Business Coalition For Student Achievement

IN THE NEWS

Across the nation momentum is building to improve the K-12 education system in the United States by sustaining and strengthening the commitment to ensuring that all students graduate from high school ready for success in college and careers. At the state level, governors, chief state school officers, state boards of education, legislatures, district and school leaders, business and community leaders as well as parents are working hard to ensure that achievement gaps are closed and that all students graduate from high school prepared for the future. At the federal level, efforts are underway to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act and from the Department of Education, to grant states waivers from key NCLB requirements in exchange for commitments to implement college and career ready standards; develop rigorous accountability systems that include a focus on low-performing schools and schools with persistent achievement gaps; and create better systems for developing, supporting and evaluating principals and teachers. These issues have received widespread attention in national and local media outlets.

Edward B. Rust Jr.: Want to Save the American Dream? Start Here
CNBC, March 30, 2013
As our political leaders take stock of where we stand in 2013-both as individual states and as a nation-we are hearing a consistent message: jobs, our economy and education are inextricably linked. We heard the President make this case in his State of the Union Address and we've heard it echoed by both Democratic and Republican governors. If we want to see some meaningful improvements in our education system, business leaders must step up and lead as well.
Business, education: Valuable partnership
Charlotte Observer, March 28, 2013
I kept looking around the Grand Ballroom at Charlotte's Westin hotel Wednesday afternoon hoping I'd see some top N.C. legislative leaders. They've been busy crafting policies and laws they say will align what businesses need in employees with what educators need to teach to supply a skilled workforce. If they weren't there - I didn't spot any - they missed an insightful and engaging symposium that explored that link.
Got college? Hiring standards are rising
CBS News (MoneyWatch), March 28, 2013
The economic argument for going to college just got a little stronger with a recent survey of 2,600 hiring managers saying that they're now recruiting college graduates for jobs that normally didn't demand higher education.
Investing early in kids pays off
Seattle Times, March 27, 2013
School officials have research on their side as they lobby the Legislature for more support of early-childhood education. Just over a century ago the head of New York City's school system started adding high schools to uplift waves of immigrants from Europe. "It is only through a high-school education," Chancellor William Maxwell said, "that the son of a poor man obtains an approach to equality with the son of a rich man in opportunity for success in life."
A College Degree Sorts Job Applicants, but Employees Wish it Meant More (Special Report)
The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 5, 2013
Employers value a four-year college degree, many of them more than ever. Yet half of those surveyed recently by The Chronicle and American Public Media's Marketplace said they had trouble finding recent graduates qualified to fill positions at their company or organization. Nearly a third gave colleges just fair to poor marks for producing successful employees. And they dinged bachelor's-degree holders for lacking basic workplace proficiencies, like adaptability, communication skills, and the ability to solve complex problems.
High school dropouts cost economy billions
Associated Press, February 25, 2013
High school dropouts are costing some $1.8 billion in lost tax revenue every year, education advocates said in a report released Monday. If states were to increase their graduation rates, state and federal lawmakers could be plugging their budgets with workers' taxes instead of furloughing teachers, closing drivers-license offices and cutting unemployment benefits. While advocates tend to focus on the moral argument that all children deserve a quality education, they could just as easily look at budgets' bottom lines.
It Takes A B.A. to Find a Job as a File Clerk
The New York Times, February 19, 2013
The college degree is becoming the new high school diploma: the new minimum requirement, albeit an expensive one, for getting even the lowest-level job.
Americans Value Higher Education but Question Its Quality, National Survey Finds
The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 5, 2013
Americans overwhelmingly view a higher education as essential to landing a good job and achieving financial security, but they have doubts about its quality and affordability, according to a new report from the Lumina Foundation and Gallup.
Higher Learning Meet Lower Job Prospects
The Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2013
When North Carolina's new governor, Pat McCrory, was interviewed last week on the syndicated radio show hosted by former U.S. Education Secretary William J. Bennett, the talk naturally turned to education. According to some listeners—or those who heard about the interview in the media echo chamber—Gov. McCrory committed a major error. No, he actually just stated an uncomfortable truth. Gov. McCrory, a former mayor of Charlotte, said he is concerned that many college graduates can't get decent jobs. The problem, he suggested, might be that many academic disciplines have no real practical applications.
Business leaders urge Congress to rewrite No Child Left Behind
The Washington Post, January 31, 2013
A group of chief executive officers at leading U.S. companies is urging Congress to rewrite No Child Left Behind as part of its recommendations for policies that promote business growth in 2013.
Many High Schoolers Giving Up on STEM
US News and World Report, January 31, 2013
High school students aren't sticking with STEM. Even though the number of jobs in science and engineering is expected to surge in the years to come, close to 60 percent of the nation's students who begin high school interested in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, change their minds by graduation, according to a report released Wednesday from STEMconnector and college planning service My College Options.
Bill Gates: Education Is The One Issue That's Key To America's Future
The Huffington Post, January 30, 2013
Bill Gates was on "Morning Joe" Wednesday to talk about the role of innovation in humanitarian aid, but singled out education as the issue that could most determine America's future. "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski asked Gates to name one issue in the U.S. that "really plagues us and could really bring us down, semi-health-oriented." "I'd pick education, if I was thinking broadly about America," Gates responded. "It's our tool of equality. It has not improved, it's fallen behind other countries in a very big way."
More college freshmen view diploma as gateway to better job
Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2013
College freshmen increasingly see higher education as a path to financial security during uncertain economic times, according to a UCLA-sponsored survey of first-year students across the nation.
Rubio calls for education reforms to focus on closing ‘skills gap'
The Hill, January 23, 2013
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said there must be increased focus from lawmakers on solving the growing "skills gap" between available jobs and qualified applicants in the country. "The fact of the matter is that millions of our people do not have the skills they need for the 21st century, and complicating that further is that the acquisition of these skills is different than it's ever been," he told an audience at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday afternoon.
Report: Disadvantaged students in U.S. gaining on international peers
The Hechinger Report, January 15, 2013
A report released Tuesday aims to debunk claims that the United States lags substantially behind the international competition in education. The study, released by the Stanford Graduate School of Education and the Economic Policy Institute, argues that looking only at the United States' average score on international exams is problematic and can lead to unwarranted policy conclusions.
Benefits of College Degree in Recession Are Outlined
The New York Times, January 9, 2013
Young adults have long faced a rough job market, but in the last recession and its aftermath, college graduates did not lose nearly as much ground as their less-educated peers, according to a new study. The study, published on Wednesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts, shows that among Americans age 21 to 24, the drop in employment and income was much steeper among people who lacked a college degree.
Editorial: Real hurdle to education reform is poverty
Chicago Sun-Times, December 31, 2012
There is nothing easy about trying to boost academic outcomes for poor kids. That is why we've supported a range of aggressive interventions for the Chicago Public Schools over the years, including school closures, charter openings, turnarounds, improved teacher evaluations, a longer school day and changes to teaching tenure, hiring and firing rules.
As Job Market Mends, Dropouts Fall Behind
The Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2012
While the U.S. job market is showing signs of improvement, one sizable group of workers has been falling further behind: high-school dropouts.
Condoleezza Rice: U.S. Education Will 'Drive Us Into Class Warfare'
The Huffington Post, November 28, 2011
On a special Thanksgiving edition of Face the Nation, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CBS's Bob Schieffer that the U.S. public school system is the nation's largest problem. "Because with the failing public schools, I worry that the way that my grandparents got out of poverty, Rice said. "The way that my parents became educated, is just not gonna be there for a whole bunch of kids."
High School-College Hybrid Grooms Students for Jobs
US News and World Report, November 23, 2011
At a time when more than a quarter of students don't graduate from high school, the last thing you'd expect is for a city to make it harder to get a degree. But a new technology-focused, six-year high school in New York City is asking students to do just that in return for a more secure job outlook.
As New Graduates Return to Nest, Economy Also Feels the Pain
The New York Times, November 16, 2011
Like most of her friends, Hollis Romanelli graduated from college last May and promptly moved back in with her parents. As a result, she didn't pay rent - or a broker's fee or renters' insurance, for that matter. She also didn't buy a bed, desk, couch, doormat, mop or new crockery set. Nor did she pay the cable company to send a worker to set up her TV and Internet, or a handyman to hang a newly framed diploma. She didn't even buy drinks and snacks for a housewarming party.
Businesses have jobs to offer, but Mainers don't have the skills
Bangor Daily News, November 14, 2011
Maine Machine Products Co. needs precision machinists. Badly. When a customer contracts with the company to manufacture parts for anything from microwaves and airplanes to drilling systems and defense technology, machinists are the ones who make them. Without skilled workers, the business couldn't stay afloat.
Ga. regents approve college completion plan
Associated Press (via Athens Banner-Herald) November 10, 2011
The state Board of Regents has approved a plan to increase the number of students who finish college. The board approved the "Complete College Georgia" initiative during a meeting Wednesday to address statistics showing that 42 percent of adults in the state have some kind of education past high school.
Business leaders oppose changes to teacher evaluations
The Tennessean, November 4, 2011
Tennessee's Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman will ask the state Board of Education today to modify the new teacher evaluations, hoping to relieve time-pressured principals of some requirements and better ensure assessments are fair.
Students show growth in math on national test
Associated Press (via Washington Times), November 1, 2011
New test scores show the nation's fourth- and eighth-graders are doing the best ever in math, but schools still have a long way to go to get everyone on grade level. In reading, eighth-graders showed some progress.
Since 1990s, U.S. Students' Math Has Sharpened, but Reading Lags
New York Times, November 1, 2011
Elementary and middle school students have improved greatly in math, but their reading skills have stagnated over the last two decades, federal officials said on Tuesday.
Students Want to Become Business Owners But Lack Training
US News & World Report, October 14, 2011
Young Americans have high aspirations, according to a new poll released Thursday by Gallup-HOPE. More than three quarters of students in grades 5 to 12 want to be their own boss, and nearly half plan to start their own business.
State urged to form strategy to produce needed college degrees
California Watch, October 12, 2011
Experts warn that California needs to significantly boost the number of undergraduate degrees granted each year in order to turn around the state's economy and help the country remain competitive. But a new report from Sacramento State University's Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy says the state's public higher education segments are not on track to meet that goal. Also, the report finds the UC, CSU and community colleges have no guidance on how to divide increasingly precious state resources among themselves to produce the necessary degrees.