Business needs to be a watchdog for school reform.

• Author: Clark, Leanna
• Position: GUEST

During the Public Education & Business Coalition's 25th Anniversary luncheon last April, Joe Blake, president of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, succinctly summarized the key lessons business can offer public education.

"Business each and every day deals with hope, alignment and competition, but it does it with a sense of urgency," he said. "Urgency will bring even greater results in the years ahead."

This country has been in "urgent" school reform mode since the groundbreaking "A Nation at Risk" study was published 25 years ago. The study warned that our nation's public education system was being eroded by a "rising tide of mediocrity" and suggested drastic remedies.

Unfortunately, we have not made a great deal of progress in the intervening years. Student achievement is largely stagnant, and other countries are outpacing us in preparing their young people to be productive members of the 21st century work force. As a small business owner, a lifelong member of this community, and most importantly as the mother of twins in our elementary public school system, this inertia concerns me greatly.

Recent events in Colorado give us reason for hope. If the state's business community plays an active role in urgently advocating for those efforts that produce alignment and competition. Colorado can lead the way in effective school reform.

The governor recently signed two pieces of key legislation. One, the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids (CAP4K), was designed to produce alignment of curriculum and standards from preschool through post-graduate work. The other, the Innovation Schools Act, frees public schools from the shackles of over-regulation and onerous union contracts, prompting healthy competition.

CAP4K is based on three basic philosophical assumptions: 1) Education needs to be aligned from preschool into college, 2) students need the same skills for college as they do for specialized training or going to work; and 3) student mastery of skills is more important than having certain classes listed on a transcript.

If and when the plan is fully implemented, there will be state content standards in every grade on a wide variety of subjects and skills, new forms of testing, state definitions of what it means both to be ready for school and ready for postsecondary education or work, specialized high school diplomas, updated graduation requirements in every school district and an easier path into state colleges for some high school...