A crisis of relevance:
How nc must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
june st. clair atkinson, State superintendent | April 2010
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
State Superintendent’s Career-Ready Commission Members
Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson, State Superintendent,
Career-Ready Commission Chair
Mr. David Hollars, Executive Director,
Centralina Workforce Development Board, Inc.
Senator Bob Atwater
Ms. Meredythe Holmes, Owner, Monarch Services
Mr. Jim Barber, Director Emeritus, LEARN NC
Dr. Kathleen E. Kennedy, Vice President, Education
and Training Program, NC Biotechnology Center
Ms. Marjorie T. Benbow, Director, Greater Charlotte Office,
NC Biotechnical Office
Mr. Leslie Boney, Associate Vice President
for Economic Development Research,
Policy & Planning, UNC General Administration
Dr. Beth Lucas, Director, Policy and Governance,
NC Department of Commerce
Mr. Ken Ludwig, Vice President, Human Resources,
Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.
Mr. Rob Boyce, Assistant Superintendent,
Chowan County Schools
Mr. Luis Maldonado, III, Teacher,
Middle Creek High School
Senator Harry Brown
Ms. Caroline McCullen, Director of
Education Initiatives, SAS Institute Inc.
Mr. Newell Clark, President, Standell Properties
Mr. Gary Cooper, Chief of Staff, Fayetteville-Cumberland
County Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Joe Crocker, Assistant Secretary, Community
Development, NC Department of Commerce
Dr. J. Donald DeBethizy, President and CEO,
Targacept, Inc.
Mr. Al Delia, Policy Director, Office of the Governor
Mr. Paul Dordal, Executive Director,
BRAC Regional Task Force
Mr. John Dornan, President, Executive Director,
Public School Forum of North Carolina
Mrs. Ann Goodnight, Director of
Community Relations, SAS
Ms. Becki Gray, Vice President for Outreach,
John Locke Foundation
Ms. Joan McGinnis, Director, Career/Secondary
Schools, Onslow County Schools
Mr. John P. Metcalf, Sr. Partner, Strategic Community
Planning, Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
Dr. Jeff Moss, Superintendent, Lee County Schools
Dr. Scott Ralls, President,
NC Community College System
Ms. Nancy Raynor, Director of Institutional
Research and Effectiveness, Peace College
Ms. Elaine C. Rideout, President, Economic
Investment Strategies (EIS), Associates
Ms. Susanne Sartelle, President, Greenville-Pitt
County Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Bill Seyler, Senior Project Manager,
Bovis Lend Lease, Inc.
Mr. Tom Haffner, President, P.T. International Corporation
Mr. Bill Shore, North American Community
Partnership, GlaxoSmithKline
Ms. Venessa Harrison, Legislative and External Affairs,
AT&T of North Carolina
Mr. Mark Sorrells, Senior Vice President,
Golden Leaf Foundation
Mr. Charles A. Hayes, President and CEO,
Research Triangle Regional Partnership
Mr. Joe Stewart, Associate Vice President
of Government Affairs, NC Chamber
Mr. Clyde Higgs, Vice President, Castle & Cooke
Dr. Donna Tipton-Rogers, President,
Tri-County Community College
Dr. Ashley Hinson, Superintendent,
Surry County Schools
Mr. Gary Hobbs, Sales Manager,
Long and Foster Real Estate
Mrs. Tricia Willoughby, Executive Director,
NC Business Committee for Education
Representative Douglas Y. Yongue
A crisis of relevance:
How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Where We Are: The “Crisis of Relevance” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Where We Must Go: A Plan to Innovate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Cultivating a Culture of Innovation in Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Connecting Students to Careers and the Business Community
by Instituting Teaching and Learning Innovations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Creating a System for Collaboration Among Education, Workforce
and Economic Development Entities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Next Steps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
End Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
NC Department of Public Instruction Career-Ready Commission Staff
x
Rebecca B. Payne, Director, Career and Technical Education
Greg Gift, Assistant Director, Career and Technical Education
Phyllis West, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the State Superintendent
Monique Wertis, Special Assistant, Office of the State Superintendent
Sara Clark, Public Information Specialist, Division of Communication and Information Services
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
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superintendent’s message
April 1, 2010
Dear Friends:
I am pleased to share with you the final report of the State Superintendent’s Career-Ready Commission,
A Crisis of Relevance: How N.C. Must Innovate to Graduate All Students Career- and College-Ready. This
document is the result of the wealth of experience, ideas, collaboration and input from more than 40
outstanding representatives from our General Assembly, K-12 public schools, community colleges and
universities, business and nonprofit education organizations, and government agencies. I am extremely
grateful for these Commission members’ valuable contributions and service.
Throughout the course of their meetings, Commission members worked to identify the most pressing
challenges the state faces in producing high school graduates that are career- and college-ready. We
examined the research, studied existing programs and resources, and heard from local, state, national
and international education experts. When this initial work was completed, Commission members strongly
agreed that our students are facing a “Crisis of Relevance.” Too many young people are failing to make
connections between what they are learning in our K-12 public schools and their plans for future training,
education and careers. In addition, we believe this crisis is contributing significantly to other problems
such as high dropout rates, low student achievement, student apathy and high school graduates who are
unprepared for higher education and the workplace.
To address this crisis, the Commission has proposed six guiding policy goals and corresponding action
recommendations that seek to 1) Cultivate a Culture of Innovation in Education; 2) Connect Students to
Careers and the Business Community by Instituting Teaching and Learning Innovations; and 3) Create a
System for Collaboration among Education, Workforce and Economic Development Entities. We believe
that following this three-pronged strategy will help us ensure that every student who graduates high school
in our state is well-prepared for his or her next step, be it additional education, job training or a career.
This report does not contain the silver bullet solution to all the problems facing public schools today. What
we are presenting is a collection of proven education reforms and innovative strategies that we can utilize
to better prepare all students for a future in the 21st century. I have met with the Governor, Lieutenant
Governor and other state and local leaders about the goals and recommendations we have outlined and
I am confident that this document will be useful as we work together to develop a unified plan to move
public education forward in North Carolina.
Sincerely,
June St. Clair Atkinson
JSA:SC
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
A crisis of relevance:
How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the past decade, North Carolina has experienced an unprecedented economic transformation. Our economy,
once sustained by traditional labor-intensive industries such as textiles, furniture and agriculture, is now
dependent on knowledge-based and service-related industries. From 2003 to 2008, the state’s manufacturing
industry hemorrhaged nearly 71,000 jobs while industries such as professional and technical services,
healthcare and information technology experienced job growth. These changing times and emerging industries
have brought to North Carolina new jobs and opportunities, international recognition as a business location and
rapid population growth, but such successes have not been equally shared across the state (1).
Our state is one of many across the country currently struggling to meet the challenges presented by a
significant shift in the economic landscape. Today, in the shadow of strong global competition, we are
scrambling to make sure our education system produces a labor force with the knowledge and skills
demanded in this new economy. The stakes are high. We can afford nothing less than to build the most
skilled workforce in the world. North Carolina already has the foundation and tools we will need to
strengthen our human capital. Now we must find the courage to take action.
With this challenge in mind, in May 2009, Governor Bev Perdue created the non-standing State
Superintendent’s Career-Ready Commission. The Commission was charged to study and make
recommendations about the following issues:
• How do we align the goals of workforce development, workforce education, and economic
development in North Carolina?
• How do we develop and implement structures and systems, both educationally and economically, to
meet future labor market needs and demands?
• What is the role of entrepreneurship in creating and sustaining North Carolinians?
• How should the 16 National Career Clusters be implemented effectively in public education?
• How do we develop systems to engage business/industry with workforce education, especially at the
public school level?
In studying these questions, Commission members, including business leaders, state legislators, public
school superintendents, principals, teachers and counselors, leaders from the state’s public university and
community college systems, as well as representatives from the Governor’s Office, Lieutenant Governor’s
Office and local, regional and state education and business and economic development organizations,
identified an overarching crisis affecting North Carolina’s public schools. Too many students are failing
to make connections between what they learn in school and their career goals. These students are not
engaged in or inspired by what they are learning and have no clear plan for the future. Some drop out.
Others graduate unprepared for college or other training and are unqualified for most of the jobs available
today. This is the “Crisis of Relevance.”
To address this crisis, we have proposed the following six policy goals and corresponding action
recommendations to guide local, regional and state leaders in education reform efforts.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
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• POLICY GOAL 1: Make Career and Technical Education (CTE) a valuable part of all students’
overall high school experience and use it to help them prepare for postsecondary education
and/or training and career success.
–Implement the North Carolina Career and Technical Education Strategic Plan and the
corresponding plan to market CTE to students, parents, educators and members of the
business community with a focus on quality, high expectations, innovation, dignity of all
occupations and lifelong learning.
–Change State Board of Education policy to require students to take a four-credit concentration in
CTE, arts, JROTC or a student-customized concentration to fulfill state graduation requirements.
• POLICY GOAL 2: Drive innovation and creativity in the state’s high schools by developing
students’ skills in entrepreneurialism to accelerate their career interests.
–Increase the number of high schools offering entrepreneurship and other business
development courses and programs, based on the needs of each community.
–Embed entrepreneurial thinking and skills development into instructional practices across
all curricula.
–Promote the 58 Small Business Centers and other entrepreneurial programs and resources
offered at community colleges, public and private universities and community organizations so
more students can take advantage of these valuable resources.
• POLICY GOAL 3: Transform the culture of education in North Carolina so every school produces
lifelong learners who are both academically-skilled and career-ready.
–Implement best practices of innovation in high school redesign, provide replication incentives
and adopt the Southern Regional Education Board’s (SREB) “10 Key Principles for New State
School Accountability” to guide all high school reform efforts.
–Require all schools with graduation rates under 75 percent for two out of three years to
undergo a redesign based on one of the identified best practices.
–Create and support a unified statewide effort to improve science, technology, computer
science, engineering and math education and strengthen efforts to provide all students
quality instruction in these subjects throughout their K-12 education.
–Increase the amount of time students spend learning by changing how, when and where
students receive instruction using a combination of successful strategies already in place
in other countries (i.e. longer school calendars allotting time for distance learning, blended
virtual and face-to-face learning and increased learning via fieldtrips and work experiences
such as internships and job shadowing).
–Validate the career-ready status of every high school graduate by increasing the use of
instruments that measure skills employers value and the student’s capacity to succeed
beyond high school (examples of such assessments include new accountability measures
being developed as part of the NCDPI’s Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE)
work, the National Career Readiness Certificate, other industry-recognized certifications and/
or community college placement tests).
• POLICY GOAL 4: Expand the assistance available to high school students to enable them to
make both wise academic and career choices and achieve their goals for the future.
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–Modify existing North Carolina State Board of Education policy to assign every high school student
a career coach or graduation mentor and require students to work with this person to develop
a career plan to help them connect their academic studies to professional goals for the future.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
–Develop a framework for how the N.C. Chamber and the N.C. Business Committee
for Education and other organizations can influence teacher training and professional
development at the state, district and school levels to increase business experience and
knowledge among educators.
–Inform every high school teacher and school counselor about career planning resources and
the 16 National Career Clusters (with emphasis on those career clusters that offer the most
job market demand in North Carolina) so these educators can offer students accurate and
effective career planning assistance.
• POLICY GOAL 5: Connect business leaders with educators in a unified effort to help students
understand the relevance of their education to their future goals and prepare them with the
knowledge, talent and skills valued and needed in today’s workplace.
–Create business/industry advisory councils or roundtables at the school and/or district levels
to bring together principals, superintendents, local boards of education and members of each
area’s business community.
–Create and grow business/education advocacy groups that are aligned to the seven economic
development regions to address educational issues on a regional level.
–Use Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton’s JOBS Commission to engage key business leaders in
addressing education issues at the regional and state level.
–Support the NCDPI’s longitudinal student record data system that identifies and tracks students
through every level of education and into the labor market and share this data with education
and business leaders as well as economic developers.
• POLICY GOAL 6: Build on existing governance structures to bring state, regional and local
leaders in education, workforce and economic development together to support and grow North
Carolina’s economy.
–Align State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction initiatives with the
state’s seven economic development regions and encourage regular communication among
the NCDPI and State Board leaders and representatives from each region.
–Expand the Education Cabinet to include the Secretary of Commerce and the
Lieutenant Governor.
–Adopt the 16 National Career Clusters and corresponding skills sets as an organizing tool
for the N.C. Department of Commerce to use as it updates and implements its economic
development vision plans.
These broad policy goals were developed to guide all efforts to better educate our students so they can
compete in an evolving and global economy while also meeting North Carolina’s complex workforce needs.
Each section in the following report will begin with a policy goal followed by a number of recommended
actions to help carry out each goal. There are many successful education reform ideas and initiatives
that will be critical in our efforts to address the “Crisis of Relevance.” The corresponding action
recommendations highlighted in this report are certainly not an exhaustive list of solutions, but they do
offer a solid foundation for state and local leaders to use as they continue to work to make sure North
Carolina can graduate all students career- and college-ready.
Most policy goals and action recommendations will require leaders to utilize and/or build on existing
innovative programs and partnerships already in place or make new innovations to ensure all North Carolina
students graduate prepared to go on to the next level of education and training. While North Carolina has
already taken the first steps in implementing many of these recommendations, there is still much to do. The
work to be guided by this outline will not be easy, but this is a task we all will share.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
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WHERE WE ARE: THE ‘CRISIS OF RELEVANCE’
The gap between the increasing number of jobs in 21st century
industries and the number of workers in this state who are qualified and
trained to fill these positions has reached an alarming level, especially
as North Carolina’s current unemployment rate continues to hover
around 11 percent. This high rate of unemployment is particularly
surprising given that thousands of jobs in a spectrum of occupations,
such as accountants and auditors, paralegals, computer support
specialists, nurses and cosmetologists, continue to open every year (2).
What is the root of this disconnect among the jobs available in our
state and the number of workers who are trained and qualified to fill
these positions? Many would say the problem is connected to North
Carolina’s system of public education. As our economy continues
to change, new industries grow and are demanding a diverse set of
knowledge, talent and skills. Yet, too few students gain the foundation
they need to achieve mastery of these critical abilities during their
K-12 education because many cannot make the connections between what they learn in school and their
career goals. In addition, many students who graduate are not prepared for their next step of education and
training and are not qualified to immediately enter the workforce. This is what the Career-Ready Commission
members have identified as North Carolina’s “Crisis of Relevance.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 90 percent of the nation’s fastest growing jobs require some
postsecondary education or training leading to a degree, a credential, a certificate of mastery, or some other
indication of mastery of critical knowledge, skills, and abilities (3). Research reveals that our students’
ability to graduate high school and complete additional training and education is directly connected to our
state’s economic future. Who will be available to fill these jobs today, tomorrow and decades into the future
if our system of education remains the same? The answer is unclear right now, but one thing is certain – this
“Crisis of Relevance” demands immediate attention.
WHERE WE MUST GO: A PLAN TO INNOVATE
Working in tandem with Governor Bev Perdue’s call to make North Carolina the “Innovation State,”
Commission members have identified a number of education innovations to address the “Crisis of
Relevance.” We believe that, by changing education in a way that allows all students to see the relevance
of the classes they take now to the jobs they want in the future, these solutions also will address a host
of other public school problems including high dropout rates, discipline issues, frequent absences,
underachievement due to boredom and low test scores.
This report outlines the supporting research and serves as the Commission’s call to action for government,
education and economic development leaders to work together to change the direction in which we are
heading and the ultimate outcome of our K-12 public education system. To do this, we have recommended
three courses of action:
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1. Cultivate a Culture of Innovation in Education.
2. Connect Students to Careers and the Business Community by Instituting Teaching
and Learning Innovations.
3. Create a System for Collaboration among Education, Workforce and Economic
Development Entities.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION IN EDUCATION
Tony Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, identifies seven core competencies, or survival skills, imperative to a student’s preparation for
careers, college and citizenship. These skills are critical thinking and problem-solving, collaboration across
networks and leading by influence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepreneurism, effective oral
and written communication, accessing and analyzing information, and curiosity and imagination (4).
Research, as well as reflection on any personal and professional experience, proves that training students
in these skills helps us develop citizens who make valuable contributions in the classroom, workplace
and society. The problem, according to Wagner, is that our current system of education is not arming
students with these traits because we are not yet sure how to teach them. Preparing students in these
core competencies requires innovative instructional methods, new ways of working together and different
accountability structures.
Changing the culture of education will demand bold vision and courage. It will require strategies of innovation
in districts and schools and the recognition and rewarding of innovative efforts from school leaders, teachers
and students. The good news is that we do not need to start from scratch. Commission members first
recommend focusing on the programs already in place in our state that allow students to see the relevance
of their education to their future and using strategies proven to foster the 21st century survival skills such as
critical thinking, agility, collaboration, innovation, curiosity and imagination in young people.
Policy Goal 1: Make Career and Technical Education a valuable part of all students’
overall high school experience and use it to help them prepare for
postsecondary education and/or training and career success.
Career and Technical Education – “The Best Kept Secret in North Carolina”
The purpose of Career and Technical Education (CTE) in North Carolina is to empower all students to be
successful citizens, workers and leaders in the global economy. CTE courses do this by making learning
interesting and relevant for students and allowing them to learn in applied settings. CTE programs must
keep up with the needs of private sector employers to be successful (5).
Research also indicates that applied skills trump basic knowledge and
skills, such as reading comprehension and mathematics, when it comes
to producing graduates who will be successful in their future jobs. In
other words, while the “Three R’s” are still fundamental to a student’s
ability to enter the workforce and do a job, employers today emphasize
that applied skills such as initiative-taking, decision-making, teamwork,
collaboration and critical thinking are “very important” to continued
success in a career (6).
Examples of CTE Courses:
areer Management • Small Business Entrepreneurship • E-Commerce • Digital Communications C
• Strategic Marketing • Sports & Entertainment Marketing • Horticulture • Parenting and Child
Development • Biotechnology • Culinary Arts and Hospitality • Medical Science • Drafting • Networking Engineering Technology • Principles of Technology • Pre-Engineering
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
9
Career and Technical Education can increase student motivation and achievement by making learning
more relevant and engaging. CTE courses are an existing and innovative way to provide students excellent
preparation for education and training at the postsecondary level in addition to increasing job readiness by
improving their ability to apply critical skills and knowledge in the workplace. There are even CTE courses
that offer learning opportunities and skills training in entrepreneurship and self-employment to those
students who would prefer to start and manage their own business.
Despite the value of these courses, Career and Technical Education is still not an important part of every
student’s high school experience. Commission members believe that CTE courses are “not just shop” and that
changes must be made so these courses can be marketed and utilized as an important workforce and economic
development tool and a key part of all students’ preparation for the world of work, including self-employment.
Action Recommendation 1: Implement the North Carolina Career and Technical Education
Strategic Plan and the corresponding plan to market CTE to students, parents, educators and
members of the business community with a focus on quality, high expectations, innovation, dignity of
all occupations and lifelong learning. (Note: The Career and Technical Education Strategic Plan and
marketing plans are available online at: http://www.nc publicschools.org/docs/statesuperintendent/
office/commissions/meetings/20091029/nc-cte-strategicplan.pdf.)
State CTE Data
Statistics show that North Carolina students taking CTE courses are likely to graduate from high school and
go on to some form of postsecondary education and training. During the 2007-08 school year, for example,
308,772 high school students (73 percent of all high school students in the state) enrolled in CTE courses.
For the 2008-09 school year, the four-year graduation rate among CTE completers was 86.7 percent. The
statewide four-year graduation rate among all North Carolina students for that year was 71.7 percent.
Through CTE, students earned close to 11,000 high school credits for community college or university
courses in 2008-09 (an increase from 729 credits earned in 2001-02). Among the North Carolina
students who took at least four credits in a CTE pathway and who graduated in 2008, 93.5 percent
reported that they were either employed, in education or advanced training, or both (76.7 percent of
CTE concentrators graduating in 2007 reported that they were pursuing further education). (Note: Some
students are counted twice as concentrators can be employed and enrolled in further education.)
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
Career and Technical Education courses, which offer students valuable and practical learning opportunities,
used to be included in the state’s graduation requirement options. Prior to 2009, to graduate from high
school in North Carolina, a student was required to complete a College Prep course of study, a College Tech
Prep course of study (which included a concentration of four or more related credits in CTE, arts education,
or JROTC) or a Career course of study. Students could also choose to complete the College Prep course of
study and a concentration, although it was not required. Many believe that the concentration option allowed
students to become better prepared for further education or training after high school.
The Future-Ready Core graduation requirements, which went into effect with the freshman class of 2009,
encourage but no longer require that students take a concentration in CTE or that they select a specific
course of study. Students currently have flexibility in meeting their 21-credit requirement. The 21 required
credits include six electives, four English, four mathematics (through Algebra II or equivalent), three
science, three social studies and one health and P.E. Most high school students have the opportunity to
earn as many as 32 credits in high school.
Action Recommendation 2: Change State Board of Education policy to require students to take
a four-credit concentration in CTE, arts education, JROTC or a student-customized concentration to
fulfill state graduation requirements.
Entrepreneurialism – We Can Grow our Own!
While Small Business Association research shows that 70 percent of growth in new jobs can be attributed
to the approximately 4 million new entrepreneurial businesses created each year, North Carolina is ranked
39th among all 50 states for entrepreneurial activity, producing only 230 new entrepreneurs for every
100,000 people in the state in 2008 (7).
It is no secret that small businesses translate to big business for our economy. Not only do small
businesses create the most jobs, they also create the most break-through innovations (8). For this reason,
we must work to change current attitudes about business ownership, particularly among our young
students who are our future entrepreneurs. Given their lack of knowledge about entrepreneurship, young
adults who come up with a good idea for a new service or product typically wait until they are older and
have collected enough knowledge and experience to launch a venture. As long as so many young people
view entrepreneurialism as a risky profession instead of a potentially-rewarding career choice, North
Carolina will miss out on valuable jobs and investments small businesses can offer.
Policy Goal 2: Drive innovation and creativity in the state’s high schools by developing
students’ interest, behavior and skills in entrepreneurialism to accelerate
their career interests.
Today, few 18-year-olds graduate from high school prepared to immediately start their own business. But
given the demand for entrepreneurial skills by established firms, fostering these skills among all students will
produce short-term and long-term benefits, even for young people who do not go on to start their own business.
Students, in fact, realize the value in their own entrepreneurial training. One Gallup Poll found that more than
70 percent of American high school students have an interest in learning how to start their own businesses.
Because young people view building knowledge and skills in business ownership as something that
is relevant to their future, students in entrepreneurship programs show improved student and school
performance. Entrepreneurial training also encourages students to achieve while in school and use their
knowledge in a professional setting, which increases their skills and value in the workforce (9).
Action Recommendation 1: Embed entrepreneurial thinking and skills development into instructional
practices across all curricula.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
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Courses that focus on entrepreneurialism are currently offered in many high schools across the state. In 200809, 11,862 students in about 200 North Carolina high schools took the Small Business Entrepreneurship
course (for which course enrollment has increased by more than 40 percent since 2003). Many students also
had the opportunity to take other small business-focused classes on foods, apparel development and childcare.
In some cases, high school students are even able to earn college credit for these courses.
Action Recommendation 2: Increase the number of high schools offering entrepreneurship and
other business development courses and programs, based on the needs of each community.
At the postsecondary level, many community colleges offer six, three-credit entrepreneurship courses on
top of traditional course offerings in business, marketing and retail. In addition, each of the state’s 58
community colleges, some public and private universities and many community-based organizations offer
programs and resources for students and small business owners.
With so many effective tools in place, promoting entrepreneurialism and teaching more students about
careers in business may be as simple as doing a better job of using the resources that are already available
to students in North Carolina.
Action Recommendation 3: Promote the 58 Small Business Centers and other entrepreneurial
programs and initiatives offered at community colleges, public and private universities and
community organizations so more students take advantage of these valuable resources.
Changing School Accountability and Culture
Commission members heard many presentations about innovative education reform initiatives that are
producing desirable results in other countries. Members also learned about when, where and how North
Carolina and the United States are falling behind on the scale of global competitiveness. Opponents to
reform will argue that such innovations may conflict with current policy and are too ambitious and costly.
Such arguments will be of little value if our education system fails and our economy suffers because we
cannot produce the type of workforce that continues to attract 21st century industries to this state.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
Policy Goal 3: Transform the culture of education in North Carolina so every school produces
life-long learners who are both academically-skilled and career-ready.
High School Innovation
The national high school dropout rate is at crisislevel and has demanded an intense focus on high
school reform efforts across the country. For 200809, North Carolina had a statewide graduation rate
of 71.7 percent while some high schools in the state
had graduation rates as low as 54 percent. If this
trend continues, we will end up with an uneducated,
unskilled workforce that will cause us to lose jobs and
economic investment.
In an effort to increase the high school graduation rate,
education leaders have taken a variety of approaches to
make school more rigorous and relevant for students.
There are some models of innovative high schools open
across the state, for example, that enable students to
make important connections between the courses they
take and their future careers. But there are also many
high schools operating under the traditional school
model developed long ago. This is a problem. We have
squeezed the last drop of educational juice from this high school model. The culture and structure of every
high school in the state must change if we are to prepare students for a future in today’s economy.
The North Carolina New Schools Project, an initiative of the North Carolina Education Cabinet in partnership
with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Office of the Governor, collaborates with districts to
establish student-focused secondary schools with the goal of graduating all students college- and workready. Among these innovative models of schools are 70 early college high schools located on the campuses
of community colleges and universities. Students enrolled in these schools are expected and supported to
master rigorous academic content that will fully-prepare them for success in college while allowing them to
secure at least two years of college credit or an associate’s degree prior to graduation.
There also are 40 high schools that have been redesigned by the North Carolina New Schools Project
into smaller, more academically-rigorous schools focused on economic development themes such as
biotechnology, leadership and public service and health and life sciences. Almost 40 of these redesigned
and early college high schools had a dropout rate of 0 percent in 2008 while nearly half of the schools
lost no more than two students. In addition, 62 percent of New Schools Project schools outperformed their
comparison high schools on the North Carolina’s ABCs accountability model.
In the months ahead, the New Schools Project will expand its partnership with business, higher education,
and local districts to enhance and expand upon the creation of secondary school models that align with
specific needs for economic and workforce development. This includes, for example, creating schools
partnered with employers and postsecondary institutions in areas such as aerospace, biotechnology,
engineering and health and life sciences. As a result, North Carolina will accelerate the creation of secondary
school models that are far more nimble, rigorous and capable of graduating students college- and work-ready.
Other successful high school models include the 160 career academies open now in 88 different high
schools with approximately 20,400 students enrolled statewide. These schools offer students a sequence
of courses designed around a career theme. Each of these schools is labor-market driven, integrates
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
13
academic and technical concepts, and collaborates with related business and industry to help students
connect what they are learning to their future goals for their working lives. Some schools have themes
based on the 16 National Career Clusters and others include foci such as health and medical, business
and finance, information technology and engineering.
The Highland School of Technology, organized around career clusters, is one school that has experienced
significant success in improving graduation rates. The school, located in Gaston County, has seen a graduation
rate of 98 percent or higher in each of the past four years. The school features a different organizational
structure, and expanded system for student support, integrated curriculum based on career clusters, strong
connections to business and industry and work experience requirements for students. These effective practices
also have been replicated in other schools to produce similar success. The Highland School of Technology is
clearly a model to be studied and followed by other high schools struggling to boost graduation rates.
Graduation and student achievement data prove new models of high schools are working to make learning
relevant and keep students engaged and focused on academic success and graduation. These examples
show why high school reform must be a priority in every community in every county of North Carolina.
Commission members also recommend that state and local leaders adopt the 10 key principles for new state
school accountability identified by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) to guide all work involving
school reform. The principles, which are outlined in, The Next Generation of School Accountability: A Blueprint
for Raising High School Achievement and Graduation Rates in SREB States, are listed below (10).
10 Key Principles for New State School Accountability
1. Give equal weight to graduation and achievement in determining school performance.
2. Set ambitious goals for improving graduation rates.
3. Set high school achievement goals beyond minimum competency and hold schools accountable
for significant annual improvement in the percentages of students who meet them.
4. Stress improvement, provide rewards and assistance for districts and schools to make
expected progress, and focus sanctions on districts and schools that fail to improve even after
receiving state assistance.
5. Strengthen middle grades students’ transition into high school and reduce ninth-grade failure rates.
6. Recognize that one path to graduation does not fit all students.
7. Broaden the definition of academic rigor to include career/technical programs of study that
join a “ready” academic core with a coherent sequence of quality Career and Technical
Education courses.
8. Bring dropouts back into the education system.
9. Target schools with the lowest achievement levels and graduation rates for major improvements.
10. Make better use of the senior year to prepare students for graduation and give students a
jump-start on college and careers.
Action Recommendation 1: Implement best practices of innovation in high school re-design,
provide replication incentives and adopt the SREB’s “10 Key Principles for New State School
Accountability” to guide all high school reform efforts.
Action Recommendation 2: Require all schools with graduation rates under 75 percent for two
out of three years to undergo a redesign based on one of the identified best practices.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
The Importance of Science and Math Education
The April 1983 government report, A Nation at Risk, warned education and government leaders that if
we did not improve math and science education in the U.S. we would be at risk of falling behind our
global competitors. On the 25th anniversary of the report, the documentary film, Two Million Minutes, was
released to reveal that American students are no longer “at risk” of falling behind – they are now clearly
behind students in India and China. “The film follows students in India, China and the U.S. during their
senior years of high school. By comparing how these students prioritize their time (approximately four
years or “two million minutes” of high school), the film demonstrates that the typical student in the U.S.
spends much less time on his/her education and gives less thought to future career opportunities than his/
her global peers in India and China. The documentary discusses the implications for the U.S. economy of
having its students lose ground in education compared to those students around the globe” (11).
There are implications at the state level as well. With the transformation of local economies across North
Carolina, science, technology, engineering and math skills are now important not only for doctors, engineers, and
scientists in the Research Triangle Park, but for every 21st century professional in every economic development
region. In an effort to better prepare students for the future, some organizations in North Carolina have started
focusing on increasing the quantity and improving the quality of instruction K-12 students receive in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects so they can gain a foundation to help them build the
skills needed to work in industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and computer science.
“Despite the billions of dollars being spent
on ‘education reform’ since 1983, the
U.S. has implemented none of the
meaningful recommendations of the 1983
report and as a result has seen no real
improvements to our math or science
education system…Our culture has a highly
developed athletic and extracurricular
system but a deteriorating core academic
system. In 25 years, America has gone
simply from being ‘A Nation at Risk’ to
a nation way behind its largest future
economic competitors – India and China.”
Robert Compton, Creator and Executive Producer
of the documentary Two Million Minutes
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
15
The University of North Carolina System, as well as some private universities, have programs that use
strategies in content, professional development and intervention to improve K-12 STEM education across
the state. Private industry partners, such as SAS, Cisco and AT&T, have invested in during-school and
after-school programs. Multiple nonprofits in the state deliver services focused on STEM education,
including the N.C. Science Math and Technology Center, the James B. Hunt Institute, Burroughs Wellcome
Fund, SHODOR, Contemporary Science Center, MCNC and others.
While North Carolina has an abundance of organizations and programs working to improve STEM
education, Commission members believe that more must be done to connect these programs to one
another and to the local economies they serve. All students should have the opportunity to see for
themselves the relevance of the STEM subjects to the many rewarding jobs available in these fields. We
also must make sure research and data is being collected to validate these programs’ efficacy and impact.
The North Carolina STEM Community Collaborative, a partnership among the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), the Battelle Memorial Institute and
many others, housed at MCNC, is currently working in some local communities to help a cross-section of
local leaders connect current STEM program and education opportunities to students and the community’s
economic needs. The NC STEM Community Collaborative serves as an advisor to and is advised by the
Joining Our Business & Schools (JOBS) Commission. Career-Ready Commission members recommend that
the NC STEM Community Collaborative and the JOBS Commission continue to work together to create and
support a unified strategy to improve K-12 science, technology, computer science, engineering and math
education and connect all students to the many STEM resources and programs available in North Carolina.
Action Recommendation 3: Create and support a unified statewide effort to improve science,
technology, computer science, engineering and math education and strengthen efforts to provide all
students quality instruction in these subjects throughout their K-12 education.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
Changing How, When and Where Our Students Learn
Other countries are our main competitors in the race to
attract jobs and investment so it is critical that we learn
from their innovative education practices and model those
practices that are most effective in boosting student
achievement. For example, while most schools in the
United States maintain traditional school day schedules,
calendar years and classroom structures, other countries
have taken a different approach to delivering instruction.
As a result of this different approach, some believe that
students in other countries are more prepared to compete
in the global economy.
North Carolina students, for example, are required to attend
school for 180 days. In contrast, the average number of
days of instruction in other industrial nations is between
200 and 210 per year. In countries such as Germany and
Japan, the school year exceeds 230 days per year. By the
8th grade, a North Carolina student has attended school
for 400 days less than his or her counterpart in Germany
or Japan. By the 10th grade, the gap will reach 500 days
of instruction – the daily equivalent of 1.66 years of
instruction in North Carolina (12).
“The thought that learning only
happens between 8 a.m. and
3 p.m. and that students need to
be gone two to three months in
the summer is a barrier. We are
losing time with our kids and losing
ground in making sure they learn
what they need to. We also lose
valuable time at the beginning of
the year because we have to devote
lessons to catching them up to what
they have lost during the summer.”
Cindi Rigsbee, 2008-09 AT&T
North Carolina Teacher of the Year
Blending Online and Face-to-Face Learning
With so much technology available today, expanding the time students spend learning does not have to mean
increasing the amount of time they spend in the classroom. A bricks-and-mortar school may be a gathering
place for students, but with the emergence of the virtual classroom, learning can happen anywhere at any time.
The NC Virtual Public School (NCVPS) continues to grow and gain popularity with North Carolina students. In
just two and a half years, the school has become one of the fastest growing virtual schools in the nation. In the
2009 Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning Report, North Carolina is listed as having the fifth largest virtual
school in terms of enrollment. NCVPS posted more than 15,700 enrollments during the accounting period of fall
2008-spring 2009 and the summer and fall 2009 terms saw the enrollments surge to almost 20,000.
According to the Formative Evaluation Report North Carolina Virtual Public School Spring 2009, more
than 75 percent of students, teachers, and distance learning advisors surveyed agreed that students were
succeeding in their NCVPS courses. More than 72 percent of students and 92 percent of teachers agreed
that NCVPS course content and assignments were sufficiently rigorous. In addition, nearly two-thirds of
students and more than three-fourths of teachers and Distance Learning Advisors agreed that NCVPS
courses were supporting student attainment of five of the seven 21st century skill areas such as life and
career skills, learning and innovation skills, and technology literacy (13).
With such promising results, the North Carolina Virtual Public School will play a critical part in the effort
to change school culture by increasing the amount of time students spend learning outside of the
traditional classroom.
As the popularity of online learning grows, we also must make sure to continue to create and support
partnerships among public and private entities to expand low-cost broadband connectivity throughout the
state. As more students take advantage of learning opportunities offered by the NCVPS as well as online
college courses offered through programs such as N.C. Learn and Earn Online and the University of North
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
17
“Online instruction has
become even more
important this year because
tight school budgets have
led to disappearing high
school courses. In some
Carolina at Greensboro iSchool, the level of technology available
in every corner of every county must be equal if the playing field
of online learning is to be level among all students.
Action Recommendation 4: Increase the amount of time
students spend learning by changing how, when and where
students receive instruction using a combination of successful
strategies already in place in other countries (i.e. longer
school calendars allotting time for distance learning, blended
virtual and face-to-face learning and increased learning
via fieldtrips and work experiences such as internships and
job shadowing).
districts, online courses
have helped blunt the
Validating the High School Diploma for Potential Employers
impact of budget cuts,
As our high schools change to better prepare students for the future,
Commission members recommend that schools utilize assessments
that validate students’ diplomas along with their capabilities to
succeed in postsecondary education, training and the workplace.
allowing students to take
classes their districts can no
longer afford. The program
can give children in Burgaw
and Indian Trail some of
the same opportunities
as students in the big-city
districts of Raleigh and
Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”
“Virtual course growth very real.”
Employers across all businesses and industries are constantly
looking for reliable ways to measure job applicants’ skills to
ensure they are hiring the most qualified candidates. The N.C.
Department of Public Instruction is currently spearheading a
comprehensive statewide initiative called the Accountability and
Curriculum and Reform Effort (ACRE), that seeks to redefine
the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for K-12 students,
the student testing program and the school accountability
model. When this effort is complete, North Carolina will have
new statewide tests for grades 3-8 and high school courses that
use more open-ended questions, more technology and more
real-world applications of what students learn. Our state also
will have a new model for measuring school success that gives
parents and educators more relevant information about how well
schools are preparing students for college, work and adulthood.
News & Observer, Oct. 14, 2009
In addition to the new assessments developed as a part of the
ACRE work, there are other tools that can be used to give a more
complete indication of graduates’ job skills. ACT has researched over 16,000 occupations and identified
skills in reading, applied mathematics, and information location as the three that are highly important
to the majority of jobs in the workplace (14). As a result, ACT developed the National Career Readiness
Certificate to verify to employers that an individual has these essential skills. In addition, students can
pursue other industry-recognized certifications and/or the Community College Placement Test to document
their level of preparedness for postsecondary education, training and a career.
Action Recommendation 5: Validate the career-ready status of every high school graduate by
increasing the use of instruments that measure skills employers value and the student’s capacity to
succeed beyond high school (examples of such assessments include new accountability measures
being developed as part of the NCDPI’s ACRE work, the National Career Readiness Certificate, other
industry-recognized certifications and/or community college placement tests).
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
Connecting Students to Careers and the Business
Community by Instituting Teaching and Learning Innovations
As we change the school culture in North Carolina, leaders also must work to intensify the focus on
career planning in K-12 classrooms to make the transition from high school to college or other future
training as smooth as possible for all students. To ensure this happens, we must develop and utilize strong
partnerships among members of the business community and educators.
Policy Goal 4: Expand the assistance available to high school students to enable them
to make both wise academic and career choices and achieve their goals
for the future.
Career Planning
It is no secret that other countries have an earlier and more intense focus on career counseling. For
example, in Denmark, the school system invests heavily in counseling students as they go through what
would be middle school in North Carolina. Middle and junior high students take aptitude tests and
receive counseling on what the results mean in terms of high school choices. These young people also are
encouraged to take between one and two weeks to experience what it is like to be in work environments
that appeal to them. All of these early career counseling efforts could be linked to Denmark achieving a
very high success ratio in terms of young people successfully completing their high school education (15).
The benefits of early career planning for students in other countries support the Commission’s
recommendation that the State Board of Education should modify the existing policy it adopted in 1994
(GCS-I-001) that states all students who are enrolled in vocational and technical education in grades 9-12
will have a career development plan (CDP) on file which includes academic and vocational and technical
education courses appropriate for his or her designated career goal. The Commission believes that all high
school students should be assigned a career coach or graduation mentor and should be required to work
with this person to develop a career plan that will help them connect their academic studies to future
professional goals.
School counselors are crucial to students’ career planning efforts yet research shows that counselors are
often serving too many students, so the quality of advice students receive can suffer. In addition, many
school counselors do not know about the workforce needs in their community and lack knowledge about
emerging jobs (mainly because their full case loads limit their opportunities to learn). And many schools
assess counselors by the number of students that enter four-year colleges and universities, which can
pressure counselors into recommending that pathway, regardless of a student’s interest or other options
available. With the increased focus on testing and accountability, many counselors are finding that their
time is being diverted to test administration (16). The Commission’s recommendation to assign students
career coaches or graduation mentors may help students whose needs are not currently being met due to
the many demands being placed on high school counselors.
Action Recommendation 1: Modify existing North Carolina State Board of Education policy to
assign every high school student a career coach or graduation mentor and require students to
work with this person to develop a career plan to help them connect their academic studies to
professional goals for the future.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
19
16 National Career Clusters
School counselors need to receive more training and professional development about the value of CTE, the
16 National Career Clusters and emerging careers in those industry sectors, so they are better able to advise
students and parents. These clusters were developed to help students in secondary and postsecondary
education and training as they prepare for a wide range of career opportunities.
Research shows that using the Career Clusters in educational programs can benefit students by enhancing
academic achievement with real-world relevance, helping educators adapt the curriculum to meet the
needs of the community, assisting in the combination of CTE courses and core academics, broadening
the scope of existing curricula, encouraging coordination among teaching staff, providing a framework
for curriculum alignment, ensuring seamless entry into postsecondary education, helping students make
informed career decisions by assisting them in establishing a career path and connecting their elective
courses with their career plans (17).
Action Recommendation 2: Inform every high school teacher and school counselor about career
planning resources and the 16 National Career Clusters so they can offer students accurate and
effective career development assistance.
16 National Career Clusters:
• Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Architecture and Construction
• Human Services
• Arts, A/V Technology and Communications
• Information Technology
• Business Management and Administration
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
• Education and Training
• Manufacturing
• Finance
• Government and Public Administration
• Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics
• Health Science
• Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
Commission members recognize that additional funding to hire more high school counselors and provide
them with extensive amounts of professional development concerning Career Clusters and other career
guidance strategies is not currently available. That is why we recommend a partnership approach that
focuses on working with existing statewide business and nonprofit organizations that have so much to share
in this regard. Local business men and women have much to offer to help increase the practical business
knowledge among teachers. Business and career guidance resources also can be provided by parents
and members of the PTA/PTO. Other promising partnership opportunities include the Chapel Hill-based
National College Advising Corps (NCAC), a nonprofit that places recent college graduates in high schools
to provide college counseling assistance to those students who may be the first in their families to consider
college. Innovative partnerships such as these can help teachers to help students make connections
between the classes they take in high school and their plans for future education, training and careers.
Action Recommendation 3: Develop a framework for how the N.C. Chamber and the N.C. Business
Committee for Education and other organizations can influence teacher training and professional
development at the state, district and school levels to increase business experience and knowledge
among educators.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
Commission members believe that there are many cost-effective ways to provide educators strategies for
building career awareness into instruction, informing students about the 16 National Career Clusters and
taking advantage of local career experts and role models willing to come into the classroom and share
with students. Even if these strategies are utilized in an informal manner, they can help students to better
plan for the future. These recommendations are critical because, without sufficient help in charting a
preferred course through high school, students can be overwhelmed by so many choices and will make
poor decisions in planning for a career.
Building Coordinated Business-Education Partnerships at Every Level
To produce the type of workforce our future demands, our country’s education system needs to be closely linked
with its primary consumer – employers – and must adapt with the evolving economy (18).
Our country’s labor market will continue to rely on workers who can combine technical capabilities with
essential 21st century skills. It is critical that the United States meet this need by raising high school
graduation rates and increasing the percentage of adults who pursue postsecondary education and training
leading to a degree, a credential, a certificate of mastery, or some other indication that graduates have the
critical knowledge, skills, and abilities valued in today’s workplace.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
21
Policy Goal 5: Connect business leaders with educators in a unified effort to help
students understand the relevance of their education to their future goals
and prepare them with the knowledge, talent and skills valued and needed
in today’s workplace.
It is paramount that educators and business leaders at every level work together to ensure that what is being
taught at the high school and postsecondary level is in alignment with local, regional and statewide workforce
needs. There are models of business-education partnerships in North Carolina that have been formed at the
school district level, which Commission members recommend should be studied and replicated, as appropriate.
The Wake Education Partnership, for example, was created in 1983 as an independent nonprofit
working to create world-class schools in Wake County through business and community involvement. The
organization plays a critical role in helping local business leaders, elected officials and educators work
together to provide an excellent education for all students. The Partnership operates autonomously from
the Wake County Public School System and receives most of its financial support from local businesses
and individuals to provide grants to teachers and schools, conduct leadership training and education
roundtables, and provide the public information about current school issues (19).
Action Recommendation 1: Create business/industry advisory councils or roundtables at the
school and/or district levels to bring together principals, superintendents, local boards of education
and members of each area’s business community.
At the regional and state levels, there are additional partnerships which can be utilized to create and strengthen
new relationships among business leaders and educators. The North Carolina Department of Commerce, for
example, has established a regional economic development network comprised of seven regional economic
development offices that work closely with regional partnerships to market the unique assets of each region
and support and grow these local economies. The seven public-private regional development partnerships in
North Carolina include: Advantage West, the Charlotte Regional Partnership, the Eastern Partnership, the N.C.
Southeast Partnership, the Northeastern Partnership, the Piedmont Triad Partnership, and the Research Triangle
Regional Partnership. Each partnership could offer many opportunities for business leaders to connect with
local educators to work together to best prepare students for post-high school education, training and jobs.
The North Carolina Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators also has established a
statewide network of business and industry representatives in support of Career and Technical Education at
local, regional and state levels. The network’s purpose is to strengthen the connection between education
and the workplace to help strengthen students’ career readiness.
Action Recommendation 2: Create and grow business/education advocacy groups that are aligned
to the seven economic development regions to address educational issues on a regional level.
In July 2009, the North Carolina General Assembly created the Joining Our Businesses and Schools
(JOBS) Commission. The JOBS Commission, led by Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton, creates a
partnership between public schools, community colleges, and private businesses to ensure the proper
educational curriculum is in place for students to maximize their employment potential upon graduation.
The Commission is a coalition of 20 elected officials, appointed government officials and members of the
private business sector who will study ways to increase economic development by linking together the
education community with the business environment.
Action Recommendation 3: Use the Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton’s JOBS Commission to
engage key business leaders in addressing education issues at the regional and state level.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
As we work to better use existing relationships and to form new
partnerships, the sharing of student data could help business
leaders and educators work together to prepare students for the
future. That is why Commission members believe that supporting
and utilizing the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s
CEDARS is of particular importance.
North Carolina’s Common Education Data Analysis and Reporting
System (CEDARS) is the state’s first PreK-13 longitudinal data
system and is composed of various NCDPI source data collection
systems, a student and staff identification system, a centralized
data repository, and associated reporting and analysis (or “business
intelligence”) tools. CEDARS supports the state’s efforts to use
high-quality data about students, staff, programs, and finances to
make policy and service decisions that improve student outcomes.
Specifically, CEDARS enables state, local, and federal policymakers
and service providers to analyze trends and relationships between
various educational factors and student performance over time (20).
Businesses can use this tool to gain valuable information about
their future workforce and so Commission members believe it is
crucial that data from CEDARS is shared with industry leaders and
economic developers.
Action Recommendation 4: Support the implementation of the
NCDPI’s longitudinal student record data system to identify and
track students through every level of education and into the labor
market and share this data with education and business leaders
as well as economic developers.
“Thankfully, more and
more business leaders
are coming to
understand the direct
linkage between
workforce and economic
development and
K-12 education.
However, there is still
plenty of work to be
done. As businesses
begin to grapple with
looming skill shortages,
expect them to become
increasingly supportive
of high schools in
general and specifically
career-oriented
education programs,
such as the career
pathway practices...
These programs offer
direct links to the
workplace and can
demonstrate results.”
Cheryl Carrier, Program
Director, 21st Century Education
Programs, Ford Motor Company
Fund Board Member, Institute
for a Competitive Workforce,
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
23
Creating a System for Collaboration Among Education,
Workforce and Economic Development Entities
The theme for North Carolina’s current economic development strategy could be described with the
question: “Who is on first?” Some would say we already have a statewide economic development strategy.
Others say our strategy is regional. Some would insist the strategies are focused at the county level while
others argue that these strategies are convoluted, at best. As it turns out, everyone could be right.
North Carolina currently has eight State Board of Education districts, seven economic development
regions and 24 workforce development boards, yet there are few opportunities where representatives from
each of the districts, regions and boards meet to address education issues in the context of economic
development. This must change.
Policy Goal 6: Build on existing governance structures to bring state, regional and local
leaders in education, workforce and economic development together to
support and grow North Carolina’s economy.
The Commission first recommends aligning the State Board of Education’s and the Department of Public
Instruction’s initiatives to the seven economic development regions set by the N.C. Department of
Commerce. Once these regions are aligned, education and economic development representatives from
each region must commit to communicating on a regular basis.
Action Recommendation 1: Align State Board of Education and the Department of Public
Instruction initiatives with the state’s seven economic development regions and encourage regular
communication among the NCDPI and State Board leaders and representatives from each region.
At the state level, education issues involving K-12 public schools, state community colleges, and public and
private universities are discussed at meetings of the North Carolina Education Cabinet. Commission members
recommend that this Cabinet be expanded to include the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of the N.C.
Department of Commerce. These leaders can help to make sure economic development issues are brought to
the table and incorporated into discussions about statewide education strategies.
Action Recommendation 2: Expand the Education Cabinet to include the Secretary of Commerce
and the Lieutenant Governor.
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A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
In addition to coming together on a regular basis in a formal setting for the purpose of discussing
education and economic development strategies, state leaders should also incorporate the nationallyrecognized 16 Career Clusters as they create, update and implement their plans. Career Clusters can
impact economic development by providing sources of competitive advantage, business agility, product and
process innovation, transitions to new workplaces, vertical and horizontal mobility and self-directed career
and learning management (21).
Action Recommendation 3: Adopt the 16 National Career Clusters and corresponding skills sets
as an organizing tool for the N.C. Department of Commerce to use as it updates and implements its
economic development vision plans.
There is no question that North Carolina faces many challenges. State and local leaders must do a
better job of working together to find the best solutions. Since education and economic development are
intertwined, efforts to improve our schools and our economy must be a result of careful coordination and
constant communication among local and state leaders from both sectors. This is the only way to ensure
that the state’s educational system produces career-ready graduates, and that jobs will be available for all
students who graduate career-ready in North Carolina.
THE NEXT STEPS
Commission members have identified the “Crisis of Relevance” and outlined six policy goals to guide
innovation and reform in our K-12 public education system. Now it is time for education, government and
business leaders to work together to make sure our students graduate career- and college-ready.
At the top level of these efforts, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, State Superintendent, State Board
of Education Chairman, state legislators and other elected and appointed state leaders must have the
courage to modify existing education programs and policy to better serve students today. These leaders
must be willing to mandate education innovation to change the traditional school culture. And they must
make improving communication among the education and economic development entities at every level of
government a top priority.
It is the suggestion of the Commission that the Department of Public Instruction and the State Board
of Education spearhead the effort to better utilize the state’s Career and Technical Education and
entrepreneurship programs. The NCDPI and the State Board must use proven best practices and join with
organizations such as the North Carolina New Schools Project, the NC STEM Community Collaborative and
other organizations in more efforts to innovate instruction, school culture and classroom structure.
Education leaders in local districts and schools must commit to making sure students have career plans
and increasing the scope and effectiveness of career counseling in our state’s middle and high schools.
These local leaders must join with the JOBS Commission, the N.C. Chamber, the North Carolina Business
Committee for Education and other business-education advocacy groups in employing strategies to make
sure all students are knowledgeable about and prepared for careers that are available today as well as jobs
that will be available years from now in their community, region, state and across the world.
Above all else, we must recognize that this “Crisis of Relevance” is a problem that North Carolina will
confront, correct and emerge from in the future with a smarter, stronger workforce prepared to meet every
challenge presented in the 21st century and beyond.
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
25
END NOTES
1North Carolina Department of Commerce Policy & Research Strategic Planning Division. (March 2009). 2009 North Carolina
Economic Index. Retrieved December 29, 2009, http://www.nccommerce.com/NR/rdonlyres/AFE32AC4-4ADC-4F52-9245D19F7B0F57D5/0/20090331_economicindex.pdf.
2North Carolina Labor Market Information Division of Employment Security Commission. (n.d.). Long-Term Occupational Projections
2006-2016. Retrieved August 30, 2009, http://www.ncesc1.com/lmi/occupational/Statewide_Long-Term_Projections.pdf
3Institute for a Competitive Workforce. (2008). The skills imperative: How career and technical educationcan solve the
U.S. talent shortage. Retrieved September 4, 2009, http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/eciaj45n6o5jxdngkikp6zgph
wy4gqbkt3vyv7q4eu5xlcpms7escmdu5koxwfyvrgdpxukqamx35ljclqfydbuob2g/CTEPaperFINAL.pdf
4Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children
need - and what we can do about it. New York: Basic Books.
5National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. (2007). Retooling career technical education. Retrieved November 4, 2009,
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0706TECHED.PDF
6The Conference Board. (2006). Are they really ready to work? – Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied
skills of the new entrants to the 21st century vs. workforce. Retrieved November 18, 2009, http://www.conference-board.org/
pdf_free/BED-06-workforce.pdf
7Fairlie, R. W. (2009). The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity 1996-2008. Kansas City, MO: The Ewing Marion
Kauffman Foundation.
8(1) Baumol, W. J. (2002). The Free-Market Innovation Machine: Analyzing the Growth Miracle of Capitalism. Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press. and (2) Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (2003). Small Business FAQ’s. Retrieved
Oct. 1, 2006, http://www.sba.gov/advo/stats/sbfaq.pdf.
9Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. (2005, February 26). Entrepreneurship Everywhere: The Case for Entrepreneurship
Education. Retrieved November 7, 2009, http://www.entre-ed.org/_entre/whitepaperfinal.pdf.
10Southern Regional Education Board. (2008). The next generation of school accountability: A blueprint for raising high school
achievement and graduation rates in SREB states. Retrieved November 18, 2009, http://publications.sreb.org/2009/09V17_
Blueprint_Highschools.pdf
11Dittoe, L. (2008, April 28). No longer “A Nation at Risk;” now a nation way behind. Retrieved November 11, 2009,
http://2mminutes.com/pdfs/Nation-at-Risk-4-28-08.pdf
12The Public School Forum of North Carolina. (2006). Creating internationally competitive schools. Retrieved October 15, 2009,
http://www.ncforum.org/doclib/PSF%20Study%20Group.pdf
13The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. (2009). Formative Evaluation Report North Carolina Virtual Public School
Spring 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009, http://www.ncvps.org/docs/results/09_report_final.pdf
14ACT, Inc. (2009) Career Readiness Certificate: certificate overview. Retrieved November 11, 2009, http://www.act.org/certificate/
what.html?id=ed
15The Public School Forum of North Carolina. (2004). Learning from Denmark. Retrieved October 15, 2009, http://www.ncforum.org/
doclib/denmark.pdf
16Brand, B. (2008). Supporting high quality and technical education through federal and state policy. Retrieved November 1, 2009,
http://www.aypf.org/documents/CTEMeetingPaper.pdf
17State’s Career Clusters Initiative. (2009). State’s career clusters. Retrieved November 11, 2009,
http://www.careerclusters.org/whatis.php
18Institute for a Competitive Workforce. (2008). The skills imperative: How career and technical education can solve the U.S.
talent shortage. Retrieved September 20, 2009, http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/eciaj45n6o5jxdngkikp6zgphwy
4gqbkt3vyv7q4eu5 xlcpms7escmdu5koxwfyvrgdpxukqamx35ljclqfydbuob2g/CTEPaperFINAL.pdf
19Wake Education Partnership.(n.d.). About Us. Retrieved December 29, 2009, http://www.wakeedpartnership.org/
20North Carolina Department of Instruction. (2009). CEDARS: NC common education data analysis reporting system.
Retrieved November 11, 2009, http://www.ncpublicschools.org/cedars/
21State’s Career Clusters Initiative. (2009). State’s career clusters. Retrieved November 18, 2009,
http://www.careerclusters.org/vision.php
26
A crisis of relevance: How NC must innovate to graduate all students career- and college-ready
NC DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION :: June St. Clair Atkinson, Ed.D., State Superintendent :: 301 N. Wilmington Street :: Raleigh, NC 27601-2825
In compliance with federal law, NC Public Schools administers all state-operated educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination
because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law.
Inquiries or complaints regarding discrimination issues should be directed to: Dr. Rebecca Garland, Chief Academic Officer
Academic Services and Instructional Support :: 6368 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6368 :: Telephone: (919) 807-3200 :: Fax: (919) 807-4065
Visit us on the Web:: www.ncpublicschools.org
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