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A lot of people to thank, isnít there? Thanks to the citizens of Wisconsin, I am
blessed to travel Wisconsin and see outstanding students, educators, and public librarians
in action. Itís both an exciting time and a challenging
time for public schools and public libraries. Weíre changing what children learn, how theyíre
taught and tested, and how schools and educators are evaluated. Our schools are investing in
innovation and pursuing excellence at an unprecedented pace.
And, while the scope and pace of change can sometimes seem overwhelming, we absolutely
need to deliver on this work. For our kids, for their futures, itís the right thing to
do. But to succeed, we need to stay the course
and find common ground. Wisconsin has always embraced a shared value of public education
ó the great equalizer. But, the battle lines that have been drawn in recent years have
divided communities, turned educators into enemies, and drained resources from our public
schools. It has sometimes seemed as if the very idea of public education itself is being
called into question. Yet, over the past few years, we have found
common ground with the Governor and legislative leaders around preparing all kids to be college
and career ready. Together, weíve forged partnerships on reading, school report cards,
educator effectiveness, new state tests including the ACT, early childhood investments, and
more. All of these efforts are grounded in our shared belief that higher standards and
higher expectations for all kids are necessary to better prepare them for the world that
they will enter when they leave the school house door.
Wisconsinís Common Core State Standards are world class, and set a muchhigher bar for
all kids in the state to reach. We cannot go back to a time when our standards were
a mile wide and an inch deep, leaving too many kids ill prepared for the demands of
college and a career. We cannot pull the rug out from under thousands of kids, parents,
and educators who have spent the past three years working to reach these new, higher expectations
that we have set for them. To do so would have deep and far reaching consequences for
our kids, and for our state. We must put our kids above our politics. And we owe it to
them to stay the course. However, hereís my belief: our persistent
pursuit of high standards, innovation, and excellence will eventually overshadow the
present mind-numbing political rhetoric. Our kids deserve that from us.
Our local public schools and libraries are sources of pride in villages, towns, and cities
across Wisconsin. We are national leaders in graduation rates and ACT scores, and lead
the Midwest in Advanced Placement course results. This is Wisconsin.
However, we face serious work as a state. Graduation gaps are unacceptable when Hispanic
and American Indian students drop out at a rate of one in four, and African American
students at a rate of one in three. Itís unacceptable when wide gaps still persist
for students with disabilities, English learners, and students in poverty. This, also, is Wisconsin.
As an educator, Iíve been answering the school bell for 37 years now, and Iím well aware
of the challenges we face. Yet, I continue to be a glass half-full person. I believe
in the people power we have in our public schools and public libraries ó our students,
educators, administrators, parents, volunteers, and local citizens.
For the future of all of Wisconsinís kids, and for the future of our state, I still believe
that Wisconsinites remain committed to ensuring that every child, no matter where they live
or how much money their parents make, can graduate from high school prepared for that
next step ó whether itís directly into a career, college, or the military.
Thatís why weíve launched Agenda 2017, a comprehensive agenda that sets aggressive
but achievable goals and lays out a plan to meet them.
As part of Agenda 2017, we have increased graduation rates to nation-leading levels,
and set rigorous standards, modernized testing, improved reading instruction, and reformed
accountability systems for educators and schools. And speaking of accountability, hey voucher
schools ó you get taxpayer money; you mustbe part of the new accountability system. No
more excuses. During my second term, we will tackle personalized
learning, expand access to career and technical education and dual credit opportunities, create
academic and career plans for all students, and reform school finance.
To help keep all kids on a path to graduation, we just delivered ó with no new funding ó
a new statewide Dropout Early Warning System, called DEWS, to all districts. DEWS makes
it possible to identify kids who may be at risk, and allows districts to intervene as
early as middle school. Through investments in technology, weíre
entering the promised land of personalized learning. My budget asked for, and the Governor
and Legislature funded, resources so that all Wisconsin children can benefit from online
and blended learning, and every Wisconsin teacher, parent, and policymaker can monitor
progress at the click of a button. Weíre also the top-performing state in the
national Innovation Lab Network, an exciting effort to transform education through innovations
in teaching, learning, and technology. This work customizes learning so that every child
reaches his or her full potential. Presently, we have 26 school districts, 59 schools, 314
teachers and 4,493 students actively involved in personalizing learning through ILN.
Also, weíre working with business and education leaders across the state to create personalized
academic and career plans for every student, reinvigorate career and technical education,
and expand upon our many successful dual credit programs. Just this week, Governor Walker
and legislative leaders introduced my proposal to provide high schools with incentive funds
to expand industry certifications in high-need areas ó a critical investment that will give
more Wisconsin kids the opportunity to graduate from high school ready to step into a family-supporting
career. My goal is that every Wisconsin child graduates from high school with college credit
or an industry certification already in their pocket. As any savvy business leader knows,
to be pro-business, you have to be pro-education. This is vital work, and itís hard work. It
takes commitment, leadership at all levels, and the resources to get it done right. Yet,
as I go around the state talking about Agenda 2017, I hear story after story about schools
that are struggling to keep afloat financially. Thatís why Iíve developed and am still advocating
my school finance reform plan, ìFair Funding for Our Future.î
Weíve all heard the claims that the past cuts did no harm or somehow even helped. I
can tell you that is not the case. Recently released data shows that spending per student
in Wisconsin has dropped by over 15 percent since 2008 when adjusted for inflation. This
is the seventh steepest drop in the nation. And, in dollar amounts, those cuts put Wisconsin
second only to Alabama. The report says the decline continues this year. Folks, we canít
expect that the current, broken system of school finance is going to fix itself. Not
gonna happen. Now is the time to gather the public support
and the political will to stay the course on our fundamental reforms, fix our broken
school funding system, and expand opportunities for all of Wisconsinís children.
I am here to tell you that despite these challenges, I know firsthand that Wisconsin is a state
that embraces innovation and excellence. From charter schools to flipped classrooms to hybrid
learning, customized and personalized for each child, we are a leader.
Our 424 school districts take a back seat to no one when it comes to innovation.
Iíd like to take a few moments to share with you some stories that embody what our innovative
Wisconsin public schools and libraries are all about.
Several months ago, I had the chance to visit schools in the Menomonee Falls School District,
which recently established a full scale partnership with the Carnegie Foundation. I visited a
kindergarten classroom at Riverside Elementary School. It was not a high tech classroom;
there was one teacher and maybe 20 students. It looked like many kindergarten classrooms
I have visited. But, wow what a difference. Each student could tell you where they stood
on their reading and math goals for the year, each child could tell you exactly what they
needed to do to reach the next level and how they were going to do it. Their progress was
mapped on every single wall in the room. These kindergartners owned their learning, and it
was amazing. And, the Menomonee Falls School District totally embraces the Common Core
State Standards, and those standards are directly related to what was happening in that classroom.
Everyone knows that student engagement is at the core of great learning. Engagement
is at the core of the Common Core State Standards. Innovation must have engagement. A visit to
Eleva-Strum confirmed this. They have a great tech-ed program, focusing on metal fabrication.
The students do piece work for various fabricators in northwest Wisconsin, who do not have the
time to do single customized work. The class was run like a business: Cardinal
Industries. They even had a manager of the business, a young woman who was a business
ed student. The students did everything from soliciting orders, doing the piece work, really
sophisticated work, and shipping the order to the customer.
Underclassmen were tutored by seniors, all under the watchful eye of a talented teacher.
These students received high school credit, along with technical college credit. And at
the end of the year they did profit sharing ó $1,200 per student. This innovation has
been recognized nationally through Modern Machine Shop Magazine.
And, our public libraries are innovating. Recently, I visited Abbotsford Public Library
óa rural library located in a shared facility in Clark County. There I met an energetic
librarian who works with her community and school district to provide services tailored
to families. In La Crosse, the public library provides job seekers a range of computer training
programs and the Milwaukee Public Library offers drop-in job search help in addition
to offering skills training. Our public libraries anchor their communities.
We have all read about innovations around urban agriculture. Our largest urban center,
Milwaukee, is considered a leader in Urban Ag, improving access to fresh food for residents,
building stronger communities and creating jobs. How did the Milwaukee Public Schools
respond? Well, after a 30-year hiatus, agriculture, rather urban agriculture, returned to Milwaukee
Vincent High School. The new agricultural program has a distinct
21st century focus, merging science and technology. Students can sign up for courses in botany,
biotechnology/biofuels, urban agriculture, urban gardening/horticulture, landscape and
design, greenhouse techniques, and aquaponics. I recently was able to welcome Vincentís
FFA team to the Wisconsin FFA Convention. The bluecoats have come to Milwaukee.
I could tell stories like these from each of the scores of schools I have visited as
state superintendent. I encourage everyone in public education, parents, and local citizens
to help me tell stories of their great schools. Iíd like to end this storytelling about innovation
with a shout out for our dedicated, hard working teachers and education support professionals.
A recent survey told us that almost one third of our teachers say if they had to do it over
again, they would not be a teacher.
Public education in Wisconsin cannot be strong without strong teachers. In this time of great
change, we need our educators invested and involved. We must once again find a way to
value, honor, and invest in public service, especially teaching. Teachers chose this profession,
like many gathered here today, like I did, because they love kids, they want to inspire
a love of learning, they want to change lives. Letís turn the corner on this, and get back
to a time when teachers are valued and respected for the contributions they make to our children,
and our state. If we focus on innovation and excellence, I know we can do this.
So, I am jazzed about the future. I hope you are too. This school year, and the next few
to come, will bring many important, exciting and positive changes to Wisconsin schools.
Weíve got much to be proud of, and a lot yet to do.
As your state superintendent, I will continue to drive our agenda forward and advocate for
our kids ó for all of Wisconsinís children. Join me in standing up for our kids, our public
schools, libraries and all the parents, educators, librarians, staff, board members, and leaders
who work daily to build a more prosperous future for Wisconsin.
Thank you for being here today and God bless all of our children. On Wisconsin!