November 26, 2013 — In a county-wide movement in pursuit of high academic achievement at every level, from cradle to career, Sherman College of Chiropractic has partnered with the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM).
This movement, officially launched Nov. 19, 2013, aims toward a significant general gain in educational attainment, particularly in the post-secondary realm, and toward a county-wide culture shift that places an ever higher value on education.
“The Spartanburg Academic Movement poses a big challenge, and a meaningful one that we share as an institution of higher education,” says Sherman College President Edwin Cordero, DC. “Spartanburg’s vitality is heavily dependent on the abilities and education of its citizens. The work of the Spartanburg Academic Movement will make Spartanburg a better place to live, with a skilled work force and a highly competitive economy — and that’s something we support wholeheartedly.”
The idea behind SAM has its roots in the College Hub, an effort launched in 2010 by the Spartanburg County Foundation that targets the “40/30 Challenge,” aimed at having 40 percent of adults holding baccalaureate degrees by 2030.
The effort has shifted its emphasis to a movement, recognizing that that the “40/30 Challenge” is out of reach unless there is a cultural change in the value placed on academic achievement county-wide. The movement seeks commitment from every sector of the county to the importance of academic achievement at every level for every child to the level of their capacity.
“SAM’s most powerful ‘force multipliers’ are its commitments of partners across the County’s major enterprises,” says John Stockwell, PhD, executive director of the Spartanburg Academic Movement. “These commitments include actively engaging with the schools in ratcheting academic achievement upward, supporting improvement, and celebrating success.”
Partners support the pursuit of a shared set of academic achievement measures at key stages of the academic continuum, cradle to career; and escalating targets of achievement on every measure, distinguishing Spartanburg County from its competitor counties across the state, the region, and the nation.
Source: Sherman College of Chiropractic
