Many argue our educational system has not kept pace with the rapidly transforming world in which we live. And they have a valid point. The successful workforce of the 21st Century must reach beyond the fundamentals of education. We must be more creative, innovative and flexible in adapting to the frequent changes in the labor market. Our approach to education, and life, must be a partnership with family, community and business.

Today, we are continuing a firm commitment to make historic investments in education. But investment must be coupled with new ideas and reform. We must raise standards, be more imaginative, re-evaluate how we test students and be realistic about our 21st Century workforce needs.

Our society must aspire to produce true lifelong learners. Over the past year and a half, I've visited nearly every one of our 40 school districts. From Jordan to San Juan, and from Ogden to Daggett, it was clear to me that we have some of the greatest people who have dedicated their lives to educating our students. Quality education is driven by quality teachers.

Gratefully, my children have benefited from educators like Li Du, who teaches my son's Chinese class at West High School. At Logan High, students are drawn into the world of mathematics by a truly inspiring teacher and cancer survivor, Joyce Smart.

But we are facing a challenge: this year our State was 400 teachers short of our schools' needs, which doubled last year's shortage. This trend is increasingly corrosive. It is time we put educators back on a pedestal. To do this we must improve two things: compensation and capacity.

Since historically our State has lagged in economic strength, we've always used that excuse to explain our inadequate salaries for teachers. Those days are gone! And there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks to the good work of the legislature, recent years have seen record increases for education. If we continue our current rate of increasing compensation over the next four years, we as a State, for the first time ever, can surpass the national average.

Also, we must increase the number of educators being trained in our colleges. Right now 2,300 teachers graduate annually. In four years we can, and should, have 1,000 more teachers coming out of our colleges every year to teach in our classrooms.

We must bolster our principals with the accountability and responsibility they need to manage their schools. Principals should be given the ability to reward the good teachers and replace the bad ones. They need the tools to assess accurately how students in their schools are faring.

And by the way, our kids are given way too many standardized tests, with little information flowing back. Let's find a way to allow teachers to do what they do best: teach.