Sunday, May 01, 2005

Education - Here we go again! 5/1/05, updated 5/3/05

EDUCATION – COLLEGE YES, COLLEGE NO?
AROUND AND AROUND AND NOBODY KNOWS!

Articles on education are popping up all over the place, while it is good to keep education on the front burner, it seems like we continuously look at the problem like a crossword puzzle, one piece at a time, instead of looking at all the pieces and how they have to work and fit together in order to complete the process. Too many groups/people are trying to force "conventional wisdom" upon an unsuspecting public. If someone says it enough times it must be true (i.e., some politicians mantra)

Today was no exception; I’m listing them for your reading pleasure:

1) Poll shows hurdles for state's effort to shift economy's focus from brawn to brains:
www.detnews.com/2005/schools/0505/01/A01-167664.htm

1a) Survey Results -
EPIC MRA – Michigan Parents – Culture of Education The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians & YOUR CHILD:
www.detnews.com/includes/2005/polldata/cultureofeducationpoll.htm
By Francis X. Donnelly and Marisa Schultz/The Detroit News

2) Michigan must stress college for all students:
www.detnews.com/2005/editorial/0505/01/A15-167215.htm
By Governor Jennifer Granholm

3) Parents' Low Expectations Frustrate Education Reform:
State pushes schooling to jump-start economy, but many moms and dads have other ideas
www.detnews.com/2005/editorial/0505/01/A14-167242.htm
Editorial – by the Detroit News

4) Attitude may make Michigan the new Mississippi

By Nolan Finley

qg says…
From The Governor’s article “Our call to action is clear: We must make a college education a universal goal for every student in Michigan.
Why? Because we know that college -- whether it's at a four-year university, a two-year community college or in an equally demanding apprenticeship or technical training program -- provides students with the skills they need to be successful in work and to help drive our economic growth.
Last year, I set a challenging goal -- to double the number of college graduates in Michigan in the next 10 years. I asked our lieutenant governor, John Cherry, to lead a Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth to enlist leaders from across our state to find ways to achieve that goal.
This diverse group -- business and labor leaders, K-12 and college educators, Republican and Democratic lawmakers and many others -- developed 19 recommendations to improve education in our state and better reap the rewards that higher levels of education can bring to our economy.”

qg - This “sounds” great, my questions are where are the 19 recommendations (are they on a web site)? Why did it take so long (when you have that many leaders, trying to coordinate schedules and time is very difficult, after all, while this commission is a priority, it is one of many)?

qg - By what “method” will these goals and recommendations be accomplished and by whom?


qg – Please see post "Raise Michigan High School Standards" – where there are other questions concerning the commission.

qg – I wrote an earlier post on 4/25/05 about the new:
· MICHIGAN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK (www.qualityg.blogspot.com/2005/04/education-michigan-school-improvement.html)
· Why aren’t the Detroit and Local News Papers (Free Press & News) picking up and asking questions about this framework?

www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-6530_30334---,00.html
· They want feedback. I did, did you? How could you when you have to go to the state education site to see it, if they want comments for their survey then get a proper sample.
· Will this framework work with the 19 recommendations or will the different commissions drive them? Where is the synergy?
· Will they compete for dollars from the state educational budget?


We must eat or be eaten as a state, I as governor, refuse to let us become some other
country's meal." and she said "Every child in Michigan must go on to college."

qg says…(5/1/05)- I can no more go out on my deck and yell to my garden “grow, grow,
and double in size from last year, than will some of these educational goals and "slogans" be accomplished.

Why? My garden needs a plan (includes the proper times, with milestones, etc…), it needs a method by which to cultivate the soil, prevent weeds, assure water and sunlight, fertilize at the appropriate times and keep the vermin (aka –politicians) away from the goods (process).
As I have said in many posts, without using “systems thinking” and involving all groups (interdependencies) from beginning to end you will only continue to band aid (tamper) the system.
I guess if I just plant a bulb and do nothing else, I may get a beautiful flower on it's own, but I bet it will be eventually surrounded by weeds and strangle the little fella.

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