(March 27, 2007) “Extremely challenged and essential to the future and economic viability of businesses in California, let alone the broader attractiveness of the state as a place to live and work.”

That’s how one senior California business executive described the state of the K-12 education system. His remark succinctly summed up the attitudes of California business owners generally, as reflected in a first-of-its-kind survey sponsored by the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, with the generous support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Read the full report.

Business leaders are deeply concerned — and deeply dissatisfied — about the condition of public schools, especially high schools.

California business leaders place education at the very top of public policy concerns, alongside health care. At the same time, executives give K-12 schools a “D” grade for their quality of work.

The representative sample of business executives responding to the survey believe that schools need more funding, but believe even more strongly that reforms should be adopted to meaningfully overhaul how schools are run and pupils educated.

More than ‘3 Rs’
And what are the reforms business leaders insist will make a difference? Personal responsibility, work ethic and communication skills.

These reforms aren’t exactly the “3 Rs,” and they don’t show up on the must do lists of Sacramento insiders or even the voters. But business executives concerned about their future workforce are deeply worried about these job readiness skills.

Don’t think, however, that executives are trying to burden the schools with yet another mandate. The skills executives are demanding are intimately entwined with the pursuit of academic excellence.

Indeed, what is a better exemplar of personal responsibility than arriving at class on time, with the mental and physical condition to participate in the day’s lesson? Likewise, a good work ethic can be instilled by insisting that homework be completed on time and assignments treated with respect and diligence.

Job readiness skills are in fact the same skills that are necessary for scholastic success — they simply aren’t being valued in the classroom or on the campus, according to business leaders.

This is not to say that executives downplayed the importance of the academic disciplines. Mastery of reading was placed on a par with the job readiness skills, with writing and mathematics also highly rated by executives, but not nearly so critical as the job readiness skills.

In another departure from conventional wisdom, business leaders declared that “providing skills to students so they can be productive workers in California’s economy” should be the main purpose of a high school education. Focusing on the basics ranked next in priority, followed by college preparation and citizenship.

How to Achieve Goals
How can we achieve these academic and workforce goals?

Business leaders strongly endorsed a tougher state accountability and performance measurement system, asserting that this is an area where schools can learn from the private sector. Clearly tracking and evaluating teacher performance in improving student performance is a key reform that can help schools focus on academic and discipline goals, according to business leaders — who in addition want to hold the entire school community responsible for meeting those goals.

Business leaders also strongly endorsed a “tough love” policy for school teachers and principals. Reflecting on their own experiences in business, executives called for treating these employees as true professionals: increasing salaries for teachers who improve student performance, and making it easier to fire underperforming or incompetent teachers; investing more in teacher training and mentoring; and applying tougher standards and penalties for school principals.

Above all, business leaders are sending a message that time is of the essence. In the words of one senior executive of a large California company: “I always say, forget about Osama Bin Laden — if you want to talk about something that really threatens our society, it’s the quality of education.”

Loren Kaye