79-748.

Legislative findings and intent.

(1) The Legislature finds and declares that:

(a) Global economic competition is making new demands upon the school system of the state;

(b) The competitiveness of the United States in the new global economy will require that schools effectively educate all students and prepare them to develop the capacity to learn new skills and tasks quickly and to apply this knowledge in creative and imaginative ways, in novel contexts, and in collaboration with others;

(c) The need to fundamentally restructure education to meet the challenges and opportunities of a constantly changing technological economy is recognized and endorsed by such diverse groups as the Committee for Economic Development, an organization of some eighty chief executive officers of American corporations, the Education Commission of the States, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Governors' Association; and

(d) The restructuring of the school system is a long-term, evolving process with the principal goal being to develop a system that ensures that all students learn to use their minds well as a result of their education.

(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to stimulate ideas and visions that go beyond the traditional models of schooling and to encourage the development of public-private partnerships in establishing and supporting reform in education.