NORTH CAROLINA
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Picture the Profiles of Three North Carolina Workers
February 1, 2010

One worker is a project manager for product delivery at a multinational company. Throughout the day, she connects with her team members in India and China. Her clients are in Argentina, the UK, France, Germany and Canada.

Consider a mathematics teacher for the NC Virtual Public School. Her base is at home and online. Her blackboard is virtual, and her students live throughout North Carolina. She interacts with students through email, Blackboard, Facebook and other technologies.

Imagine a construction manager for a homebuilder. He interacts with families, architects, subcontractors and agencies that provide permits and inspections. This manager coordinates workers who speak English, Spanish and Hmong. He coordinates everything from plumbing to interior design.

These three workers represent current job expectations that many of our young people are unprepared to meet. In 2009, only 73 percent of North Carolina high school students graduated within five years.

Of those who graduated, too many needed at least one remedial course at the community college or university levels.

While it is impossible to fully predict the future demands of the workplace, we do know this century's workers will need to be able to compete, communicate and collaborate globally. The most rapidly growing fields require education beyond high school. In today's world, the obligation of public schools is to bring every student to that level of preparation or beyond.

That's why State Board of Education members are working with Gov. Bev Perdue and State Superintendent June Atkinson toward four primary goals:

• Higher student achievement. This is not about more testing, but about providing strong diagnostic tools to help students as soon as they need it and to keep them on track from kindergarten to graduation. It requires providing better support for students who face significant hurdles, and new opportunities for students to extend their learning through virtual courses, early college courses and opportunities to earn technical credentials in high school.
  
  
• High school graduation for every student. We must make sure that students have the academic fundamentals they need for high school, that high school is relevant, and that we make dropping out not an option.
  
  
• Strong teachers and principals. Research and common sense tell us that teachers and principals matter to student success. We need to recruit creatively, support appropriately and develop educators professionally. Our new teacher and principal evaluation processes are being implemented statewide, focusing on development and coaching to nurture educators' best performance.
  
  
• Technology and systems that are modern and efficient. Teachers need technology that is engaging and current. Technology allows us to create student and professional learning communities, and reinforce classroom lessons. Students, in many cases, have technology embedded in their lives – except at school. That needs to change.

There are no boundaries to North Carolina's success – except for our own preparation. We look forward to working with all North Carolinians to help prepare all of our students for success.

Bill Harrison, Chairman
State Board of Education
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