Our Governor Janet Napolitano seems to have shifted the focus of the National Governor Association by turning a powerful spot light by applying innovation to education.
www.eschoolnews/news/showstoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6503
“‘Innovation America’ plan aims to ready schools for 21st-century success” is the headline.
Her plan is to boost the global competitiveness including a focus on math and science. Her goal of educating America’s students to become innovators. The learning process of math and science will develop the student’s true problem solving skills. Her initiative is well beyond the generic call for school reform. She is actually proposing an effective means to get the job done.
Governor Napolitano has long been heralded for her and Arizona’s lead in educational technology. Empire High School was the first in the nation to go all digital last fall. A wide range of virtual-cyber schools and schooling permeate Arizona serving 10,000’s of students. Teachers can track their professional development through a partnership with TrueNorthLogic (Utah-based).
Governor Napolitano has a comprehensive approach for Arizona that includes both reform/restructuring and transformation of education. Her year-old P20 council is actively addressing the entire education system of Arizona. In close support are her Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology, Aerospace and Defense Industry Commission (SMET). Governor’s Committee for Teacher Quality and Support and others. Currently most of the efforts are on marginal changes and realignments urgently needed to address critical issues in legacy education.
But last fall the GCIT education subcommittee delivered a transformative set of policy recommendations that addressed adoption eLearning in K-12 education to the P20 council. Innovation and education are now joined. In June Governor Napolitano signed into law a ten year eLearning Task Force and a $3 million middle school mathematics pilot.
Our eSATS initiative over the past few years has its first foot hold as we climb the cliff of K-12 eLearning transformation. We believe our governor is now on our belaying rope from the top. At least we are feeling a few gentle tugs.
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