Washington Learns (As Written)

March 13, 2006

Governor Gregoire: Thank you all for coming�especially our two panels of students�and thank you again to all of our Washington Learns team members and staff for your commitment. I�m also honored to welcome four legislators who are part of the Washington Learns� team and who bridge the �practice-vs. theory� divide�in other words, the workhorses we ask to carry the water! State Senators Dave Schmidt and Rosemary McAuliffe, and Representatives Glen Anderson and Bill Fromhold. Thank you for your service.

I said it before and I�ll repeat it now: Government should be about solving problems in a collaborative, commonsense way. I am not a fan of studies designed to drop-kick issues or commission reports archived and moldering in the basement of the state library!

Washington Learns is part of my non-�dust-collecting studies� agenda�we�re getting so much done, enacting and breathing life into so many of the recommendations, that dust doesn�t have time to settle!

Our state needs this. We need a comprehensive study of our entire education system, from top to bottom. We need an integrated vision to bind our early education, K-12, and higher-ed systems together. We need to see education as an aggregate whole, as a kind of seamless fabric.

As you know, I care so much about this initiative, I am personally chairing our committee, and I believe it will provide a roadmap�quite literally�for the future of our state.

We also need a yardstick to measure our success. Our yardstick is here with us today�our two student panels. Because the undercurrent of everything we do can be narrowed down to a simple question, �what�s best for our students?�

A student-focused vision sounds obvious�but it�s not. In education, as in government, as in the private sector, there�s a tendency to grow territorial. Fiefdoms and inter-agency squabbles are symptoms of a more serious disease that can cloud and infect the thinking of many otherwise very smart folks.

We won�t let that happen. I know you appreciate those we are here to serve and support�our students.

Right now we need to re-evaluate our whole education system. We need to take up the challenge from Bill Gates and create an educational system for tomorrow�s workforce- not yesterday�s.

We can�t get there with piecemeal fixes.

Today we need to review how we�re doing�and that includes taking a critical look at our work so far, and whether or not we�re meeting the �no-collecting-dust� mandate:

We begin by looking at the recommendations of our Washington Learns� Interim report to see how they align with legislative action taken this last session. I think of it�with apologies to Robert Frost�as �promises made, promises kept.�

For example, the Washington Learns Interim Report recommended the creation of a cabinet-level department of early learning with a director appointed by the Governor. Legislation passed this session that does just that �creates a Department of Early Learning and consolidates more than a half-dozen childcare and early learning programs. The new department will be the focal point in working with the private sector to coordinate investments and improve coordination between early learning and K-12.

The Washington Learns Interim Report recommended investing in intensive, focused, academic support for high school students who need extra help to meet the state�s academic requirements in reading, writing, and mathematics�and provide schools and classroom teachers with additional resources specifically for that purpose. Legislation passed this session that does just that�$28.5 million to help students who have been unsuccessful in meeting standards.

School districts will now offer intensive instruction in ways that best fit local needs including summer school, classes before or after school and on Saturdays, skill seminars, test preparation and tutoring. New math-learning materials will be developed to help struggling students focus on one math �bite� at a time to meet the math standard for high school graduation. New math tutorials will also be developed and offered through the Internet�we�ve $3.4 million to this effort.

The Washington Learns Interim Report advocated a public-private partnership focused on public engagement and quality improvement. We did just that by creating the �Thrive By Five� Partnership that will invest millions in seed dollars to support parents and improve the quality of early learning in our state. The partnership�s founding members are an impressive lot and include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Boeing, Social Venture Partners, the Kirlin Charitable Foundation, Talaris Research Institute, The Ginger and Barry Ackerley Foundation, Lockeed Martin, Clear Channel Radio Seattle, the Foundation for Early Learning, and the state of Washington.

Washington Learns called for developing new career pathways that lead to apprenticeships after graduation. Legislation passed this session that does just that�permitting up to 10 school districts to qualify for �Running Start� grants to prepare interested students for the building trades and crafts.

The Washington Learns Interim Report recommended that all secondary school students participate in a program that is integrated into the curriculum and provides an adult mentor. Legislation passed this session that does just that�with support for �Navigation 101,� offering adult guidance, mentoring, and other activities to help students plan and prepare for what they will do after high school.

The list goes on�from boosting the transitions mathematics project to the development of a longitudinal student data system (Denny Heck will be available after the meeting if anyone has questions on what this means, exactly)! The vision we�ve crafted for the future of education in Washington has heft. That�s why our final report this fall will be so critical.

For me, the role of government is to create a world-class education system and make sure our prosperity touches all of us, not just a few.

Companies want to know that we have a well-trained, educated, modern workforce. And they also want good schools for their children and their employees� children.

When we evaluate the educational system in our own state, we shouldn�t compare it to other states. To do so, we are comparing ourselves to a mediocre educational system.

To survive, we need to go toe-to-toe with Japan, Germany, Ireland, and the top schools in India. Or any number of countries that invest more and get better results from their schools than us.

Today we�re on our way to doing just that. Let�s get to work.


###