K-12 Education Reform

School Improvement Efforts in Washington State

In Washington, education reform efforts began in 1993 with the Governor's Commission on Education Reform and Funding. It was followed by House Bill 1209, which called for academic standards for every grade, assessments that measure whether students are meeting the standards and a system to hold everyone accountable for what really matters: student learning.

The first decade of education reform in Washington State brought many successes. We saw impressive gains in reading and writing across the grade levels. Gaps in achievement among different student populations are closing, and many schools are rapidly moving. Our progress is encouraging, but to achieve academic excellence we need to align our graduation requirements, improve math and science education, and strive for a comprehensive system from early learning through higher education.

All children deserve the best education possible so that they will have opportunities later in life. Our education reform timeline shows that we are on the right path, but must accelerate our progress as there is still a long way to go.