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The 74
Exclusive:
Majority of Business Leaders Believe U.S. Education ‘on the Wrong Track’
Many Fear Poorly Performing Schools Could Harm Their Industries
Cities and towns looking to grow their economies are likely
misdirecting their efforts if their priorities are not centered on
education, a new national survey of business leaders suggests.
In canvassing 234 local business leaders on the state of their public
schools and how they could be improved, Business Forward found that a
majority believe that American K-12 schools are “on the wrong track” —
and 1 in 4 are concerned that poorly performing schools will negatively
impact their businesses.
“When considering relocating, good schools are a primary consideration
for both companies and prospective employees,” P. Morgan of San
Antonio, Texas, said in response to the survey.
The leaders surveyed represent a wide spectrum of industries, business
sizes, and more than 40 U.S. states and territories. Two out of three
also have children who either graduated from or are currently enrolled
in public schools. Business Forward is a national nonprofit that works
with local business leaders across the country for networking,
programming, and advocacy.
“My children have graduated. The schools seem worse since then,” E.
Karle of Lexington, Kentucky, said in the survey. “We need a strong
commitment to education across the country or we will have trouble
finding qualified employees. … Whatever else we must skimp on to save
money, we must not skimp on our schools.”
Half of those executives surveyed said American schools are
underfunded, and half of those business leaders were more concerned
with poor students than their own. Many called for increasing funding
for the state’s neediest schools as a means of closing the opportunity
gap between rich and poor districts, reducing income inequality, and
supplying integral talent to their businesses.
This trepidation comes as the U.S. economy surges, readying itself to
expand in the second half of this year at the fastest rate since the
Great Recession. The rapid growth has allowed employers to continue to
hire, driving the unemployment rate — sub-4 percent — toward its lowest
level in 50 years.
But there’s a widening gap between the rising number of job openings
and the number of workers with enough education and skill to fill them,
which could debilitate economic growth in the long term, according to a
paper released last week by President Trump’s Council of Economic
Advisers.
Proposals in the House and Senate seek to allocate more federal funding
toward workforce training in fiscal 2019 — albeit at lower levels than
advocates have hoped.
Overall, 3 out of 4 business leaders surveyed expressed the need for
one of three issues:
Greater accountability and autonomy for teachers and principals
Practical skills and technical training
Equitable and more funding for schools in poor communities
While there is support for greater accountability, the leaders surveyed
expressed caution in handling schools like businesses. A number of
respondents denounced reforms that create schools modeled like
factories, treating students as “outputs” or “widgets.” Instead, they
said, schools should act as service providers in which students are the
“customers.”
To improve schools so they can provide skilled workers, 85 percent of
business leaders surveyed said, one or more market-driven reforms must
take place: implement greater school autonomy (59 percent), replace
underperforming schools (39 percent), and expand charter schools (34
percent). Just 15 percent of respondents said traditional school
management models should remain intact.
Also now live at The 74, about the Business Forward findings: 10 key
quotes from surveyed business leaders about the state of America’s
schools, and Business Forward president Jim Doyle writes about how
schools could benefit from being run like businesses.
Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provided support to Business
Forward for this survey and provides support to The 74.
Read this article, with graphs, and other articles at The 74
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