In the Voices of Educators series this year, we have explored new ways of addressing higher education demands, the need for strong education leaders, skills students need to be successful in college and work, and the importance of investing in education even in these economically difficult times. These ambitious goals require community commitment and new partnerships between schools and businesses.

We agree that schools should be preparing students for the skills required to succeed in the 21st century. Barron and Darling-Hammond in "Powerful Learning" (2008) quote a number of research studies that identify the skills 21st-century students need, such as proficiency in media literacy, critical-thinking skills, systems thinking, and interpersonal and self-directional abilities that allow them to identify problems, manage projects and competently find resources and tools.

These same skills are needed for success in college and the workplace. The authors argue that students must be given opportunities to practice these skills in the context of complex, meaningful projects that require sustained engagement, collaboration, research, management of resources and development of an ambitious performance or product.

Business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Hawai'i Business Roundtable, the Rotary Clubs of Hawai'i and the Hawai'i Workforce Development Council support and promote the skills required to be successful in the 21st century. Working together, businesses, the Department of Education, higher education, legislators and the Board of Education must create educational policies and practices to best prepare our students for a sustainable future.

We need a new commitment such as the School-to-Work initiative of 1994, which created school/business partnerships through an executive council comprising the deputy superintendent of the Department of Education, the vice president for the University of Hawai'i Community College system, the Department of Business and Economic Development, the executive director of the Hawai'i Hotel Association and various businesses throughout the state.

The School-to-Work initiative was an effective vehicle that provided businesses the opportunity to share their experiences with Hawai'i's public schools through partnering, mentoring and hands-on experiences. Unfortunately, when the grant funding support ended, so did School-to-Work. Through partnering we can re-create the effective aspects of the program now, when they are needed more than ever.

In developing 21st-century skills, memorizing and recalling facts are necessary, but limited, ways of learning. Deep understanding requires learners to apply concepts in real-world contexts. In order to accomplish this, our schools need the business community to assist them in creating learning environments that offer teachers and students opportunities to apply their learning to real-life situations.

For example, business partners can provide "in-kind" support by creating internships in which teachers observe the work required of employees on the job, thus giving teachers a realistic perspective of the needs of employers. Businesses can also help by offering worksite visitations, classroom speakers, teacher mentors and school career days.

At the student level, a new opportunity for school-business partnerships comes with the recent Board of Education approval of a special diploma that recognizes good academic work and the completion of a senior project. The senior project is an in-depth, interest-based research project that requires students to demonstrate their learning to a panel of selected evaluators who are typically representative of the field of study. Business partners are needed to serve as mentors as students select their research topics and carry them out.

In addition to advocating for change, the business community and the Department of Education can create systemic support for schools by creating a database of participating business services. Schools can access the support services through the database that provides information on resources available to every school in the state.

Conversations among school and business leaders already exist. One such example is the Hawai'i High School Compact, made up of public high school principals throughout the state who meet to discuss and recommend policies that support teaching and learning the skills required in the 21st century. Another example is the Hawai'i P-20 Initiative, an organization comprised of early education, K-12 education, higher education and businesses created to develop seamless transitions between all levels of education and training.

The Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee has been charged with providing ways for its members to support public schools. In a recent survey, Chamber members confirmed the need to provide Hawai'i's future workforce with 21st-century basic skills. There is no better time for us to take this challenge on; senior projects afford an opportunity right now.

Over the next two months, the Chamber Education Committee will be offering its members the opportunity to get involved. Involvement can take a variety of forms such as providing expertise through a PowerPoint presentation, serving as a teacher or student mentor, serving as an expert panelist to review students' senior projects, observing project presentations or rating portfolios/ presentations.

We call on the business community to once again partner with schools to realize a compelling vision for public education — that all students graduate ready for post-secondary education, successful careers and responsible citizenship.

The time is now for local businesses to partner with our public schools to share their personal experiences, passion and professional expertise with the future workforce of Hawai'i.

Reach Bruce Coppa at (Unknown address).

Voices of Educators is comprised of some of Hawai'i's top education experts, including: Liz Chun, executive director of Good Beginnings Alliance; Patricia Hamamoto, superintendent of the Department of Education; Christine Sorensen, dean of the University of Hawai'i's College of Education; Donald B. Young, Hawai'i Educational Policy Center; Roger Takabayashi from the Hawai'i State Teachers Association; Sharon Mahoe of the Hawai'i Teacher Standards Board; Alvin Nagasako of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association; and Robert Witt of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools. Visit their Web site at www.hawaii.edu/voice.
This commentary is part of a series of articles prepared by Voices of Educators, a nonprofit coalition designed to foster debate and public policy change within Hawai'i's public education system, in partnership with The Advertiser. It appears in Focus on the first Sunday of the month.