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Program Description

21st Century Education Summit
Saturday, May 14, 2011, 1 - 5:30 PM
De Anza College, Cupertino 
Campus Center, Conference room
Free parking at Flint Parking, Light Refreshment

Summit Goals

1) To inform the Silicon Valley Bay Area community and beyond about:

  • A forward-looking, 21st Century, deep learning approach, as expressed in two pieces of legislation that refocus California education to prepare all students for a fast-changing world

  • How the state budget crisis impacts education funding, how Sacramento works, and what are the possible paths to solve ongoing education budget cuts

2) To provide hands-on workshops for parent, student and community organizers, so that they can become effective change agents at every level.


Who Should Attend?

Parents, educators, students leaders, business and community leaders, policymakers, and anyone who cares about education (and the future of California). 


Background

Poised between drastic budget cuts and the needs of 6.3 million diverse K-12 students, California’s schools must shift focus dramatically to enable all our children to power a state that’s the eighth largest economy in the world, and to succeed in a complex and competitive global economy. Silicon Valley currently dominates world markets in technology and innovation; workers who are agile, creative, and dynamic problem-solvers thrive here. 

Yet California is last in per-pupil spending compared to other states. Today, 70% of California students graduate from high school and only 25% of the state’s high school graduates are prepared for college. Over the past three years, $18 billion has been cut from K-12, causing class size increases, a reduction in programs and services, and layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers, librarians and other support staff.

Further hobbling our children are testing mandates from federal law (NCLB, or No Child Left Behind) and state standardized tests (CAHSEE, California High School Exit Exam). Will we, as one nationally-recognized educator put it, be satisfied with "a school system that raises multiple-choice thinkers in an essay world"? 

To meet that need, a group of educators, business leaders, and cutting-edge researchers are collaborating to create the California Coalition Partnership for 21st Century Education (P21). Together they’ve developed a vision of K-12 education that will empower the state’s children to succeed in the face of numerous challenges, highlighting mastery of the
  • Three R’s (reading, writing, and arithmetic rounded out with art, music, science, civics)
  • Four C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity/innovation)

Assembly Member Julia Brownley and State Senator Lou Correa are sponsoring two bills (AB 250 and SB 402 respectively) that will give educators, parents, and students renewed purpose for California K-12 education. The Brownley/Correa bills equip today’s children for tomorrow by asking them to “show what they know” of core subjects, 21st Century content, and media/new media literacy.

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