When a state agency launches a massive new initiative to redefine what public education looks like, you would think they would want to brag about the people helping them build it. Transparency is usually the first card played when government officials want to build public trust in a brand new, statewide project.
Apparently, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction missed that memo.
Last week, State Superintendent Jill Underly announced the creation of the Portrait of a Graduate framework. According to the department’s official press release, this initiative is meant to establish a shared vision of the skills and knowledge a student needs to succeed in the modern workforce. To do this, DPI claims it has assembled a diverse steering committee that includes workforce representatives, state agencies, and various Wisconsin employers.
Naturally, we wanted to know who those committee members are. It is a simple, standard question. If a business owner or industry group is helping steer the future of Wisconsin education policy, their names should be a matter of immediate public record. This is not highly sensitive intelligence; it is a roster for a public advisory committee.