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Good Article: John Legend Discusses Education Reform

Like many countries in the world, the U.S. faces the daunting task of improving an entire public education system.  Our recent recession has shown us that we need to drastically improve the training of our workforce, and that we also need to better equip the younger generations so they don’t face the same issues a decade from now. Inherent in the second issue is the fact that attaining public education for those in the middle and upper classes, is still vastly different than it is for those that have less privilege.  America has been talking about the situation for years now, but many believe that it’s time to finally take action.  In a recent article,  John Legend discusses this issue and how we can lend a hand to help.

I recently referenced this article in my Martin Luther King Day post last week, but I thought I’d devote a post to showcase it here today.  For reference, John Legend has long been passionate about changing the education industry.  In 2009, he gave the University of Pennsylvania’s (alma matter) commencement address, where he shared his thoughts on education reform. John was also featured in CNN’s Black in America this year where had had a similar message. And finally, John is a big supporter, a former employee of, and now a Board member of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, an organization that is doing as much as anyone to push forward the education agenda.  Years ago, John worked at MLT while launching his music career and helped spawn some of its innovative career programs.

John’s opinion (much like mine) is that much of America already recognizes this challenge. So the question really is are we ready and able to address it? Are we looking at countries like India and China and at the best schools here in the US and Europe to benchmark best practices? That’s what the most profitable companies do to stay competitive. Or instead, are we set on tradition, afraid of change, or unable to come up with new solutions? I don’t know the answer, and it’s likely far too complicated to be narrowed down here. But what I do know is that things like technology, creativity, and an the support of organizations all need to be utilized to bring about change. It also helps to have people like John Legend, the support of our ordinary citizens, and also some of the bright MBA and JD graduates who want to serve in the education industry.And not only are the students waiting for a helping hand, but so are the employers who need a bigger pool of talent to recruit from, and as a result so is our struggling economy that needs more productivity from more of its people.

Take a look at John’s article below. It was posted by the Huffington Post on Martin Luther King day.

Title: Education Reform: The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time
Author: John Legend
Hosting Website: Huffington Post