Knowledge driven companies like Microsoft and IBM are more akin to championship sports teams where the quality of the human factor is essentially the only important variable to success. Tomorrow's top firms will build loyalty by extending education and training opportunities to every employee. There is some encouraging evidence that American schools are showing significant improvement after troubling declines in the past two decades. Continuous learning is a hallmark of jobs in the new economy. It's also a habit that should start early through Head Start or other programs.
Time is perhaps the essential ingredient in giving disadvantaged youngsters an equal chance.
Standards are essential in every child's schooling, but for those in traditionally-under performing schools, it's important that they be communicated and pursued with special vigor. In neighborhoods where few adults work, students may not grasp the connection between their studies and the skills demanded by jobs. Educating students to less than what the workplace demands means absolute failure in the employment search. There is no greater discrimination. Direct experience in the workplace is the best teacher.