Community Conversations
Community Conversations - Questions and Answers from Stark State College of Technology
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I'm aware of the Governor's higher education initiative, but I'm concerned with the K-12 pipeline as a whole, especially for the students I work with as an outreach counselor with Stark State's FAME Program, which is focused on African-American male education at schools throughout Stark County. I find students are ill-prepared–especially socially–when I start working with them. Since studies show that middle school experience really determines what happens when students go on to college, can you tell me if the strategic plan contains any other initiatives that address helping students earlier in the pipeline before they begin high school?
As the state's public system of higher education, the strategic plan states that the University System of Ohio will help students prepare for college and raise the educational aspirations of all Ohioans. In doing so, the plan calls for Ohio's higher education system to take greater initiative in advancing the collaboration of the Partnership for Continued Learning, a statutory body in Ohio, chaired by the Governor, that includes the state superintendent of public instruction, the Chancellor, legislative, education and leaders. Its goal is to identify and support policies and practices that build an effective educational pipeline from pre-school through higher education (P-16). Pages 73-78 of the plan outline some of the strategies for strengthening higher education's relationship with the K-12 system, including sections on "Establishing Clear Standards of College Readiness," "Helping High School Students Aspire and Prepare for College," "No Dropouts–Combined High School Completion/College Readiness Courses," and "Improving Teacher Education and Expanding the Role of Education Schools." In addition, the plan's "Technology Infrastructure" section includes strategies for integrating technology across the primary and secondary and higher education spectrum, which among other things, would allow K-12 and higher education administrators and policymakers to track the progress of students from K-12 through college and give K-12 students access to the higher education library and information resources that will help them learn how to do the research necessary in college level classes (pages 80-85). The strategic plan also calls for the establishment of the Leadership Center for African-American Male Achievement, which will be a research-based facility focusing its work in four areas: educational policy analysis and development, advocacy, research, and evaluation and training. The center will study factors leading to success in college for African-American males and could be another avenue involving collaboration between higher education and the broader educational pipeline (page 93). Finally, some of the Seniors to Sophomores pilot programs you mentioned actually do describe processes for starting college awareness in middle school.
As far as existing initiatives go, Ohio does operate GEAR UP Ohio, a program designed to help students be more aware of college opportunities and prepare for successful college participation. The program works with both middle and high school students and their families, though the program's emphasis is on providing early awareness/early intervention services to those in middle school. GEAR UP Ohio is in its third year of a six-year federal $20 million grant, operating in eight urban and rural GEAR UP "lighthouse" sites around the state. During this third year of the grant, leaders are focusing on program expansion and sustainability. For more information, go to http://regents.ohio.gov/gearup.
I've attended several national workshops as an Ohio Learning Commission peer reviewer where we've looked at the relationship between and assessment of student learning and accountability. Are student learning and accountability addressed in the strategic plan?
The strategic plan clearly states that accountability is the path to change, and devotes a section ("Measuring Our Success," pages 102-110) on system-wide and individual accountability measures by which progress can be measured. Some of the key strategies are as follows:
The University System of Ohio Accountability Measures will track progress toward meeting our goals as a system. By Dec. 31, 2008, the presidents of each institution, with the approval of their Board of Trustees, will submit to the Chancellor a document indicating how the institution will contribute to meeting the system-wide accountability measures. (Note: a listing of the accountability measures in the categories "Access," "Quality," "Affordability and Efficiency," and "Economic Leadership" can be found on page 104 of the strategic plan.)
All universities will join the Voluntary System of Accountability, making data available regarding price, financial aid, degree programs, retention and graduation rates, campus safety, student satisfaction, and student learning outcomes. All universities will administer and report on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
All community colleges will adopt a nationally benchmarked, transparent system of accountability similar to the Voluntary System of Accountability. All community colleges will administer the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE).
I see the word STEM spelled two ways (one is with two m's, which includes Medical), and want to know how the educational grant making systems in place in the state of Ohio now address "Medical." I think there’s an excellent opportunity within the state of Ohio to capture education dollars for the medical practices.
Nationally, the acronym "STEM" generally refers to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In Ohio, however, STEM also includes medical, as well as medical education. The strategic plan's "Research and Innovation" section contains a key strategy calling for the Ohio Innovation Partnership, including the Ohio Research Scholars Program–which exists in partnership with the Third Frontier Commission–and the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program, to be made permanent and expanded when possible. Both initiatives support innovation within the health care field.
The Ohio Research Scholars Program provides endowment funds to colleges to recruit faculty to the five technology-focused fields of the Third Frontier Project: Biosciences, Information Technology, Advanced Materials, Power and Propulsion (Energy), and Instruments, Controls and Electronics. Announced awards can be viewed here: http://regents.ohio.gov/news/press_releases/2008/OBRMediaRel20May08.pdf.
The second initiative, the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program (COFSP), provides funds to colleges to recruit talented students to the STEM disciplines, including those who wish to study within the medical and education field. Colleges must submit proposals describing how they would go about recruiting students to the STEM disciplines, as well as strategies they would employ to make sure that the students are successful once they enroll. One of the specific goals of COFSP is to seek partnerships between education and business to create internships and co-op programs. Awards in the first round went to eight different collaborations with focuses ranging from the recruitment of under-represented students, to building a pipeline of nursing educators, to an expansion of successful co-op education programs. Choose Ohio First awards can be viewed here: http://regents.ohio.gov/news/press_releases/2008/OBRPRel07Mar08.pdf
Stark County has a valuable resource called the Employment Source. It's part of the workforce development system of the State of Ohio where there are One-Stops set up to try to link people who are seeking jobs or training with employers who need workers. How is that system going to fit in to the University System of Ohio?
The Employment Source is a One-Stop workforce provider as authorized under the Workforce Investment Act and, like all Workforce Investment Act activities, operates under the oversight of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Under Governor Strickland's Executive Order 2008-05S, ODJFS will focus its workforce efforts on meeting the needs of individuals, much as the Ohio Department of Development will focus on the needs of businesses and the University System of Ohio will focus on providing training and education solutions to help both individuals and employers stay competitive in this global economy.
One of the goals of the Ohio Skills Bank is to bring regional workforce professionals, educators and employers together to remedy the critical occupation and skill shortages that impede economic growth. In that vein, and keeping in the spirit of the Governor's Executive Order, the Ohio Skills Bank is engaging its Workforce Investment Boards and their One-Stop Centers toward developing systemic solutions to these shortages. We hope that One-Stops seize the opportunity through the Ohio Skills Bank to build even more meaningful linkages with their partners in education and meet the needs of their One-Stop clients.
More information on the Ohio Skills Bank can be found on pages 91-92 of the Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008-2017.
I'm very excited to hear about Stark County's achievement levels and how some of our audience members are discussing scaling up efforts. My question is directed to the state goals. Have you decided on any formalized system of accountability at the county level, so that we know what to target for in Cuyahoga County?
The University System of Ohio has a specific list of 20 accountability measures that will drive the overall goal of the system, which is to raise the educational attainment level of the state as a whole. The University System goals focus on the institutions and their ability to move Ohio forward. The institutions themselves will coordinate their own set of targets to contribute to the state, which may incorporate specific county-level goals. For more information, see the strategic plan's "Measuring Our Success" section (pages 102-110).
I had the opportunity to observe Rob Miller's class in the video gaming and tech prep program. Rob informed me that next year he may be struggling a little bit because some of the high schools are going to be unable to send their students over to him due to the funding model. How does this plan job loss section speak to that?
As recent as last fall, Stark State discussed using the PSEO model for Tech Prep. According to Career Technical schools, using this model will affect their weighted funding, which is needed for their operations. The Seniors to Sophomores program for students in a career technical/Tech Prep pathway affects the career technical school's weighted funding because the student is on the college campus. From our understanding, through communication with ODE, there are three variables that contribute to weighted funding: Course, Teacher and Student. The funding follows the student.
I believe there's an intersection between and the significant dropout rate some of our school systems have. At that intersection is the state's GED programs. I teach a GED program, which has four teachers and 23 assistants, and graduates about 50 people–some of whom I make sure come to Stark State College. The program graduates about 50 people a year for a total of $69,000. Is there anything in the plan addressing the GED, a fairly significant program with a lot of motivated people?
The strategic plan calls for the University System of Ohio to reach out to all students who do not complete their high school education and work to re-engage them in academic programs offered through the Board of Regents that combine high school completion with college readiness. These programs will be developed and administered by the adult literacy network that has been transferred to the Board of Regents from the Ohio Department of Education. Since the state guarantees support for high school completion through the Ohio Department of Education for students up to age 21, funding will be shared by the Ohio Department of Education and Board of Regents. Students who complete the high school diploma through this initiative may be counted on the graduation statistics gathered by the Ohio Department of Education, giving both colleges and high schools the incentive to participate. For more information, see "No Dropouts–Combined High School Completion/College Readiness Courses" in the "Relationship with K-12 System" section of the strategic plan (page 77).
About one-third of the four-year students in college in the State of Ohio attend private colleges. How will the University System of Ohio coordinate and cooperate with the private colleges to enroll and graduate more two-and four-year students?
Both nonprofit and for-profit private colleges and universities play an important role in determining our state's educational attainment levels. Their contribution to this goal will help determine the success of the strategic plan. Ohio's private colleges and universities have indicated individually and through their association, a desire to contribute to the public good in the state and to support the goals described in the strategic plan. Currently awarding more than one-third of the state's bachelor's degrees and educating more than one-fourth of its students, private colleges and universities will continue to make numerous contributions to the achievement of the state's higher education goals in the next decade. For more information, see strategies outlined in the strategic plan's "Partnership with Ohio's Private Colleges and Universities" section (112-115). Strategies outlining some of the ways we'll work together include: Research, Credit Transfer, Partnerships in "Two Plus Two" Programs, Reforming Program Approval, Adult Learners, and Incentive Funding.
Some years back, for the first time in my career, I wrote a letter to the editor concerning the Ohio Graduation Test (or OGT). At that point in time I was absolutely convinced–and am even more convinced today–it’s the biggest waste of money Ohio has ever spent. As a result of this letter I sent, I received a letter from the state saying that Stark County could file a waiver, but (the same letter stated) that the waiver wouldn’t be granted. Instead of the OGT, Ohio should be using the ACT test–something many other states are doing. The OGT is a barrier, and you can’t use it to get into any college in the world. The ACT, on the other hand, gives the student the opportunity to go to college. In other states, when they initiated the ACT, it was amazing how the number of students that went to college increased. Now if you can’t implement this [waiver] statewide, if you give Stark County one, we’ll prove it in here.
The strategic plan actually calls for using the ACT test to establish clear standards of college readiness, something the state of Ohio urgently needs. While it is common to speak about the extent to which high school graduates are college ready, up until now higher education has in fact not clearly identified what "college ready" means. The plan adopts a clear definition so that higher education can immediately begin working with parents, students, teachers, and counselors to help students get ready for college. The goal of identifying this standard is to give all students the knowledge of what is required to avoid the need for remedial education, thus saving money and time toward a college degree. The University System of Ohio will be a leader in helping students meet and exceed this standard before entering college. For more information on Ohio's statewide placement policy, see page 74 of the strategic plan.
How will the adult workforce learner–the person who's going back to school at 40 or 45-years-old–actually fit into the system now? We have a stackable credential, but will adult workforce learners actually need four-year degrees? Can we go ahead and put them in the workforce and maybe slowly and surely work them up to associate degrees and use those stackable credentials?
Adults face many challenges as they pursue postsecondary credentials and they have different needs and motivations than traditional college students. It is not surprising that relatively few adults–many of whom left high school before earning a diploma and/or without the knowledge and skills required for postsecondary education–succeed in upgrading their skills, earning needed credentials and becoming self-directed, lifelong learners.
To be effective in addressing these challenges, we must then address the unique needs, aspirations and motivations of adult learners. Our initiatives cannot be grounded in an assumption that adult learners are just like traditional college and university students–just older. They cannot ignore the fact that most nontraditional students need to ready themselves for jobs quickly and cannot afford full-time enrollment. Some may not be able to pursue, at least initially, an associate's or bachelor's degree. And still others may be looking for limited training with an "open door" that allows them to return again and again as their needs change or they are presented with new opportunities.
Very simply, we need to create new, accessible pathways that make it easier for adult learners–particularly those in hard-to-serve populations–to prepare themselves for career-relevant postsecondary education and training. (See the strategic plan section "Adult Learners and Workforce Training, pages 56-60.) We need to ensure that new pathways offer effective remedial education, provide supports that help adult learners overcome both academic and non-academic barriers, and allow learners to move smoothly from adult career-technical programs to a credential or degree program at a community college or university campus.
This is what Ohio's "stackable certificates" initiative is all about. It offers a clear and accessible path for adults seeking to advance their education – and to improve the quality of their lives. The initiative, which will be "delivered" primarily through the Ohio Skills Bank organizational structure, will be based on demonstrated competencies and experiences, as opposed to "seat time" spent in the classroom. Stackable certificates will provide a clear and accessible path for adults seeking to advance their education. It is being designed to help adult learners connect pre-college academic work to relevant technical coursework. With certificates, including many that could be industry recognized, it will give adults an accessible pathway to college-level degrees and improved employment opportunities. Certificates earned while an adult is enrolled in an institution of higher education may be turned into college credit in different subject competencies, subject to standards set by the University System of Ohio.
Early in your tenure you talked about the multiplicity of university programs across Ohio, especially in Northeast Ohio. Some of your critics and the Governor's critics have already said you’ve decided not to attack this multiplicity–this growing problem. Looking at the Cleveland State and University of Akron duplication, it's clear we have far too many providers and services. What are current efforts to consolidate programs?
In terms of providers, the strategic plan notes that observers are often surprised by the sheer number and breadth of Ohio's public universities. The temptation is to conclude that we have too many, and to try and prune the system. But the fact is that Ohio, the seventh largest state in the union, has about the average number of schools per capita. Since the plan calls for attracting more students to our campuses, graduating more people, and keeping them here after they graduate, it would work against these objectives to reduce the size of the system.
The focus is not, therefore, on the number of institutions in the system, but on whether they are performing at the level the state needs. Across the system, there are programs of national and even international significance. Several Ohio schools, and many individual programs, regularly show up on widely accepted measures of research quality and scholarship. Many students are choosing Ohio schools over better known competitors. Nevertheless, Ohio's public institutions have not, on the whole, distinguished themselves on national and international benchmarks of quality.
For the University System of Ohio to be a magnet for talent and innovation, the quality and reputation of the universities must grow. It does Ohio no good to have 13 universities competing for resources, students and faculty. In a competitive global market for talent, the only way for the system as a whole to raise its quality is for each institution to develop distinctive missions and Centers of Excellence that are recognized by students, faculty and business leaders.
Elements of this mission differentiation will develop over time. The goal for most schools will be to sharpen their focus. Others have not yet taken this path. For those schools, this plan will be more difficult and perhaps engender greater concern. But it is a necessary effort, and the state must support it by targeting resources to programs of excellence and linking subsidies to achieving mission-driven goals and metrics.
A key strategy of the strategic plan calls for each of Ohio's 13 public university main campuses having distinctive missions, which include a comprehensive, high-quality education, as well as the establishment of nationally-recognized Centers of Excellence. In a report due to the Chancellor at the end of 2008, each university will identify and establish goals for their Centers of Excellence. This report, which must be approved by each institution's Board of Trustees, will also specify the externally-recognized standards that will be used to measure progress.
For more information, see the strategic plan section, "University System of Ohio: Structure–Mission Differentiation," pages 36-38.
