Vermont connects education and economic development Tuesday, April 03, 2007 Late last year, Vermont's Next Generation Commission release an important report on the connection of education and economic development in the Granite State. The report touches on many of the important themes emerging in regional economies across the country: the enormous waste in the system, as too many young people either drop out of high school or graduate with weak skills and no career plans; the imperative of developing a tighter fit between educational curriculums and the demands of employers; and the need to expose all young people to career education options early. Over the next ten years we will be facing an increasing skills shortage. Our high schools have been underperforming for a long time, and reform efforts have failed to change this dynamic. We are still saddled with a grossly inadequate approach to elementary and secondry education. Think of it this way. Who would buy a car that started only one-third of the time? Or, read a book missing 30% of its pages? Or, watch a movie with a hour lost in the middle? Or eat at a restaurant where one third of the patrons got sick? Yet, we accept roughly these performance standards in our high schools. You can read more abut the report here. You can download a report here. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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