Governors from across the region gathered in Las Vegas this week to coordinate on bipartisan policy solutions from housing to disaster preparedness to infrastructure.
No issue is more bipartisan than the one at the top of our agenda: education.
We represent different states and are members of different political parties, but we wholeheartedly agree on this: It’s time to update America’s education system and the way we measure whether students are ready for success when they graduate from high school.
The Nation’s Report Card on Education showed sharp declines in reading and math for students across the country. Many public schools have seen a rise in chronic absenteeism.
Everywhere we go across our states, we meet business leaders who struggle to find workers with the skills required for open jobs. It’s clear there is a mismatch between the skills our students are learning and the skills needed for available jobs.
Governors aim to fix that. Through a new National Governors Association initiative called Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success, governors are working with educators, parents, students and community and business leaders to explore how to ensure our education systems provide individual learners with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed, and drive economic competitiveness within our states. This means better preparing students for in-demand job opportunities in existing fields such as health care, construction, engineering and cybersecurity, as well as industries of the future such as AI, innovative energy solutions and cutting-edge computing technology.
Southeast Career Technical Academy (SECTA) is one of the schools getting it right. Recognized in 2022 as the No. 1 magnet school in the nation, this Las Vegas high school offers students options to go beyond a diploma and graduate with industry certifications and college credits that give them a head start on career success. SECTA offers training in 12 different majors — including advanced manufacturing, automotive, construction, cybersecurity and medical professions.
Let’s Get Ready visited SECTA to see how students are combining their high school studies with career experience. Whether students plan to go to college or not, this hands-on experience is critical to helping them find their path.
It’s just the kind of innovative approach Let’s Get Ready seeks to spur, and it’s one we are working to expand in our states.
In Colorado, we are rapidly scaling the apprenticeship model so juniors and seniors can earn while they learn, gaining credits along with real job experience — often leading to a job offer. Many high schools, such as Colorado Early Learning Charter School, offer concurrent enrollment, providing students the opportunity to graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree.
In Nevada, our Acing Accountability initiative contains multiple performance metrics specifically focused on career and college readiness. After passing the largest education budget in Nevada history, we expect results. While the budget empowers teachers — increasing per pupil funding by $2,500 and boosting the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan — the accountability measures are designed to ensure Nevada students see tangible returns on these historic investments in student success.
The foundation for success is built well before high school, and we are also investing in early education. Far too many students are already behind before they ever attend their first day of kindergarten.
Nevada’s Early Childhood Innovative Literacy Program supports young learners in a variety of ways — expanding pre-K opportunities to 3-year-olds, broadening the reach of the Rural Classroom on Wheels bus program and hiring more kindergarten assistants.
Colorado launched universal free preschool in 2023. Approved through a combination of ballot initiatives and legislation, universal preschool served 68 percent of the state’s 4-year-olds in its first year, getting our youngest learners off to a strong start while saving the average Colorado family more than $6,100 per year.
We want every person in our states to be able to build a prosperous life and a good career, and for every business to have a well-trained workforce.
That path looks different for every individual. And no one political party has a monopoly on good ideas when it comes to improving educational outcomes for students.
Governors of both parties are committed to working together to better evaluate outcomes and prepare our students for successful futures and our economy for greater success.
Joe Lombardo is the Republican governor of Nevada, and Jared Polis is the Democratic governor of Colorado.
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