Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has a press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday to provide details about the Education Alliance of Idaho.

No details have been officially released yet, but Capitol Confidential has obtained a draft of “recommended goals” and mission statement for the alliance.
The mission statement: “Idaho’s public education system is accountable for the necessary leadership, resources, capacity and instruction to guarantee high achievement for all students.”

The document has four goals:
transparent accountability, high standards, postsecondary credit in high school, and postsecondary preparation, participation and completion.

Specifics given as examples in the draft include: a state-level data audit to increase data collection efficiency and quality, reducing the dropout rate, a teacher compensation plan tied in part to performance-based assessments. Most goals are set for the year 2012.

Update: Education leaders and the governor applauded the efforts of the alliance, which is a broad coalition that began its work in 2007. Officials stress that the goal and recommendations are a first step, with much work ahead.