The Jacksonville Public Education Fund plans to launch the ONE by ONE campaign which will bring the community together to develop a common vision to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for college and the workforce.

Education is one of the biggest challenges facing our city today. Consider these statistics:

• Less than 5% of low income 9th graders in Jacksonville will graduate from college.
• African American students in Duval County are 67% more likely to not complete high school than White students.
• 1 in 3 students who begin ninth grade in Duval County this year will not  graduate on time or at all.

In a recent poll, 41 percent of Duval County residents said they believed having a top-rated public education system is the most important issue for our city’s future, eclipsing jobs, crime and other important challenges the city faces.

Economic studies show that reducing our dropout rate by half would add an estimated $65 million to the regional economy annually. While Jacksonville ranks 14th in a recent study on the next U.S. boom towns our education system will hold our city back if we don’t fix it.

How ONE by ONE works

ONE by ONE is not just getting together to talk. The approach mobilizes the entire community in an attempt to increase civic investment in education.

It will begin with more than 75 small community conversations that will take place in homes and businesses throughout the community. The goal of these meetings is to define a common vision for education in Jacksonville.

The conversations, themes and ideas will be documented, collated and recorded online. From that collection of thoughts will emerge a community agreement, or vision for education that truly represents our entire city.

See how ONE by ONE works

The community agreement will serve as a the basis for an action plan co-created by the community and the school district. The thousands of people who participate in the process must ensure their elected officials support that vision, and work side by side with them to ensure they have the necessary resources and support to enact change.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund will be responsible for coordinating that action—holding to account not only public officials but also the people who elect them.

The campaign begins with ONE in THREE, a multimedia art exhibit that travels throughout the community. Large-format photographs and videos, tell the students’ stories and demonstrate the power of a community that works hand-in-hand with the school district to improve student success. Full schedule.

A proven model for success: Mobile, AL

A similar model, called Yes We Can!, was successful in Mobile, Alabama, a city demographically and historically similar to Jacksonville. Mobile was not only a city with deep racial divisions and crumbling schools, it was near the bottom in test scores of all cities in Alabama.

The Mobile Area Education Foundation used the “Yes We Can!” initiative as a catalyst to engage the community. 10 years later, Mobile’s schools rank at the top of Alabama’s cities in test scores. There were many steps and hard work in between, but the model proved successful. So much, that other counties began adopting the plan, realizing their own benefits.

Links between public education success and our region’s development

JCCI’s recent study Recession, Recovery and Beyond indicated the Northeast Florida region must bring its business and education sectors together in a shared emphasis to build and maintain an educated and skilled workforce.

Duval County must improve its education system in order to thrive economically.

For a community to compete successfully in the knowledge-based economy, 30 to 40 percent of the residents should hold a bachelor’s degree. Quality public education systems and higher education offerings K-12 public education relates to both the quality of the workforce and the quality of the region’s communities.

When the economy begins to recover, Jacksonville must be poised to capture that growth. Improving our K-12 infrastructure, increasing graduation rates and preparing kids for college will help us leap forward. It will also improve the the community’s perception of education, and in turn, itself.

A stepping stone for regional prosperity: Welcome to the discussion

During the Recession, Recovery and Beyond study, one educator suggested a regional discussion about the role of K-12 plays education in making Northeast Florida more competitive was long overdue. Welcome to the discussion.

Success of ONE by ONE depends on everyone in the community, not just parent and educators. We need business leaders, civic leaders and small business owners to get involved.

We are looking at the potential of catalyzing the entire region. If this program is successful, it could be adopted by surrounding counties. Consequently leading to an elevation of the entire region, making Northeast Florida much more attractive due to its emerging workforce of skilled and educated people.

Education could become our next great competitive advantage.