Where is Bob Wise?

Hot off the press! Get the latest on events and news what Bob is doing.

Evidence-based literacy investment is the key to our children’s future

May 10, 2023 – North Carolina’s ed chief and a former governor of West Virginia write that schools must embrace the science of reading to combat NAEP declines. Read more.

Improving Education for All Students by Closing the Digital Divide

October 29, 2021 – The past two years revealed wide disparities in internet, broadband, and digital device access. Addressing the digital divide has remained a clear priority among the COVID Constituency. Read more.

Former Gov. Bob Wise Joins The Leadership Academy Board of Directors

October 28, 2021 – The Leadership Academy announced the appointment of former Governor and Congressman Bob Wise and UBS Financial Services Director Jeanny Pak to the organization’s Board of Directors. Read more.

New Report: The COVID Constituency: Emerging Priorities for Education Leaders

September 29, 2021 – This new report by Bob Wise and The Hunt Institute introduces The COVID Constituency and offers practical approaches for how education leaders can enact change.  Read more.

Op-Ed: The funding and will to transform education are here — we must seize the moment

May 30, 2021 – COVID created a groundswell of new support to take bold steps to improve our education system. More in my latest Op-Ed with Javaid Siddiqi in The Hill. Read more.

3 Things K-12 Education Leaders Need to Know about Federal Stimulus Funding

March 31, 2021 – Federal stimulus funding for education is at an all-time high right now. Here’s what district leaders need to know. Read more.

American Rescue Plan Live Webinar

March 18, 2021 – Hosted by Digital Advisors, this live briefing covered the new Federal Stimulus Package and the impact on K-12 districts. Watch now

Implications of the Stimulus Package for District Leaders

January 5, 2021 – Hosted by Digital Advisors, this webinar gives practical advice for district leaders on how to use the new stimulus dollars. Watch now

GSoLEN Panel at the World Education Frontiers Forum

November 20, 2020 – Bob Wise, Winsome Waite, and Andrea Chiba participated in a GSoLEN panel at the World Education Frontiers Forum. Watch now

Needed Now: Federal Help for Students’ Disrupted Lives

November 20, 2020 – This op-ed with Ohio Governor Bob Taft in GOVERNING calls on the federal government to provide financial support for high-speed internet and mental health counseling. Read more

Wise: Closing the Digital Divide Now Is an Investment in Our Future 

July 15, 2020 – Before summer is over, Congress must step up with funding to close the digital divide. Read more

Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise Joins Teach Plus Board of Directors

June 24, 2020 – Roberto J. Rodríguez, president and CEO of Teach Plus, today announced that Bob Wise will join the organization’s Board of Directors. Read more

Op-Ed: Will Congress put education back on the stimulus runway?

April 30, 2020 – As Congress continues to provide relief funding for coronavirus, will lawmakers continue to help the airline industry soar and leave education at the gate? Read more.

Constructive Turbulence: Driving Vision through Virus and Volatility

March 25, 2020 – Here are some tips for how education leaders can look to restore, rebuild, and recreate, even amidst the backdrop of immediate crisis response. Read more.

COVID-19 Checklist for Education Leaders

 

March 16, 2020 – This leadership checklist offers my suggestions for what education leaders can do to help mitigate the COVID-19 crisis and meet the needs of their students, families, staff, and communities. Read more.

Guiding the Next Generation of Education Policy Leaders

December 13, 2019 – I was honored to join the Governors’ Panel at a gathering of the Hunt Institute’s Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows last week in Washington, D.C. Read more.

High School Transformation and the Future of Work

November 20, 2019 – At ExcelinEd’s National Summit on Education in San Diego, I moderated a panel of experts convened by XQ Institute. Read more.

Celebrating National Philanthropy Day in California

November 15, 2019 – I spent an amazing and inspiring day on the California Monterey Peninsula at the National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon. Read more.

International Lessons on Equity and Science of Learning

October 22, 2019 – The Global Science of Learning for Education Network (GSoLEN) Advisory Group made a presentation to an enthusiastic audience at the annual Grantmakers For Education (GFE) conference in New Orleans. Read more.

Breaking Down Trends vs. Traditions in California

September 27, 2019 – There are few things better than engaging in hands-on learning with excited school district leaders. That’s how I spent a recent Friday in San Jose, California with EIA K12. Read more.

Exploring School Leadership with Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows

August 16, 2019 — It was an honor to share advice and encouragement alongside my fellow former governors from Nebraska, Vermont, New Mexico, New Jersey, and North Carolina at a gathering of the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program in Austin, Texas. Read more.

Education Law, Policy, & Leadership in Wyoming

August 8, 2019 — As a keynote speaker at the Education Law, Policy, and Leadership Conference at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, I saw once more the critical convergence of the key elements that create our education system. As I listened to a presentation of recent court decisions, I thought how today’s emerging trends in education may be tomorrow’s subjects for litigation. Read more. 

What Debate Bingo Says About Education Policy

August 2, 2019 — While the results on bingo cards are hardly a dispositive academic analysis of education policy and presidential candidates, they do shed some light on the issue’s place in today’s policy landscape. Read my rundown of debate education bingo on Future-Ed.org.

Debate Education Bingo

July 29, 2019 — If you are watching the Democratic debates this week, this is your invitation to play with FutureEd at Georgetown. With 20 candidates over two nights, will there be enough serious education discussion to score a bingo? Download the cards.

Joining the WASC Senior College and University Commission

July 17, 2019 — I am honored to join the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) to support the accreditor’s work to assure quality and accountability in California’s postsecondary system. Read more.

Shaping the Future of Education in Orlando

June 22, 2019 — Leadership Florida hosted an impressive training program for diverse sectors of Florida leaders in Orlando. I couldn’t help but feel that much of the future of education sat in the crowded ballroom, buzzing with excitement and eager to make change.

Reflections of a School Reformer

May 30, 2019 — I recently sat down with FutureEd Director Thomas Toch to reflect on gains and losses, mistakes and opportunities in the evolution of the school reform movement. Read the full post. 

Strong CTE Partnerships in Action

April 26, 2019 — It was so powerful to see a high-quality career and technical education (CTE) program in action in Edison, New Jersey. While visiting the Edison Job Corps Center, I had the pleasure of hearing from community members, business leaders, and students on how important strong partnerships are to successful CTE programs, and how this program is preparing students with job credentials and workforce skills. Learn more at https://edison.jobcorps.gov/.

“Home & Hill are the Best Combo”

March 19, 2019 — My main message for school leaders gathered at a National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) was this: visits to Capitol Hill to meet with representatives are important, but regularly visiting elected officials at home is vital. Elected officials learn best by seeing systems in action firsthand in familiar settings where they live. To put it simply: Home and Hill are the best combo!

Connecting Legislative Committees to Classrooms

March 8, 2019 — There’s great power in connecting legislative committees to classrooms. Good practice should shape good policy. That’s what my presentation to California district leaders who were gathered in the California state capitol for EIA K12 focused on, ensuring that education decisions made by policy leaders are informed by what’s working in schools.

Interview on Education Talk Radio

February 28, 2019 — It’s always a pleasure to be on Education Talk Radio! This time, I sat down with host Larry Jacobs to discuss why the next three years are crucial in shaping education for next few decades. You can listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/edutalk/2019/02/28/a-conversation-with-a-true-education-leaderformer-governor-bob-wise-of-wva

Digital Learning Day 2019 in Silicon Valley

February 28, 2019 — This year, I spent Digital Learning Day (DLDay) with the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. During the TICAL roundtable discussion, we tackled hard questions like are we ready for 2020? What are we doing to prepare students, staff, and schools in California for the next decade?

Reflecting on Landmark West Virginia Finance Equity Case

February 22, 2019 — I was honored to be a part of West Virginia University’s forum on the impact of Pauley vs. Kelly, a major education finance equity case from 1979. I was a plaintiff witness in 1981, and as Governor, was the defendant to sign the final settlement in 2003. It’s been forty years and the while the need for thorough and efficient education remains constant, what that means for students is rapidly changing.