Meeting the Challenge

As we stated at the outset, our vision for the future is simple, even though the task may seem daunting. We want the best education in Missouri to be public education. We want Missouri’s public school system to be viewed as one of the top education systems in the nation. We want every child to be able to attend an outstanding school. We believe this is what every family and community desires for its children. Shouldn’t we strive, then, as a matter of public policy, to meet that desire for all our citizens?

How will we know if we are making tangible progress toward such ambitious goals by the year 2010 or 2020? What measures would give skeptical Missourians convincing evidence that their public schools are doing a good job? We suggest the following indicators as goals to guide Missouri’s school-improvement efforts during the next decade:

• Missouri will rank among the top five states in America on key measures of student achievement and school performance: statewide scores on standardized tests; overall high school and college completion rates; the comparative achievement levels of minority and disadvantaged children; and the percentage of all students who successfully complete Advanced Placement courses.
  

• Virtually every child in Missouri will finish elementary school with a solid foundation of reading and math skills. Our common standard should be: "Every child will read proficiently by the end of the third grade."
  

• When civic leaders and state officials are trying to attract business and industry to the Show-Me State, they will emphasize the quality of our education system and the skills of Missouri’s workforce, not just economic incentives and low taxes.
  

• Our urban school systems will be revitalized and will demonstrate major improvements in academic performance.
  

• Parents and taxpayers, including citizens without school-age children, will perceive the public schools to be safe, wholesome and productive institutions.
  

• Virtually all Missouri children will start kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. All Missouri families will have access to affordable, high-quality child care and preschool opportunities.

There are no simple prescriptions for achieving these ambitious goals. Nonetheless, we urge local school and community leaders to think about challenges such as these as they work to create the kind of public school system Missourians want for their children, their grandchildren and their communities in the 21st century.

As we strive to meet the educational challenges of tomorrow, the State Board of Education’s action agenda will be based on a firm commitment to high, state-level standards; support for innovative leadership at the local level; building stronger partnerships between schools and the communities they serve; and a no-nonsense focus on improving student achievement in every public school, in every Missouri community.