Geoffrey Canada's takeaway on education reform: If kids have no future, then business has no future

Posted on 06/20/2011 @ 12:32 PM

Geoffrey Canada's prescription for educational reform is radical: Start early, with comprehensive intervention, and don't let up. Canada is president and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, which serves a 97-block area of Harlem that is rife with at-risk kids.

During his speech at the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference earlier this month, Canada discussed what it takes to educate kids from birth instead of locking them up as adults. The slightly higher cost of quality early childhood education is a small price to pay in exchange for a well-educated workforce.

To Canada, the key is starting early. "The data says children are behind from poor families when they start school. Why wait till 10? Start immediately."

Read the full article, and let us know what you think about his approach to education reform.