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Draft Report for Public Comment





Creating a World-class, Learner-focused


Draft Report for
Public Comment
Education System for Washington

This draft of possible strategies is based on the work of the Washington Learns Steering
Committee and upon the advice it received from the Early Learning Council, the K-12
Advisory Committee and the Higher Education Advisory Committee.
It does not represent a draft final report, but rather a set of possible strategies for the
public to review and provide feedback to the Steering Committee.
A final report is due by November 15, 2006.






















DRAFT


Introduction
Our world is rapidly changing, and our education system requires a parallel change to
prepare our children to participate in the new economy. In this technology-focused,
instantaneous environment, a software designer in Redmond is as likely to compete
with a worker in Bangladesh as with one in Silicon Valley. A grocery store stocker in
Spokane is part of a complex supply chain that stretches around the globe and that
can change overnight with the push of a button. Information and communications
easily ignore state and national borders, time zones, and outdated expectations. The
foundation for this new world isnt made of bricks and mortar, and it isnt whom you
know or where you live. The foundation is knowledge.
Knowledge is the new world currency, and Washingtons education system must
produce that currency in new ways if our children are to succeed.
Today, we must establish a new goal:
Washington is committed to delivering a world-class, learner-focused
education system.
Imagine an education system that gives every child the opportunity to succeed in
school and in life. Imagine an education system that entices people of all ages and
abilities to seek more education and training to improve their lives and the lives of
their children. Imagine classes of thinkers, who learn not just rote answers but also
the skills of adapting to changing circumstances and using creativity to find solutions.
Imagine an education system that stimulates our appetite for music and arts while it
prepares us for productive careers.
Right now, we have the opportunity to invest in knowledge as global currency and to
give our citizens the ability to compete and succeed. This opportunity calls for vision
and for bold initiatives for reform. It demands our sustained commitment because it
will not be easy. Comprehensive changes to our education system will not happen
immediately. But with a statewide, public and private, long-term commitment to
changes that bring results, we can and will deliver a world-class, learner-focused
education system.
B
ACKGROUND

At the Governors request, the 2005 Legislature created Washington Learns to conduct
a thorough review of the states entire education systemearly learning, K-12 and

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post-secondary educationand to issue final recommendations by November 2006.
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This short timeline and expansive scope present both a challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge comes from the magnitude of significant issues to be examined,
including many that are steeped in technical complexity or mired in political
difficulty.
But the opportunity presented by this examination of the entire education system is
the chance to develop holistic solutions that move us closer to an integrated, world-
class, learner-focused education system for Washington.
R
AISING
E
DUCATIONAL
A
TTAINMENT IS
O
UR
P
RIMARY
G
OAL

Over the past year we have learned a great deal about both the strengths and
weaknesses of our state education systems, and it has become clear that the
knowledge economy requires a new mission for educationto educate everyone to
achieve at higher levels.
Put simply, we must simultaneously raise the bar for everyone and close the gap that
academically sidelines too many of our students today.
The reality is that more Washingtonians need higher levels of educationof all forms.
A high school diploma is no longer the ticket to a family-wage job, but not everyone
needs four years of college either. Research shows that even one additional year of
college or workforce training can result in a far better paycheck. At the same time,
highly educated people, with math, science, technology, engineering and other
advanced degrees, drive our economy. We must create opportunities for everyone to
get some post-secondary education, and provide multiple pathways to attaining the
advanced degrees that are in high demand.
No one sector of the education system can achieve this ambitious goal alone. We must
shift our thinking from that of separate, independent pre-schools, middle schools,
colleges and universities towards an education system that is integratedfrom birth
through adulthoodand characterized by a deep commitment to shared responsibility
and accountability for results.
The happiness of Washingtonians and the health of our world-class economy depend
on it.


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P
RINCIPLES TO
G
UIDE
O
UR
F
UTURE

A world-class education system prepares all learners to live and work in a global,
multicultural world. Tomorrows workers will be managing global work teams that
meet in virtual offices. They will be buying and selling products and services to
people in Belgium and Bangkok, as well as Baltimore and Bellevue. Tomorrows
citizens will be solving issues of global proportions that transcend international
boundaries. To achieve this world-class system, five principles guide our thinking:
The fundamental principle is accountability. A world-class education system requires
us to compare ourselves to the best education systems in the nation and the world
and to hold ourselves accountable for results. All of usnot just state government or
schools and colleges, but also parents and families, communities, businesses, civic
organizations and private philanthropymust join the conversation about
improvement and results. Setting goals is not enough. We must persistently measure
progress toward our goals and report results regularly. This kind of systemic
accountability will require new transparent reporting and accounting systems that can
tie expenditures clearly to outcomes, as well as forums at the state level and in
communities for these important conversations.
Second, a learner-focused education system relentlessly focuses on each individual
student. We must shift our basic thinking to measuring outcomes, not in the
traditional Carnegie Unit, or in class time, but in what a student actually knows and
can do. Students can and should move at their own pace, with learning tailored to
individual styles and educational needs. Technology can help us implement this vision
by allowing virtual access to education materials and delivering specialized,
individualized teaching to learners.
Therefore, a learner-focused system requires that we redesign and personalize our
schools. The old 3Rs (readin, ritin, and rithmatic) are joined by a new set of Rs
rigor, relevance and relationships.
Rigor means that all students have the chance to succeed at challenging classes, such
as algebra, geometry, chemistry and writing.
Relevance means that courses and projects excite students to learn, to excel, and to
see the connection between what they are learning and their futures.
Relationships means that students have adult mentors who help them to plan for the
future and who encourage them to succeed.
Third, parent involvement is an essential ingredient at every step on the education
path. Families have a major influence on their childrens achievement in school and
through life. When schools, families and community groups work together to support
learning, children do better in school, stay in school longer and like school more.

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Families of all income groups and education levels, from all ethnic and cultural
groups, are active in supporting their childrens learning at home, but white, middle-
class families tend to be more involved at school. An important strategy for raising
overall educational attainment is to encourage more involvement at school by all
parents.
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Fourth is a fundamental R, a commitment to obtaining the financial and human
resources to deliver quality education. Maintaining current funding levels will not get
us to a world-class, learner-focused education system within the coming decade.
Current dollars may need to be redirected as we look for gre