ALBANY, N.Y.—The Public Policy Institute of New York State (PPI) today unveiled new resources to serve as guides for businesses in navigating the new education standards and recapped five regional forums surrounding business engagement in education.
In addition to Common Core Standards: What Every New Yorker Needs to Know and Partnering with Schools for College and Career Readiness: Resources for the New York State Business Community, which were published by PPI this past summer, regional “spotlight” pieces on business-education partnerships in the Capital Region, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes, as well as an in-depth PowerPoint presentation by education expert Allison Armour-Garb, are also now available on PPI’s website.
“Businesses across the state rely on the education system to prepare students for careers in the 21st century economy. Unfortunately, as evident by the growing skills gap, there is a disconnect between what students are learning in school and what they need to know to succeed in the work world,” said Heather C. Briccetti, Esq., president and CEO of PPI. "It’s crucial that business play a greater role in partnering with local schools in order to create a robust pipeline, and support quality education standards with real-world applicability."
"The percentage of jobs requiring postsecondary education has more than doubled in the past four decades, and is expected to keep growing," said Michael Petro, executive vice president of the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED). "By adopting high-quality educational standards in K-12, states commit to providing their students with a stronger foundation for higher education and ultimately, their careers."
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED) last year provided PPI with a grant to conduct regional forums in order to provide employers with information on the skills gap and regional public-private partnerships, and for the development of a toolkit to serve as guide for both businesses and parents who want to learn more about the Common Core standards.
To date, a total of 67 pre-event surveys and 49 post-event surveys have been collected from participants at the forums during five outreach events:
- Corning (June 24, 2014)
- Albany (June 27, 2014)
- Utica (September 3, 2014)
- Rochester (October 21, 2014)
- Westchester ( December 9, 2014)
According to the surveys collected, two-thirds of the respondents considered themselves either very or somewhat familiar with the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards prior to attending the events. More than half had a positive impression; one-third had a neutral impression; and 15 percent had a negative impression coming in. After the event, 82 percent of respondents reported that they felt more informed on the standards, with the rest reporting that they felt somewhat more informed.
Almost all participants (93%) believe that it is important for business leaders to have a voice and be involved in the dialogue about how high standards connect to college and career readiness.
Visit www.ppinys.org to view the complete survey results and access the new resources.
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The Public Policy Institute is the 501c3 research arm of The Business Council of New York State Inc., with the purpose of promoting policies that will restore New York’s economic competitiveness.
The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led, public policy organization that delivers well-researched analysis and reasoned solutions to our nation's most critical issues.