ELYRIA — During her first visit to Lorain County on Wednesday, Ohio first lady Frances Strickland said a key objective of her husband’s administration is to try to put creativity and innovation ahead of the emphasis on achievement testing scores that have dominated public education for some years.

“If the ultimate goal is to make the U. S. competitive with other countries, then we have to put a lot more emphasis on nurturing creativity, imagination and innovation instead of on standards and achievement testing,” she said.

For nearly 2½ hours, Strickland listened to and exchanged views with an audience that included county commissioners and other local government and social service representatives who serve the county’s poorer children and families.

“I was with a businessman the other day who talked about meeting standards and achievement scores, and I said that his success must have required creativity and innovation,” she said.

The agencies Strickland met with Wednesday are members of the Lorain County Children and Families Council, an umbrella agency with a $1.9 million budget that works to set up and maintain services to the county’s families and children through partnerships between more than 15 government and local agencies.

Strickland is visiting governmental leaders and representatives of social service agencies in all 88 Ohio counties to find out about the problems they face and possible solutions.

“Every county is different with specific sets of problems, but as they reiterate similar concerns, we can make a more concerted effort to address them,” Strickland said.

One of the council’s most visible and successful efforts is the Help Me Grow program aimed at single-parent and —family households with children up to 3 years of age, said the council’s chairwoman, Elyria City Health Commissioner Kathryn Boylan. She described the program as “our biggest project in 2008.”

Cheryl Atkinson, superintendent of the Lorain Schools, cited the need for a greater meshing of services and programs to help kids in their formative years instead of having to grapple with serious problems when they reach high school.

“Over 60 percent of our kids have no preschool opportunities,” Atkinson said.

 An educational psychologist by profession, Strickland said there needs to be a change in perceptions.

“Nationally, we’re hunting for simple solutions, but there seems to be a huge lack of understanding of how complex family situations are today,” she said.

She also addressed the prevalence of technology in the classroom.

Despite the pervasive influence of video games, iPods and computers, “Kids don’t want to learn that way,” said Strickland.

“They get too much ‘stuff.’ They can’t sort it out. They want parents in their lives. They beg for adult involvement and contact,” she said.

Once her office has compiled data from her visits to all 88 counties, Strickland plans a follow-up round of 12 regional meetings during which more specific plans may take shape.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

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