Gov. Polis Highlights Initiative: ‘Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success’
Washington, DC – National Governors Association (NGA) Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis was joined by ParentData CEO Emily Oster and technology journalist Kara Swisher as Governors explored how to harness data and technology to advance education innovations. The conversation was the latest in a series of events held in support of Governor Polis’ NGA Chair’s Initiative, Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success. NGA Vice Chair Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and Governors from across the nation shared updates on implementation of education priorities in their states.
“Governors have a responsibility to guarantee every student has access to a quality education,” said Governor Polis. “Our mission with Let’s Get Ready is to learn how to better measure success so we can expand and scale what works, and change what doesn’t. Test scores and high school diplomas are important but no longer sufficient to determine if students are career- or college-ready. With two job openings for every jobseeker in most states, it’s clear we need to do a better job equipping students with the skills they need to succeed. Governors are working to create innovative pathways for students and schools to succeed; no excuses, no exceptions.”
“If kids aren’t leaving high school college ready or career ready, we haven’t done our job,” said Governor Stitt. “Governors are focused on working with businesses, schools and universities to create more internships and apprenticeships that set students up for success. We’re innovating to ensure schools are equipped to succeed, and kids have options to go to the school where they learn best. As Governors, we recognize that building a strong workforce is important for individuals in our states, and it’s important for U.S. competitiveness.”
“The most important general principle here is to say that if we have a policy, we must have something to measure that we can use to evaluate if it works,” said Emily Oster. “If we’re going to have a policy around vocational training, which I think is very important, we need a way to measure that. How do we measure college and career readiness? There’s no systematic way people are measuring that. What do we mean that someone is ready to contribute to the workforce, and how can we try to measure it?”
“It’s really important to think about what’s going to happen with AI and the deleterious effects of technology,” said Kara Swisher. “Ninety-nine percent of intelligence is going to be digital or AI-generated in the future, and 1 percent is going to be human intelligence. We have to think about what does that mean for jobs? I have four children, and I think about this a lot. Three things are critically important: Promoting creativity, because AI cannot make creativity. Second is team-building – teaching kids how to team build, work together and collaborate. Last is critical thinking. There’s no need for memorization anymore. But how do you learn about history, English or humanities and then pull them together in a cogent way?”
Launched in July 2024, Let’s Get Ready is a yearlong initiative designed to support the nation’s Governors in driving innovative education policies. Let’s Get Ready aims to help Governors form policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey. The initiative also focuses on the ways states can meet the future needs of the workforce by preparing students for success in and outside of the classroom.
At NGA’s Winter Meeting, Governors have met with federal officials and leaders from business, academia and philanthropy for solutions-driven conversations around the top issues in states and territories.
Learn more about the Let’s Get Ready initiative and upcoming bipartisan events on the NGA website.
