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SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the following statement in response to Education Week's Quality Counts 2007: From Cradle to Career, Connecting American Education from Birth to Adulthood [http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html] (Outside Source) and Children Now's California Report Card: The State of the State's Children [(http://publications.childrennow.org/publications/invest/reportcard_2007.cfm] Outside Source).

"I commend Education Week for significantly expanding the focus and context of its annual Quality Counts report. This report recognizes that student success and the success of our society in the future rests not just the quality of our K-12 education system but with many partners working together to prepare students for the future, from preschool through college, in and out of the classroom. Children Now's report also recognizes that education, health care and family support are all essential ingredients in a child's chance for success.

"Taken together, these reports provide a sobering look at the current state of education and other services for California's children. While both reports recognize that there are factors outside of the public education system that are important, Education Week's report does note that California has made public policy decisions that have put on us on the right track in public education. However, I am still not satisfied. If we are to fulfill our promise as a state and as a nation, we can't start addressing the needs of children the day they enter kindergarten, and stop addressing them once they graduate high school.

"It is clearly time for the public and policymakers to understand that preparing the next generation to succeed in a demanding global economy will require closing the achievement gap. Our schools must deliver rigorous academic content to all students, no matter what challenges they bring into the classroom, and be held accountable for increasing lifting student achievement. However, we must also recognize that fulfilling the potential of our students and our state requires a multifaceted approach involving partners not just from all segments of education but from businesses, government and communities."