David’s Future Just Got a Little Brighter
The Washington State Legislature just passed a new law that provides a blueprint for school improvement.
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| Microsoft Program Manager Sayuri Wijaya pictured with her son, David, a first grader in a Seattle public school. |
Sayuri Wijaya is a Microsoft program managerand mom whose son, David, is a first-grader in a Seattle public school. David wants to be a subway driver when he grows up. Mom thinks his aspirations may evolve. Either way, Washington’s future depends on having schools that will challenge students like David — and help them fulfill their dreams.
Our schools will soon be better positioned to do just that. A new state law defines basic education as providing all Washington students with the skills needed for success in either college or the workplace. It calls for more resources to be more fairly distributed among schools. And it lays a framework for other innovations to improve schools and help attract federal stimulus money.
This bold step resulted from the combined leadership of Governor Chris Gregoire, state legislators, the State Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn. A wide range of organizations provided strong support, including the League of Education Voters, Stand for Children, Black Education Strategy Roundtable, Washington State PTA, Washington Roundtable and Public School Employees of Washington. Microsoft salutes their efforts on behalf of students.
We look forward to continuing to work with the state’s teachers, parents and everyone who is committed to making Washington schools the best they can be. Because our 40,000 Washington employees include many parents like Sayuri, who want the best for promising students like David.
Microsoft and Local Education
Microsoft’s interest and involvement in education is driven not only by its critical importance for our company’s future, but also by the fact that a high performing education system is essential in order for the entire Puget Sound region and State of Washington to remain players in the globally competitive innovation economy
At the K-12 level, our efforts are designed to constructively contribute to efforts that will:
| • | Raise expectations of our schools and improve student achievement; |
| • | Align high school graduation standards to four-year college entrance requirements and reduce remediation levels at community and technical colleges; |
| • | Develop a viable statewide strategy to increase the number of qualified math and science teachers; |
| • | Directly fund innovative programs such as the Microsoft Math Partnership with 20 middle schools from eight local school districts. |
| Why Does Math Matter? Washingon State students talk with Microsoft employees about the important role math plays in their day-to-day jobs. |
| More Math Matters videos from College & Work Ready Agenda |
At the higher education level, our agenda will be to continue promoting additional targeted state investment in higher education to:
| • | Recruit the highest caliber students to Washington’s research universities; |
| • | Increase enrollments and academic strength of key undergraduate and graduate programs; |
| • | Increase support for research and development programs; |
| • | Enhance technology transfer from university research to job-creating private sector applications. |
As a major employer with years of experience in changing the way people learn, work and live, Microsoft can play a pivotal role in ensuring the effectiveness of these efforts. We do this by:
| • | Communicating with policy-makers and the public regarding the importance of high quality education in securing successful futures for our students and our communities. |
| • | Making targeted investments in proven programs and those that hold promise for improving student achievement. A good example is our Microsoft Math Program that provides additional resources to local school districts to improve instruction and student achievement in math. |
| • | Active engagement in state and national organizations advocating educational reform and improvement, such as Partners in Learning and Partnership for Learning. |
