Governor Jim Hunt
The following is a statement from Hunt Institute Foundation Board Chair and former Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. on education and the 2011 State of the Union address:
“Providing all students with educational opportunity and a chance to effectively compete in a global workforce is more than a notion. If we are to subscribe to the theory that education is the keystone of economic recovery, it’s a necessity.
“As a former four-term governor, I led my own state through two decades of dramatic economic change and educational reform, and never before has there been a greater demand for all students to be equipped to conquer the challenges of both college and the workplace.
“The Common Core State Standards—which have now been adopted as the mathematics and English language arts state standards for 86 percent of the nation’s young people – have been a key step toward setting a consistent, high bar for our young people.
“I commend the hard work of the governors of both parties, education experts, parents, and others across the country who have worked to create and adopt consistent math and English language arts standards. In order to drive systemic educational improvement, we must harness existing energy and momentum in individual states and take the time and cautious effort to implement the standards with fidelity. Together, we can get this job done—for our young people and for the very security of our nation.”
