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------- IN THE NEWS -------
Evers sworn in as DPI superintendent

Tony Evers took the oath of office as state school superintendent Monday before an audience of students, teachers and other school personnel at Hi-Mount Community School in Milwaukee. Read More

Objectives

Fair and sustainable funding
Children, no matter where they live, from Milwaukee to Mellen, must have the same opportunities. For this to happen, we must ensure that the state returns to providing its two-thirds funding commitment. Deferred maintenance, delayed technology purchases, fewer educational opportunities for students and assessing student fees are becoming the norm instead of the exception. While the recession we are struggling with will continue to hamper efforts to expand investments, we must take the opportunity now to agree upon the building blocks to create a sustainable funding future. Child poverty continues to grow at a rapid rate - we must leverage available state funds and federal dollars to target schools that have the neediest children.

Safe and respectful schools
Wisconsin parents want and expect their children to attend safe schools. There is no better way to tell kids that we care than by creating positive, healthy, and successful learning environments. From small class sizes to providing access to highly qualified counselors to anti-bullying programs and the installation of safety equipment, investment in student safety is critical to successful learning.

Invest in innovation that works
To meet the needs of a changing world, our students require access to up-to-date technology reflecting the information economy that is changing our lives and schools. In this way, we must create on-line learning opportunities for all students. Additionally, we must expand upon Wisconsin's strong tradition of charter schools by creating the next generation of charter schools - schools that are of the highest quality and reach strong standards of accountability.
 Every child a graduate
Nation-leading graduation rates are not enough when large gaps exist between economically disadvantaged students, students of color and their peers. For every child who does not cross the stage in June to earn a high school diploma, a million-dollar mistake is made. For each drop out, the result is not only a systemic failure but also a lifetime of lower wages for that student and a lower collective quality of life. Our goal must be that every child graduates ready for further education and the workforce with the important 21st Century skills necessary to be productive and active citizens. We must align our efforts so our students benefit from both college and career preparation. For this we need multiple pathways to connect rigorous academic preparation and opportunities to learn from real-world applications.

Recruit and retain quality teachers
We must ensure that highly-trained educators and leaders work in our schools. The people of Wisconsin are rightly concerned about hiring the best and brightest to be in charge of our classrooms and schools. To do this we need to pilot new and innovative systems for educator compensation that provide first year educators with trained mentors. In addition, we should provide incentives for educators to engage in research and innovation.

Accountability for results
We must create schools that are truly accountable. Our schools and districts must not be accountable only to Washington, but to the parents, students and taxpayers of every district in this state. We must bring our accountability system into the 21st Century and develop multiple assessment tools that provide students and teachers with meaningful and timely information about student progress as measured against rigorous standards. We can no longer judge schools and students by using a single annual standardized test as the yardstick.