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Education is Crucial Pillar of Strong North Carolina Future
Chamber Organizes Businesses to Take Aim at Dropout Rate
“Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in. That everyone may receive at least a moderate education appears to be an objective of vital importance.”
(Abraham Lincoln) These words are as true today as they were in 1864.
As the leading force for business, the North Carolina Chamber is committed to improving the caliber of our state’s schools and the competitiveness of its students. Education is a priority for our Chamber, recognized by our members as a pillar of a strong, prosperous North Carolina future. Effective public schools (K-12) that help prepare students for 21st-century jobs and produce a globally competitive workforce are a critical business issue and absolutely necessary if our state is to remain competitive nationally and internationally for jobs and commerce. This is why our Chamber will bring together business leaders at our Annual Meeting in Greensboro March 26th to discuss how we can collectively curtail the dropout rate in our state.
Many of our students are dropping out of schools at an alarming rate. The business community has an important role to play in addressing the dropout epidemic. Educators and policymakers cannot solve this problem alone; curing the epidemic requires the collaboration of both the private and public sectors.
Leading the Charge:
The North Carolina Chamber is leading the charge to get more of our state’s students to the high-school finish line. Our Chamber considers it mission-critical to not only raise awareness of the problem, but also to organize and empower the business community to actively engage in working proactively and productively toward a solution.
Chamber Hosts Special Education Session
At our 66th Annual Meeting at the Grandover Resort & Conference Center in Greensboro on March 26th, our Chamber will host a preliminary Special Session at 9 a.m. focusing on what North Carolina businesses can do to curb the dropout rate. Dr. Jim Goodnight of SAS will open the forum and a discussion will follow among a mix of major private-sector employers and non-profit leaders whose organizations focus on improving education in our state.
The Special Session on Education will feature a panel discussion moderated by Chris William of Wachovia and Carolina Business Review. Panelists will answer questions posed by the moderator from Chamber members and the audience. Among those who have already confirmed that they will participate on the panel are: Juan Austin (Wachovia), Ed Carney (Cisco Systems), Tony Habit (New Schools Project), Cynthia Marshall (AT&T North Carolina), Susan Milliken (Futures for Kids – F4K), Dr. Scott Ralls (Craven Community College and NC Community College System), Tricia Willoughby (NC Business Committee for Education), and a representative from the New Schools Project.
Online registration for our Chamber’s Annual Meeting is available on our Web site at www.ncchamber.net. Extremely limited space at the venue and enormous interest among members has required that our Chamber create a waiting list for the Special Session on Education. We will release seats for this preliminary session on a first-come, first-served basis after the first week in March once we know how many are available. For more information, visit our Chamber’s Web site or call (919) 836-1400.
Chamber Leaders Involved in Dropout Legislative Commission
The North Carolina General Assembly recently formed the Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation. Our Chamber is proud to have representatives of our employer members serving on this commission: Bill Farmer (Time Warner) and Cynthia Marshall (AT&T North Carolina.)
The commission has focused its attention and resources on innovative programs to keep our students enrolled in school. For example, the commission distributes dropout prevention grants to local schools to help provide the necessary resources to ensure high school retention.
Chamber Members Meet Education Challenges
On Number of Fronts
Our Chamber and its employer members are involved in meeting North Carolina’s education challenges on a number of fronts, including Communities in Schools, the NC Business Committee for Education and the Public School Forum (Education: Everybody’s Business Coalition).
Communities in Schools is focused on helping kids stay in school and prepare for life. The organization has reached out to 112,000 kids in approximately 89 high schools, 95 middle schools, and 220 elementary schools across North Carolina. An impressive number of our business members have taken an active role in this organization: AT&T North Carolina, Bank of America, BB&T, Bernhardt Furniture, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Cisco Systems, Duke Energy, First Citizens Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, Golden Corral, IBM, The Keith Corporation, Piedmont Natural Gas, Progress Energy, RBC Centura, Rex Healthcare, SAS and Wachovia – to name a few.
North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) involves the business community in its efforts for continuous improvement in public education. The direct business involvement provides a business focus for education improvement. The NCBCE Board of Directors is overwhelmingly represented by our Chambers’ members: AT&T North Carolina, Bank of America, BB&T, Belk Stores, Cisco, Corning, Duke Energy, Golden Corral, Lincoln Financial Group, PSNC Energy, RBC Centura, Reynolds America, SAS, Embarq, Food Lion, GlaxoSmithKline, Smith Anderson, LLP and Wachovia.
Our Chamber is a proud member of the Education: Everybody’s Business Coalition (EEBC), which is a coalition aimed at facilitating collaboration between the education and business communities in our state. The Coalition began with the notion that both business and education leaders recognize that schools are not only “good business,” but also “everybody’s business.” Our Chamber’s President & CEO, Lew Ebert proudly serves on the Public School’s Forum Board of Directors, which is an important partner in this coalition.
Three Keys to a Strong Future for Our Students
Three keys to effectively addressing our state’s dropout challenges are: (1) awareness, (2) promotion, and (3) action.
- Awareness
Our Chamber and its members are committed to raising awareness statewide about how serious the dropout epidemic is in North Carolina. A total of 23,550 North Carolina high school students dropped out in 2006-2007 (the actual number may be much higher depending on the calculation method). This is the biggest number in seven years and a 6 percent increase from 2005-2006 (Winston-Salem Journal, February 12, 2008). - Promotion
It is clear to our Chamber that in a time of intense national and international competition for jobs and investment, North Carolina will be unable to remain a leader state with a thriving economy if we do not begin to effectively address our dropout problem. Producing, retaining and attracting world-class talent is a key contributor to economic growth. A graduation rate below national averages is unacceptable and our Chamber is committed to not only raising awareness around the issue, but also encouraging and empowering the business community to engage in solving this ongoing problem. - Action
Action toward lowering our state’s dropout rate is required from North Carolina’s business community to ensure success. Our Chamber will take action in Greensboro on March 26th by hosting a Special Session on Education (prior to our Annual Meeting luncheon) focused on what businesses can do to curtail the dropout rate.
Education Solutions Remain Important to Chamber’s Mission
Time and again our Chamber’s members tell us that education and workforce development are among their top economic concerns. North Carolina will not continue to prosper without strong education and workforce development systems that are effective, agile, and accountable and continually produce a competitive, world-class workforce. Our Chamber’s advocacy mission is about making sure that North Carolina is a leading place in the world to do business. Helping to derive solutions to our state’s most pressing education challenges, such as the dropout rate, remain central to our mission.
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