Recently I wrote a post about an amazing new school in San Diego called High Tech High. What makes the school's success so compelling in the context of a business blog speaks to the importance of education to the business community even though it has taken a "back seat" in terms of being a political priority for far too long. Changing that, or at least trying to, President Obama has successfully brought together some "strange bedfellows" in the form of the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, Former Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, & civil rights leader & former Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton. Not only are they working together, but these men with disparate political stripes have indeed come together based on a shared belief reflected by Al Sharpton who said:
"...Education is the #1 civil right of the 21st century..."
Linked Together Like Ham & Swiss: What You Learn & What You Earn
Astonishingly, according to Sharpton as a nation the data reflects a country performing about as well as we did back in the days prior to Brown vs. Board of Topeka, which is nothing short of shameful. Along with the president, in these 3 men I see motivation beyond partisanship to create change that is clearly based on where we are today as well as where we need to be tomorrow...not "next week, not next month, not next year, or in five years, tomorrow! This means cobbling together new forms of public & private education with real accountability from teachers as well as involvement on the part of parents, business, and communities as its lynch pin. These men are aiming higher than "test scores," they are looking for the next generation of college graduates. After all, by now it should be clear that in this new high tech economy, what you learn & what you earn are linked together like ham & swiss [cheese].
