The 21st Century Promise will require a rethinking of educational policy-making, funding, and governance that challenges adults more than our students. For example, a tip of a very deep education policy “iceberg” is the fact that, now, any student may graduate from most public high schools in the state with the grade of “D” in all courses. Is this policy serving anyone well?
However, moving to change this policy to a real “C” as passing at the high school level will not be sufficient if “success is the only option” for our youth who attend public schools. This type of policy change must also be accompanied by the planning and funding of equitable supports at the school, district, and community levels for students and their families to make “C” or better a high probability outcome for all students.
We need a new 21st Century Promise for public education and the political will to do so, just like we did in the last century that placed a human on the moon. Let’s get busy with the opportunities and challenges that face us in how we create consistent and congruent educational policies, funding formulas, and governance structures to accomplish this most important of all missions our society has for its youth and collective future.
The accompanying graphic representation was created by the author in 2012 as the 21st Century Promise was first shared with Beaver County Pennsylvania school districts when he was Superintendent of the Freedom Area School District. Currently, the author, as a member of the Commonwealth Education Blueprint Steering Committee hosted by the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association, is infusing the 21st Century Promise into the development of a compelling and relevant
vision of education in our state over the next 30 years.