In her 2007 State of the State address, Gov. Linda Lingle proposed several innovation initiatives for education to improve the educational system and ensure our future workforce will have the skills and knowledge to compete in the 21st century.

She proposed increasing the number of high school graduates with world-class analytical and problem-solving skills, developed through courses in science, technology, engineering and math.

These innovative initiatives for education are welcome complements for Hawai'i's public education system by securing funding from big business and state and national agencies while involving the University of Hawai'i as a catalyst to encourage and sustain Hawai'i's talented individuals in their preparation for high-paying jobs and the maintenance of a healthy economy for future generations.

Cydrienne Llamas | Sacred Hearts Academy

The Hawai'i State Assessment is over, and schools await the results. This test measures academic achievement and ranks schools accordingly. But can a test that focuses on content develop students into self-sufficient adults? The drive for knowledge has become nearly an obsession, but ultimately doesn't benefit students if all they pursue is the answer. Understanding and connecting ideas is not effectively addressed.

Success is now purely about "the answer." Forget about the person, as long as the answer is correct. Education was supposed to be about bettering yourself in the end, but now all that matters is what you learn.

Learning needs to be different. The focus needs to shift from the need for an answer to the needs of the student. Education shouldn't be all about gearing us to knowing content; it needs to place an emphasis on creating students who can fend for themselves.

Ultimately, a diploma takes you places, but it cannot be based entirely on knowing the answers. Otherwise, life should just be one big multiple-choice exam.

Jonathan Banasihan | Waipahu High School

The No Child Left Behind Act needs to be renewed this year, but with major modifications. Currently, it is inefficient and detrimental to the educational system. NCLB aims to improve student performance using standardized tests. Based on these scores, the school passes or fails the NCLB standards. And if it is "failing," it is required to improve the scores or face sanctions. The underlying goals of NCLB — narrowing the achievement gap between white children and minorities — are sound. But these goals can't be reached under the existing system.

The central problem is that it is not adequately funded. In 2006, only about 58.5 percent of the funding required for NCLB was requested by President Bush. Without adequate funds, the program does more harm than good, as schools that are failing are unable to acquire the funds to improve.

NCLB represents a noble effort to improve the state of this country's educational system, but it needs to become much less focused on the tests and more focused on providing funding for improvements if it is to succeed.

Kevin Chafe | Kapolei High School

Education is the mold that shapes the young generation, and education in Hawai'i must change to encourage the future.

One of the most daunting factors now is the growing gap between public and private schools, limiting only a few people to the resources that should be available to every student.

I asked Punahou President James Scott what can be done to lessen the gap. He suggests "we need to interact more with public school students, which can be done through community service where we could do something together for someone else; to change the thinking that Punahou was a place where other kids went."

To gain sustainability, everyone needs to be offered the same resources. The Partnerships in Unlimited Educational Opportunities program is Punahou's effort to reach this goal. Punahou partners with neighborhood public elementary and middle schools to identify students with high academic promise but who may have limited economic opportunity.

We need to implement more innovative technology in our schools to get students ready for an information society. Even though the cost of computers, printers, etc. are very steep, we should do fundraisers and persuade the government to give public schools more resources to stimulate learning.

Kimberly Lee | Punahou School

No Child Left Behind expects that by 2014, all students will be at the proficient level of state testing. How very idealistic.

Education reforms are important to maintaining and improving the state of the American education system, but after five years of NCLB, I think it's clear that this is not the answer to our education problems. In fact, it has become the problem. Schools across the nation are striving for perfection in proficiency in order to meet the standards of the act. So what does this mean for the students?

Because many students are still at the stage of "approaching proficiency," programs at schools are generally geared toward the students who still need to improve. But the students who are already proficient or exceed proficiency are left to their own devices or subject to being taught things that they already know. We should be helping all students to improve from the level of proficiency that they are currently at because there will always be varying degrees of proficiency.

There is no such thing as 100 percent proficiency, and anyone who tries to attain it is bound to disadvantage one group or another. So let's stop being so idealistic and make goals that are attainable in reality.

Marcie Kagawa | 'Aiea High School

A hot issue these days seems to be education. What to do about the teacher shortage, No Child Left Behind, college tuition and the disparity between public and private schools are all matters that are fiercely debated. But when it comes down to it, the real problem is not in our education system, it is in our society.

In our fast-paced world, we have fallen victim to the decline of the family core. Many families spend less and less time together and more and more time participating in other activities, separate from the family.

There are the families who spend time together on weekends, who go the beach or to a movie together. But more often than not, you can find a teenager out with his or her friends or a parent at their office instead of being with their families.

So what does this have to do with education? With the decline of the family inevitably comes the decline of parent-child interaction. Basic values that were once instilled by parents are left to our educators to teach. Teachers are now spending more time explaining these values, such as integrity, respect, hard work and discipline, when they could be focusing on academics.

Over time, we can alter the outdated or impractical standards and rules within the education system. We can raise the funds to repair damaged buildings and even increase teachers' salaries. We can make the necessary adjustments to level the playing field for all students. However, if we do not make a conscious effort to take an interest in our children's lives — then all the other alterations will be in vain.

Sarah Turgeon | 'Iolani School

Today's public school curriculum is defined by a myriad of guidelines geared toward "meeting the standards" and passing tests. In reality, knowledge cannot always be measured by rubrics and exams.

Students who participate in programs such as speech and debate, History Day or We The People acquire valuable knowledge outside the classroom. Often success in these activities cannot be calculated by today's Department of Education methods.

As a member of my school's We The People team, I have seen many of my classmates become more involved in politics and develop a passion for analyzing the Constitution and America's past. This experience will prepare us for college classes and help us voice our opinions.

Today's problem is not that our youth aren't smart enough to excel in programs like We The People, but that these activities are demanding and require teachers to put in lots of time. And those who coach academic activities are often not adequately compensated for all the extra time they give, which often makes starting and maintaining these extracurricular programs difficult.

One remedy could be to increase the pay for these teachers. Another solution would be to give them a lightened class load.

These programs must be maintained because they are priceless opportunities to teach students lessons that cannot be measured by broad standards or found between the pages of any textbook.

Victoria Hurst | Kahuku High & Intermediate School

The school system is changing because of an increased number of credits needed for the class of 2012 to graduate.

The class of 2012 must obtain 24 credits to graduate," says Gwynn Johnson, world history teacher at Radford High School, "In order for this to occur, the decades-old school schedule must be changed."

Students at Radford already know about the possible change in schedule, and there may be changes in other schools as well. Several schools will not be able to reach the quota of credits needed if changes are not made by next year. For the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes of this year, change may not come easy. Changes in the schedule may upset the balance of study time versus class time. Despite the possible, and what could be considered inevitable, changes in schedules, it may not be the only thing that changes in schools. "New elective courses would be offered to challenge both the freshmen and seniors alike" Johnson says.

If freshmen must have more credits, then there would be lower classmen in higher-level electives. By the time some freshmen make their senior year, several classes would be already completed, and with the longer schedules, both upper- and lower classmen would need fresh, new courses to fill their schedules. All in all, change could be good if schools take the right steps toward ensuring their students' academic success.

William "B.J." Grip | Radford High School