Gov. Nixon Leads Panel Discussion on Education at National Governors Association Meeting in Washington

Press Release

Gov. Jay Nixon led a panel discussion on education issues among his fellow Governors today at the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting in Washington. Gov. Nixon is the chair of the Education, Early Childhood and Workforce Committee (ECW), one of four standing committees of the NGA that develop policies and provide a forum for Governors to address key issues.

Using other high-performing countries as a guide, the Governors discussed concrete action steps that Governors can take to improve education in their states. The discussion was titled "Global Lessons to Improve K-12 Education" and featured U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and two international experts on models of educational excellence, Andreas Schleicher and Sir Michael Barber.

"No investment will have a greater impact on the future performance of our nation, and on the quality of life of our children and grandchildren, than the one we make in education today," Gov. Nixon said in his remarks to open the discussion. "Education is the key to an individual's earning power and success in life, and it is the single most important factor in the success of a state, and a nation."

In looking at the investment in education, Gov. Nixon said that public schools have a "unique and powerful role" in American society.

"They are our common ground - literally and figuratively," he said. "They are a source of community history and identity, a source of continuity and pride. They are unifying institutions that both respect and reflect the diverse values, goals and character of our communities."

Schleicher is a special advisor on education policy to the Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. Barber is an education expert who held high-ranking positions within the British government under former Prime Minister Tony Blair and previously served as a professor at the Institute of Education at the University of London. After the panelists' remarks, the Governors had the opportunity to ask questions of those experts.

In January, the NGA named Gov. Nixon to chair the ECW Committee. During his first two years in office, Gov. Nixon has demonstrated leadership on education, early childhood and workforce issues through obtaining a two-year tuition freeze at Missouri's public universities and colleges; keeping funding stable for K-12 classrooms; creating the Training for Tomorrow and Caring for Missourians programs to educate more college students in in-demand fields; calling for an expansion of the A+ schools program, for an additional $5 million for job training, and funding for the First Steps, Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education programs; and working directly with university presidents on a four-part plan for the future of higher education in Missouri. His leadership on education has focused in large part on the importance of preparing young Missourians to be able to step into careers that are in growing fields, such as health care.

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