History

Since its inception in 1983, the Roundtable has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of every student. This includes a long-term commitment to standards, accountability and innovation in K-12 education, increased capacity of baccalaureate production and support state research at our universities.

2010 Priority: Prove Washington is prepared to innovate and improve public education.

Washington’s application for federal Race to the Top funds did not make the grade in 2010.  However, it did catalyze significant reforms.  Those include: provisional adoption of common core standards; creation of a multi-tiered teacher and principal evaluation model that allows the use of student growth data; consideration of a single, statewide evaluation model; state authority to intervene in the lowest performing schools; and expanded alternative preparation route programs for teachers.  These are important steps toward ensuring the success of every student.

Nonetheless, Washington’s student achievement gap is widening.  The state must work to implement college and work ready graduation requirements for all students; create a strong accountability system to turn around low-performing schools; strengthen state and district teacher effectiveness policies; reorganize state education agencies to deliver on reform; and develop a framework to allow for more innovative schools.  These reforms are the direction in which federal education policy is headed.  They are the right thing for our students and our state.

Supporting Efforts & Resources:

• Partnership for Learning:
  An independent, statewide nonprofit organization that communicates about Washington state’s school improvement efforts and the need to better prepare ALL of our high school graduates for the demands of today’s global society.
• College Work Ready Agenda:
  Cooperative effort to build awareness and support for providing Washington students with the education and skills they need to succeed in today’s competitive world. This effort began in the fall of 2006, when a group of business and community associations wrote a joint letter to elected officials expressing support for key education priorities.
• Washington STEM Center:
  Seeks to improve student achievement and opportunity in areas critical to our state’s economic prosperity: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Initiative aims to catalyze innovation in the state’s K-12 education system, increase teacher effectiveness and student learning, and dramatically raise the number of Washington students graduating ready for college and work and succeeding in STEM degree programs.
• WashACE:
  A coalition of business associations and chambers of commerce, promoting public policies that retain and create jobs and increase economic opportunity. WashACE supports efforts to target higher education investments to economic growth and enact reforms to make Washington schools competitive for federal Race to the Top funds.
• Washington Research Council:
  Examines how public policy issues affect business, government and the community. Research is based on facts from reliable data sources and informed by economic analysis with an appreciation of the power of free markets.