Transcript The Emergence of State PK-20 Councils Hans P. L’Orange State Higher Education Executive Officers April 6, 2009

The Emergence of
State PK-20 Councils
Hans P. L’Orange
State Higher Education Executive Officers
April 6, 2009
Who I Am
Where I’m From

Vice President for Research and Information
Resources

Director of the SHEEO/NCES Network

SHEEO – State Higher Education Executive
Officers
What the heck is SHEEO?
 National
association of state higher education
coordinating and governing boards
 SHEEO’s
mission is to assist its members and
the states in developing and sustaining
excellent systems of higher education
Transition and Completion Measures from High
School to College Completion for the U.S. – 2004
100%
White
Roughly half of Hispanics and African-Americans
don’t complete high school within four years.
African-American
Hispanic /Latino
78 %
80%
Native American
69 %
69 %
Asian /Pacific Islander
63 % 62 %
58 %
57 %
60%
65 %
55 %
48 %
46 %
40 %
40%
37 %
31 %
30 %
33 %
29 %
24 %
20%
Not Available
0%
Graduating from High
School Within Four Years
Attending College Directly
Out of High School
Three-Year Graduation Rate
at Two-Year Colleges
Six-Year Graduation Rate at
Four-Year Colleges
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; Common Core Data, Digest of Education Statistics, and IPEDS Graduation Rate Survey
Projected Change in U.S. Population by Age and
Race/Ethnicity From 2000 to 2020 (In Millions)
White
African-American
Hispanic /Latino
Asian /Pacific Islander
15
The majority of expected growth in our young
population from 2000 to 2020 is among segments
of our population that have the lowest levels of
education – while whites are projected to decline.
10
12.40
7.32
7.12
6.50
5.49
5
3.69
2.79
2.03
1.87
1.11
0.42
1.57
1.41
1.20
2.97
2.29
0.33
0
0 to 17
-0.88
18 to 24
25 to 44
45 to 64
-1.83
-5
-6.59
-10
Note: Projections based on the 2000 Census are not available for Native Americans
Source: US Census Bureau, Population Projections based on the 2000 Decennial Census
65 and Older
Framing thoughts…
Higher education is moving from an outdated
sorting and selecting system to……
….an environment designed to increase overall
capacity across the system…..
…. benefiting students, states, and the nation.
What is PK-20?

Integrated system of education designed to raise
student achievement at all levels
“If people begin to see the educational system
as a single entity through which people move,
they may begin to behave as if all education
were related.”
Harold Hodgkinson All One System
Why is this Important?
Why do PK-12 and Postsecondary
Need to Work Together?

Success in PK-12 carries over to higher
education

Postsecondary students become P-12’s teachers

Share a common goal of student success

Integration and/or alignment of separate
systems make the entire enterprise more
efficient, productive and successful
Multiple Approaches to PK-12 and
Postsecondary Alignment
Technical

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Electronic transcripts / E-transcripts
High School Feedback reports
Aligned data initiatives (e.g. high school places unique number on
transcripts)
Single data systems
Political
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

Changes to state law to allow record sharing (VA)
Sharing data based on a culture of collaboration (LA)
Statewide groups to discuss P-20 data systems
PK-16/20 Councils in 38 States
Unpacking the PK-20 Components

Early Learning (the “P”)
Often overlooked
 Research shows that the average cognitive score of
high-income students before they reach kindergarten
is 60% higher than children from low-income
groups.
 These same children often end up in “low resource
schools.”
 They may never catch up

Unpacking the PK-20 Components

K-12 – traditional elementary and secondary
education
Preparation for college and workforce of growing
concern
 Only 38% of 9th graders persist through high school
and directly enter college
 40% of students in four-year colleges require
remediation (unprepared for college work)

Unpacking the PK-20 Components

Postsecondary Education
 College
completion rates are even worse
 Only 18 of every 100 9th graders go on to
complete a college degree (2-yr or 4-yr) “on
time”
 So how many adults have a college degree?
Ultimate goal of PK-20 – bring the
separate components together

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Establishing a Council sets formal expectations and a
venue for collaboration
Broad-based participation helps states reach consensus
among key players
Focused agenda reduces duplication
Establishes specific performance goals across all levels of
education
Focuses on what students need to become successful
rather than what institutions and practitioners want
Actors, agenda, and appropriations
Current Status in the States

40 Councils in 38 states

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Up from 25 councils in 2000
4 states without a council have a consolidated
governance structure with similar functions
No two are alike
Some chaired by governor, others by education
 Some have statutory authority & line-item funding
 Some travel by minivan, others by charted buses

Current Status in the States
(by the numbers)

29 meet at least quarterly

16 have established specific numerical goals

26 have dedicated source(s) of funding

21 supported by at least 0.5 fte staff

8 are chaired by the governor

5 - 52 members (22 average)

31 are advisory only

17 created in the last 3 years
Georgia – the first
Alliance of Education Agency Heads
Georgia P-16 Council (1996)
Education Coordinating Council (2000)
Alliance (2006)
7 formal members (early learning, K-12, Postsecondary,
government) but many others are involved
Informally established (not permanent) and advisory
16 local councils
Georgia Initiatives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Increase high school graduation rate, decrease high
school drop-out rate, and increase postsecondary
enrollment
Strengthen teacher quality, recruitment, and
retention
Improve workforce readiness skills
Develop strong education leaders, particularly at
the building level
Improve SAT/ACT scores of Georgia’s students
Colorado – one of the newest
The Governor’s P-20 Education Coordinating Council
All members appointed by and serve at the Gov’s pleasure
31 voting members (early learning, K-12, Postsec, Lt. Gov,
business, foundations)
Permanent and advisory; meets quarterly
Subcommittees on P-3, data and accountability, dropout
prevention and recovery, educator recruitment, preparation
and retention (K-12), preparation and transition
(postsecondary)
Colorado Policy Changes
1.
Data Protocol Development Council - design and
implement a protocol for collecting, storing and sharing data
2.
School Counselor Corps Grant Program - provide districts
with grants to improve counseling in HS
3.
Public School Finance Act - increase funding for the CO
Preschool Program and full-day kindergarten
4.
Preschool to Postsecondary Education Alignment Act numerous readiness and alignment provisions; review
postsec admissions standards; regional P-20 meetings
annually
Multiple Actors


Not too big and not too small (Goldilocks)
The right players means all three education
sectors plus…
Legislative and gubernatorial support
 Business community

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Get some shared clarity on the mission and roles
Meet at least quarterly
Set an Agenda
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Don’t get too broad (5 issues or fewer)
Be specific (more than “improving student
success”)
Focus on the things each agency can’t do alone
Have specific, measurable goals
Georgia's Balanced Scorecard
Appropriations and Resources
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1/2 receive legislative appropriations or have
money built into agency budgets
10 states receive some external support
Some receive private funds (AZ, CO, CA)
Funding from multiple sources
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Wyoming: “Sustainability subcommittee” working to
secure funding from three separate streams government, foundations, and business community
Human resource are just as critical
Additional Attributes for Success
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Commitment to long-term reform
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Representation from key stakeholder groups
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It takes strong leadership and broad participation
Coordinated initiatives

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Change takes time
Little is accomplished with similar initiatives working in
isolation
Integrated reform efforts
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Avoid completion
Some Outstanding PK-20 Questions
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Does it matter where the council “lives”?
Does it matter who provides the staffing?
Does it matter where the funding comes from?
What’s the impact / role of local or regional
councils?
Does politics trump everything else?
The Role of Data in PK-12 and
Postsecondary Alignment
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Identifying shared benefits

Reconciling technical and political differences
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Assuring student privacy
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Designing a usable system
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Planning for sustainability
SHEEO/NCHEMS
Recommended Guiding Principles
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Reinforce state capacity to conduct analysis supporting
state-level policymaking.
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Develop common approaches that work regardless of
who “owns” the data.
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Keep it simple!
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Allow for incremental development.
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Don’t start with “flash point” topics.
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Develop everything in an open and transparent
environment.
Thank You!
Hans P. L’Orange
[email protected]