The Five Key Goals
The Minnesota legislature created the World's Best Workforce legislation in 2013. The legislation outlines five primary goals, each aimed at preparing students for a successful future. From readiness for school to high school graduation rates, these goals are meant to reflect a vision for student achievement.
Ready for School: Ensuring that every child enters kindergarten prepared for the learning journey ahead.
Third-Grade Literacy: Fostering proficiency in literacy among all third-grade students. This goal area was sunsetted after the 2022-2023 school year.
Closing the Achievement Gap: Addressing disparities in educational outcomes across racial and socioeconomic groups.
College and Career Readiness: Preparing students for a seamless transition to post-secondary education or the workforce.
Graduation Rates: Ensuring that all students graduate from high school.
Engaging Communities
This legislation aimed to foster collaboration among local communities, bringing together school districts, parents, community members, and policy-makers. The goal was to facilitate meaningful engagement, allowing school districts to gather valuable insights and customize strategies that address the distinct needs of students. Despite its well-intentioned purpose, this vision remains largely unrealized across most districts in Minnesota. The various sectors involved are preoccupied with their individual priorities, making it challenging to carve out time for additional conversations.
Tailoring Approaches to Unique Contexts
While the World's Best Workforce legislation did afford school districts the autonomy to shape plans per their local demographics, the initiation of such efforts at Willmar Public Schools predates this legislation. We recognized the significance of this work long before it became a legal requirement. Over the years, we've empowered our educators and administrators to make decisions that prioritize the well-being of all students. Our confidence in the capabilities of our dedicated employees to consistently act in the best interest of our wonderful students has been unwavering, and it will continue to be so.
Monitoring Progress Transparently
To uphold accountability and transparency, school districts routinely communicate their strategies and outcomes. This systematic approach nurtures a culture of continuous improvement, where decisions are driven by data to guide the ongoing improvement of educational practices. The significance of transparency with our constituents has long been embedded in the culture of Willmar Public Schools, evident even before the enactment of the World's Best Workforce legislation. We are committed to maintaining this transparency.
In line with this commitment, we invite you to a district update on Monday, December 11, 2023, immediately following our 4:30 pm school board meeting in the Rehearsal Hall at WEAC (611 5th St. SW, Willmar). Additionally, our annual report to the State of Minnesota, underscoring our dedication to transparency and accountability, is due on December 15, 2023.
Continuous Improvement Plans
Our district has always been committed to continuous improvement and has kept track of progress at the district level and individual schools. Our most recent process is the development of continuous improvement plans. The priority areas are listed below.
In closing, if you're interested in delving deeper into the details of the World’s Best Workforce legislation, you can explore the resources provided by the Minnesota Department of Education on their website: https://bit.ly/3G4EynU. For Willmar's specific plan, you can find it at https://www.willmar.k12.mn.us/Page/6055. Should you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out—I'm always happy to engage in conversation.
