Bruce Holtgren, Former Cincinnati Enquirer editor who now volunteers with the Cincinnati Reads Program

I love words. I love reading the dictionary for fun, and discovering and sharing new words. Reading and writing are two of my favorite things. Curiosity, just to be curious, is another.

And I love how kids are so much smarter and better than most adults usually give them credit for. A lot of kids even assume they’re dumb, or that they misbehave a lot, I guess because that’s just what they get told. And I disagree.

I have been volunteering in a classroom of fourth-graders this year. I have a feeling they’re going to change my life. Each of them, in their own way, has continued to amaze me.

I’ve been taping up a “word of the day” most days, just to amuse them, and because I know they can learn more exotic and fancy words than they usually get in their textbooks. So I have shared with them words like penultimate, defenestrate, aa, piffle, and tintinnabulation.

Recently, one of the students asked me, “What are the most difficult words?” Some might find that a silly question, but I thought it was great! It was great because it made me think – for the whole weekend…

I decided there are several kinds of difficult words. One would be the most difficult words to say to another person, such as “I’m sorry” – especially when you really, really don’t want to say it! Who hasn’t had to go through that one?! On the other side, “I forgive you” is often just as difficult.

And then there are the classic, incredibly difficult-to-define words, such as love. Millions think they know what it is, but go ahead: Try to say what is! Look it up in even the best dictionaries, and most never seem to quite get it. (One classic agreed-upon definition is that love falls into general types, including brotherly, romantic, and agape. But many philosophers and poets say that even that approach falls short.) And there’s always that first, awkward, amazingly magical moment when we just have to say “I love you” to a very, very special person, for just the right reasons. Talk about difficult!

Words we use to deliberately hurt one another definitely fall into the category of the “most difficult.” Fortunately, I hope that most people learn early to brush these off as being only the insults they are, although that takes enormous strength that I can often not imagine.

There are very, VERY tricky words that you don’t want to go around saying out loud in mixed company, even as a joke. There are many of these kinds of difficult words, and I guarantee you they WILL get you in trouble. I’m sharing only one example, on condition that it not be spread around: It’s haboob. It’s Arabic, and it means giant sandstorm.

And then there’s the special case of showing the enormous courage it takes to Tell – to turn in someone for doing something that could get them in serious trouble. From when we’re tiny, we’re taught not to “tattle.” But what happens when you see something that’s a serious crime? What if it could put the person in jail? And what if it’s a friend, a neighbor, even a relative? If you Tell – whether your identity is kept secret or not – you could be saving lives, or keeping more people from being harmed, by showing enormous courage.

Some of my very favorite examples of difficult words are when bystanders stand up to help people who are being picked on by troublemakers or bullies. If someone is being made fun of for having a cleft palate, for example, and therefore talking funny, a bystander could be an instant hero by stepping in and saying, “Excuse me, but he can’t help talking that way because he has a disability. What’s your excuse?” Do it loudly, in a crowd, and refuse to back down until the bully answers. It can be difficult, but try it: With a few friends by your side, be a hero bystander.

But I know the words this very thoughtful young man was really referring to: the amazingly huge, often hilarious, truly real English words that are generally never actually used, but just laughed at.

Here are just a small handful that I know about (and no, don’t ask me to pronounce them – or spell them! – I just happen to know about them from my readings over the years):

Sesquipedalian: I might actually put this one up in the classroom. It means “lots of syllables,” and literally means “a foot and a half long.”

Antidisestablishmentarianism: a philosophy opposed to separation of church and state

Floccinaucinihilipilification: the estimation of something as valueless (hey, Shakespeare made it up, so it’s officially a word). And, almost 500 years later, a U.S. senator used it on the floor of the Senate.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: the irrational fear of long words (yes, really!)

Aaaannd the killer (literally!) – currently the longest word in the English language – even though it’s a chemical name … for the tobacco mosaic virus:

Acetylseryltyrosylserylisoleucylthreonylserylprolylserylglutaminylphenylalanyl- valylphenylalanylleucylserylserylvalyltryptophylalanylaspartylprolylisoleucyl- glutamylleucylleucylasparaginylvalylcysteinylthreonylserylserylleucylglycyl-asparaginylglutaminylphenylalanylglutaminylthreonylglutaminylglutaminylalanyl- arginylthreonylthreonylglutaminylvalylglutaminylglutaminylphenylalanylseryl- glutaminylvalyltryptophyllysylprolylphenylalanylprolylglutaminylserylthreonyl- valylarginylphenylalanylprolylglycylaspartylvalyltyrosyllysylvalyltyrosylarginyl- tyrosylasparaginylalanylvalylleucylaspartylprolylleucylisoleucylthreonylalanyl- leucylleucylglycylthreonylphenylalanylaspartylthreonylarginylasparaginylarginyl- isoleucylisoleucylglutamylvalylglutamylasparaginylglutaminylglutaminylseryl- prolylthreonylthreonylalanylglutamylthreonylleucylaspartylalanylthreonylarginyl- arginylvalylaspartylaspartylalanylthreonylvalylalanylisoleucylarginylserylalanyl- asparaginylisoleucylasparaginylleucylvalylasparaginylglutamylleucylvalylarginyl- glycylthreonylglycylleucyltyrosylasparaginylglutaminylasparaginylthreonylphenyl- alanylglutamylserylmethionylserylglycylleucylvalyltryptophylthreonylserylalanyl- prolylalanylserine

(And by the way, spell check does NOT like that one.)

About the Author:

Bruce Holtgren is a former Cincinnati Enquirer editor who now volunteers with the Cincinnati Reads program as a tutor and in other capacities. He has worked with children with special needs for many years, and now hopes to pursue a M.Ed. and become a teacher. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife of 15 years.

Leading professionals in Cincinnati education, business and government community took part in this forum, to discuss the importance of the “4 C’s” (Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication) in education and 21st Century Learning. Forum participants included:

• Dr. John Box, Sr. VP of Junior Achievement
• Dr. Jay Kayne, Miami University Cintas Chair for Entrepreneurship
• Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls
• Assistant CPS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Smith
• Associate UC Dean Dr. Nelson Vincent and;
• Crystal Faulkner, Founder of Accounting for Kids program

As demonstrated in the videos below, the speakers and panelists discussed how community and business partners are introducing “career readiness” learning opportunities into the education sector, primarily in K-12 public schools.

Cincinnati Enquirer Reporter Krista Ramsey, moderated this event, while Project Socialize, LLC demonstrated the practical integration of digital technologies by providing live event coverage via Twitter, a social media network. To further demonstrate to educators and community leaders the widespread usage and importance of Internet technologies, Forum video segments were taped, edited and produced by Milford High School students. These segments have been posted on multiple social media networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and Blogs.

*Partnership for Innovation in Education (www.piemedia.org) would like to thank the event co-sponsors including Enquirer Media, Lykins Industries, Cincinnati Public Schools, Junior Achievement USA, Franklin Covey, WNKU-FM “BusinessWise”, Miami University, University of Cincinnati, Milford School District, Winton Woods School District, Princeton School District and Cooney Faulkner Stevens LLC.

Jody Scharfenberger, Founder Campaign Data Apps

Parents readily teach their children about the perils of getting a bad report card, living on a budget, saving money, and being punctual. Rarely, do parents teach kids about Credit reports, FICO Scores, and Interest Rates. So what happens after graduation when these now adults have no idea they are being graded on a “Real Life Report Card” called a credit report?

Some parents teach their children to open savings accounts rather than get into credit card debt fearing that without parental oversight they may not be able to control their spending habits.  Some high school kids are encouraged by family members to get a job, open a checking account and are proactively taught to manage their money. Others end up with high interest rate credit cards without the ability to make the monthly minimum payments while in college.  The truth … even though the degree of financial education is disparate from one family to another, we are not teaching the next generation about the “Real Life Report Card” or Credit Score that will stay with them and affect their financial health throughout adulthood.

On college campuses nationwide, financial institutions encourage college students already strapped for cash to apply for credit cards with the promise of low monthly payments.  Credit card salespeople have been known to offer free gifts and even free money as incentives to sign up for high limit or even high interest rate credit cards.  Naïve students take the bait and end up in debt without the ability to pay.  The irony–many credit card companies later deny the former student, now graduate with a lucrative new job, any type of credit card citing no credit history or low FICO Score.

What if  the next generation were taught the importance of a Vantage or FICO Score at an early age? What if today’s youth graduated from high school knowing that their credit score is like a financial social security number that should be protected.  What if parents taught children that a FICO score follows a person throughout adulthood and determines their eligibility to rent or buy a home,  receive a job offer, or purchase a car.

Learning the fundamentals of how the “Real Life Report Card” is calculated is a valuable lesson for young adults.  Young adults need to understand that the determination of whether they are a good or bad credit candidate is based upon:

1. Whether they make debt payments on time,
2. The amount of money owed on outstanding debts,
3. The length of their credit history, and
4. How frequently they attempt to acquire new credit/debt.

Ultimately, young adults need to understand how to use credit to their advantage and the elements needed for good financial decision-making.

We have all seen those funny commercials showing the married guy living in his in-laws basement with his new wife, singing the blues about not checking his credit score fa-la-la. When we teach children about the “Real Life Report Card,” we send them down the path of financial literacy instead of married with children and living in our basements.

About the Author

In early 2011, Jody Scharfenberger started Campaign Data Apps to help candidates utilize social media to interact with voters and raise money.  She is a 15 year veteran of the Direct Marketing business, working for such companies as InfoUSA, Acxiom, and MarketsonDemand. In early 2001, she helped to lead the team that took the startup MarketsOnDemand into acquisition by Acxiom.  Jody has worked with such clients as Citibank, American Express, JCrew, and LensCrafters integrating email into their marketing platforms.

Mary also discusses the September 1st Forum that highlighted keynotes Dr. Jay Kayne (Entrepreneurship Chair, Farmer School of Business, Miami University) and Dr. John Box (Sr. VP of Junior Achievement USA). Each speaker discussed ways to teach entrepreneurship to kids, and how such a curriculum was pivotal to creating “engines of growth” in the United States. “

BusinessWise Interview with Crystal and Tom

The Association for Career and Technical Education defined career readiness and divided into three major skill areas:  1) Core academic skills and the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities.  2) Employability skills (such as critical thinking and responsibility) are essential in any career area; and 3) Technical, job-specific skills related to a specific career pathway.

These skills have been emphasized across numerous pieces of research and allow students to enter true career pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and opportunities for advancement.  Click HERE to read the Association for Career and Technical Education research study.

Partnership for Innovation in Education invites you to attend the upcoming Forum, “Prepared to Work:  Defining Career Readiness for the 21st Century” on September 1, 2011 at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce (441 Vine Street) from 4-6pm.  During the Forum we will…

• Define “Career Readiness” in 2011;
• Review the newest trends in creating opportunities for students graduating into a highly competitive and tech-savvy global workforce.
• Address the differences between the skills of yesterday and the 21st century skills needed today.

Join this spirited discussion with keynote speakers, Dr. John Box, Senior VP at Junior Achievement USA and Dr. Jay Kayne, Entrepreneurship Chair at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business.  Regional panelists include Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, UC Associate Dean Dr. Nelson Vincent, Accounting for Kids Founder Crystal Faulkner, and Assistant CPS Superintendent Dr. Anthony Smith. Cincinnati Enquirer Columnist Krista Ramsey will moderate this event.

Register for the P.I.E. Community Forum today!

Mary Welsh Schlueter, PIE Founder and Chief Executive

Although William and Kate aren’t corporate business leaders, events such as their Gen Y marriage are great tools to teach enterprise to American students.

In this case, I encourage students to think beyond the British pomp and circumstance of today’s royal wedding, and instead to uncover how history and enterprise shaped the United States. We discuss colonial history, religious tyranny and “taxation without representation” while we also conquer economics, profit-loss ratios and budgets.

I use Kate and William’s nuptials as a critical thinking exercise, and I offer my students a chance to become future business royalty all on their own.

Itemizing costs, weighing options and meeting deadlines are critical thinking tools some schools are trying to introduce in the classroom. Called “project-based” learning, kids are taught subjects using an interdisciplinary curriculum mimicking real world business frameworks.

Why would schools introduce business skills into their curriculum? Because today’s high school students are demanding it. National public high school research indicates students rank “Prepare me for the future” as their No. 1 demand. With statistics indicating Americans are under-prepared for a competitive global job market, students – and state governments – are understandably worried.

Schools are now being called to integrate curriculums with the 4Cs – Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking – touted as “21st-century skills.” But such a directive requires aggressive overhauls of teacher education and school technology upgrades. Some states are helping: University of Virginia offers school administrator training sessions with its business school faculty, and the Ohio legislature mandated teaching financial literacy in public schools. But it isn’t enough. And business leaders know it.

Robert Sommers, director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of 21st Century Education, suggested schools need an entirely different model where teacher performance, test results and costs are customized and tied directly to each student – with business partnerships offering incremental real-world opportunities.

Princeton High School Principal William Sprankles encourages student-centered business partnerships among his educators and staff. Sprankles noted “the irony of schools is that we are locked inside our classrooms while a community demands we be competitive outside. Teachers aren’t working in the business arena. How can we teach what we don’t know?”

U.S. education colleges aren’t helping much. Education historians contend that technology has been making the 1950s production-line education model obsolete. However, universities offering education degrees continue to teach curriculums where data is “injected” into test-weary students and memorization is rewarded.

Despite significant education revenue investments, the Gates Foundation reports student performance has stagnated over the past 30 years, and a new framework must be explored.

I suggest we offer a project-based model within selective schools on a “teacher-ready” basis. Project-based learning (PBL) demands more up-front work, and recruiting tech-savvy and innovative teachers determines the model’s success. Data suggests PBL offers a better-prepared workforce, as evidenced by New Tech Network’s first public school in Napa, California where over 98 percent of all kids graduate against a 68 percent national norm.

Clearly, “business-ready” is becoming a viable student outcome.

Mary Welsh Schlueter, PIE Founder and Chief Executive

Reprint of article originally posted on March 23, 2011 in the Cincinnati Enquirer and  April 6, 2011 in the Enquirer: Community Press and Recorder.

Golden goose, cash cow or thrifty shrew?  We aren’t talking team mascots, but the current financial strategies facing school districts across the nation.  With the recent announcement that Ohio public school districts must cut 15% of their annual budgets, school boards and their financial officers must gauge what programs — and personnel — get cut.

In light of these reductions, the Oakley and Hyde Park Community Council Executives appeared before the Cincinnati Public School Board and asked the Hyde Park School be re-opened for active enrollment.   Faced with overcrowding at top-rated Kilgour Elementary School, hundreds of young and expectant parents came to the meeting armed with enrollment forms and revenue data indicating the cost savings of such a proposal. They received a tepid response from board members.

Of course, some say 2011-2012 budget shortfalls will preclude re-opening the school.  Yet financially, the Hyde Park “East Side” School is projected to pay for itself within the first few years of operation.  The school would eliminate a portion of student voucher expenditures ($70M annual CPS cost), and serve as an attractive asset in real estate development.  Gates Foundation and Harvard University studies indicate a healthy school encourages neighborhood investment and economic development—resulting in higher city tax revenues.  Great schools attract attention.  In fact, as other neighborhood CPS schools continue to lose students, the Kilgour student population has increased by 43%!

Dubbed the “golden goose” by Hyde Park Council member and resident Carl Uebelacker, the eastern corridor (Oakley, Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, East Walnut Hills, O’Bryonville) already offers upscale and reliable tax revenue.  However, studies indicate as fewer high-quality school options become available, increasing numbers of young professional families will leave the city and terminate a reliable revenue stream.   CPS has already noted a 10% decrease in student enrollment, identical to the Cincinnati population reduction cited by the U.S. Census.

With the unparalleled amount of corporate money spent on attracting and retaining young talent, why do we throw away such efforts when our youngest professionals decide to have families?  Clearly, urban flight hurts cities, drains talent and decreases financial stability.  And without a younger talent pool, innovation, dynamism and a sense of entrepreneurship fades into tired complacency.

Confronted by budget shortfalls, public observers will view how urban school executives value, interpret and implement innovation.  For instance, “cutting loose the goose” and offering the Hyde Park school as a public charter or neighborhood magnet may satisfy a committed group of parents interested in creating new opportunities for kids.  Releasing the school might prove an unthinkable act for some education leaders, but a welcome and financially expedient change for others.

No longer willing to be labeled “cash cows” or “thrifty shrews”, parents are changing the power dynamic of school relationships as they create partnerships with community organizations, independent school executives and business leaders.   They know the future isn’t some abstract concept  — it resides in the neighborhood school just down the street.   When used wisely, let’s hope their “golden” energy infects entire communities, and serves as an example we can all follow.

Dr. George M. Vredeveld, Alpaugh Professor of Economics at the University of Cincinnati

Our economy’s recovery seems to be moving toward what many call a “new normal.”  Whether this new normal will be better than the old normal will depend on how we approach fixing the problems that caused the recent economic crisis. While people disagree about the causes of our economic problems, one thing is clear:  a very large number of Americans don’t have enough information about personal finance to make good decisions.

Far too many Americans do not understand the basics of personal finance. Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the University of Geneva and Columbia University found that Americans’ understanding of personal finance is so inadequate that even people who were buying homes just a few years ago could not correctly answer the following question: What will a $300 item cost after it goes on a “50 percent off” sale?.  We are now painfully aware that hundreds of thousands of Americans, caught up in the excitement of a housing bubble, signed loan agreements they did not understand and could not afford. We also have learned that far too many people do not know how to develop and maintain a budget, to understand credit, to understand investments, or to effectively use our banking system.

We also have come to the stark truth that uninformed consumers are costly to society as a whole.  The costs of the recent financial and credit crisis, partly driven by bad consumer decisions, have yet to be calculated, yet we know that these costs are enormous.  Just looking at the loss of jobs – 7,740,000 in the U.S. and 411,500 in Ohio since the start of 2008 – gives some indication of the costs inflicted on our citizens.  More than eighty percent of families carry some form of monthly debt which reduces their ability to save for emergencies or purchase health insurance.  Businesses have incurred many billions of dollars in costs because of bankruptcies, home foreclosures and lost worker productivity.

Effective financial education in our schools is an obvious way to remedy this problem of financial illiteracy.  Schools are the context where the basics of financial education should be provided in a consistent manner.  In addition to quality curriculum, teachers need to understand basic financial education. These teachers also must receive training on how to teach personal finance in ways that are engaging to young students.  The business community should be invited to assist schools moving toward a goal of financial education.

Financial literacy is not only needed, it is possible.  It is time to undertake this task.

About the Author

George M. Vredeveld, PhD is the Alpaugh Professor of Economics at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Business and Director of the Economics Center.

Lydia Dobyns, President New Tech Network

New Tech Network President Lydia Dobyns leads a national high school development organization as her encore career. At first, her journey from Silicon Valley executive might seem unusual. However, what started 16 years ago as a parent volunteer stint led to successive education roles that culminated in a complete career change.

Considered a promising, but novice, political candidate, Ms. Dobyns was elected to the area school board.  Becoming versed in education policy, construction bond challenges and spearheading tax levies, she “learned a lot about school finance and the importance to involve all stakeholders in the local community.”   As someone who has always maintained interest in effecting public policy, Lydia began to apply local lessons to a broader education agenda.  Most importantly, she experienced an awakening to the importance of “education’s role in our country, and how important quality education was for the health of every community.”

Convinced that creating highly effective schools was indeed often “about finding adequate sources of funding”, Lydia co-founded a nonprofit organization committed to raise funding for schools.   More than ten years later, the foundation now plays a significant role in providing funds for innovative education programs.

After seeing her own children graduate from middle and high school, Dobyns decided it was time to make a larger impact in education. She joined New Tech Network (NTN) as Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to president in 2010. New Tech Network works nationwide with schools, districts, and communities to develop high schools that fundamentally re-imagine teaching and learning. Through project-based learning, technology that is deeply embedded and a school culture that promotes collaboration and deeper learning skills like critical thinking and communication, Dobyns realized she had the opportunity for large scale change.

Much like her own career, NTN straddles both the education and business worlds, offering project-based learning incorporating multiple (and sometimes competing) viewpoints.   Students are required to think outside typical parameters, and practice their theories in real-time settings. At New Tech, students work in groups and present findings to teachers as well as community members just as they would in a business setting.

Touted as a 21^st century learning network, NTN serves as a consulting organization providing training, coaching, and an online learning platform to a designated schools. Hired by thea school district, NTN helps with implementation of the New Tech school model, and advises on administrator and teacher roles, classroom layout, instructional format and technology parameters.  Even before New Tech helps to establish a school, Ms. Dobyns noted that a school needs “champions who can establish widespread community support among business leaders, teachers, administrators, parents, and students.”

New Tech classrooms and teachers adhere to rigorous, project-based curriculums. Typically, classes are team-taught with 60-70 students in double size classrooms. Teachers act as facilitators and collaborate to team- teach subjects such as science and language arts.  Kids work in groups and collaborative teams, offering solutions to real-world problems.

Yet with all these changes, does NTN help facilitate academic achievement and career readiness?  After 14 years of operation and data collection, the results are promising.  With 62 schools now operating as New Tech models, graduation data from the first school, established in 1996, indicate an average of 98%, compared to the average 68% high school graduation rate.

As with all re-design efforts, the investment to transform schools is significant. Currently, it costs about $125,000 a year for the initial 4-year implemention. As the New Tech Network grows, the cost to stay connected is expected to decline.

How does Ms. Dobyns discern the NTN future? She believes a primary focus lies beyond physical plant and school site requirements.  New Tech Network’s learning management system is designed to support project-based learning (PBL), facilitate communication and collaboration, and improve teacher practice. Using a unique software and curriculum platform, New Tech foresees the opportunity to reach entire districts.  With a centralized in-house school district presence, new Tech can provide targeted solutions for administrators with flexibility and measureable success.  For instance, NTN has a high success rate with facilitating and broadening STEM-focused programs and other value-added portfolio programs.

Combining her business and education experience proved a successful marriage for Lydia Dobyns.  The goal remains in teaching NTN students the same skills that provide opportunities in seemingly “unlikely” places.  As Ms. Dobyns confides, such “opportunities grow entrepreneurs” and “provide long-term economic insurance in an increasingly competitive global market.”   Classroom volunteers anyone?

About the Author:

Lydia Dobyns has combined careers as a technology entrepreneur and executive with education policy and non-profit service. She served two terms as a school board member, led an education foundation and directed replication strategies in the education sector. As President of New Tech Network, she oversees the organization’s strategic direction, school development and operations. Among the chief initiatives for New Tech are expanding its network of 62 high schools and further development of the learning management platform, NTN Echo. Lydia’s career includes work in the high technology, online services and consumer products industries. She graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mary Welsh Schlueter, PIE Founder and Chief Executive

Giggling babies, toddlers playing on carpeted steps, and fidgeting parents waiting their turn at the microphone. It’s not the typical crowd waiting to speak at CPS Board of Education meetings. But with schools fighting for more space, or debating admissions procedures, the Burnet auditorium has been seeing increasing numbers of young professionals who have the future – literally – sitting in their laps.

As a parent of young public school children, I know individuals born after 1980 (Gen Y) bring dynamism and impatience to education debates. With emotional and financial commitment to their schools and neighborhoods, they demand accountability and transparency. Those that cannot find such traits, choose to move elsewhere.

But urban school districts desperately need valuable Generation Y advocates. And not only as mentors and volunteers – we need the same entrepreneurial commitment in our classroom teachers.

However, younger teachers are getting buried in no-win situations throughout American school districts. For instance, LIFO (Last In-First Out) has become a hot topic within the recent collective bargaining debates in Wisconsin and Ohio. Teacher seniority guidelines typically place young, tech-savvy and technology-trained teachers into high poverty, low performing schools with little training to deal with poverty, homelessness, hunger, and parental neglect. Author Diane Ravitch indicates 50 percent of newly minted teachers “jump ship” within five years. Clearly, dumping Gen Y teachers into sink-or-swim assignments isn’t beneficial.

Michelle Rhee, former DC Schools chancellor, states the LIFO rule is a contractual collective bargaining provision that “makes absolutely no sense for children.” Which begs the question: Why are we placing young, tech-savvy teachers into no-win situations?

Instead, shouldn’t we be piggybacking their distinct communication, media and digital knowledge to create a new educational perspective? In fact, why couldn’t our Gen Y brethren further establish a new entrepreneurial reality by spawning new learning tools and opportunities like American legends Andrew Carnegie, Nelson Rockefeller, and Steve Jobs?

How do create win-win solutions for our youngest — and eldest — teachers? I support pay for performance measures. Some union contracts are now calling for 10-15% of teacher compensation to be drawn from hitting benchmarks based on individual student academic growth. It’s not a perfect solution, but we can get an idea of teacher competency and skill based on select performance measures.

Bottom line, we need to coax innovation from everyone. What better way to “think outside the box” than to introduce a different box? Maybe it’s not a box at all. Why not ask our youngest educators to suggest ways to improve their teaching situation, and create a district-wide or regional innovation roundtable filled with our most capable, youngest educators.

Let’s be entrepreneurial now. Watch our impatient young teachers work some magic. Opportunity can’t wait.

Reprint of article originally published by The Cincinnati Enquirer via Cincinnati.com on March 1, 2011.