N.C. Gov. Perdue recently announced her education agenda, Career and College Ready, Set, Go!, in a speech to a joint session of North Carolinas Educational Governing Boards in Kannapolis.

Gov. Perdue outlined a framework to take on the educational challenges facing our state with the goal of preparing every student to be college or career ready after graduating from high school.

We must re-focus our states public schools on a single goal. Every kid no matter where he or she lives in North Carolina must graduate from high school with what it really takes to succeed in a career, in a two- or four-year college or technical training, said Gov. Perdue. That means no more losing out on jobs that require more than low skills and no more remedial courses in college. Graduates will have what it really takes.

North Carolinas Educational Governing Boards including the State Board of Education, the UNC Board of Governors, the N.C. State Board of Community Colleges and the N.C. Independent Colleges & Universities Board of Directors are critical partners in Gov. Perdues plans for education in our state. They have the ability to set policies that will work together to achieve student readiness.

Gov. Perdues education agenda will work in three steps:

Ready Increasing the number of students who can read, write and do math by the end of third grade.

Set Increasing the number of students that perform at or above grade level.

Go Increasing the number of students taking college credit courses in high school; graduating from high school; going to college; and completing their degree from a community college, college or university.

Specific policy highlights include:

Incentives for great teachers in hard to staff schools and content areas

Leadership Academy for school leaders

Restructure the ABCs program to include diagnostic assessment, 21st century skills and national assessments so we can see how our students compare to others across the nation and world

Adopt the Common Core national standards: everyone agrees on the skills that all students need to know to graduate ready to work, go to college or vocational school

Community College readiness initiative for diagnostic-type assessments to make sure that students graduate with skills necessary to do community college work.