North Carolina Governor Sets Up Center to Retool the Schools
RSSEric Oatman -- School Library Journal, 05/04/2005
North Carolina governor Mike Easley, eager to make his state’s schools prepare students for the global economy, has established a center to promote the infusion of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy and other skills into the curriculum. “The new 21st Century Skills Center will ensure that students graduate from our educational institutions with the skills they need to compete and succeed in the workplace,” Governor Easley said in announcing the project.
The governor developed the center, the first in the nation, with the help of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization that wants to persuade states and school districts to follow North Carolina’s example. The group’s members include such pacesetters as the American Library Association, the National Education Association, Agilent Technologies, and Verizon.
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) will manage North Carolina’s center out of the governor’s office. A consortium of the state’s leading businesses, NCBCE intends to persuade K-12 school systems, community colleges, and teacher-training institutions to emphasize ICT, critical thinking, communication skills, workplace collaboration and global awareness; and business, economic, and civic literacy. Its initial emphasis will be on reform at the high school level.
The state has provided start-up funding for the center with a $250,000 grant. Private sources are expected to contribute at least as much. Computer-maker Dell, Inc., a Partnership member, was the first corporation to step up to the plate, donating $50,000.
