Governor's Column

A Vision for Strengthening Education By Governor Dave Heineman January 25, 2010 Dear Fellow Nebraskans: Nebraska was among 40 states to recently submit an application to the U.S. Department of Education for a portion of the federal Race to the Top funding available to help states advance academic learning. Nebraska’s proposal was developed by my office along with Commissioner of Education, Dr. Roger Breed, and his staff. We worked closely with superintendents, teachers, parents, school board members, and others in developing our proposal. It outlined projects that fit within our long range vision for strengthening education in Nebraska. Nebraska has a more coordinated group working together on education issues than ever before. The Nebraska P-16 Initiative is one coalition involving business and education leaders and policy makers who are helping address a number of goals for improving education. We are making progress. In mid-January, the State Board of Education and I approved the first update to Nebraska’s high school graduation requirements in more than 25 years. The changes strengthen core curriculum requirements so that every Nebraska high school student graduating completes a more rigorous curriculum with a minimum of four years of English and three years of math, science and social studies. Updating graduation requirements ensures that by the 2014-15 school year, every school district will meet this standard. The new requirements urge school districts set higher, more rigorous expectations for students. Nebraska’s Race to the Top proposal was drafted to help make progress on a number of education priorities that include: helping Nebraska students reach higher levels of academic achievement, dramatically reducing learning gaps, and ensuring more of our students graduate from high school and attend college in Nebraska. One idea outlined in our Race to the Top application is to create a Nebraska Virtual High School. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has an excellent independent study program that we hope to build on by creating a more interactive and dynamic online menu of classes ranging from foreign languages to advanced math and science courses. A virtual high school could help engage students who learn better outside the classroom, in addition to helping students ready to move at a faster pace by providing access to advanced placement and college-level courses. The first phase of Race to the Top funding will be announced in April. In the meantime, I want to encourage teachers, parents and education leaders across the state to consider the opportunities available today to transform our schools and provide a better education to Nebraska students. One example is that while the demands placed on students have changed dramatically in the past 100 years, our American education system continues to rely upon a century-old school calendar. Examining ways to change school schedules and calendars in order to give students more learning time is a worthy endeavor. Other areas for reform include: seeking to involve parents in school and classroom learning, lowering student truancy rates, providing college students with a shorter path to graduation, and redirecting resources to make student achievement a top funding priority. I want to thank everyone who worked on Nebraska’s Race to the Top application. Strengthening education will improve the opportunities available to our students, while also creating more economic opportunities for our state. With the changes taking place in technology, communications and the ability to do business in countries around the world, now is the time to build an education system that meets the needs of modern students competing in this modern world.