What does local education have to do with start-ups, planning, etc?
Last month I testified at Oregon state legislature hearings about the role of the local community college in local business. I testified as president of Palo Alto Software, employer of 35. We need the local education, I said. Local business depends on local education far more than we realize.
I didn’t testify to the great iceberg underneath that tip, which relates to the influence of good education in good communities. I would have, if they’d asked. I would also have testified to the importance of a strong University of Oregon to the state, and businesses in the state; but they didn’t ask that one either.
Education matters on every level. I posted at bplans.com yesterday about MBAs and jobs. This morning I’m about to jump back on campus at the University of Oregon, to watch an undergraduate venture competition. Most of the entrants are my students.
Before I go, however, this morning I picked up this report on the comparative state of education in the 50 states. Take a look at how your state is doing. This kind of knowledge is good for everybody.
Link: NAEP Studies – Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales.
—Tim
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Comments
The mapping study looked at the rigor of state cut scores (i.e. performance standards) to meet AYP. It did not consider the overall achievement level of a state. In fact, there is no clear, consistent relationship between the rigor of a state's performance standard and its overall achievement level. For a graphic illustration see:
http://www.boardofed.idaho.gov/naep/
misc/naepequivalentscore/nes_menu.htm