Business support is critical - deputy secretary of education David T. Kearns - interview

Nation's Business, Oct, 1991

David T. Kearns is deputy secretary of education. Before joining the U.S. Department of Education last spring, he was chairman of the Xerox Corp., in Stamford, Conn. In 1988, Kearns was co-author, with Dennis Doyle, of a book titled Winning The Brain Race.

Recently, Nation's Business interviewed Kearns about the role of business in education reform.

Given your corporate background and your appointment to the Department of Education, what message do you think the Bush administration is sending business people about business involvement in public education?

The message is that business support is critical to systemic and restructuring change and that business people in every community should be engaged and involved. I think businesses are really getting energized by this. The message is that it is absolutely critical for business to be involved in education.

What can business people do to help foster education reform?

Business should support the educators and the politicians that are pushing for systematic and structural reform. I believe this is the No. 1 thing business can do--support those individuals who are for real change, not people playing around the edges.

Secondly, it is very important for business to play an interactive role with the educators so that on an ongoing basis the educators understand what business requires in the workplace.

Thirdly, reform is going to get done community by community, school by school. For a community to be designated an "America 2000" community, it must adopt President Bush's six education goals and develop a strategy to carry them out. That is where business will play a critical role.

Lastly, business must agree to create a new learning environment and new American schools. A coalition has to be formed. I think the chambers of commerce can play a role in bringing together the business community, the educators, and the politicians.

We talk about pushing on the one hand but supporting on the other. I think that is a fine line to walk because if there isn't some pressure on the system, I know that it won't change. I think business can bring pressure. But at the same time that we bring pressure, particularly at the community level, we can work together.

What about legislative change and the role of business?

Business people individually are somewhat uncomfortable in the political arena. There is no question that as we go for real systemic and restructured change that there is going to have to be legislative change.

I think business has got to play a more overt, political role in getting the legislative changes that are required in some states, probably most states. That is an uncomfortable role for business, but I really think that they are going to have to get involved in that as well.

How do smaller companies fit into the president's education strategy?

You start with business leadership. Every business can be a part of a strategy group that is put together at the community level. Often you find in the community that the local business person who runs the insurance agency with just 15 employees is one of the most highly regarded and respected individuals in that community and can be a driver of change.