Paving the way
PK–16 Leadership Council seeks to provide a seamless educational experience

By Kate Kail

UW-Milwaukee/Kathy Quirk

Gregg Butler had the full attention of the president and regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

He, like several others gathered for a March listening session about the state budget, had a rare opportunity to talk directly with decision-makers who could help him jump the hurdles ahead.

As deputy superintendent for the Eau Claire Area School District, Butler's priority list has been shaped by a generation of retiring baby boomers and a lean state budget. In the next 3–5 years, Butler's school district will be forced to find ways to replace hundreds of teachers.

This heavy load was weighing on Butler's mind when he appealed to members of the UW System Board of Regents to maintain the UW's quality teacher preparation program as the UW System manages budget cuts.

"The UW System and UW-Eau Claire have a fabulous teacher preparation program," Butler told participants of the March 11 listening session at UW-Eau Claire. "I don't want to see that compromised."

First-grade teacher Rebecca Paasch, a UW-Milwaukee graduate, reads to her students. After the reading, students work in small groups on literacy activities, part of an initiative launched by UWM, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee Public Schools, and business, union, school board and community groups through a PK–16 Academy. (UW-Milwaukee/Tom Grimm)

Butler emphasized that he is equally concerned with the UW System's ability to produce enough teachers for the future.

"We are having a hard time hiring enough UW grads, and we sometimes have to hire from out of state," Butler said. "We want to hire teachers from Wisconsin for Wisconsin. The jobs are there for students, but we can't find them. This is not just an Eau Claire problem; this is a K–12 problem for the entire state."

While Butler's argument is disturbingly familiar to Wisconsin teachers, education students, parents and taxpayers, their shared concerns have not gone unnoticed. Rather, as Wisconsin struggles to manage its current fiscal crisis, the state's educational leaders are working more closely than ever before to improve education in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea.

Through unique collaborations, the Wisconsin PK–16 Leadership Council—comprised of the leaders of Wisconsin's K–12 schools and public and private colleges and universities—is proposing innovative solutions to the state's host of problems.

Their quest stems directly from their mission: to create a "seamless" educational experience in Wisconsin for the benefit of every student, every citizen and the state as a whole.

Katharine C. Lyall, President, UW System

Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Rolf Wegenke, President, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

Richard Carpenter, President, Wisconsin Technical College System

"We are an education highway"
Since the founding of the PK–16 Leadership Council two years ago, the four sectors of education in Wisconsin have concentrated their efforts in several critical areas.

Leading the way are council co-chairs Katharine C. Lyall, president of the University of Wisconsin System; and Elizabeth Burmaster, state superintendent of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and a member of the UW System Board of Regents. Joining them are participating sponsors Richard Carpenter, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System; and Rolf Wegenke, president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The core of the group's mission is to partner with business, industry and government to enhance learning and learning opportunities throughout the state, providing resources to smooth the transition for students of all education levels.

"In a sense, we are an education highway," Lyall said of the state's PK–16 education system. "You need all pieces of that highway to get where you're going."

The voluntary partnership was founded on the belief that for true reform to be successful, all interested stakeholders must have a voice in shaping the blueprint. With that vision in mind, the council invites insight from legislators, educators, teachers' union representatives, parent-teacher associations, industry groups and school boards.

Among the council's most significant accomplishments to date is the successful launch of PK–16 Academies, which devote resources to improving teacher quality through cooperation among faculty and PK–12 teachers and administrators.

Located at UW-Milwaukee, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and Marian College in Fond du Lac, the work of the academies will be widely shared to encourage improvement at all levels. Academies were also planned for UW-Green Bay and St. Norbert College in De Pere.

The PK–16 Council has also conducted in-depth study of best practices associated with early childhood education and has carefully analyzed the transition from the senior year in high school to the freshman year in college and work opportunities.

And, making the most of the success of the Wisconsin Economic Summits, the council has spent recent months emphasizing how educational institutions play a major role in the continued economic growth of Wisconsin-indeed one of the most important issues facing the state as a whole.

"In this state, we work together"
During a visit to the council's January 2003 meeting, Gov. Jim Doyle praised PK–16 efforts as essential for economic growth in Wisconsin and pledged to support the group's mission.

"People who have education have a better life," Doyle said. "Education is the best investment we make."

But even though Wisconsin was just beginning to grapple with its unprecedented budget crisis, Doyle did not shy away from saying education would have to absorb cuts in the 2003-05 state budget.

In fact, the budget Doyle presented to the Legislature in February called for cuts to state education at all levels, including proposed cuts of $250 million to the UW System.

The council's principals are well versed in the difficult job state leaders have in balancing state priorities—they are responsible for the same task within their institutions—but these proposed budget cuts present a new challenge for the collective council.

The governor's budget leaves little room for the council to work with business, industry and government for the good of students and the state—while still providing sufficient resources to preserve the quality that has become a hallmark of Wisconsin's K–12 schools, colleges and universities.

"We must do something to shift the state's priorities," Lyall said. "There is a real need for long-term planning for the future of the state. Demand for education is exploding exponentially, and the state must keep education as a high priority."

Drawing on their experience, the council's leaders called on state lawmakers in March to re-examine priorities in the state budget and to ensure education topped the list.

Through a resolution, the council reaffirmed its commitment to supporting programs that bridge the gap between educational sectors. At the same time, the council is seeking to remind the state that education is not just a line-item expenditure, but rather, an investment that reaps great returns.

The resolution proves that the council has refrained from pitting one sector against another. Any necessary competition, Lyall has said, must be constructive and benefit students and graduates.

Ultimately, the council plans to assist the state in laying out a long-term vision for improving education in Wisconsin. Considering current budget trends, Burmaster has suggested that a long-range plan should take into account that the state may not be able to commit sizeable resources toward education in the future. In addition, Carpenter has said the council should help the state develop a well-focused economic plan, which would in turn, inform a statewide plan for education.

This is the kind of dynamic cooperation that not only serves as a model for other industries, but will ensure that Wisconsin's educational system keeps the respect of its peers and collects fruitful returns from PK–16 collaborations.

"In this state, we work together," Carpenter said. "We need to make seamless educational transitions a reality for students."

UW-Milwaukee/Kathy Quirk

"In the knowledge economy, it is ideas that are bought and sold"
State leaders have made it clear that Wisconsin's K–12 schools, colleges and universities will have to be a part of the solution to the state's fiscal dilemma. And in this case, the council leaders couldn't agree more.

Where they differ is that lawmakers sometimes regard the state's high-quality educational system as a budget obligation, when in fact, education in Wisconsin is a remarkable engine for economic growth.

When combined, Wisconsin's educational institutions compose a vital industry that injects an estimated $32 billion into Wisconsin's economy each year—a major contribution that will greatly influence the state as it works to develop the economy, council leaders have said.

Most importantly, the council has demonstrated, if education in Wisconsin is properly viewed and treated as the vital industry that it is, that economic contribution is certain to grow.

"The various sectors of education in our state are major players in our economy," Lyall said. "In the process of producing educated citizens, schools, colleges and universities constitute an economic engine. We are certainly a very critical part of Wisconsin's economic future, and we should not be shy about talking about ourselves in that way."

The council officially unveiled its economic development mission during Wisconsin Economic Summit III, held in October at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee.

At the summit, Lyall calculated that the state realizes more than 15 percent of its gross domestic product through jobs, spending and taxes associated with public K–12 education, the state's private colleges and universities, the Wisconsin Technical College System and the UW System.

In fact, the UW System alone contributes nearly $10 billion to Wisconsin's economy each year and supports 150,000 jobs in Wisconsin communities, according to a recent economic impact study.

Using similar multipliers, Burmaster has said that public K–12 education contributes approximately $18.3 billion to Wisconsin's economy and provides 112,000 jobs in 426 school districts. That's more than 10 percent of the total economic impact in the state and equals 4 percent of the state's employment base, she said.

In addition, the technical college system generates 19,000 jobs and contributes $2.5 billion in spending each year, and annual budgets at the state's private colleges and universities total $1.8 billion and provide 15,000 Wisconsin jobs.

Burmaster has said the top priority in PK–16 education must be to close the achievement gap, which in turn would close the state's income gap.

"We must ensure that every child receives a quality education," Burmaster said. "To do this, we must close the achievement gap that separates children on the basis of race, economic status, or disability."

A high-school dropout earns just 55 percent of what an average adult worker earns each year, she said.

Carpenter has said that workers stand to increase their earnings by 40 percent with each post-secondary degree they earn. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that an individual with a bachelor's degree can expect to earn $2.1 million over the course of a career—a projection that increases to $2.5 million for individuals with a master's degree. That's nearly double the expected earnings of an average high school graduate, who can expect to earn just $1.2 million over their career.

Wegenke has said education alone cannot solve the economy's ills, but the education cluster should be nurtured as an economic resource and generator of wealth. Today's workers are asked to make vital decisions, and education is the key to their success, he said.

"Education provides our essential resource—brainworkers," Wegenke said. "In the knowledge economy, it is ideas that are bought and sold."

Carpenter has said Wisconsin could learn from surrounding states, such as Illinois and Minnesota, where it is clear that economic development is directly tied to the educational background of the state's workforce.

"By building stronger links between our technical colleges and our colleges and universities, Wisconsin could increase the number of residents with baccalaureate degrees. With increases in educational attainment will come increased earnings," Carpenter said. "These in turn will provide the state with a greater tax base needed to support the quality of life that makes Wisconsin a great place to live, work, and raise a family."

Since the economic summit, the council has laid out plans to collaborate with regional economic development groups to expand the solutions that lie in education.

"Many of us are rowing in the same direction," Carpenter said. "We just don't know it."

"The PK–16 system is not part of the state—it is the state"
As state budget negotiations move forward, the council continues to devote time to initiatives already in progress.

In recent months, Carpenter and Lyall have strengthened ties between the state's two-year and four-year institutions by making transferring between institutions an easier process for students (see sidebar).

"Transfer needs to be more transparent and parents, students, and taxpayers should not have to pay twice for coursework completed at a technical college that then must be repeated at a four-year institution," Carpenter has said. "This is particularly true of general education courses."

Participating organizations have also created opportunities to further the council's goals, including plans to meet with local PK–16 councils across the state, serve as a model for other industries and help the state develop a long-range economic plan.

In March, the council also endorsed a plan known as Wisconsin's Quality Educator Initiative, which seeks to recruit and maintain quality educators to replace the professionals who are soon expected to retire in droves.

The initiative is an example of how the council is using its influence to maximize student learning from early childhood through postsecondary education. And, to the relief of many Wisconsin educators and citizens, supporting such programs for new and prospective teachers will likely become a focus for the council in coming months.

The demand for such programs is clear. At the regents' Eau Claire listening session, attendees were impassioned about how PK–16 initiatives directly affect their communities—mirroring the thoughts of hundreds of other Wisconsin citizens who would speak at subsequent sessions.

Chris Smith, vice president of the Menomonie School Board and an outreach program manager for continuing education at UW-Stout, said the UW System does an excellent job of preparing teachers and placing them with Wisconsin school districts.

However, as the PK–16 Leadership Council was one of the first to realize, teachers need important professional development and mentoring opportunities to build their skills after they are in the classroom, Smith said.

He stressed that collaboration between the UW System and the K–12 school districts is the key to creating and sustaining successful teachers—and successful school districts and communities in Wisconsin.

"The PK–16 Leadership Council is showing the way that we need to work more to collaborate," Smith said. "The PK–16 system is not part of the state—it is the state."