June 2 – Schools are wrapping up for the year, and across the state, many children and teens eagerly await the promise of summer. But learning doesn’t end with summer vacation or even with a diploma. Education is a lifelong journey that begins at conception and continues to the grave.

Most education discussions are narrowly focused on the K-12 and college years. But in the 21st Century, it is much more expansive, and our efforts to educate Tennesseans should reflect the differing needs of individuals at every stage of life.

It starts in the womb. A growing body of research supports the role that DHA omega-3 fatty acids play in the development of a healthy baby. DHA is a major structural fat in the brain and eyes, which benefits brain, eye and nervous system development and reportedly leads to better verbal skills, fewer behavior problems and even higher IQs. Research also shows that children whose mother exercised 30 minutes a day during pregnancy score higher on standard IQ tests than the children of more sedentary mothers. And exercise combined with breast-feeding for up to nine months will raise a typical child’s IQ to about 14 points above average, according to psychologist Richard E. Nisbett.

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times recently wrote that good education correlates closely to higher IQ and, “while IQ doesn’t measure pure intellect – differences do matter, and a higher IQ correlates to greater success in life.” Because proper brain development occurs in the womb, we can educate pregnant mothers on how to prepare children for later academic success by shaping her child’s ability to learn and reason.

Whichever schooling option suits a family’s needs, whether public, private, religious, magnet, charter or home school, as a child advances to kindergarten and later high school, basic reading skills and hard work are fundamental to academic success. Having books in the home and reading aloud to children can help them learn to read, imagine, create, write and help reinforce skills taught in school. Reading skills are important to scholastic success and to learning for a lifetime. Research points to third-grade reading scores as a good predictor of later academic success, and those who don’t read well by the end of third grade often struggle to understand content in other classes.

Intensive education programs can also help prepare students in underserved communities for success. One such option, the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), has 66 schools across the country, including two middle schools in Memphis and Nashville. One of the core features of these schools’ approach is that hard work and character matter for success. Despite the fact that 80 percent of the students live in low-income households, IQ scores of KIPP students match those of students at expensive private schools and more than 80 percent of KIPP alumni go on to college.

Individuals have different strengths and not all students want to attend a four-year college, despite some of the advantages of earning a college degree. That’s why community colleges and vocational and technical schools are so important. Community colleges provide an excellent education whether a student wants to complete an associate's degree or certificate program. Vocational and technical schools offer training for trades or skilled craft labor. A new welder training center in Chattanooga, for example, will help build on the state’s energy manufacturing base by providing a trained work force for companies in the heart of the Tennessee Valley Corridor.

Education continues well into adulthood. For those who did not finish high school, there are adult education programs available in Tennessee. In 2008, more than 14,500 Tennesseans earned a high school diploma equivalent. High school graduates are better qualified for the work force and are able to get better paying jobs, which can improve a family’s standard of living with an increased income. Boosting participation in these programs will only increase the economic opportunities and earning potential of Tennessee families.

With an uncertain economy and new technological advances, not everyone will stay on the same track they first began. Some baby boomers will have held more than 10 jobs over the course of their professional life. Making a transition later in life can be challenging, but continuing education and retraining programs can help workers shift into the next phase of their working life and prepare them for future opportunities.

Though the joys of summer may beckon us at any age, our learning days are never really over as we continue down the road of education from conception to the grave.

This guest column from Congressman Zach Wamp appears in the June 2 edition of the Knoxville News Sentinel.