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The Voice of Business,
Industry & the Professions Since 1942
North Carolina's largest
business group proudly serves as the state chamber of commerce
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January 2005
Letter from Phil Kirk
 Workforce
Quality Is Improving
The
“State of the South 2004” report issued by MDC, Inc., a 37-year old
private non-profit organization founded in North Carolina to help our
state transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy and from a
segregated to an integrated workforce, emphasizes the importance of an
educated workforce. The report also highlights the changes which are
needed in our public schools in order for our state to compete in a global
economy with a rapidly changing workforce.
Coming 50 years after the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation
decision, the report says that changes in our economy and demography
demand changes in public education. Then the debate centered on the rights
of whites and blacks to an education which would prepare all students to
enter the workforce. That is now extended to cover all low-income homes,
including African American and Latino children. Too many from these
households are being left behind in today’s economy. Unless major changes
in public education occur, today’s poor will be in even worse straits in
the changing economy. Inner city and rural youth typically face similar
challenges in receiving a meaningful and quality education.
Public education – especially in North Carolina – has made dramatic
improvements in the past 50 years. However, more needs to be done.
The State of the South highlights four crucial trends:
1. The South’s economy is changing rapidly. Education beyond high school
is increasingly essential for individual and community prosperity and
well-being.
2. The South’s population is changing. As baby boomers retire, a rising
generation, more heavily black and Latino than the current population, is
entering our schools and forming the core of our region’s future
workforce.
3. Fifty years after Brown, race matters. Poverty, regardless of race,
matters even more. Most low-income youth aren’t getting the education they
need. (Too many students do not even receive a high school diploma and too
many more are awarded diplomas who have not mastered even the basic skill
of reading, math, and writing.) In North Carolina, graduates will have
mastered basic computer skills because we were the first state to require
the passage of a computer competency test for graduation.
4. High school education is changing – and it needs to. High schools don’t
fail only minority and low-income students – they fail to engage and
inspire many middle-class and affluent students as well. We need high
schools that are better aligned with the demands of a rapidly changing
economy.
Because of a shortage of space, I will be able to comment only on the
fourth trend because in my opinion, it is the most important!
Curriculum changes in high school are necessary to make sure there is
alignment with the economy of today and tomorrow. Students need clear
pathways through and out of high school with more options. I’m pleased to
say that the N.C. State Board of Education accomplished this goal several
years ago.
There needs to be stronger connections between adults and adolescents and
between schools and communities. Many efforts are underway in N.C. in this
area, such as Communities in Schools, Junior Achievement, and others.
Smaller, more relevant high schools are being developed in N.C. through
the New Schools Project, aided by $11 million from the Gates Foundation.
The Public School Forum is spearheading this effort. If another $10
million is raised in North Carolina, The Gates Foundation will give
another $10 million. Tony Habit directs the project.
We need greater numbers of superbly trained, well-paid professional
teachers. The state has a number of initiatives in this area. Teach for
America and the Teaching Fellows program are model programs.
I’ve only given you a very small part of this important report. For more
information, contact MDC at www.mdcinc.org or call 919-968-4531.
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