Education leaders discuss reshaping systems for economic mobility

After a series of successful meetings in various cities, the Let's Get Ready! initiative convened virtually to address significant questions about reshaping the education system for better economic mobility. The event featured discussions on how to assess the value of a diploma and the role of life skills in career success.

The meeting was opened by Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Delaware Governor Matt Meyer, who welcomed expert panelists including Dr. Raj Chetty from Harvard University, Dr. Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Marguerite Roza from Georgetown University.

Governor Meyer emphasized his experience as a former teacher and advocated for empowering educators with tools and metrics to meet students' needs effectively. He highlighted Delaware's efforts to personalize education, attract teachers, and overhaul school funding.

Governor Polis stressed the importance of student achievement as a pathway to success, discussing how states can demand better results from educational investments. He raised questions about measuring the value of high school diplomas in terms of lifetime earnings and economic mobility.

Dr. Raj Chetty shared insights from his research group at Harvard's Opportunity Insights, emphasizing social connections across income levels as key predictors of economic mobility. His work suggests that policies fostering cross-class interactions are crucial alongside financial investments in education.

Dr. Angela Duckworth discussed her work on character education through Character Lab, highlighting psychological skills like grit and empathy as essential components of success beyond traditional academic subjects.

Dr. Marguerite Roza focused on using data to evaluate educational investments' return on investment at Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab. She advocated for smarter spending and strategic budget decisions in schools facing funding challenges.

The central theme was identifying effective educational strategies without relying on any "silver bullet" solutions, integrating economic mobility monitoring, life skills instruction, and school budget analysis into the broader educational framework.