Have you seen the “Don’t Fail Idaho” posts? The first one I saw said Idaho’s education ranked 48th in the nation, and 50th in average weekly wages.

Wow, how depressing. And what do we do about it?

I followed the link to the Don’t Fail Idaho website so I could learn more. I was worried that the entire campaign was going to be devoted to complaining about Idaho’s education system. Now, I don’t mind recognizing problems and talking about them — those are the first steps towards changing a problem. But complaining, without providing suggestions or ideas, can lead to discouragement rather than change.

I was relieved to see the “what can I do?” tab. It suggested three things we can do to improve education in Idaho; be informed, be involved and be heard (with several useful links).

I clicked around some more and read the state comparisons. The math and reading scores of neighboring states are listed, side-by-side, along with one thing that each state does differently (than Idaho).

I love Idaho. I want my kids to be well-educated — in Idaho. I want my kids to learn the tools needed to be successful adults. I want education in Idaho to improve. Let’s all work towards change. Let’s be informed, let’s be involved and let’s be heard.

(The Don’t Fail Idaho campaign and Idaho Education News are both supported by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.)