The Jackson Sun - July 21, 2010 -

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Bredesen, state Education Commissioner Tim Webb and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist gathered in Nashville to launch a new coalition between public education and the business community. The coalition was established to support public education reform in Tennessee. Changing the public education system won't be easy. But one thing is certain: It can't be done without the full support of the business community.

What happens to the vast majority of Tennessee students when they finish their education? They go to work for Tennessee businesses. Just as Tennessee businesses produce products and services for consumers, the public education system produces workers for business.

Are the products of Tennessee's public education system competitive in the workforce marketplace? Can Tennessee public school students compete for jobs with students from other states and other countries? Will companies look to Tennessee to build and expand their operations, or will they look elsewhere for a better-prepared workforce?

These are tough questions being asked by Bredesen, Webb, Frist and others who are looking for ways to better position the state for economic growth. One answer is to raise public education standards, and to do so with help and involvement of those who are the consumers of our public education product, business.

Part of the new effort is to raise public awareness of the need for higher standards. On Tuesday, the group unveiled a new project called "Expect More, Achieve More: Raising the Bar in Tennessee Schools." Its new website can be found at www.expectmoretn.org/.

The coalition's Internet resource offers a host of ideas, information, statistics, news and motivating inspiration to help parents, students and educators better understand the challenges and opportunities facing public education in Tennessee. Strategies of the coalition include:

Organizing community meetings though businesses to engage parents and other interested parties.
Distributing messages and information through its website and through social media such as Facebook.
Airing public service announcements through the media.
Higher education standards are being pursued across the country, in part because 80 percent of jobs require some form of post-secondary training or education. To compete for jobs, students must first be able to compete in education. That means meeting higher education standards, taking more classes in math and science and improving language skills.

The coalition consists of major corporations, chambers of commerce, industry groups and nonprofit foundations. Its efforts dovetail with the federal Race to the Top program, the Tennessee Diploma Project, the State Collaborative on Reforming Education and the First to the Top Coalition.