Dive Brief:
- Joel Klein, former New York City Department of Education chancellor and CEO of Amplify, told attendees of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Detroit REgional Chamber Wednesday that the U.S. must remove politics from the education debate.
- Klein praised Michigan Gov. Rick Synder for getting behind the Common Core despite the expected assumption that a conservative politician would be against the standards.
- Klein also stressed the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, while also agreeing with Snyder's push to educate students for careers that don't necessarily need a college degree.
Dive Insight:
Following Klein's urging to better prepare students with the education they need to succeed — particularly in high-demand fields that require STEM skills — others in the Detroit community spoke on the need for the business sector to offer more than just money to schools. Skillman Foundation President and CEO Tanya Allen suggested, for example, that the business community should be involved in designing curriculum.
This push for the business sector to be more involved in education has been seen across the nation, and in many ways, it seems to run counter to Klein's statements that politics should be removed from education. While businesses many not have legislative power, they wield monetary power and influence that can feel pretty political at times.