In a time of rapid change, just how adaptable is the enterprise called public education?

Many involved in the "school reform movement" would argue that change is the most talked about and least acted upon concept in public education today. Yet, many who work in the public education system see it differently. They have begged, "Leave us alone - let us absorb the changes that have been thrust upon us!" One educator recently told me he felt as if he was drowning in all the new programs, rules, laws, regulations, etc. And everywhere he goes, "some new 'reformer' is offering me a glass of water under the guise of more new stuff to do. We are constantly asked to do more while the politicians provide less resources and more rhetoric," he continued.

The pace of change in the world is exploding. As a former State Superintendent of Schools, and one who has traveled extensively in China since 1989, I have witnessed an education system on steroids. With technology and globalization, our children are not simply competing against the students in the school district or state next door; they are competing against the children of the world.

Today, there are 1.3 billion new capitalists in China clamoring to elevate their way of life. Our fear should not be the outsourcing of jobs to China. Our greatest fear should be that their system of education is producing more scientists, engineers, and math and technology students than is America. We need to find ways to make change and globalization work for us. 

China is a giant that has awakened. Its educational and economic systems are moving aggressively to catch up with the western world. Their goal is not to simply be the cheap factory for the world, but to be the innovators, creators and entrepreneurs of the world. They know their future is inextricably tied to the quality of their educational system.

America will never be able to compete with China on cheap labor. However, we can and should compete with China by making our children the best educated in the world. America will succeed when we export knowledge, creativity and innovation onto the world stage. We cannot do that by thinking our past glory is a predictor of future success. It is only by changing through hard work, innovation and seeking new knowledge that we can truly prepare our children for the future.

The current configuration of our public system of education is not sustainable educationally or fiscally and will not prepare our children to compete in a rapidly changing world without significant and fundamental change.

It is pure fallacy to think that public education can be sustained, let alone thrive, with the old rules of the past. Schools must find ways to adapt to the fast-paced change that is swirling about us. Our mantra must be - "real change, requires real change."

Public education cannot rely on silver bullets to revive it as a viable, critical entity.  Instead, those in public education must do the tough work that real transformation requires.

Public educators often talk of change, but quickly revert to the comfort of the past once external pressure is relieved. With choice, charters and vouchers continuing to enter the education market,  parents no longer are forced to accept "lousy schools" as a given. Educators facing market forces must enhance quality or perish.

I hear many traditional public school officials complain when they lose a few hundred students to charter schools-- but their silence is deafening when students drop out of school and are on the streets.

We will know we have made progress in education when the only adjective that matters proceeding the word "school" is QUALITY!

Are Schools Anchored in the Past - Or, Ready to Sail Boldly Into the Future?

Those in public education need to continually ask if our system of education has become so fixated on owning old ideas that it has become a liability. It is difficult to leave behind old ideas or think differently when there is a steady and familiar chorus from within the school system telling educators that what they have been doing is fine. This refrain is heard as educators simultaneously are battening down the hatches from the constant barrage of negativity thrown their way from those outside the fortressed walls of the schools.

A recent report by the US Chamber of Comerce:  Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report On Educational Effectiveness,  concludes that:"The United States in the 21st century faces unprecedented economic and social challenges, ranging from the forces of global competition to the impending retirement of 77 million baby boomers. Succeeding in this new era will require our children to be prepared for the intellectual demands of the modern workplace and a far more complex society. Yet the evidence indicates that our country is not ready."

The report goes on to say: "Only about two-thirds of all 9th graders graduate from high school within four years. And those students who do receive diplomas are too often unprepared for college or the modern workplace." Obviously, nearly a quarter of a century since the seminal report A Nation at Risk was issued in 1983 and with tremendous focus on school improvement, this current assessment does not bode well for our future.

Our school leaders need to ask these questions: "If we could create a system that would provide our children with the education they deserve and need to be competitive in the 21st century, global economy, would we create the system that currently exists? "Are all the schools in your state good enough for your child?" If the answers are "no" then every waking hour needs to be devoted to bringing about the necessary changes to create the system they need. Rest assured, the three billion new capitalists in China, Russia, India and other emerging nations are not sitting back waiting for us to get our act together.

Lessons Learned

Ours is a borderless world where ideas can and do flow across the globe. The U.S. is experiencing transformational, technologically-driven and disruptive change. Nowhere has that change hit harder than my home state of Michigan. Yet, the opportunity exists to harness that change for Michigan's and America's students, teachers, families and communities. The question is, "WILL WE?"

Arizona's Governor, Democrat Janet Napolitan, got it right at the recent National Governors Association meeting in Washington, DC when she said: "The plain fact of the matter is the world has changed. We must have a sense of urgency as governors. ... What we're doing now does not suffice."

Stan Davis and Christopher Meyers in their book Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy, wrote, "The speed of change on so many fronts - in science, in manufacturing, in nature of demand, in the importance of other cultures - is now so great that closed uniform organizations can't even hope to catch up. A couple of dozen varieties of ideas aren't enough diversity." The authors ask some penetrating questions that educational leaders would do well to ask themselves, and answer, about our system of public education:

    * Are you creating an adaptable organization?
    * Are your colleagues and/or employees encouraged to exchange information with  counterparts outside your organization, to cultivate knowledge networks, to seek solutions from disciplines not represented in your company?
    * What barriers do you erect to preclude permeability?
    * Where are the barriers to becoming an "agile bureaucracy"

The Only Thing Constant - Is Change

Clearly, the world is changing in dramatic ways and our system of public education must embrace those changes - or it will be engulfed by them. The waves of change will remain constant; we can learn to surf, or be swamped.

Public education has been the bedrock upon which America was built. However, we need to understand and learn from history. Just because we are great does not mean we are guaranteed to stay great. The 21st century will be driven by leadership, innovation, creativity, knowledge, change and China. That is the new reality; what we make of it is up to us. Historically, one of the greatest strengths of our country has been our ability to be persistent, innovate, adapt and change.

We need to act as if our future is sitting in our classrooms today - because it is! The viability of our society, the strength of our economy, the quality of our lives, the vibrancy of our democracy and our place in the world depend on the quality of our public schools.

What if the Impossible - Isn't?

We need to imagine the possibilities - with enthusiasm and urgency - and act upon them! If we are to prosper in the 21st century, our goal must be to make America the creative, innovative, knowledge bank of the world where people come for deposits and withdrawals.

Will our schools resist or adapt to change? How permeable will public education be in letting in a variety of new ideas? The answer to these questions will help determine the strength of our democratic foundation and set the course for the 21st century. Are we ready, America?

Tom Watkins is President and CEO of TDW and Associates, a business and education consulting company working in the US and China.  He served as the former Mental Health Director for the State of Michigan from 1986-90 and Michigan's State Superintendent of Schools from 2001-2005.  Tom had the lead role in creating the first Charter Schools in Michigan and Florida. He also has business experience having served as President and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, FL. 1996-2001.  Read his internationally recognized report: The New Education (R)evolution at: www.nacol.org. He can be reached at tdwatkins@aol.com