澳门跑狗论坛

Governors are focusing much of their attention on two critical areas of education policy鈥攈igh school and preschool鈥攁 50-state look at the nation鈥檚 governors and their leadership on education over the past year shows.

At least 22 governors proposed significant policies last year aimed at improving high schools, or have made such proposals so far in 2006, 澳门跑狗论坛 found in preparing this special report. At least 20 governors began last year or have initiated in current legislative sessions pushes to expand prekindergarten for 4-year-olds or other early-childhood programs.

Several other topics drew the interest of governors in 2005, including incentive pay or other changes in teacher compensation, school choice, school- and district-level consolidation, child nutrition, and educational technology.

Even as the federal No Child Left Behind Act is reshaping much of the landscape of American education, the states鈥攖hrough their chief executives as well as their legislatures鈥攔etain the most significant role in setting policy. This snapshot of governors鈥� agendas for education, and their successes and setbacks in achieving those goals, underscores that role.

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澳门跑狗论坛鈥檚 report comes as 36 of the 50 states are gearing up to elect governors this fall. For incumbents seeking re-election, and for their would-be successors, education seems likely to be a top issue鈥攅specially in states worried about corporate cutbacks and economic challenges from overseas.

The governors ended 2005 with mixed records on gaining legislative approval for their high school and preschool plans. They also used executive action, formed blue-ribbon panels, and worked through state school boards to push their agendas.

While many governors who proposed high school policy changes have seen only some of their ideas enacted into law or added to state regulations, they have found more success鈥攁lbeit incremental鈥攊n expanding preschool and other early-childhood programs. Governors in more than a dozen states pushed through expansions of preschool or related policy changes in 2005.

Policy experts who monitor states鈥� efforts on high schools and preschool are pleased in general with the leadership they see from state chief executives. But many also believe governors can push harder for efforts to help more students finish high school and make their way into college and career opportunities, while also making it easier for all of the nation鈥檚 4-year-olds鈥攁nd younger children as well鈥攖o have access to prekindergarten and related services.

Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, the chairman of the National Governors Association, said that last year鈥檚 National Education Summit on High Schools provided the inspiration and direction for his colleagues to return home and get their states working on improving secondary-level learning.

鈥淢ost governors went back to their states and looked very hard at high schools,鈥� the Republican said during the NGA鈥檚 winter forum in Washington last month. 鈥淭he result is, kids are going to get a better high school education.鈥�

The governors鈥� high school plans are taking many forms.

An extensive review of governors鈥� education agendas for 2005 shows that many of the chief executives want to provide more help for their states鈥� lowest-rated high schools, make more merit- and needs-based scholarships available for college, create more small high schools, add online-learning opportunities, and offer more help to students who struggle with exit exams.

Few states have done as much to try retooling high schools as North Carolina.

Gov. Michael F. Easley, a Democrat, told fellow governors at the NGA鈥檚 winter forum of his state鈥檚 efforts to open smaller high schools that link students more closely with college preparation and career training. Twenty-two such schools鈥攐ften schools within schools, or schools that meet on college campuses鈥攚ill open in North Carolina in fall 2006.

鈥淓very time I bring in a new company, 鈥� it will be somebody who requests at least an [associate鈥檚] degree鈥� for most workers, Gov. Easley noted.

Several governors also are showing an interest in improving student data so that states can more carefully monitor graduation rates and each student鈥檚 academic status, said Stefanie Sanford, the deputy advocacy director for national initiatives for the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is providing grants to states to help them improve high school education.

鈥淗igh school reform isn鈥檛 just a discussion for the education community. It actually is a vital link to the economic vitality鈥� of the United States, she added.

For example, Oregon lawmakers backed Democratic Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski鈥檚 plan last year to finance the creation of an integrated K-16 data system to track students鈥� performance throughout their academic careers.

Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida contends that high schools must be a focus because their success hasn鈥檛 matched that of the early grades. 鈥淭he strategy for high school is to make sure the crop of high schoolers coming in are more equipped to take on that work,鈥� the Republican said in an interview. 鈥淲e need middle school reform as well.鈥�

Improvements in high school and clearer paths to college and career training are becoming more embedded in state policy, so that such changes survive elections, said Matthew Gandal, the executive vice president of Achieve Inc. The Washington-based nonprofit group, formed by governors and business leaders, works to boost graduation rates and improve college and career access.

State and federal accountability measures also should require improved graduation rates, based on more dependable data, Mr. Gandal said. 鈥淐ollege- and work-readiness is not a factor in most high school accountability systems,鈥� he said.

Along those lines, Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican, signed a bill last year requiring the state board of education to establish statewide formulas for calculating dropout, graduation, student-mobility, and promotion rates.

Former Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, a Democrat who led last year鈥檚 high school summit as the NGA chairman, said he was pleased to see governors taking action to improve education at that level of schooling. The hard work has just begun, he added, especially on improving graduation rates. 鈥淭he dropout issue is one that I think needs much more attention,鈥� he said.

The expansion of preschool and other programs in early-childhood education also continues to be a priority for many governors. But new programs for 4-year-olds who aren鈥檛 now in the system require more classroom space, state oversight, and millions of dollars in annual expenditures.

Those factors have influenced several governors to call for incremental expansions of pre-K classes, and other early-childhood programs, which they argue can make such programs affordable and give states time to make sure the programs are of good quality.

鈥淚ncremental, because you have got to fit it into your budget,鈥� Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, said in explaining her year-to-year push to expand kindergarten classes statewide. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great investment in Arizona,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd our most growing population is 0- to 5-year-olds.鈥�

Calls to expand and improve prekindergarten and other early-childhood programs have moved into the political limelight thanks to governors from both parties, said Libby Doggett, the executive director of Pre-K Now, a Washington-based advocacy group that monitors state policies on prekindergarten.

鈥淭he states that can鈥檛 afford it are going to find themselves so far behind in a couple of years,鈥� Ms. Doggett said. She added that the next trend in early-childhood education may be something she believes is sorely needed: providing high-quality care using well-trained, fully certified teachers.

Georgia has the nation鈥檚 most complete voluntary 鈥渦niversal鈥� system of prekindergarten, experts in early-childhood education say. Under additional funding approved last year, the program, which is financed through the state lottery, has spaces for some 68,000 3- and 4-year-olds.

This year, Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich, a Democrat, proposed state-funded voluntary preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds in his state.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia, who was elected last November on a platform that included universal pre-K for the state鈥檚 4-year-olds, said he plans to appoint a commission in the fall to develop a voluntary program, which could help ensure that existing programs do not overlap.

鈥淭he wrong thing to do is to build it before you understand how to do it,鈥� the Democrat said.

Gov. Bush said he decided to back a 2002 Florida initiative calling for voluntary universal prekindergarten to begin last fall because he had an interest in developing children鈥檚 literacy at an early age.

Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, a Democrat, said his plans to expand pre-K classes are leading to the development of academic and safety standards for such programs. Persuading Tennessee lawmakers to approve state-financed pre-K classes wasn鈥檛 the hard sell it might have been several years ago, he observed.

鈥淭he only real opposition we had was from very conservative legislators who feel the woman鈥檚 place is in the home and the kids belong there with them,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people who want access to [pre-K] for their kids.鈥�