ConvergeUS Unveils New White Paper on Innovation in U.S. Education and the Common Core State Standards

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TechNet's nonprofit arm, ConvergeUS, today unveils a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded white paper examining the tech sector perspectives about the Common Core State Standards for education at an event in Washington, D.C.

The event takes place today at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C. with Delaware Governor Jack Markell, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, North Carolina Congressman Brad Miller, Intel Corporation America Region Director of Corporate Affairs Diana Daggett, Conrad Foundation Chairman Nancy Conrad, Discovery Education Chief Academic Officer Dale Fulton, and TechNet Vice President of Policy Research John Horrigan. 

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned a white paper about the Common Core State Standards that highlights current business perspectives on education best practices. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a clear, concise and uniform set of standards designed to help American students keep up with an increasingly dynamic and innovative global economy after they graduate from high school. To date, the standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Through a survey of business leaders, the white paper offers insight into current industry views on the CCSS. Furthermore, it examines skills and talents that are important to equip students with the tools to be successful in the 21st century.

"It has been a tremendous opportunity to work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and we are incredibly grateful for their support," said Patrick Gusman, Executive Director, ConvergeUS. "This report highlights the need for further collaboration and coordination between the business community and our education system.  ConvergeUS is eager to address these gaps to help empower the American society and economy."

John Horrigan, Vice President of Policy and Research at TechNet and previously a lead policy expert at the Pew Research Center and the National Broadband Plan, will present the findings of the white paper in a social media town hall. The town hall will highlight the prominent education experts discussing the impact and importance of the Common Core State Standards on military families, victims of natural disasters, and the 21st century workforce.

Following the social media town hall, Governor Jack Markell and Nancy Conrad will provide remarks about the importance of education and innovation. To close out the day, iStrategyLabs will moderate innovation demonstrations and pitches by ConvergeUS partners and Gates Foundation grantees.

This report can be found at http://www.convergeus.com/commoncore.

About ConvergeUS
ConvergeUS is the 501(c) (3) non-profit arm of TechNet and its mission is to drive technology-enabled breakthroughs for critical social concerns. When TechNet was founded in 1997, the founders made it a priority to concentrate on improving education in the United States of America and established the high-tech industry's credentials as good corporate citizens. In an effort to keep with each of the core objectives of TechNet, ConvergeUS annually selects a maximum of three non-profit partners to accelerate social innovation. We concentrate our efforts on either specific social issues or geographic areas in need of rapid improvement and sustainable momentum for meaningful change. In our selection process, we prioritize difficult and seemingly intractable issues and regions left behind by the innovation economy. ConvergeUS drives the innovation required through convening and strategic support. ConvergeUS works with a sense of urgency by encouraging entrepreneurship and bringing together the public and private sector to determine how best to deploy technology and address the challenges ConvergeUS identifies. To learn more, visit www.convergeus.org.  More about TechNet at www.technet.org

SOURCE ConvergeUS