Transforming Education to Give Every Child Access to Quality 21st-Century Instruction: Q&A: L. Michael Golden, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Education Products Group

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PressPass: How does Microsoft envision education in the 21st century?

Golden: Access to a quality education is a fundamental human right. Yet, despite the best efforts of governments and development organizations, school remains out of reach for 375 million children worldwide. That’s simply unacceptable.

With technology, we can extend powerful new opportunities to the millions of kids currently outside the system. We’re developing software and services that collapse the barriers of time, distance and resources that impede access to schooling and throw an educational lifeline to students in remote or underserved communities.

We can also develop educational offerings that meet the needs of individual learners as classrooms around the world grow more diverse. Educational success depends on motivated students. Technology opens up exciting new ways to engage students and immerse them in an instructional environment that ignites their imagination and expands their horizons. At Microsoft, we’re fueling the creation of multimedia content that brings material to life in fresh ways and developing communication and collaboration tools that make lessons more interactive.

In addition, technology allows schools to analyze vast quantities of data to track student progress and inform instruction.

Transforming Education to Give Every Child Access to Quality 21st-Century Instruction: Q&A: L. Michael Golden, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Education Products Group, describes Microsoft’s vision for education and how technology can help create universal access to high-quality schooling.