Eight years ago, Washington state and its teachers embarked on an ambitious plan to improve teaching and learning. The goal was the right one for our public schools: To ensure that all students, and not just a lucky few, were prepared with the skills and knowledge to be successful. But the simple premise behind this strategy — agree on clearer and more rigorous standards for what every child should be learning — belied the hard work that lay ahead.

Looking back, we shouldn't have expected otherwise. We've taken on the challenge of completely rethinking assumptions about how children learn and how well children can learn in an effort to make sure all children are equipped with 21st century skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Our schools are being asked to redesign curriculum, to make lessons richer and more rigorous. Principals are being asked to study student performance data and mobilize staff and resources to tackle weaknesses in instruction. Teachers are being asked to become smarter about student assessment and to use teaching strategies with a track record of success. And all of us are being forced to confront the old assumption that only some kids, those from the best neighborhoods or most stable families, are capable of high levels of achievement. Higher expectations for what students are learning places greater demands on everyone.

But although the work is hard, it absolutely is the right work to be doing. And Washington residents seem to agree, with recent polls showing high percentages of the public familiar with and supportive of these efforts (70 percent of the public is familiar, and 80 percent of those people are supportive, according to a statewide poll by Elway Research in January). Teachers see the benefits, too; although many express concerns about the new workload and testing requirements, nearly 70 percent still conclude these changes have had a positive impact on student learning.

Our challenge now is to keep learning more about what works — and what isn't working — and to support teachers and principals in their endeavors to improve student learning.

State leaders have worked hard, for example, to address educators' concerns about the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The WASL is the new state exam measuring how well students and schools are meeting high academic standards in fourth, seventh, and 10th grades. It's important because it provides an external benchmark to gauge progress, give feedback on strengths and weaknesses, and identify best practices at successful schools.

Some educators have expressed concerns about the rigor of the test, worrying it is too challenging for students. In response, Washington asked the Northwest Regional Educational Lab to review the fourth-grade mathematics assessment. Although NWREL found the overall test sound, the review did identify test questions that could be improved and Washington made these changes:

• Reformatted some questions so directions and problems are clearer to students
• Removed the few developmentally inappropriate test items
• Spread test-taking over three days rather than two to lessen the stress on younger students

The business community, as one of the strongest advocates for high-quality public schools, has a role to play in supporting educators, too. Business leaders have advocated for making these sorts of adjustments when warranted, to help ensure educators have the best tools possible. Countless Washington businesses have also advocated for other programs and initiatives that give teachers added skills and knowledge and help them apply best practices.

The Partnership for Learning, a nonprofit coalition of Washington companies that is helping parents and community members learn more about these school improvement efforts, plays a unique role in Washington. By providing an independent source of easy-to-understand information about the new standards, tests, and instructional changes in schools, it helps community members understand these changes and see how they can help.

They say few things worth doing are easily done, either when it comes to changing business practice or changing instructional strategies. Partnership for Learning respects and appreciates the hard work of educators as they retool and redouble their efforts to help every student succeed. We know it isn't easy. But thousands of teachers and students across Washington are showing that the choice to reach for higher standards was the right choice and a realistic goal.

Steve Mullin is the Executive Director of Partnership for Learning. The partnership is a nonprofit coalition of businesses that works to support and communicate about Washington's school improvement effort. To find out more about the partnership's work you can visit its Web site at www.partnership4learning.org.