Viewpoint from Microsoft

Microsoft has always been about the power of the individual to do great things. From day one, our products have helped to change the way people work, learn and live.

That's just one of the reasons we are committed to enhancing educational opportunities for young people and to supporting projects like the Microsoft Math Partnership. We know that today's students will face a world that is more complex, more technologically advanced, and more globally competitive than any of their predecessors.

As a result, they will need higher levels of skills than ever before to be prepared. This goes far beyond those students who aspire to be a cancer researcher at Fred Hutchison, an aerospace engineer at Boeing, or even a programmer at Microsoft. Recent research (conducted by Washington State University for the College and Work Ready Agenda report, "Improving the Odds: Preparing Washington's Students for Family-Wage Jobs") concludes that more than three-quarters of family wage jobs in the coming years will require education and training beyond a high school diploma. To see how pervasive the need for analytic skills is, you don't have to look any farther than your local auto garage. Yesterday's "grease monkey" has been replaced by a technician that uses complex computer systems to help diagnose and repair problems with your engine.

Beyond the workplace, our young people will need the ability to understand increasingly complex issues to be involved and contributing citizens. Global warming, alternative energy, stem cell and other health sciences research, privacy protection in an information age—these are just a few of the many challenging issues our students will confront. They will need a firm foundation in the analytic disciplines to make good choices about their future.

Finally, there is one other important reason why our company is proud to be a part of the Microsoft Math Partnership. Washington State is our home, and home to some 40,000 Microsoft employees. For Microsoft's continuing success, we need to recruit and retain world-class talent. World-class talent expects to live in world-class communities. And no community can be world-class without a strong education system that provides great opportunities for its young people to grow and develop.

Education is a noble pursuit. The work done by our schools—the skills and guidance they provide to our students, the challenges they help young people overcome—is critically important and marvelously inspiring. We are proud to be a small part of that work.