National Education Summits

Five times in the history of the United States, the nation’s governors have gathered with business and education leaders to discuss critical actions necessary to improve America’s system of public education. Together, the National Education Summits have been instrumental in creating and sustaining public support for the drive to raise standards and improve performance in schools.

At the 1996 Summit, the nation’s governors and business leaders pledged to work together, state by state, to raise standards and achievement in public schools. The Summit also led to the creation of Achieve, Inc., which was designed to help states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability. Achieve then hosted Summits in 1999, 2001 and 2005.

The 1999 Summit examined the capacity of schools and school systems to deliver on the promise of high standards for all children, and it produced an unprecedented set of commitments across the states to improve the quality of teaching, provide supports to struggling students and tighten accountability systems so that no children are left behind.

In 2001, the Summit focused on helping states address two key challenges: increasing the capacity of teachers and schools to meet higher standards, and expanding testing and accountability systems to provide better data and stronger incentives for high student achievement. Participating states and organizations also adopted a "statement of principles" identifying steps that states needed to take to sustain momentum toward higher student achievement.

2005 National Education Summit on High Schools

At the 2005 Summit, Microsoft's Bill Gates called America's high schools "obsolete," noting that "even when they are working as designed, they can not teach all our students what they need to know today." U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings concurred in her address, saying "The President and I could not agree more…we must make a high school diploma a ticket to success in the 21st century."

At the historic meeting, nearly 150 Summit participants agreed to a bold Action Agenda aimed at restoring value to the high school diploma through improved teacher quality, clear identification of goals and measurement of progress, increased accountability for high schools and colleges, and streamlined governance between the K-12 and postsecondary worlds.

Leaders gathered from across the country to emphasize the vital importance of providing students with a challenging and rigorous curriculum. Kerry Killinger, chairman & CEO, Washington Mutual, and Achieve Vice-Chair, stated, "We do students no favor by lowering standards. The standards in the 21st century economy are unforgiving." The sense of urgency around the Summit’s important work was also articulated by Arthur F. Ryan, chairman of Prudential Financial and Achieve Co-Chair, who cautioned, "Improving high schools one school or one state at a time is not moving fast enough."

On the Summit's final day, Achieve announced the launch of the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network – a coalition that now includes 30 pioneering states that have partnered with Achieve in an ambitious effort to make the high school diploma synonymous with college and work readiness.

By joining the Network, ADP states pledged to change a traditional American institution – the high school – forever. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft called the Network "the biggest step a state can take to ensure that more of their students are truly prepared for college, work and citizenship."