Governor Gregoire Presents Washington Learns Recommendations to the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee and the House Appropriations Committee (As Written)

January 10, 2007

Good afternoon, members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to testify today and for your commitment to our children and the future of this state.

Today I want to talk to you about a new vision for our education system that prepares our kids for the globally competitive job market of the 21st century.

The single greatest investment we can make in our economic security is education.

I grew up with a single parent. Ma was a short order cook. She didn�t have a chance to get a college degree, but she knew one thing � she would do everything in her power to make sure I got one.

From the beginning she drilled into my head the importance of education and she established a clear expectation that I would be the first person in our family to get a college degree.

I was fortunate to have other people who taught me the importance of education. I want to thank all the teachers and school administrators for their important work. They have inspired so many young people to achieve their dreams.

We have the talented, committed educators in place for our kids. What we lack is a modern education system for them to work in.

We have a 20th century vision for 21st century challenges.

But fortunately, we�ve been provided a new education vision, a 21st century vision, created by Washington Learns.

This new vision calls for a world-class, learner-focused, seamless education system from early learning to our colleges and universities.

It requires us to share accountability so that we can work together to continuously improve our schools. It demands that we tailor our education system to fit the needs of individual learners. It calls on us to bring creativity into the classroom. It insists that we engage parents, communities and our partners in the private sector. And finally, it requires us to commit the necessary human and financial resources.

But I want to be very clear here � we can�t simply throw money at the status quo. We need to change the system as we make the new investments. We need to make changes that families can count on.

Let me illustrate how our old system is not working by telling a story about a fictional student, Joe, who is in the same circumstances as many children in our state.

Joe lives in a good, safe home, but his single mother works long hours and rarely has the time to read to him or take advantage of his brain�s �sponge-like� readiness to learn.

As a result, Joe, just like more than half of the other children his age in our state, is not ready to learn when he enters half-day kindergarten. He simply is not physically, emotionally, and academically ready to succeed.

Thanks to hard work by his teachers, Joe gets by.

It doesn�t help that he keeps changing schools since his mother is often on the move looking for work. In math, for instance, he struggles as he is exposed to three different math curricula in a single year.

Like 40 percent of his peers, he could read by the end of third grade, but he could not read effectively.

After third grade, school became a continuing struggle for Joe. By high school, he struggles academically, especially in math, and the classes just don�t seem relevant to his life.

Finally, three quarters through his junior year, struggling to keep up in class and bored with classes that have no relevance to his life, Joe, like nearly a third of his classmates, quits school.
We�ve heard this story all too often.

For the past 18 months, scores of wonderful, thoughtful people have worked on Washington Learns and helped us develop a new vision for educating our kids. They�ve presented five initiatives that should guide us during this legislative session as we attempt to realize this vision.

First, we need to build on the progress we�ve made in emphasizing early learning by adding more early learning slots for kids than we have in almost two decades.

The research is clear. For every dollar we invest in early childhood education we get $8 in return with children who are more likely to graduate from high school and college, get a good job and raise their families and less likely to get stuck in our social service net or the criminal justice system.

Second, we need to dramatically increase our investment in math & science learning. Employers are demanding more workers with science, technology, engineering and mathematical skills. The top jobs in the new economy require an understanding of math and science, so our math and science curriculum must prepare students to meet state and international standards.

Third, we need to change the way we educate our children by personalizing learning. Technology, both online and in the classroom has given us the opportunity to employ new methods of teaching and reaching our children. It expands teaching options and gives our students access to learning opportunities not just during the day, but in the evening and on weekends. And these new methods can be fun for our children, adapting to their individual learning styles and interests.

Fourth, we need to give high school and college students the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their careers and we need to increase access to higher education and workforce training. By providing more information, opportunities and financial aid to our students, we can build a workforce that fills the jobs that are in high demand today.

Finally, an emphasis on quality and accountability must guide our efforts to change the education system in our state. Again, we cannot simply throw money at the status quo. We need to make reforms that show us real, measurable results.

We need parents to be our kids� first and best teachers. Learning starts at birth. Then we need quality learning centers where the director and teachers are trained in early learning skills, followed by all-day kindergarten. Then our kids will be ready to learn, with classmates, who also benefited from strong early learning experiences, are also ready to learn. This creates a vibrant, rich learning environment.

When our kids reach third grade they will be proficient in reading, writing and math, and have been exposed to science, music, art, and even a foreign language. More importantly, they�ll have �learned to learn� and be mature enough to move into fourth grade and beyond.

We need to involve mentors in our schools available to watch kids� progress, answer questions, help with problems, and most importantly, talk about what they would like to do with their life after high school so students can tailor course work to individual learning styles, talents, interests and goals.

Instead of struggling through studies in overcrowded classrooms where it is hard to get more help, we need teachers to pull students aside into small work groups to help them catch on and catch up.

Whether kids want careers either the building trades or to be the first in their family to go to college, they know an understanding of math and science will be essential.

Fortunately, we anticipate this need and are ramping up math and science education, so kids get the foundation needed.

Kids will select classes that will prepare them for any career path They will pass their classes and graduate with an apprenticeship job or a college scholarship in the wings.

This will be an education with rigor, relevance and relationships. Rigor in the academic demands and standards to meet.

Relevance in the classes leading to career goals so they mean something and are worth the rigor.

And relationships in that students will have adults behind them, guiding them, and helping them when needed.

Part of the vision of Washington Learns is driven by a stark reality: high school degrees are no longer a ticket to a family-wage job. At least some post secondary education will be needed for most good jobs. That�s why the vision calls for educating more people to higher levels.

The other reality is that we have worker shortages not only in technical fields that require a college degree, but in the trades. So, we need to be able to respond and train kids for these high demand jobs.

Under the Washington Learns vision, our will allow students and families to have some predictability about the cost of college, qualifies them for scholarships, and be a responsive higher education system that offers courses in high demand fields.

In closing, let me tell you what I�ve learned about today�s economy on my trade missions around the world.

I am not Governor of just any state. I am Governor of Washington.

We are a state known for quality products, creativity, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
This has really hit home to me on several of my trade missions.

I flew in a Boeing airplane.

On the drive to the hotel I passed a big Microsoft regional headquarters building.

When I got to the hotel, across the street I found a Starbucks.

And the local Costco looked just like the one in Tumwater and featured Washington products like wine, beef, potatoes, and cherries, all of which are known worldwide for their quality.

Our challenge is to produce the next generation of workers and leaders who can carry on this spirit of creativity, innovation, and pursuit of quality. Because, just as I saw Washington products and businesses everywhere I went, I also saw how intense the competition is. We are not merely competing with Oregon, Idaho and Montana for businesses and economic opportunities � we are competing with China, India, and Ireland.

I would like to acknowledge the great work of the Washington Learns team. Our steering committee members have put their hearts and souls in this project and they�ve given us the principles for change and the initiatives we need to undertake to bring our education system into the 21st century and prepare our students for the global economy.

We can�t just do the easy things we all agree on � we must be bold and take on some of the more difficult challenges in the interests of our students and our economy.

By taking action on the vision they�ve laid out, we will give our children an education system that enables them to succeed well into the future. And we will be making important changes that families can count on.

Let�s all pledge to work together to put that vision in place so that every child in Washington has a chance to dream big and achieve their dreams.

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