It Affects Everything

"Whole Foods Markets, when I sat down with them, said, 'What is the education achievement level in the 3-mile radius around where you want us to locate?' We said , 'What? You don't want to know tax incentives?' They said they need a certain education level to get the kind of shoppers that come to their stores. It affects everything." So said the Mayor of Detroit recently.

Education...it affects everything. But don't just take a politician's word for it. Economists such as Art Rolnick from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis will tell you (and they have studies to back them up) that companies locate and invest in communities with a high-quality workforce, which includes workers with formal education as well as experienced workers receiving on the job training.

If you believe that education is key to a strong economy and vibrant community, then what do we as a community do about it? Do we invest our resources in early childhood development? Do we replicate Kalamazoo's Promise? Do we continue to foster good schools?

Education...it affects everything. What do you believe?