Iowa has long had a reputation of leading the nation in public education. Yet, in the midst of a hotly contested school funding debate in the Legislature, Iowa just received a C grade and ranked 19th in overall quality of education by Education Week.

There’s a lot of noise, many questions and plenty of rhetoric coming from the many affected stakeholders. But at the center of this challenge is a common worry for businesses: What if Iowa doesn’t produce enough of the talented and highly educated future leaders my business will need to be successful? 
 
We put together a panel of business and education experts for a discussion that helped bring clarity to the challenges facing Iowa, identified possible solutions and offered ways the business community can lend its support to restoring Iowa to a position of leadership in education. 

Panelists:
Dave Wilkerson – Superintendent, Waukee Community School District
Mary Bontrager – Executive Vice President, Greater Des Moines Partnership
Mark Jacobs – Founder, Reaching Higher Iowa
Ryan Wise – Director, Iowa Department of Education

Moderator:
Chris Conetzkey – Editor, Business Record