St. Louis, MO - '10-by-20.' That's the name of a new Missouri education plan.
The goal is for Missouri to be among the top ten education states in the USA by the year 2020.
State officials the initiative will mean changes for educators and others.
Fort Zumwalt educators say West High School is usually among the top two performing schools in the St. Charles County District. But overall, Missouri schools are close to the middle when it comes to national rankings for academic achievement and related items.
State Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro wants Missouri schools in the top ten in less than ten years.
"The standards will be higher. (As I said), part of getting to the top ten by '20 is going to mean we set that bar higher. That means academic standards, that means standards for how we hold schools and districts accountable," Nicastro said. "It means higher standards for teachers and for professionals."
Even though the target year is 2020, Nicastro says schools and school districts will be monitored on an annual basis to make sure that they can reach that goal.
And U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill will be keeping her eye on 10-by-20 project as well. McCaskill is conducting roundtables through the state to talk about education funding.
Missouri state educators say a big part of the initiative will be expanding early childhood education.
Nicastro says the states that excel in academic achievement are: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maine, Minnesota, Virginia, Montana, Wisconsin and New York. Among the things these systems have in common is an emphasis on writing and successful early childhood education programs.
(KSDK) |
