Bluum is a nonprofit organization helping Idaho become a national model for how to maximize learning outcomes for children and families.
1,000 students, parents, & educators marched with Bluum down Capitol Blvd. wearing yellow scarves & holding signs reading “Let me Learn” to celebrate Idaho School Choice Week.
In my life before Idaho I helped to lead an evaluation of a school-based youth program in Chicago that focused on some of that city’s most at-risk students. The program’s counselors taught a curriculum that focused on teaching values and skills that would help students stay out of trouble and excel in school. The evaluation team found that the program worked—students in it were less likely to be involved in criminal activity and did much better in school.
Bluum is excited to introduce you to the dedicated leaders and high quality schools that we are working with to ensure Idaho’s children reach their fullest potential. Grace Lutheran School opened its doors to the Pocatello community over 60 years ago.
Education Week — the nation’s education journal — gave Idaho a D+ (ranking 48th), and an F on school finance, worst in the country. Idaho’s graduation rate is lower than all but eight states. These are tough numbers to stomach, but they should motivate improvement efforts. Idahoans are concerned about their schools and want better.
Like every parent, we dream big for our children and whenever possible we try to personalize opportunities to meet their individual needs, interests and skills. We know our children well and want to provide them with every opportunity to grow and succeed in college and beyond. The same principles apply to their K-12 education.
The needs of Idaho’s K-12 student population are changing. The Gem State is expected to see net growth in lower income households and net declines in households with annual incomes above $50,000. We are also becoming more racially diverse.
Idaho foundations come in diverse shapes and sizes. Some are family funds, often created upon the death of a wealthy person and run by surviving family members, that have supported favorite causes for decades.
Public education is critical to Idahoans. In fact, they are more likely to point to public education (50%) as the most important issue facing Idaho today than they are to point to “the economy” (40%), with another 9% saying it is “the environment.”