CHAPEL HILL -- About 200 education leaders met in Chapel Hill Wednesday for the annual North Carolina Education Governing Boards Joint Meeting. The group's goal is to promote cooperation between standard K-12 schools, community colleges and universities.

State leaders want to see changes in our education systems, from pre-kindergarten all the way through college, to better prepare students for the future.

"The workforce for tomorrow starts very young," said Gov. Mike Easley. "Those kids, if they don't get [an education] early on, it makes a huge difference."

Education leaders from the Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, the University of North Carolina System and North Carolina Community Colleges all met to talk about ways they can work together to keep students in school and make sure they get the best education possible.

Gov. Easley said that will require all of us to change the way we think about schools.

"I want you thinking more pre through C, pre-kindergarten through college," explained Easley. "How do we make this thing work as we deliver education, a whole different kind of education than we've ever delivered before?"

State leaders are calling for total cooperation between the different education systems in order to allow students the greatest opportunity for advancement.

"With the millennium generation we have in our public schools today, we know they need more choices than ever before,” said State Superintendent June Atkinson. "They need more options. To have the opportunity to take courses online, to go to a community college, or to a university, to stay at the high school, are all important options."

The Education Governing Boards also looked at ways the different education systems could better work together. They stressed the need for more communication between the systems and the need for more programs to recruit, train and retain effective teachers in North Carolina.