Part 2: Focusing on Priority Goals
By Robert B. Stein
Good intentions can pave the way to great results, but only when the course is thoughtfully plotted and planned beforehand.
As Missourians consider whether to merge the departments of Higher Education (MDHE) and Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to be more effective and efficient, it’s important to plan ahead to achieve the best outcomes.
What would a merged department look like? How would it function? Perhaps most importantly, what are its goals? To answer the latter, I drafted a list of goals and objectives for an integrated department of education.
Goal 1: Adopt a single coherent plan for the state.
An effective agency must place a priority on developing human talent at all ages and abilities. The governor, legislature and education leaders should work urgently to put a plan in place, because so much of Missouri’s future is at stake. Educators, working together with business and industry leaders, will need to agree on success measures and set national benchmarks as goals, issuing regular "report cards" on the state’s progress.
Goal 2: Implement a coordinated P-20 educational system.
Many educators have long promoted the concept of an integrated system that moves students smoothly through the pipeline from pre-school through post-secondary education (P-20). For example, Missouri has made tangible progress toward aligning curriculum and assessment at transition points, such as high school into college, through collaboration among educational partners.
The pipeline is leaky, however, and some repairs will be easier than others. Poverty, crime and abuse take their toll on families and erode commitment to education and quality of life. Education is compulsory only through age 18, leaving many young adults without employable skills. Older adults may need re-training due to changing workforce needs and new technology. These and other challenges will take creative and nimble approaches to ensure all prospective students are targeted throughout the life cycle.
Focusing on the pipeline in a new streamlined agency, while necessary, wil not be sufficient in addressing other essential functions such as research and development, child nutrition, international and adult education, transportation, charter schools, the budget formulas for all educational sectors, the skill and knowledge base of all graduates, especially our future teachers, and a host of other responsibilities that serve the vast array of clients and contribute to education quality.
Goal 3: Successfully educate more Missourians.
The United States is one of the few nations in the world where older adults are better educated than younger adults. Missouri and the nation have slipped behind nine other countries that have more young adults with a college degree.
More than 60 percent of jobs require a college education, yet Missouri is just average when it comes to preparing students to enter the workforce with a certificate or college degree. Past performance suggests that out of 100 Missouri ninth graders, just 14 will be expected to graduate from college.
As the state and nation grow more diverse, additional work must be done to close education gaps between white and minority students. A better educated populace is healthier, has lower crime rates, engages in the community and raises the standard of living for all. In Missouri, 38 percent of white and 30 percent of non-white young adults have college degrees. We simply must do better.
An integrated system of education must be adept at preventing high school drop-outs while it works with business and industry to produce the graduates needed locally and globally.
Goal 4: Ensure an efficient use of state resources.
The current economic crisis reinforces the need to make maximum use of scarce resources. To that end, a merged department should consolidate and streamline functions to the extent possible, including redundant facilities, equipment and personnel. Integrating data systems and the staff who use them will improve the system’s ability to analyze strengths and weaknesses along the educational continuum.
Currently, more than one-third of recent high school graduates who enter college require remedial education. Improving students’ college readiness will make obtaining a degree more affordable and put college resources to more productive use.
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I have a venerable friend who likes to say, "I’m so old I’ve forgotten the question, but I know the answer is education." His observation was true 100 years ago and it will be true tomorrow and the day after that forever.
As we approach a momentous decision for the future of Missouri education, let’s build a framework that will serve our citizens well for the next generations.
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