State Supt. Tony Evers' 2011 State of Education Address
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"Every child must graduate ready for further education and the workforce. We must align our efforts so all our students are prepared to succeed in college or a career."
— State Superintendent Tony Evers
Wisconsin public schools continue to earn nation-leading graduation rates, college entrance exam scores, and a growing number of students taking rigorous college-level courses. On this foundation, we must move forward faster against increased international competition to boost family-supporting job growth across Wisconsin.
We cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Graduation and achievement gaps are too large; too many students drop out of school (one in ten); and we have a broken school finance system that erodes our ability to ensure all children graduate prepared for future success and technological innovation. Public education builds our workforce and middle class prosperity.
Our education system works for most kids, but not all kids. Some learn differently or need support, while others need new challenges. Our mission is to prepare them all to succeed in further education and careers.
To meet the needs of today’s students, we must customize the student experience, adopting technologies and instruction in ways that meaningfully engage the digital generation.
To advance education for all students, I remain focused around four simple, but powerful areas:
- Implement internationally benchmarked academic standards to ensure students are globally competitive;
- Require low-performing districts to adopt comprehensive literacy and mathematics plans as well as uniform curriculum among schools;
- Create systems that promote early interventions in reading and mathematics, such as Response to Intervention and early screening; and
- Adopt new flexibilities for students to earn competency-based and college credits during high school and expand more innovative charter schools.
- Design an online, adaptive next generation assessment system that is based on the Common Core State Standards;
- Implement interim assessments that gauge student progress throughout the year, providing real-time data to teachers and parents; and
- Improve accountability through a statewide student information system that supports districts, streamlines operations, and expands research.
- Develop a growth-based accountability system that includes all publicly funded schools, relies on multiple measures of student and school
performance, and focuses on college and career readiness;
- Replicate best practices from high-performing schools and provide
technical assistance and support to improve the lowest-performing schools;
- Develop a fair and robust educator evaluation system that incorporates student achievement data; and
- Require Milwaukee Public Schools, under corrective action, to adopt a uniform curriculum in reading and mathematics, implement data-driven student intervention systems, and ensure all teachers are highly qualified.
- Guarantee a minimum amount of state aid for every student;
- Incorporate a poverty-factor into the formula, accounting for families’
ability to pay — not just the community’s property value;
- Establish sustainability in state funding, while strengthening rural,
declining enrollment, and negatively aided districts; and
- Redirect the school levy tax credit directly into school aids, increasing transparency and state support for classroom learning.
In these and other areas, we have worked with parents, students, educators, and leaders across the state to transform our education system so that every child is a graduate ready for college and careers. To ensure a lasting impact, we need to act swiftly to implement cutting-edge strategies to drive improvements in student achievement.
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Last updated on 11/29/2011 1:01:27 PM
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