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“Now just think about that. Over the next decade, we will invest in an industry that
promises to make Massachusetts the epicenter on the planet for the care and comfort of
millions. Right now, Nobel Prize winning work is taking place at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School in Worcester, while UMass-Lowell is widely regarded as one of the leading nanotech
centers in the world. Every one of these new phenomena means new and good jobs. In clean
energy, Massachusetts is poised for rapid expansion, with new developments in solar
and wind energy. Once again, higher ed is leading the way, for example with the development
at UMass-Amherst of the Q-microbe, some of you know this is one of my favorites, bacteria
that convert cellulose to ethanol in a single step, a transformational breakthrough in next
generation biofuels. Now just think: We in Massachusetts can meet what may be the defining
challenge of the coming generation and make the whole world our customer as we do so.
Innovation industry that thrives right here. It represents some $26 billion and employs
more than 170,000 individuals across the state already, and is poised for future growth as
those other growth industries grow. Massachusetts is leading the way in robotics research and
development. These technologies are not only changing the face of industrial automation,
but also revolutionizing the defense sector, particularly through robots that detect and
remove roadside bombs, saving numerous lives throughout the world. These are the sectors
that have kept our economy moving, over the years, and in face of recent national economic
unease. This is where the opportunities lie. Evergreen Solar in Devens; Vertex in Cambridge
and Shire Pharmaceuticals in Lexington; EMD Serono in Billerica; EMC in Hopkinton; MassMutual
and Bay State in Springfield; Google in Cambridge. These and like companies are betting on the
intellectual capability and creativity of our people. Over the next decade, we must
provide our young people with the skills they need to take advantage of a technology-based
global economy. Why? Because today is a new day. The education system we re-create together
will focus on the individual learning needs of each student. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all
diploma. Students will learn what they need to succeed, but they will do it at a pace
that suits their learning styles and abilities. For most, that will mean starting their formal
education in preschool and continuing with full-day kindergarten. Extra learning time
may help a student thrive in the primary years. Summer programs may give them a boost in high
school. They could finish their primary and secondary education in 12 years. Or perhaps
10. At least two years of community college or training in a trade will be the new baseline
for a complete education. Or they may head directly to the state’s college and university
system, which will consistently offer a world-class higher education experience. And adult learners
– we have to pay attention to their needs as well and create similar opportunities.
Throughout this process, students will meet high standards to be sure, but those standards
will rise in turn to meet the changing intellectual and professional demands of a 21st century
world and economy. This is real education in real time. And while we’re holding students
responsible, let’s not forget that our educators and our policymakers will be on the hook for
performance, too. We are all accountable for results. The system we create together will
embrace the innovation and technology that now defines our lives and our economy. That
means enhanced teacher preparation and access to affordable computers for all families.
That means taking advantage of the Internet as a conveyer of information and a convener
of diverse people. All students deserve the chance to participate as equals in the stunning
advances of their time. Even as we honor our past, we will chase our future. And the education
system we create will include every child. As Paul said, all means all. For all its successes,
1990s education reform failed adequately to address the impact of poverty on achievement.
We can raise standards. We can create systems of assessment and accountability. But unless
we offer poor kids the support they need, unless we help them overcome obstacles at
home as well as at school, unless we give them reason to believe that education can
transform their circumstances, like education transformed my own, then they will never be
able to take advantage of the opportunities we are building everywhere in this commonwealth.
For educators, these new realities mean transforming your professional culture to accept and indeed
to lead rapid change in what and how you teach, so that it is always current and relevant
and powerful. Teachers will be the cornerstone of the success of this vision, not through
reforms imposed on them by the way, but through reforms they invent and they implement. For
education policymakers, this means supporting teachers and administrators with the tools
they need to adapt quickly and effectively. It means engaging in bold transformational
thinking outside the zone of isolated interests and silos. And it means working through our
new Secretary of Education as your point of contact and collaborating intensely for the
sake of kids, not systems.”