K-12

There have been a wide variety of reports out recently indicating that American students are not getting what they need in schools and from society to become successful adults. One presented at a recent Capitol Hill briefing discussed how a lack of skills and preparedness is perceived by employers.

The specific details behind these issues are, of course, complex and will not be resolved with one simple solution. However, there seems to be a consistent theme about the need to make technology more central in education – similar to the way it has transformed many other industries today. A recent column in the Detroit Free Press, “School’s Must Play High-Tech Catch Up,” by former Michigan state’s Superintendent of Schools Tom Watkins amplifies this message. In a few weeks, on May 16, Blackboard will host the first in a series of educational leadership forums, at the National Press Club, in which this issue will be discussed by a panel of experts. Panelists will include Ken Kay from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Susan Patrick the president and CEO of NACOL and Debra Sprague, Aassociate Pprofessor at the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. E-mail me if you’d like to join us for this discussion. We will be video -taping it and making a link to it available on our blog following the session.