Forum Flash: March 6, 2008

The Ready by 21 Launch on February 27th was a wonderful moment in our growing movement, marking our 10th anniversary!

Special thanks to former Congressman Gephardt and former Governor Ridge for the wonderful job they are doing as Ready by 21 Co-Chairs, and our six amazing National Partners who worked so hard to make the launch a success: United Way of America, Corporate Voices for Working Families, America's Promise, National Conference of State Legislatures, American Association of School Administrators, and The National Collaboration for Youth.

Thank you also to the more than 170 attendees who took time out of their busy schedules to be with us on that day.

We have so many exciting things to share -- from a brand new Web site to the new definitive guide to the Ready by 21 Challenge -- that we won't try to go into detail on everything all at once. Instead, we'll feature specific items in future issues and provide you with the top notes (below) on the Ready by 21 Launch and what it means for you!

Also scroll down to read Karen Pittman's latest Youth Today article.

Hot off the Forum press: our versions of "everything you wanted to know about Ready by 21 but were afraid to ask"!

Ready by 21: The Challenge is our new guide to the key ideas and resources behind the Ready by 21 Challenge.

Ready by 21 National Partner Profiles and Commitments is a new guide to the work of each of our National Partners. By understanding what each of them is doing, you will learn where the Ready by 21 movement is heading and what opportunities will be available to you!

Read these two documents and still have questions? Well, we still have answers. Check out our Ready by 21 FAQs.

Ready by 21 National Launch

Inaugural Ready by 21 Change Maker Award

Eric Polk received the first annual Ready by 21 Change Maker Award, the highest honor presented by the Forum for Youth Investment. Read more about Eric and about the Award.

Ensuring Young People Are Ready by 21

Karen Pittman and Donna Klein from Corporate Voices for Working Families (a Ready by 21 National Partner) released an op-ed in conjunction with the Launch, declaring, "There is an urgent need to prepare our next generation of workers for the competitive challenges of the 21st century, and we cannot afford to approach this issue as business as usual." Read the op-ed.

Superintendents of Learning

In her March Youth Today column, Karen reflects on what it takes to make the shift from being a superintendent of schools to a superintendent of new, student-focused learning systems. Her comments were spurred by a recent forum hosted by the American Association of School Administrators (a Ready by 21 national Partner) at which she spent two days with 25 superintendents who she dubbed "the most enthusiastic public leaders I've ever met." Read the full column.