A growing number of education experts and researchers have come to the same conclusion: It's an economic imperative that our education system be retooled to provide the quality of education and skills Americans will require if they are to thrive in the 21st century. In California, the Stanford University research report, "Getting Down to Facts," states that: "serious fundamental change will be needed if California is to provide a high-quality school system." Nationally, reports from respected organizations call for a complete overhaul of our public education system: "Tough Choices or Tough Times" from the National Center on Education and the Economy, "America's Perfect Storm" from the Educational Testing Service, and "Beyond NCLB" from the Aspen Institute.
What do these reports indicate? The structural problems in our public school system are so deep-seated that more funding and small, incremental interventions are not likely to make a difference unless matched with sweeping, comprehensive reforms.
1. To present a forum for the exchange of new, provocative ideas for transforming education, framed by key societal trends and market forces - such as technology, globalization, and economic instability.
2. To change the tenor of the ongoing national conversation about education. The only way to fix our schools is to step away from adversarial exchanges, think differently, ask different questions, and discuss public education in the context of the demands and challenges our children will face in the new, global economy.
3. The development of solid, practical concepts for implementing change through innovative learning that can lead to the establishment of an improved, more relevant system of public education.
