EDUCATION

Few colleges are actually exhibiting the introspection and discipline needed to assess customer satisfaction and success through the eyes of students, parents, and employers.

The PCF has roots in organizational alignment frameworks developed for business, but incorporates what we have learned in studying fifteen large districts and the education literature, and is therefore relevant to the unique managerial challenges leaders of urban systems face.

New Web sites for kids are popping up every day, making it difficult for some parents to sort the good from the bad. Here are a few good, free educational sites for children.

To meet this challenge, we need to work together. We need to ensure that our funding for a quality higher education is fair to students and taxpayers while being sustainable and adequate over the long term. We hold the key to our future in our own hands. We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to our children. – Steve Barrett

A two-day conference on "Indiana’s Future: Economic Development and the High School Connection" opens Thursday with insights from former North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt Jr. and other leaders from around the world who have been transforming secondary education, especially in science, technology, engineering and math, to prepare all students for the rigors of the 21st century economy.

Meanwhile, America’s edge in education is eroding by many measures, including school test scores and high-school dropout rates. Even more worrying is that both the federal government and state legislatures have been reducing their support of colleges and universities, the crown jewels of America’s human-capital economy.

“ China and India are racing to climb the technology ladder,” he added. “We must recognize that we’re in that race, too, and we have to run smarter if we are to maintain our high standard of living and our global leadership.”

The new initiative, funded primarily through grants from Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell, aims to stir a passion for science, technology, math and engineering in middle and high school students.

"The Governor’s proposal did not put future legislatures in a box and gives them real budget flexibility into the future," Wanzenreid said. "It was a prudent and sustainable proposal that took a conservative approach to future revenue projections."