Fairfax County schools are among the best in the country. We take pride in our curricula, test scores and graduation and higher education rates. Perhaps even more telling, many of our parents and community leaders are deeply involved in and committed to our schools.

I believe we must remain committed to educating the next generation of students as world citizens – people who can compete in a global work force with all the intellectual, creative, and organizational skills that such an economy requires. Our students must be first class critical thinkers, not just great test-takers. We must continue to recruit and retain talented teachers and to pay the competitive salaries that acknowledge them as dedicated professionals. If we want to remain among the best here and abroad, we must:

• Fully fund Virginia’s Standards of Quality. We can continue to be at the forefront of educational excellence, but we cannot ignore the changing world and the requirements to educate for that reality. Learning in the classroom can and should be as strenuous as the sports activities taking place on the fields outside the school building. And just like those athletic activities, the academic rigor should be accompanied by joy of achievement and a clear sense of purpose.

• Create partnerships with the business community to strengthen the connection between the state’s education programs and the need for an educated workforce. If we want to keep our best and brightest living and working in the Commonwealth, we are going to need the public and private sectors working together from the pre-K through higher education levels. Early education promotes a culture and love of learning and an expectation for success. Business leaders can help cultivate a new generation of Virginia leaders and many have already. Our workforce training programs should be streamlined for cooperative partnerships with our community colleges. We can develop a greater emerging skilled work pool particularly in three critical areas: technology support, hospitality and tourism, and nursing.

• Increase state support for our higher education systems to control in-state tuition and fees and provide adequate slots for our Virginia students. Our colleges and universities are national magnets for businesses looking for a great place to locate. We should strengthen and diversify the opportunities at all our Virginia colleges and universities so they become attractive destinations to keep our students here for school and afterward.

• At all levels of education we should include deliberate opportunities to teach personal responsibility about developing character and accountability. We should teach personal health and nutrition, foster a culture of patriotism and civic engagement, expect students of all ages to embrace and welcome diversity, and cultivate a sense of stewardship for our natural environment.