2013 State of the State Addresses Education-Related Proposals by Issue

The following summary includes education-related proposals from the 2013 state of the state addresses. To assure that this information reaches you in a timely manner, minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) or format. To view the documents, click on the blue triangle next to the state. Accountability 7 Accountability--Reporting Results 2 Accountability--Rewards 2 Accountability--School Improvement 3 Assessment--High Stakes/Competency 1 At-Risk (incl. Dropout Prevention) 6 Attendance 1 Bilingual/ESL 1 Business Involvement 2 Career/Technical Education 4 Choice of Schools 3 Choice of Schools--Charter Schools 7 Choice of Schools--Choice/Open Enrollment 2 Choice of Schools--Tax Credits 1 Choice of Schools--Vouchers 3 Civic Education 2 Curriculum--Foreign Language/Sign Language 1 Curriculum--Mathematics 1 Economic/Workforce Development 18 Finance 21 Finance--Facilities 3 Finance--Federal 1 Finance--Funding Formulas 1 Finance--Lotteries 1 Finance--Performance Funding 1 Finance--State Budgets/Expenditures 6 Finance--Taxes/Revenues 3 Governance 3 Health 2 Health--Mental Health 1 High School 3 High School--College Readiness 3 High School--Dropout Rates/Graduation Rates 1 High School--Dual/Concurrent Enrollment 2 High School--Exit Exams 1 High School--Graduation Requirements 1 Integrated Services/Full-Service Schools 1 Online Learning--Digital/Blended Learning 2 P-16 or P-20 1 P-3 4 P-3 Kindergarten 3 P-3 Kindergarten--Full-Day Kindergarten 2 P-3 Preschool 14 Parent/Family 1 Postsecondary 5 Postsecondary Affordability 4 Postsecondary Affordability--Financial Aid 6 Postsecondary Affordability--Tuition/Fees 3 Postsecondary Finance 9 Postsecondary Finance--Efficiency/Performance-Based Funding 6 Postsecondary Finance--Facilities 1 Postsecondary Institutions 1 Postsecondary Institutions--Community/Technical Colleges 1 Postsecondary Online Instruction 1 Postsecondary Participation--Access 3 Postsecondary Success--Completion 4 Postsecondary Success--Developmental/Remediation 1 Reading/Literacy 10 Scheduling/School Calendar 1 Scheduling/School Calendar--Extended Day Programs 1 School Safety 8 Service-Learning 1 Special Education 4 Special Populations 1 Special Populations--Military 3 Standards 1 State Longitudinal Data Systems 1 State Policymaking 4 State Policymaking--Task Forces/Commissions 5 STEM 4 Student Achievement 4 Delaware Governor Jack Markell's State of the State Address PROPOSALS Economic/Workforce Development -- Develop a Delaware Skills Bank – an inventory of essential tasks for in-demand occupations in the state – and use it to ensure that training programs provide workers with the right opportunities. Once workers have completed the training they need to fill in-demand jobs, make sure that employers know it, by providing these workers with a Career Readiness Certificate that employers respect and trust. Dropout Prevention Implement the Youth ChalleNGe program supported by the Delaware National Guard. This is a residential program for a couple dozen Delaware high school dropouts. Through education and mentoring from Guard members, the program targets young people who can get back on a path to a degree and a rewarding life and career. And because Maryland has all of the necessary facilities and because the Department of Defense picks up 75 percent of the cost, this is a very cost-effective way to serve these young people. Health -- Increase ten-fold the number of trained, front line mental health personnel in our middle schools. P-3 -- On track to increase from 20 to 80 the percentage of high need children in child care enrolled in quality-rated early learning programs. School Choice -- Create a best-in-class information system on Delaware's schools that provides a clear picture of the different strengths in each school. -- Give parents the option of a common application to make it easier to apply to multiple schools. Teacher Compensation -- Re-examine that pay structure in order to incentivize teaching in high-need schools and critical subjects, raise starting teacher pay, and reward teacher leadership. Teacher Preparation -- Strengthen the standards for entry into the teaching profession.   -- Introduce rigorous exit assessment for our preparation programs, which includes demonstration of content knowledge as well as teaching skills. Teacher Retention -- Create a Teacher Leaders role which will keep excelling teachers in the classroom by encouraging them to be role models in their schools, and earn more for putting their experience to work in the classroom. Youth Engagement -- Provide more opportunities for after-school and summer activities that get kids off the streets and give them exposure to the arts, nature, and physical activity and ensure the staff running these activities receive training in suicide prevention. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Health - Suicide Prevention -- Funded new training for front line school personnel in Kent and Sussex Counties to recognize early signs of trauma in children, and we worked together with Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to offer the highest-quality training to all of our high schools in detection and prevention of depression in teenagers. Student Achievement/Graduation Rates -- Moved thousands of students from below or average to higher levels of achievement.  -- Steadily improved graduation rates. -- Increased number of high school students taking advanced coursework. Curriculum - Foreign Language -- Started 340 students in a world language immersion program. Ten thousand Delaware students will participate in the program over the next decade.  Full Text: http://governor.delaware.gov/speeches/2013stateofthestate/2013_sots_address.shtml Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie's 2013 State of the State Address PROPOSALS Digital Learning -- Advocate for a significant investment and commitment to support the DOE and BOE's Digital Materials Initiative to provide students with learning opportunities for the 21st century. Within the next three years, provide each of our public school students with current curricular materials on a digital device, such as a tablet or laptop. This initiative takes advantage of new technology for learning and the state's broadband infrastructure.Having students with curriculum materials on a digital device solves the problem of not having enough textbooks or obsolete textbooks. Finance -- Convene community meetings to solicit public input and feedback for the 21st Century Schools initiative--a public-private partnership that allows the Department of Education to lease underutilized lands for the purpose of generating income to be used to upgrade existing schools or construct new schools. Teachers, administrators, students, parents, community residents and other stakeholders will be included in the community meetings. P-3 -- Ensure all Hawaii's four-year-olds are healthy, socially developed, and cognitively prepared to learn and succeed on day one of kindergarten. -- Include $32.5 million for the Executive Office on Early Learning in the biennium budget for a school readiness program. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Finance -- As a result of our collaborative efforts, shared sacrifice and judicious administrative action, the year-end general fund balances for FY 2011 was $126 million, and for FY 2012 $275 million. For this year, which ends in approximately 5 months, we are again looking at a healthy positive balance. Student Achievement -- ­ Students demonstrated unprecedented gains in student achievement. Hawaii was the only state to show gains across the board in every subject and grade level. Full text: http://governor.hawaii.gov/2013-state-of-the-state/ Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton's 2013 State of the State Address PROPOSALS Governance -- Expand the reforms made during the first two years of the administration in reducing the costs of services and improving their efficiencies. Public/Private Partnerships -- Invite businesses to "Adopt an After-School Program." It might involve a financial contribution, the donation of new or used equipment, or your employees as part-time volunteers. Postsecondary Finance -- Add $240 million in higher education funding for the next biennium. P-3 -- Provide state funds for optional all-day kindergarten. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Student Achievement -- Math scores for all tested grades, improved by 5.3 percent from 2011 to 2012, and reading scores improved overall by 1.3 percent. Full Text: http://mn.gov/governor/blog/the-office-of-the-governor-blog-entry-detail.jsp?id=102-54695 Montana Montana Governor Steve Bullock's 2013 State of the State Address PROPOSALS Finance -- Return the profits from the Lottery to the public schools they were intended to support. Finance - Investing in Facilities -- Enact the J.O.B.S. Bill, which stands for Jobs and Opportunity by Building Schools - Take advantage of historically low interest rates and immediately create thousands by making investments in educational facilities. High School and Dual Enrollment -- Commit additional funding for the Jobs for Montana's Graduates program. The graduation rate for at-risk teens involved in this program is 98%. -- Help the two-year colleges expand and enhance dual credit programs for high school students. Postsecondary Access -- Create a universal enrollment system. -- Freeze tuition across the university system. -- Invest in the university system and make certain that veterans are provided with the services and the space they need including wrap- around services that will reintegrate the veterans back into civilian life and on college campuses. Postsecondary Completion -- Increase the number of Montana adults with a post-secondary degree or professional certificate to at least 60% over the next decade. P-3 -- Expand the proven "Stars to Quality Program." Create 100 more high-quality early childhood programs and get 600 more families and 1,000 more children ready for school, annually. Technology -- Use state resources to help school districts modernize and acquire technology. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Student Achievement -- Montana 8th graders outperform every other state in the nation in reading and math, and are second in science. -- High School graduation rates are up and dropout rates are down. -- Increased the rate at which Montana residents are getting college degrees - faster than any other state in the nation. Full Text: http://governor.mt.gov/docs/STATE_OF_THE_STATE-media_release_013013.pdf Student Supports--Counseling/Guidance 1 Teaching Quality 5 Teaching Quality--Certification and Licensure--Alternative 1 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay 5 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Pay-for-Performance 6 Teaching Quality--Compensation and Diversified Pay--Retirement/Benefits 3 Teaching Quality--Evaluation and Effectiveness 5 Teaching Quality--Preparation 3 Teaching Quality--Recruitment and Retention 6 Teaching Quality--Tenure or Continuing Contract 2 Technology 4 Technology--Devices/Software/Hardware 1 Youth Engagement 1 285