Why I Care so Deeply about The Jacksonville Public Education Fund

I care deeply about the success and well-being of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund because I care deeply and sincerely about the success and well-being of the great City of Jacksonville, Florida and the northeast Florida region at large.

I want to borrow a phrase from the teachings of the renowned American psychologist of the 19th century, Abraham Maslow. I’m sure that you’ve heard of his time proven theory called:

“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”

Maslow proffered that the psychological needs of human beings could be illustrated in a five-tier hierarchical model shaped like a pyramid, with basic human “Physiological needs” like air, water, food, sleep and shelter, being at the base, illustrating humanity’s most basic needs. As the pyramid grows in significance, so does the potential for human development and fulfillment. At the pinnacle of the pyramid, Maslow described that humans’ needs could reach a state of “Self-actualization” where humans would have the ability and desire to become the best that they can become of themselves.

So, what does Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs have to do with the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and the City of Jacksonville?

The second tier of Maslow’s pyramid is described as the point where humans have “Safety needs” such as personal security, employment, resources, health and property.  I want to focus on the word resource. For children, I think that we should all agree that education is nearly as vital a resource as air, water, food, shelter and the like, depending on the child’s stage of development.

An absolutely vital resource for all of Jacksonville citizenry and particularly for our children is their education.

Here I quote from the GoAbroad Foundation website as to the significance of education:

• Education is powerful.
• Education is the first step to cross-cultural understanding.
• Education builds confidence.
• Education combats poverty.
• Education promotes a healthy lifestyle.
• Education fosters decision-making skills and critical thinking.
• Education contributes to the development of interpersonal skills.
• Education develops professional skills.
• Education builds character
• Education can change our future.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund believes every student deserves a quality education. They support public school educators by providing them with resources, information, and data, that bring better outcomes for students. One of the greatest resources the Jacksonville Public Education Fund provides is its data and research, which ensures that decisions are being made on quantitative facts and what is in the best interest of students.Students are then equipped with the resource of education, which in turn, provides resources for Jacksonville and our region. Jacksonville is then able to attract more employers because we have an educated workforce, and more families choose this region because of the high-quality of education.

In other words, the City of Jacksonville then has the “resources” to move up to the pinnacle of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to the State of “Self-actualization,” where our City has the ability and desire to be the absolute best it can possibly be. To achieve that, the Duval County Public School System must be successful for the benefit of all 130,000 students it educates every day.

The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is singularly focused on the continued success of the Duval County Public School System for the benefit of the City of Jacksonville and its promising future. I encourage you to become involved with the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and their important work. Through it and all of our efforts, we can reach the pinnacle of success.