It's time to change the way we think about public education.

That's probably the biggest take-away from a fearless report offering 134 recommendations to transform Connecticut's education system to better prepare students for life and work in today's global community.

It should be mandatory reading for anyone with a stake in public education, meaning all of us.

The work of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), the report includes bold recommendations such as starting school at age 3 instead of 5, replacing teacher tenure with five-year performance-based renewable contracts, and granting local school districts taxing authority. It also recommends that the state support at least 55 percent of the cost of public education (it now covers less than half), and that there be a minimum size for school districts so that no district is too small to provide high-quality education.

That's just a small sampling of what is contained in "NextEd: Transforming Connecticut's Education System," a two-year project of the state's public school superintendents that was released last month.

"This is not the time to tinker around the edges, but to take major steps toward restructuring what we do, how we do it and who will take responsibility for improving student achievement in our state," said Joseph Cirasuolo, executive director of CAPSS, in advocating for profound and fundamental changes in the state's public schools.

The report is timely. Lawmakers will convene this winter and make state education reform a priority, at the request of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. These recommendations send the message that incremental changes are not enough. Bold action will be necessary to improve public education in Connecticut.

It touches on everything from academic standards to governance, finance, teacher and administrator accountability, use of technology, school district structure and capacity, public school choice, student learning styles and needs and much, much more.

Some of it is common sense, a lot of it innovative, and some ideas, like changing teacher tenure and consolidating small districts, are sure to be controversial.

But Connecticut can no longer rest on its past laurels. The world is a more competitive, technological place today, and education must keep pace. The superintendents suggest not just fundamental changes in how children are taught, but in how curriculum is structured, including higher standards, more choices, new and better resources, and redefining the measurements of success for students and everyone else, including teachers, administrators, school boards, and even parents.

The report, which can be found at www.ctnexted.org, outlines the existing problems in Connecticut's public schools, such as racial achievement gaps and inadequate preparation of students for higher education and employment, and outlines strategies for improvement.

The expectation has always been that students will learn all they need to know in 13 years, and that's not always the case. Today's students start school with widely divergent skills and needs and some are never able to catch up. The superintendents recommend the system abandon its mid-19th-century roots and focus on universal success, not universal access.

Connecticut has a much-lauded new education commissioner, Stefan Pryor, who has just started work. It has a governor who is making education reform a priority. And now it has a thoughtful, comprehensive report from the top administrators at the state's 166 public school districts offering specific ideas to transform public education in Connecticut to meet 21st century needs.

An ambitious plan like this deserves a bold response. Not all of it will be liked or adopted, but it surely can be used as a starting point for meaningful discussion about major changes in the state's public schools.