July 2012 News & Notes
July 31, 2012
Education
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation publishes content on education and related issues. Find and access current and archived items in our database.
U.S. Chamber Report Makes Case for Higher Education Reform
June 19, 2012
Leaders and Laggards Evaluates Postsecondary Performance Across 50 States, Calls on Business Community to Take Action
June 14 Event to Analyze National Security Implications of Poor Education
May 31, 2012
On June 14, 2012, the Business Education Network (BEN), will host an event titled, A Smarter America = A Safer America, to discuss and analyze a report released in March by The Council on Foreign Relations titled, U.S. Education Reform and National Security. The report was written by a task force of business leaders, education experts, and national security authorities. Led by former Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren and Former Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, the task force concluded that human capital is the nation’s most important asset and the failure to have a highly-educated workforce puts our physical safety at risk.
Building a Globally Competitive Workforce
May 31, 2012
Earlier this year, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the landmark education reform law, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). That milestone provides the opportunity for us to look at the role the business community must play to improve education. We will not have businesses that thrive and grow in this global knowledge economy if we do not have an educated, skilled, and able workforce. We have the opportunity to look at where we are making progress in educating our nation’s students, where we need to go, and how we stack up to other countries.
U.S. Chamber Report Illustrates Need for Voice of Business in School Governance
May 31, 2012
13 Case Studies in U.S. Cities Reveal That Business Leaders Need to Hold School Board and Education Leaders Accountable to Ensure a High Quality Workforce
Event preview: From the Boardroom to the School Board
April 25, 2012
While drafting the Declaration of Independence the founders wove in words near and dear to American hearts. The phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” is known to every child as the unalienable rights given to us as Americans. But, there is another thing that the founders had the forethought to weave throughout this document; it’s the concept of accountability.
Pell Grant Program’s Future: Many Risks and Many Questions Remain
April 27, 2012
There’s a lot of talk in Washington these days about Pell Grants. Both the House Majority and the White House have added their two cents on the future of the low-income student grant program, though it is still a guessing game whether either of the plans will move forward.
Problems in Education Persist Nearly Three Decades After A Nation at Risk Report
April 27, 2012
Twenty-nine years ago, A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform alerted the U.S. about the grim outlook of the public education system.
President Reagan’s commission that authored the report included the following statement in a letter sent to then-Secretary of Education Terrel Bell: “Our purpose has been to help define the problems afflicting American education and to provide solutions, not search for scapegoats." That sentiment still holds true.
President Unveils Displaced Worker Proposal
March 27, 2012
On March 12, the White House announced a new proposal that seeks to merge parts of the Workforce Investment Act and the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. The new program, dubbed the “Universal Dislocated Worker Program” (UDWP), would provide job search assistance, training, and other benefits for up to a million dislocated workers.
Kline’s ESEA Bills Change Federal Role in Education
February 28, 2012
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, introduced a pair of bills that would dramatically change the role of the federal government in K–12 education. The two newest components of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would dismantle the federal accountability pillars laced within the decade-old No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).