Letter: Education reform essential

The key to prosperity for Louisiana’s citizens lies in the growth of family wealth. Nothing short of a systemic change from low-income jobs and poverty must be the goal of our state. Such change depends upon the availability of wealth-building jobs resulting from the in-migration or growth of business. Business decisions are driven by numerous criteria, all of which depend upon its ability to make and to retain profits. This is what has made the American economic system so successful.

Postsecondary education is one criterion business uses to make decisions, along with a trained workforce, favorable tax policy, quality of life, fair civil justice, transportation, energy and a favorable regulatory environment. It is inappropriate to believe that any one of these criteria controls the decision process. Higher education certainly provides the means for individuals to improve their quality of life, but it is too simplistic to assert that higher education alone can be identified as the cure for any set of social ills.

Measuring the success of our system of higher education just by comparing annual funding levels fails to take into account the performance of our institutions. In Louisiana, we spend a significant portion of discretionary state funds every year on higher education, but until recently we asked and received little by way of outcomes for our investment. The performance of our schools, as measured by retention rates, graduation rates and alignment with workforce and economic development needs, yields overall very poor results. Duplication of degree programs and failure to eliminate programs with few students or completers are symptoms of the problem. Operating many more institutions than we need, for reasons other than good practice, ensures the reality of underfunding.

It is time we realize that we can never expect to provide world-class educational opportunities if we continue to pour funds into a system cobbled together with insufficient regard for the quality of the education process. Even during the years in which we expanded funding, there was no measurable increase in performance. It is past time to make hard decisions about our expectations of outcomes. Only with certainty that our higher education structure can successfully utilize scarce resources, should we focus unilaterally upon more funding.

In order to be able to attract the businesses which can create family wealth for Louisiana’s citizens, we must be able to provide a system of higher education that is high-performing, properly funded and aligned with workforce and economic development needs. We are not there yet, and are not likely to ever get there unless we fundamentally change the way we approach postsecondary education at all levels.

In Louisiana, business as usual is bad business!

Conrad Appel, chairman

Louisiana Senate Education Committee

Metairie

Comments

1) Comment by Toldyouso - 31/01/2013

Appel's true concern is keeping the committee chairmanship, not performance, outcomes and other stuff he's blithering about. He knows our brilliant governor's budget is going to be even more dismal in July than it already is. So the dutiful senator is trying to make it look like the cuts are warranted. Teepell must have added letters to the editor to the senator's list of chores.

2) Comment by KilgoreTrout - 31/01/2013

Translation: The peasants don't need fancy college educations to labor for the royalty. Interesting that Appel's letter appears on the internet, a practical result decades later of a government -research university partnership called ARPANET. Undoubtedly there was an outcry about no measurable increase in performance from ARPANET research when the money could have been used to train radio repairmen. While La. higher education certainly deserves scrutiny, dumbing down a research university is just that, dumb. Louisiana has never been known for educational or economic prowess and the tradition continues. Speaking of investments, how's that film industry taxpayer subsidy working out for you? No measurable increase in performance?

3) Comment by bourbon-soda - 31/01/2013

Unless Mr. Appel's company is doing a lot of government work, it probably does not have 40% pork built into its bids.

4) Comment by geauxtee - 31/01/2013

I tell you what Senator APPALL! Next time your private company bids on a job, bid 40% less than what you normally bid on a similar job and provide the same level of "performance". Let's see how long you stay in business! I look at you and I see a kool-aid mustache. It seems to be Jindal/ALEC flavored.

5) Comment by tradewinns - 31/01/2013

the bedrock of a successful education system is a parent demanding from their kid that they do the best they can in education. we dont have that because our local/state/federal politicians are exceddingly worried about retaining their position and not about the future of those kids. our failing schools are full of failing students backed by failing parents. and what is the results of their failing their responsibilities? as soon as they (the current students) qualify for assistance from a govermental source, they join and do as little as required to maintain their "source of income". or worse yet for the public, they become criminals. for the poorly educated crime is exteremly profitable (pays better than a 4 year degree in a very short time period) until caught. even when caught, due to our failed legal system, it's a minor set back and when released the money starts to flow again. there is no reason to try harder, life is good.

6) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 31/01/2013

by all means, Senator, let's turn all of our Universities into technical colleges. Or better yet, turn them all over to the University of Phoenix. What a Jindal stoolie....

7) Comment by ScotB - 30/01/2013

I hope Conrad has the answer to kids born to single moms, young people dropping out of high school, kids using drugs, and young men getting criminal records. These are life defining choices that are voluntarily made by our young people in this state. Can we legislate better choices? We have a culture that does not value an education in this state or personal responsibility.

8) Comment by phil - 30/01/2013

Also, kids, get all of the education that you can - it never hurts but it usually helps - and always continue to learn new things.

9) Comment by phil - 30/01/2013

This letter hits on a good subject but I think it has one basic flaw in my opinion. The word "wealth" needs to be replaced with the word "income". I think the key to prosperity for Louisiana’s citizens lies in the growth of family income and not family wealth. I realize this is a small difference in wording. However, I think one problem is that kids are often taught that they have to be wealthy to be successful and happy in life. Wealth does not make you happy and it does not really make you a better person. Kids, I think you should shoot for the stars, but don't worry too much if you turn out to be a regular ole happy middle class- person who has good values.

10) Comment by bourbon-soda - 30/01/2013

Great preaching, now go to meddling.

11) Comment by swinham - 30/01/2013

Congratulations on cementing your chairmanship, Senator Appel! Is there an original thought in your letter? Is there a single specific recommendation of how to achieve what you are regurgitating here?