Education, The Pathway to Prosperity

I've spent almost a decade working in and with public education at all levels. When I first started down this road in late 90s, I could see that public education was about to undergo significant changes. For an institution that doesn't change easily, I knew this would be very difficult. I was right -- it has been extremely difficult for public education to respond to the changes necessary to prepare our children to be competitive and employable in the 21st century American information society. I consider this issue to be so important I devoted an entire chapter in Inert America to the role of education in the 21st century.

I believe that public education is the key to prosperity for America in the 21st century. Driven by this belief, I spent many years and thousands of dollars developing a system to support teaching and learning in the classroom under No Child Left Behind. I thought this issue was so important, I offered the entire system for free to all 50 Governors and State Superintendents of Education. It would have saved taxpayers millions of dollars. Other than a polite thank you from about 4 or 5, I received no takers -- not even a phone call to inquire. How disappointing! I realized that money, or the lack thereof, had absolutely nothing to do with public education's willingness to make the changes we need as a society in order to prepare the next generation of Americans.

The next few posts will be around this issue of public education. I am including the letter sent to the Governors and Superintendents below. Additionally, I created a document called Education Strategy in the 21st Century. As part of my posts, I will paste excerpts from that document in the next few days and weeks.


Letter to Governors and Superintendents

Dear Governor or Superintendent XXX:

I am contacting you as an official government representative of your state. The purpose of this communique is to offer you and the citizens of your state the CanDoEDU.com system for free. The CanDoEDU.com system is a comprehensive data management system designed to support the learning transaction between teachers and students within the classroom. It is comprehensive in its’ design and flexibility, and it will save the taxpayers of your state millions of dollars. I have attached a strategy document that explains CanDoEDU.com in more detail.

I am making this offer, because I am very concerned about pubic education in
America. In my opinion, the current state of affairs in public education is the single biggest threat to prosperity in America over the next decade. With two children in high school, when I survey their futures I get very concerned. When I think about the future of my grandchildren, I grow even more concerned. The current course and direction of education is not sufficient to keep America strong in the 21st century information society and a highly competitive global economy. Education must change, and it must change now. We are dangerously close to losing an entire generation. This is a serious issue for all Americans, regardless of partisanship.

Quite simply, this is the motivation for developing CanDoEDU.com over the last seven years. I do hope you will take advantage of this incredible opportunity. America can’t wait. Our future depends on it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly by cell at (404) 432-5970.

God Bless America

Sincerely,


Gary W. Griffin, Ph.D.



Stay tuned.

Gary