What will it take to Succeed & Prosper?

“SPARC” is an acronym for Succeed and Prosper through education – Ashland, Richland and Crawford. It promotes increasing educational attainment of residents in the three county region , resulting in improved economic impact. SPARC’s educational focus is Pre-kindergarten through grade 16.

The three counties share economic realities, and an undereducated workforce. The result is that too many jobs requiring education or training beyond high school currently go unfilled. The region is not providing individuals with the education and skills beyond high school to meet this demand, especially as older workers retire.

The organizers of SPARC decided to link Ashland, Richland and Crawford together because many workers commute within this three county region; and with a regional approach, SPARC can better leverage funding and maximize resources.

Interest in the P-16 SPARC initiative was very broad-based, and included representation and input from business leaders, K-12 educators, higher education, chamber of commerce members, philanthropists, foundation executives and government representatives from all three counties.

SPARC is governed by a 16 member Council appointed by the chief executive officers of the Ashland, Richland and Bucyrus Area community foundations.

Vision

We are an effective, regional leadership collaborative of businesses, families and educators building a seamless P-16 education system that results in successful students, productive citizens, and economic vitality in our region.

Goals

Maximize/increase P-16 educational attainment for all individuals at all levels of ability that prepare them to be lifelong learners and for success in those fields of learning that are most critical to the future of our economy & community.