RD87 - Education Commission of the States 2007 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
The education arena is changing — and so is ECS. More than 40 years ago, former North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford named our organization, “the most exciting educational experiment on the American scene — a working partnership for the good of the nation.” As in any experiment, results are expected, conclusions are drawn and lessons are learned.

Today, ECS is using lessons learned to restore the credibility, viability and progress of our organization. We are focusing on results — or what works, both within our organization and across state education policy agendas.

In 2007, we focused on:

• Regaining our organization’s financial footing
• Strengthening constituent relations through state liaison efforts
• Re-evaluating our approach to the National Forum
• Setting the educational agenda for the nation.

These efforts to unify and reprioritize enable ECS to better support policymakers in their understanding of both the successes and gaps in education policy. Our goal is to not only collect data, but to advance ideas that come out of the research and identify best practices across any number of states. The greatness of ECS resides in our ability to recognize key challenges, research best practices and convene central stakeholders across all states and territories. Our mission is to improve education at all levels and to bring America to a higher level of global competitiveness.