2008 Governors Education Symposium

Gov. Jim Hunt, a great leader for education and a good friend of mine, is hosting the 2008 Governors Education Symposium this weekend in North Carolina. I'm honored to attend the program and I'm excited that this year's event will focus around the topic of increasing the number of students who are college and career-ready, international benchmarking of state standards, and improving state capacity to effectively support teachers and students.

An event like this is very important for reforming our educational system. 

Governors are the leaders in their states, and they are critically important part of improving education for our nation’s students.  They have the ability to rise above local parochial interests and think about all the students in their state.  They can serve as the conduit between national leaders and local school boards.

In the past, many governors have played a critical role in the creation of the current standards, assessment and accountability systems we now have in place.  But what we have done in the past is not good enough for today.  If we do not address our education system’s challenges, we will fall even further behind our international competitors.  The next generation of governors must take more responsibility for the education challenges our nation faces and must commit themselves to work with the next President to dramatically reform and improve our nation’s schools.

When I return, I'll be sure to share with you some of the best practices that I hear during the symposium.