13 May 2005

Governor Sebelius to students: “Rate Your Future”
Governor Joins Nationwide Effort to Overhaul High School, Challenges Students to Take Survey

TOPEKA, KS – Kicking off “Rate Your Future Week” in Kansas, Governor Kathleen Sebelius urged teenagers across the state to log on to www.rateyourfuture.org, a website dedicated to having every high school student graduate better prepared for college or a high-skilled job.

With the end of the school year just around the corner, Governor Sebelius joined governors from across the country in encouraging teenagers to make their voices heard through the survey, which is part of the National Governors Association’s (NGA) drive to overhaul America’s high schools. Governor Sebelius signed a proclamation, establishing May 16 through May 20 as “Rate Your Future Week in Kansas.”

“Kansas students deserve the best possible education to prepare them for successful careers and responsible citizenship,” Governor Sebelius said. “In the knowledge-based economy of the future, all good jobs will require education, skills and training that go beyond high school. Young adults going to college or beginning a career must leave high school with a solid foundation. As the nation’s governors work to overhaul high school, students are an important voice in the discourse, and they should participate actively in the redesign discussion. I encourage all Kansas students to go to the website and take part in the survey.”

Last fall, under the chairmanship of Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, NGA launched the yearlong initiative, Redesigning the American High School. Spurred on by statistics showing America’s high school students as increasingly unprepared to handle the demands of college and work in the 21st century, governors have led the charge to ensure that high school, and particularly the senior year, becomes more relevant to students’ futures.

Earlier this year, Gov. Sebelius joined her other governors in Washington for the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, which NGA co-sponsored. Despite the tremendous progress states like Kansas have made over the years, there had never been a national education summit focused entirely on high schools. The successful two-day summit, which included smaller breakout sessions, focused on an array of real and lasting reforms including: restoring the relevance of a high school diploma; increasing the graduation rate; closing the achievement gap; and aligning high school, college and workforce expectations.

While the summit brought governors, CEOs and education leaders to the same table, NGA also has made a concerted effort to include students in this dialogue, because it is they who stand to benefit the most from reform. An integral part of the initiative, the “Rate Your Future” survey further brings student voices into the education reform discussion. By the end of June, NGA expects more than 10,000 high school students nationwide to log on and take the survey, thus providing governors with important insights into today’s high school experience.

Rate Your Future Week seeks to involve all students – the overachievers, underachievers and everyone in between – to take part in this landmark survey, which will focus on what students are learning in high school and their assessment of their preparation for the world after graduation.

NGA will release the results of the survey when the nation’s governors gather in Des Moines this summer for the 97th NGA Annual Meeting.