzaga Prep.  He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University and most recently retired from a long career as Vice President of Education Research at NWEA, a Portland not-for-profit that helps schools improve through intense coaching and use of data.  In his work he has developed research partnerships with institutions such as the RAND Corporation, Stanford University, and Vanderbilt University and has consulted with the U.S. Department of Education, the Texas and New York Association of School Administrators and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.  He is a quirky and engaging presenter whose unique application of data and humor provides audiences with new insights into the challenges facing students. John and his wife Diane now reside in Liberty Lake where they fawn over their eight-month-old grandson.