Heineman pledges to improve education To compete globally, the governor says Nebraska needs to "raise the bar" in classrooms.

WASHINGTON -- Facing challenges of global competition and a brain drain, Gov. Dave Heineman said Tuesday that he plans to work to improve education in Nebraska.

"I'm going to be very actively engaged on education issues, more tomorrow than I have been so far," he said.

He promised to work with the Legislature to find ways to pay teachers more, recognize their successes, improve math and science scores, push for innovative ideas and encourage more parental involvement.

In the 21st century, Nebraska isn't trying to top just Iowa or Missouri, he said.

"It's Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri versus India, Pakistan and China," he said. "I believe we can compete, but we'll only be able to compete if we produce a great educational product for our children."

His comments came in an interview as the National Governors Association wrapped up its winter meeting. Many of the governors called attention to the challenges of globalization and the need to raise American education standards.

Metropolitan Omaha school superintendents and state lawmakers have expressed some of the same sentiments as Heineman. The Legislature's Education Committee is working to develop a bill that members say should improve student achievement.

Heineman has said the state's system for funding schools should be studied, but he has not committed new dollars to classrooms, teacher compensation or other education programs.

Heineman suggested a number of ways that Nebraska, which he called an education leader among states, might "raise the bar."

To encourage more parent participation, schools should bring parents into classes more often, he said. They should consider holding parent-teacher conferences on weekends to accommodate single-parent households or families where both parents work, he said.

While teachers deserve higher pay, the state probably won't ever be able to pay them enough, Heineman said. Other rewards should be offered.

"They're more than teachers today, they're mothers and fathers and counselors and all the rest. We're asking them to do above and beyond their job description every day."

The state also should reward schools, teachers and students when students score extremely high on standardized tests, he said. But it also should reward schools that achieve exceptional improvement in test scores.

"For most children, the light bulb doesn't go on at the same time. For some kids it's early in their life, for others it's not until the 11th grade," he said. "That progress gets left out too many times."

Further, Heineman said he would like schools to improve how they recognize academic achievement.

Every school has a trophy case trumpeting its sports successes. Trophies should also be awarded for high grades, perfect ACT scores, students who have the highest math scores statewide or for winning debate contests, he said.

If Nebraska works to build its "intellectual capacity" in the years ahead, Heineman said, it will satisfy job opportunities that emerge and help keep people in the state.