On Education Consolidation
The Missouri Senate has given initial approval for a proposal by Gov. Jay Nixon to consolidate the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Higher Education. Approaching the issue purely as a matter of spending, this looks like an obvious move. With one department, some of the redundant agencies and services can be rolled into one capable of doing the same work for less money. However, the effect that such a change would have on educational outcomes is far more ambiguous.
Once they are a single department, the management styles of the old departments will influence each other. No doubt the influence will flow in both directions, but ultimately either higher education will end up looking more like elementary and secondary education, even if only on the margin, or vice versa. I hope it will be the latter, because higher education gives far more autonomy to individual schools, instructors, and ultimately students, which I believe is one of the reasons that — for all its problems — the American higher education system remains highly touted.
That said, I fear DESE’s influence will win out. It is the far larger department, with a 2010 appropriation of more than $5.4 billion compared to Higher Education’s $1.3 billion. This will probably mean far more micromanagement of college curricula and a greater emphasis on pedagogy compared to content. That’s simply how DESE officials think; they create a statewide standard to make classes nice and formulaic. If this plan is implemented, I fully expect that within a decade there will be state-mandated standards for common courses (e.g., western civilization, macroeconomics, chemistry, etc.) similar to the Class Level Expectations (CLEs) in high school classes. Missouri will have a “seamless” education system, as one legislator describes it, but at the expense of the independence of our public universities.
I share your concerns! Please consider following-up on this piece by looking into MO HCR 81 which was recently introduced. Missouri must proceed with caution!
http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills101/bills/hcr81.htm
Advises the Commissioner of Education and State Board of Education
to review the policy implications of Missouri’s application for “Race to the Top” federal funds.
Look at the timeline describe by Representative Mariani below. If our goal is quality standards and assessments, what’s the rush?
And I wonder how many other states are consolidating their education departments at the same time. It is just too concidental if you ask me…
Minnesota State Representative Carlos Mariani’s Press Release
April 8, 2010
House Hearing Discovers Flaw in the Common Core State Standard Initiative
ST. PAUL – This week the K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee held a hearing on the Common Core Standards Initiative.
“At this week’s hearing we learned that the proposed national common core standards in math are flawed,” said State Representative Carlos Mariani, Chair of the K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee. “The fact this message came from Minnesota experts who led the effort that created the current high quality Minnesota math standards raises a red flag on proceeding with adoption, especially since we are required to adopt them verbatim.”
Public testimony was heard from; Dr. Larry Gray, Professor of Mathematics, University of Minnesota; Ellen Delaney, Assistant Principal, Spring Lake Park High School; and Grace Keliher, Minnesota School Boards Association. The testifiers shared their reservations that the problems won’t be corrected before the final standards are scheduled to be released at the end of May 2010. The Minnesota Legislature adjourns on May 17th, 2010.
“Minnesota is being asked to adopt these standards as a requirement for receiving federal funds,” said State Representative Carlos Mariani. “The Governor says he wants us to get those funds. Is the Governor also saying that we should adopt flawed math standards? Doesn’t this suggest that the Legislature ought to be involved in determining their adoption? Lawmakers in St Paul are playing a good role in airing these issues in public hearings that allow Minnesotans to see the danger in adopting lesser standards as opposed to the Governor who is not engaging in a public vetting of this decision. The Minnesota Legislature is committed to upholding high education standards.”
The second round of the national Race to the Top grants requires states to enact the Common Core Standards Initiative by August 2, 2010 in order to be eligible for federal funds.
Comment by lajones — April 25, 2010 @ 9:02 p.m.