Prosperity 2020 is a statewide movement of major business associations to improve public and higher education in Utah.  United in their belief that education is the path to enduring prosperity, Utah business leaders have come together in a multi-year effort with initial goals to ensure 90 percent of elementary school students are proficient in reading and math and that two-thirds of all Utahns hold a postsecondary degree or certificate.

Early Start to Success
The Founders’ Council overwhelmingly supports the Early Start to Success program, which provides targeted pre-school programs for children most at risk—those living in poverty, refugee children and others who don’t speak English—and an all-day, voluntary kindergarten program.

“The research evidence is very clear that an early start for pre-school children and kindergarten children has a significant impact on their achievement in school at all levels,” said former commissioner of higher education Dr. Richard Kendell, who also serves as a professor of education leadership and policy at the University of Utah College of Education and an advisor to Prosperity 2020.  “Kids who receive these services tend to perform better in school whether your looking at standardized exams or their high school graduation rate.”

College and Career Ready
To ensure the public education system is preparing students for college level work, as well as the work force, an enhanced focus on reading and math fundamentals during elementary school is proven to be highly beneficial. The Founders’ Council strongly supports the Common Core State Standards.

The Common Core State Standards is a voluntary effort to establish a shared set of clear educational standards for English language arts and mathematics. The federal government does not lead this effort; it is guided by the participating states. The development of the standards was coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and experts to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare students for college and the workforce.

The Common Core was developed using research results and the highest state standards across the country.

“We’re developing, with other states, common leanings for all students in the areas of reading and mathematics clear performance standards,” said Dr. Kendell. “This allows us to measure our student performance both within the state and against other participating states.”

STEM Acceleration K-16
The Founders’ Council recognizes that, in the decades to come, the prosperity of our state and national economies will depend a great deal on the performance of our students in science and technology.

The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative is intended to identify early the students who show an interest and aptitude for math and science and to provide supportive programs throughout their education.

“These students will be the future scientists, engineers and technicians that create new products, start new companies and bolster our economy long term,” said Dr. Kendell. “Job creation is the hot topic right now but long-term we need to have the workforce to fill these jobs, and create now products and businesses.”

Prosperity 2020 leaders will continue their discussions regarding investment and innovation in both public and higher education. This fall, they will advance a formal legislative proposal to drive Utah toward the 2020 goals.

For more from Prosperity 2020, click here.

Both students bound for college and for careers need core academic skills, but students who are planning to start their careers also need employability and technical skills.

“All three of them must be in place and must be achieved by an individual in order to be considered career ready,” said Jan Bray, the association’s executive director.

A number of different groups have tried to define career readiness, and the next step for ACTE should be to research which skills matter in the workplace and in college, said David Wakelyn, a program director with the Center for Best Practices at the National Governors Association.

“It’s a nice first start for showing where the intersection is, where the overlap is for college and career readiness,” Wakelyn said. “But we need to verify that these skills are indeed the right skills.” 

Academic skills

The basic academic skills include areas such as math and English, but schools shouldn’t stop at teaching them — they must show students how to use academic knowledge in authentic situations they might face. 

“Whether you’re going to be a doctor, a lawyer, a welder, a nurse, a cosmetologist, you name it, you’re going to need a core of academics that you can apply,” Bray said.

 Employability skills

They also need to communicate effectively, work with others and be creative. Students might be able to land a job, but they may not keep the job without these skills, said Dave Bunting, executive director of the Iowa ACTE chapter and former executive director of programs at Kirkwood Community College.

“While employers want outstanding technical and academic skills, they absolutely demand outstanding employability skills,” Bunting said.

Technical skills

More than 3,000 high school juniors and seniors in Iowa take college credit courses that allow them to learn technical skills in specific areas. Through the Career Edge Academies, businesses, colleges and high schools work together to help these students prepare for their future.

“We think it helps students understand the skills that industry is demanding,” Bunting said, “and it’s allowing them to get a great start.”