Education Perspectives

The Truth About Pennsylvania's State Education Budget

I’ve heard many educators lament about the “draconian” cuts to education introduced in Republican Governor Corbett’s 2011-2012 State Budget. I’ve been a government finance guy for 35+ years, so I decided to analyze the state budget line items in the education categories.

Education Budget Line Items
State Budget 2011-2012

State Prior Year $ 9,343,176
Federal ARRA 1-Time Federal Funding $ 1,064,087
Total State Budget Prior Year $ 10,407,263
Total State Budget This Year $ 9,593,385
Funding Reduction $ (813,878)
EDUCATION FUNDING INCREASE NET OF ARRA $ 250,209

For 2010-2011, then Democratic Governor Rendell used over $1 billion in one-time ARRA funds in education categories, the bulk of which went to basic education subsidy, the largest state funding category for local school districts.

There is one basic rule in financial rule that especially applies to government finance: NEVER use one-time funding sources in recurring funding streams. And that is exactly what Governor Rendell did! Turns out that Corbett actually increased STATE funding for education by some $250 million.

It’s funny how Corbett looks like the bad guy, and it’s funny how the media twists facts. Remember, these numbers are facts, not supposition or opinion! Obama’s “scatter-shot” methodology of moving the economy forward failed miserably. ARRA funds were not targeted and worse, they facilitated very poor funding practices at the state level across the country. ARRA was counter-productive!

False Mastery

A while back, I watched this video by Dr. Tae, aka "Your skateboarding and physics professor".  This video is worth watching! 

Dr. Tae — Building A New Culture Of Teaching And Learning from Dr. Tae on Vimeo.

One idea he speaks about is how testing and grades can provide false certification or false mastery.  He emphasizes that getting an A in a science course isn't indicative of subject mastery.  Mastery of anything takes large amounts of time and work, and the ability to memorize and test well has nothing to do with subject mastery. 

I am disturbed by what follows here.  No Child Left Behind is very much centered around testing and when school districts do well on tests, we assume mastery.  We assume that the school is doing a good job educating our students.  That's false mastery nationwide!

Think about that......

Schools Lag Behind

A post by Stephen Denning which highlighted a talk by Rachel Botsman pointedly captured my interest.  Rachel speaks about the changing face of consumerism.  Her focus is on how social networking and other collaborative internet sites are moving our world from ownership to user-ship.  She speaks of an emerging and even more connected society.

 

There is a major paradigm shift happening, yet the American educational system remains principally in the industrial age.  Most school districts ban the use of electronic devices, yet, today’s students are connected to one another by that very medium.  Rather than accept and deal with the reality of the new world, schools react by setting stringent rules that don’t allow for flexibility.  Schools still retain the culture that they hold the information and students need to go to school to get it.  In reality, information is now everywhere and schools need to be places where students learn new and creative ways to use that information.

The trend is changing in our school systems, but the mentality of our system isn’t changing fast enough to effectively serve our students.  More rules are not the answer.  Schools must fully embrace emerging collaborative society in order to prepare students for the new world.

The Future of Career Technical Education

In Pennsylvania, career and technical education is in the spotlight.  The Department of Labor and Industry has developed a listing of High Priority Occupations (HPO’s), and there is a push to use those HPO’s as the main basis for funding of programs at career centers.  I’ve blogged about this here.  I’ve since wrestled with this idea, and have researched the issue at length.

In searching archival records, I found the following quote from a brochure for the dedication ceremony of the North Center facility (which has since been closed).  “The programs offered at the school are developmental, not terminal, providing maximum options for students to enter college, post secondary training or employment”…Robert D. Muzzi, Adm. Director.  Utilizing this philosophy, the school incorporated programs that were both educational and  job-skill related.    Although the methodologies have changed and the career landscape has been transformed, the principles of career technical education on which the schools were built have not changed.

Many of the students who have since graduated from CTE programs have either utilized their specific program experience in careers directly related to the field, or they have used the experience as a springboard into non-related careers.  The career market today requires that potential employees possess a varied set of skills, and breadth of experience counts as much as depth of experience.  It is for this reason that I believe CTC programs need not necessarily be aligned directly with priority occupations.  High Priority listings are generally short-term and localized in nature, and they fail to take into account the fact that the CTCLC is as much a “developmental” educational facility as it is a job-training facility.  All programs in CTE schools prepare students for entry into the job market, but more importantly, they prepare students for a career market in which an adaptable skill-set is essential for success.

Back when career centers were changing their names from vocational technical schools to career technical centers, Dr. Peter Mensky, a very astute administrator, told me that the word “center” is misleading.  “Centers teach job skills, but schools teach both job and life skills.  Vocational Schools are not just training facilities; they are schools as well”. 

Leveraging Career Technical Education

Across the state of Pennsylvania, 72% of graduates pursue college degrees.  About 1/3 of those students won’t make it through their freshman year.  Many of those students move into the workforce and/or pursue other educational options at some point in the future.  Of those who do make it through a 4 year program and graduate, many of them can’t find jobs in their chosen field. 

The fact is that many of today’s jobs, and the jobs of the future, don’t require a 4 year degree.  The standard thinking among parents and some educators consists of the “K-12 to 4-year College” path.  Although this is a great path for a percentage of students, this standard is not sustainable for the majority!  There are alternatives, and for many students, a career/technical education is the key.

For career/technical schools throughout the state, Programs of Study are becoming the standard:   “SOAR is the career and technical Program of Study (POS) educational plan that articulates the secondary career and technical programs to postsecondary degree or diploma or certificate programs. SOAR programs lead students into a career pathway that aligns the secondary courses to a postsecondary program (in order) to complete a degree or certificate.”

Along with this, Career Pathways is being introduced to students in school districts throughout the state.  This program focuses on students beginning their decision on a career path early on in their educational life.  A career/technical education is one of the alternatives along this career pathway.  And career schools all have articulation agreements with local colleges making the post-secondary transition almost seamless.

Given the changing job marketplace, career-technical schools can make an enormous difference in the lives of students!
 

Start with Why

I recently watched a TED talk by Simon Sinek which I thought was both simple and inspirational.  It inspired me to read his latest book, "Start with Why".  The book was difficult for me to put down, and I read it in a weekend.  His examples are excellent and can be directly applied to public education.  His talk is a great synopsis of the book:

Q & A with Diane Ravitch

As I said in my prior post, I’m nearly finished reading “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education”, by Diane Ravitch.  From 1991 to 1993, Diane was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.

This book is excellent and definitely worth reading.   I've had the opportunity to do a quick Q & A with Ms. Ravitch.  Check it out;

1.    What would you consider the single most pressing problem with No Child Left Behind?

The worst thing about No Child Left Behind is that it created a punitive attitude towards teachers and schools.  If the school doesn't raise scores, heads must roll! Principals must be fired, teachers must be fired, and schools must close!  We see this echoed now in President Obama's endorsement of the mass firing of teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island.  If anyone asked my advice about NCLB, I would tell them to remove all the federal sanctions, which have no basis in research or reality and will lead to devastation of communities, not to improvement.

2.    Testing seems like an excellent tool to measure progress.  NCLB focuses on testing, so where is the problem?

As I show in the book, the present generation of tests are not good enough to make high-stakes decisions.  I do not oppose testing as such; I think testing is useful when used for informational and diagnostic purposes, to tell us how students are doing, how schools are doing, how districts and states are doing.  But there should be no stakes attached to such tests. It is the misuse of test scores and accountability that has given NCLB a deservedly bad name.

3.    Business models get results, and NCLB seems to have elements of a business model.  Why do you think the business model hasn’t worked for education?

There are different business models. The one being applied now in education is based on incentives and sanctions, which produces competition for rewards and fear of punishment. This business model is sometimes associated with cheating, gaming the system, cooking the books to get the desired results. We saw that with the debacle at Enron, WorldComm, and other businesses that got the right numbers but ultimately defrauded their investors and collapsed.

A different business model emphasizes the value of trust, collaboration, and teamwork among those who do the work of the organization. We have seen this in many successful corporations, and we see it in team sports. Games are not won by a group of individuals trying to beat their teammates, but by players who harmonize their strengths with those of their fellow players.

Schools need business managers to buy supplies and to maintain the plant, but the work of schooling requires collaboration and trust, not competition among teachers and fear of sanctions. Teachers and schools should feel encouraged to share their successes, not to hide their trade secrets.

When in Doubt, Toss Them Out!

As many of you know, I am not a proponent of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  NCLB is punitive and mean-spirited, and it has little if any effect on student outcomes.  NCLB forces schools to focus on math, reading and standardized testing while failing to address other subjects that students need to be successful in life.  It is a failure and needs to be recognized as such!  Unfortunately, President Obama is continuing on with an agenda of standards and testing. From and educational standpoint, President Obama is a disappointment.

I’m currently reading “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education”, by Diane Ravitch.  From 1991 to 1993, Diane was Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.  At one time, Ravitch was a proponent of NCLB.  Her latest book talks about why her views about NCLB have changed dramatically.

The news about the firing of all teachers in a school in Central Falls, Rhode Island has made recent headlines.  This action was taken as a result of low test scores and a high drop-out rate, and many people believe those responsible are “showing courage and doing the right thing for kids."  Even President Obama agrees.  What isn’t publicized is the fact that this school is one of the poorest in the state, and it has a high population of non-English speaking students. This reckless action demonstrates exactly what I mean by punitive and mean-spirited!  It relays that teachers are always at fault.  It ignores societal factors like language and poverty level.  It ignores the fact that schools can’t be operated like businesses.  Is this today’s version of educational reform?  To me, it is nothing more than a blame game; all brawn and no brains.

Diane Ravitch wrote a nice article on this subject in the Huffington Post.  I couldn’t have said it better!

Career Education in a New Economy

Career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania is in a state of change.  Much of this change is being driven by the Department of Labor and Industry in an effort to stimulate growth and to focus dollars most effectively.  CTE schools will be forced to re-focus their efforts toward programs that support high priority occupations.  High priority occupations (HPOs) are determined by how well they meet 2 statistical requirements; a) job availability and b) ability to pay family sustaining wages.  HPO data is collected at the state and county level, and the focus of the Department of Education will be toward funding, promoting and improving programs that will feed occupations which meet the HPO requirements.

This is significant, and will change the way career schools in Pennsylvania operate.  CTE schools will be aimed at providing a more focused education for a changing world.  They will also become better aligned with local job markets.

Yes, secondary career schools serve as a feeder to the labor force.  They provide hands-on training and industry credentialing for entry into the workforce.  But people tend to forget one important factor; CTE also provides a good basis for training and education beyond high school.  Career schools even provide advance credit toward college or other training through articulation agreements with higher-learning institutions. 

Career education will play an important role in a new economic climate.  As I’ve talked about before, I don’t believe that our economy is working in a normal cycle, rather it is in a state of complete economic reset.   There is no more business as usual, and career schools will be playing an important role in the new economy!

Hands-On Learning with Video Games

Here is a great video about hands-on learning through video games. Thanks to Dan Pink for this great piece.