Governor's Council Charts Course for Student Success
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Contact: Randy Wanke |
Governor’s Education Council Charts Course for Student Success
In the 21st Century
Minnesota Department of Education releases report setting benchmarks, goals
Roseville – The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) today released a report from the Governor’s Education Council that sets benchmarks and goals for proficiency, college readiness, graduation rates, and college success.
“Preparing our students to succeed in the 21st century requires us to set aggressive goals and measure the results,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “This annual report will help provide a framework for a seamless educational system that makes the high school experience more relevant to students’ post-secondary plans.”
Minnesota is one of ten states to receive a National Governors Association grant to develop statewide goals and benchmarks for student achievement. These indicators are intended to serve as a compass for charting education policy and success in the decade to come.
Minnesota is the first state to develop indicators, which are based on the Governor’s vision for education: Minnesota’s investment in education will help all students achieve an education that will enable them to develop a strong work ethic, gain competitive employment, pursue life-long learning, become engaged citizens in the 21st century, and enhance their quality of life.
The report, entitled “Taking Minnesota Students from Nation-leading to World-Competing: Setting a Course for Success in the 21st Century,” lays out indicators for success which were developed by the Governor’s Education Council, a group made up of leaders from education, higher education and business.
“We can be proud of the fact that in many ways our system of education is nation-leading but in a hypercompetitive global marketplace, nation-leading is no longer good enough,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. “That is why this report is built around the simple idea that we need a strong and seamless system of education that takes our students from nation-leading to world-competing.”
The Education Council created the four indicators and corresponding goals:
• CORE PROFICIENCY: Every student graduating from the K-12 system should meet a core proficiency level so that they can enter the workforce or post-secondary institutions. Goal: All students are proficient by 2014 in mathematics and reading, 2018 in science.
• COLLEGE READINESS & RIGOROUS COURSE TAKING: In order for our state to compete globally, all students must have the opportunity to take a rigorous high school curriculum. Goal: All students will have access to a rigorous high school curriculum by 2016.
• GRADUATION RATES: In order to ensure all students are successfully completing high school and to identify strategies to keep students in school, it is necessary to measure the graduation rates of students. Goal: All students will graduate from high school by 2016.
• COLLEGE SUCCESS INDICATORS: Because it is becoming more important to have some post-secondary education, it is desirable to measure the participation and persistence of students entering post-secondary institutions.
“This report sets expectations high with the belief and understanding that working together, Minnesota’s system of education and students can rise up to meet those expectations,” Seagren said.
The report also focuses on the need for Minnesota students to pursue post-secondary opportunities, highlighting for example the fact that according to Achieve Inc., “more than two-thirds of new jobs created by 2010 will require some education beyond high school – such as technical training or an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.” The report also notes that the typical bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn 73 percent more over a 40-year working life than a high school graduate.
Additionally, the report highlights five Minnesota high schools that are utilizing innovations to improve student performance, including Anoka’s STEP program, Alexandria Jefferson, Delano, Irondale in New Brighton, and Lincoln in Thief River Falls.
In an effort to better engage Minnesota students, Governor Pawlenty introduced his “3R High School” proposal earlier this year. The initiative includes six components that will improve the high school experience such as personal graduation plans, rigorous course taking, teacher training programs, and the opportunity for students to get a head start on post-secondary education by taking a year of college level courses through existing programs like concurrent enrollment, advanced placement and international baccalaureate, work-based and career and technical programs, and other rigorous high level learning programs.
GOVERNOR’S EDUCATION COUNCIL
Robert H. Bruininks, President
University of Minnesota
Susan Heegaard, Director
Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Karen Klinzing, Assistant Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Education
David Laird, Jr., President and CEO
Minnesota Private College Council
Representative Carlos Mariani-Rosa, Executive Director
Minnesota Minority Education Partnership, Inc.
James McCormick, Chancellor
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Dan McElroy, Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
Claire Noble, Director
MDE Government Relations
Valerie Pace, Director of Government Relations
IBM
Kate Rubin, President
Minnesota High Tech Association
Pete Sadowski, Vice President
Antares Pharma, Inc.
Alice Seagren, Commissioner
Minnesota Department of Education
Charlie Weaver, Executive Director
Minnesota Business Partnership
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