Business and Education Leaders Make the Case for Rigorous Academic Standards
By Cindy Cisneros, Vice President of Education Programs, Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board
Education has quickly become a primary focus of the corporate philanthropy community. In Giving in Numbers: 2013 Edition, education (K-12 and higher education combined) for the first time became the most funded area, with companies on average dedicating 29 percent of their charitable giving budgets to the issue. This finding continues in the current 2014 edition, and anecdotal evidence suggests companies will continue to direct efforts on improving the quality of the country’s education system through their corporate philanthropy programs for years to come. Now, a new video series from the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) showcases business and education leaders discussing why college– and career–ready standards benefit students and employers.
The following interviewees, four of whom are CED Members, share their insights about the value of high-quality K–12 standards and a comprehensive education system to help ensure economic success for individuals and the nation :
- Carl Camden, President & CEO of Kelly Services, Inc.
- Howard Fluhr, Chairman of The Segal Group
- Lisa A. Hook, President & CEO of Neustar, Inc.
- Robert Mendenhall, President of Western Governors University
- Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., Professor of Education at New York University (non-CED Member)
Of particular interest is the video entitled Education Through the Lens of Business (watch the video below), which features Carl Camden, President & CEO of Kelly Services, Inc., and others describing the skills gap between the needs of American companies and the skill sets of the nation’s students and graduates.
We encourage you to view the videos here and to share your feedback and thoughts by commenting below, or emailing me at ([email protected]).
CED has also developed a smartphone app containing numerous, easily accessible resources to support and learn about college- and career-ready standards. It can be downloaded in the Apple store here and the Android store here, or by searching for its title, “Business4Readiness,” in either store. The videos and app were produced with the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
About the author:
Cindy Cisneros
Vice President of Education Programs
Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board
Cindy Cisneros is Vice President of Education Programs at the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board. She most recently served as Director of Member Practice at Public Education Network (PEN). In this position, she led strategies for improving the capacity of member local education funds across the country to affect policy change, engage the public, and ensure that all children, especially underserved populations, graduate ready for college and career.
