KASB Blogs: High School Graduation Rates, Implications & New Georgetown U. Report

High school graduation rates rise, but economy demands more

The Kansas State Board of Education met in a work session this week to examine state graduation and dropout rates and their impact on its Kansans Can vision.

Kansas State Department of Education staff presented data showing that while state high school graduation rates continue to rise, a high school diploma alone will not be sufficient to equip Kansas students to achieve and maintain middle-class status and pay.

In fact, a recent report by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (SEE BELOW) noted that by 2020 -- just four years from now -- 71 percent of Kansas job-seekers will require some sort of postsecondary education and training in order to compete for jobs in the post-Great Recession economy.

The report, “America’s Divided Recovery; College Haves and Have-Nots,” found that 99 percent of job growth since the great Recession has gone to workers with at least some postsecondary education.

As the Kansas economy struggles to regain its post-recession footprint, the Georgetown study -- and its implication for the state’s education system -- begs further examination and discussion by state policymakers. 

New report shows shift to college jobs and earnings; Kansas schools respond

A new national report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) found that 99 percent of job growth in the United States since the Great Recession has gone to workers with at least some postsecondary education.

Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson told the State Board of Education this week the study underscores the importance boosting both high school graduation and college participation, two outcomes of the board’s “Kansans Can” initiative.

The report, “America’s Divided Recovery: College Haves and Have-Nots,” says that out of the 11.6 million jobs created in the post-recession economy, 11.5 million went to workers with more than a high school education and 8.4 million went to workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher, while employment of workers with a high school diploma or less only grew by 80,000 jobs in the recovery.

“The modern economy continues to leave Americans without a college education behind,” said Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Georgetown Center and lead author of the report. In the report, “college” refers to any postsecondary education, including technical certificates and two-year associate’s degree.

Kansas Association of School Boards spokesperson Mark Tallman says Kansas schools have been responding to this trend. “According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 60.1 percent of Kansans aged 18-24 have some college education, including any postsecondary hours, a technical education certificate, an associate’s degree or higher; up from 51.9 percent in 2005. In 2014 Kansas ranked seventh in the nation in percentage of 18-24-year-olds participating in postsecondary education.”

The percent of 18-24-year-old Kansans who have completed a four year degree rose from 9.7 percent in 2005 to 10.3 percent in 2014. “Keep in mind that only about one-third of Kansans in that six-year age group - those who are 23 and 24 years old - could earn a four-year degree within that time period,” said Tallman. “This means the percent of Kansas who could have earned a four-year degree and did so within six years of graduation rose from about 29 percent to over 34 percent. Kansas ranked 19th nationally in the percent of 18-24-year-olds with a four-year degree.”

However, even with these improvements, Tallman says Kansas will still struggle to meet previous projections from the Georgetown Center, which said by 2020 about 71 percent of Kansas jobs will require some training beyond high school and 35 percent will require a four-year degree or higher.

Improving the rates of high school graduation and postsecondary participation and completion has been a key focus of the Kansas State Board of Education’s “Kansans Can” initiative. A second focus has been working with each student to develop an individual plan of study based on career interests.

Commissioner Randy Watson noted that the Kansas State Board of Education was already deeply engaged in increasing the percent of students with some type of post secondary credential. “The State Board of Education vision for education - ‘Kansas Will Lead the World in the Success of Each Student’, drives their belief that all students should be moving toward completing some type of education beyond high school.”

The recession and recovery have hastened a long-term change in the composition of the American workforce. In 2016, for the first time, workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher are a larger proportion of the workforce (36 percent) than those with a high school diploma or less (34 percent). Workers with more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree, who are typically employed in middle-skill occupations, comprise the remaining 30 percent of the workforce.

Nationally, the report found that workers with at least some postsecondary education now make up 65 percent of the total employment, and works with a four-year degree now earn 57 percent of all wages.

KASB research of U.S. Census Bureau data shows that 64 percent of Kansans over age 24 have some postsecondary education, but earn 73 percent of wages; and 32 percent of Kansans over 24 have a four-year degree and earn 44 percent of all wages in the state.

Occupational and industry shifts have been major drivers of change in the labor market. Production industries, such as manufacturing, construction and natural resources, shifted from employing nearly half of the workforce in 1947 to only 19 percent in 2016. On the other hand, industries that employ managerial and professional workers such as healthcare, business, financial, education and government services accounted for 28 percent of the workforce in 1947 and have grown to encompass 46 percent of the workforce today.

The largest occupational group in the American economy, routine office and administrative support jobs, lost 1.4 million jobs during the recession and recovery, primarily because of automation and the rise in digital information storage. These occupations were a primary source of jobs for workers with a high school diploma or less, in many cases, so the decline of these jobs has hit less-educated workers particularly hard.

Other key report findings include the following.

In the recovery, graduate degree holders gained 3.8 million jobs, bachelor's degree holders gained 4.6 million jobs, and Associate’s degree holders (and those with some college education) gained over 3 million jobs, compared to workers with a high school diploma or less, who added only 80,000 jobs.

About 5.8 million high-skill jobs in the recovery are going to workers with a B.A. or higher, whereas low skill jobs are the only area of growth for workers with a high school diploma or less.

Among industries, consulting and business services added the largest number of jobs in the recovery (2.5 million), while manufacturing added the second most (1.7 million). Manufacturing, however, still has 1 million fewer jobs than it did before the recession began. Construction added 834,000 jobs during recovery, but is still 1.6 million jobs short of it  pre-recession employment — the largest gap among all industries.

Management added the largest number of jobs of any occupation since the recession began (1.6 million), while healthcare professional and technical occupations added the second most jobs (1.5 million).

“While it’s reassuring to see the economy back on track, we can’t ignore this tale of two countries with vastly different economic realities for those with and without a college education,” said Tamara Jayasundera, senior economist at the Georgetown Center and co-author of the report. “Fewer pathways to the middle class for those with less education will continue to reshape the labor market and American culture as we know it.”

Teacher Pipeline Shrinking: A Blog by the Kansas Association of School Boards

Teacher pipeline shrinking, task force tells State Board of Education

The pipeline of teachers in Kansas has decreased significantly over the past few years, a blue ribbon task force on the teacher shortage reported Tuesday to the State Board of Education.

The number of teacher education majors in public and private colleges in Kansas decreased 31 percent, from 7,752 in 2011 to 5,379 in 2014. The number of teaching degrees completed dropped 16 percent during that time from 2,271 to 1,901.

"That gives us the most concern," said Ken Weaver, who is dean of The Teacher's College at Emporia State University, and co-chair of the task force.

Rudy Perez, principal of Norton High School, who also served as co-chair said the challenges to increasing the number of teachers are low salaries, criticism of the profession and the instability of education funding.

Perez said the teaching profession "is getting pretty beat up." He said some of his staff members have difficulty persuading their own children to consider teaching as a  profession.

The task force recommended continued study of the teacher shortage issue and to involve local leaders to develop incentives to recruit and retain teachers. The group also urged the creation of a public relations campaign to tell inspirational stories about teaching.

In 2015-16, 220 of 286 school districts reported no vacancies, the task force said. Of the 277 vacancies unfilled for that school year, those vacancies were clustered in the southwest region, Kansas City, the northeast region and Wichita, the group said.

Of the 2,789 teachers who left the profession last year, 1,123 were due to retirement, while 500 provided no reason.

Weaver and Perez emphasized that the state needs to gather more data on why teachers were leaving and continue studying the issue to develop ways to get more people interested in teaching.

Education Board Chairman Jim McNiece called the report "a great start" adding the subject of teacher shortages may be studied further at a future board work session.

Four members of the KASB board were members of the task force. They included Lori Blake of Southeast Saline USD 306, Margaret Nightengale of Ulysses USD 214, Betty Arnold of Wichita USD 259 and Pam Robinson of Blue Valley USD 229.

(KASB released a report last August on how Kansas teacher salaries, education and experience compare to other states.)

Voter Registration Deadline Looms July 12th

As we have highlighted before, the voter registration deadline for the Aug. 2 primary is quickly approaching. Complete registration information must be filed at your County Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12.

Recent rulings in different court cases have still left things up in the air on the proof of citizenship requirements that were adopted in Kansas in 2014.  To be safe we recommend having the appropriate documentation as outlined below available when you register.

Evidence Required

Any person registering to vote in Kansas for the first time will be required to provide satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship. Individuals registered to vote in Kansas as of the effective date of this requirement are deemed to have submitted proof of citizenship and are exempt from the requirement as long as they remain on the voter registration list. Moving from one place to another within Kansas or modifying one's registration records does not require the person to re-submit proof of citizenship. If a voter's registration is canceled, the person must submit a citizenship document when re-registering.

If a citizenship document is not provided at the time the person submits his or her voter registration application, it may be submitted at a later time. Such person may (1) mail or deliver the document to the county election office by the close of business on the day before the election, or (2) submit it electronically by midnight the day before the election. "Electronically" means fax, email or other electronic means approved by the Secretary of State.

Valid Citizenship Documents

• Birth certificate that verifies United States citizenship
• United States passport or pertinent pages of the applicant's valid or expired United States passport identifying the applicant and the applicant's passport number
• United States naturalization documents or the number of the certificate of naturalization
• Other documents or methods of proof of United States citizenship issued by the federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
• Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number or tribal enrollment number
• Consular report of birth abroad of a citizen of the United States
• Certificate of citizenship issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Certification of report of birth issued by the United States Department of State
• American Indian card, with KIC classification, issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security (Note: This document applies only to a small Texas band of the Kickapoo tribe with slightly more than 50 members.)
• Final adoption decree showing the applicant's name and United States birthplace
• United States military record of service showing applicant's place of birth in the United States
• Extract from a United States hospital record of birth created at the time of the applicant's birth indicating the applicant's place of birth in the United States
• Only if the agency indicates on the applicant's driver's license or nondriver's identification card that the person has provided satisfactory proof of United States citizenship, then a driver's license or nondriver's identification card issued by the Kansas Division of Vehicles or the equivalent governmental agency of another state within the United States

No Citizenship Documents

Applicants who cannot meet the citizenship verification requirement because they do not possess any of the documents listed above to prove their U.S. citizenship may:

• if born in Kansas, apply for a free birth certificate using Form BCA (Español), (Affidavit of Person Requesting Free Certified Copy of Birth Certificate) and Form VS-235 10/09 (Application for Certified Copy of Kansas Birth Certificate), or
• if not born in Kansas, instructions for obtaining a birth certificate in another state or territory may be found at the National Center for Health Statistics website, or
• appeal to the state election board for consideration of the registration application by submitting Form RCD (Español) (Request for Consideration of U.S. Citizenship Documents by State Election Board of Kansas).

Registration can be completed by paper or online, and registered voters must verify their eligibility to register with supporting documentation. For step by step instructions and links to paperwork and online registration visit www.VoteKs.org

If you, or friends and family members are not sure of your Voter Registration Status you can find your information including polling place and voter history by following this link to the Kansas Secretary of State website:

https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/Home.do%3bjsessionid=lhyGLjm6jUeWbi4I6ntDq1syUvtKD7nWaSlMzI3l.prim-ksvoterview1

KASB Blog: Does Money Matter?

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

NEPC answers the question "Does Money Matter?"

The following post presents research or analyses from outside KASB and is presented for information purposes.  KASB neither endorses nor refutes the conclusions or recommendations contained herein.

This month, the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) released a research review entitled "Does Money Matter?" The report gives a very good review of the debate related to the connection between school funding and student outcomes. You can read it here.

The report notes the 1966 Coleman Report, which found that outside-of-school factors had a much higher impact on student outcomes than school-level factors, marks the beginning of the current debate. Eric Hanushek's 1986 article which asserted "variations in school expenditures are not systematically related to variations in student performance" is reported as a widely cited and influential. Others, including Hedges, Laine, Greenwald, Baker, and Welner have published work that contradicts this finding.

By the 90's, the author states, the debate moved from "does money matter" to how much and where money matters. He indicates the following as conclusions and recommendations:

• Adequate and equitable distributions of school financial resources are a necessary underlying condition for maintaining democracy, improving school quality and equality of outcomes.
• While specific results vary from place to place, in general, money does matter and it matters most for economically deprived children.
• Gains from investing in education are found in test scores, later earnings, and graduation rates.
• The largest gains in achievement have been in states that have undertaken fundamental financial reforms.
• In any case, money must be spent wisely. In some cases, necessary expenditures (facilities, administration, etc.) will not be reflected in academic gains.
• Among the most productive investments resulting from increased spending are
• High-quality preschool
• Small class sizes – particularly in lower grades and for economically deprived children.
• Teacher pay
• Additional learning time has a positive effect on academic motivation and low - performing students.

KASB Blog: School Board Members Invited to Start of Special Legislative Session to Address School Finance

School board members invited to attend start of special session

With a special session on school finance starting Thursday, the KASB Executive Committee is inviting school board members to come to Topeka to urge legislators to do what is needed to ensure Kansas students are successful.

KASB President Don Shimkus and President-elect Amy Martin issued a joint statement, saying, “Our calm, respectful presence will bolster the legislators working to protect schools. And encourage the rest to do the right thing. For the right reason.”

The special session starts at 8 a.m. Thursday. Those coming to the Statehouse can meet in the Visitor’s Center, which KASB has secured from 8 a.m. to noon. A joint meeting of the House and Senate budget committees will start at 9 a.m. in room 346-South. That meeting is expected to go to at least noon and will be followed by a House Appropriations Committee meeting on school finance legislation in room 114-North.

It is crucial legislators hear from school board members, who as community leaders and knowledgeable advocates for education, are uniquely qualified to provide information that will help legislators make the right decisions.

Board members are needed to provide a strong presence to our Legislature by wearing their school shirts to show support, attend and observe House and Senate sessions in the gallery, get other board members and concerned parents to travel to Topeka and be a source of information for legislators and the media.

Gov. Sam Brownback called the Legislature back into session to address the Kansas Supreme Court’s school finance decision in which the court directed the state to fix equity funding.

As legislators return to work, the session will likely be contentious with many competing ideas and special interests on how to address the court ruling. Many groups have scheduled rallies. School board members must encourage legislators and keep them focused on what is needed to protect and improve our excellent Kansas public schools.

Please also follow media reports and KASB, through News Briefs, Twitter and Facebook to stay abreast of developments during the session. If you plan to travel to the Statehouse on Thursday, please contact KASB.  KASB will always be available to provide informal information and briefings on developments during the special session.

KASB Blog: Judiciary Committees End Pre-Session; Democrats Unveil Finance Plan

House, Senate judiciary committees end pre-session meeting; Democrats unveil school finance plan

After two days of meeting, Republican majorities on the House and Senate judiciary committees declined to endorse recommending compliance with the Kansas Supreme Court ruling on school finance and instead, at least on the Senate side, teed up debate for a proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit the court from closing schools.

The committees met jointly Thursday and Friday to consider possible school funding changes and possible constitutional amendments in preparation for the start of a special legislative session on June 23 to address a ruling from the court that the Legislature fix equity funding to schools by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved recommending that when the session starts, a proposed constitutional amendment be introduced that will prohibit the court or the Legislature from closing a school as part of a remedy in school finance litigation.

State Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the amendment is needed to prevent a disruption of schools but Democrats said limiting what the court can use as a remedy would destroy the balance of power between the three branches of government and deny Kansans the right to seek redress of wrongs in the court. The House Judiciary Committee made no recommendation on proposed constitutional amendments.

Any amendment to the Kansas Constitution would require two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate before being placed on the ballot. Officials said if an amendment were approved during the special session, it would be on the Nov. 8 ballot for consideration. There is already a state law that prohibits the state Supreme Court from closing schools.

On the issue of school finance, both the House and Senate judiciary committees approved sending to each chamber's respective budget committees, the minutes, from the two days of meetings, but without any recommendations. A specific motion before the House Judiciary Committee to recommend the House Appropriations Committee raise $38 million to comply with the court ruling was defeated by Republicans as Democrats and several Republicans voted for it.

Both judiciary committees also said they would study further whether to try to fashion a so-called "hold harmless" provision to keep funding level for districts that might lose some funding in an equity fix.

Meanwhile, House and Senate Democrats unveiled a plan to fund approximately $39 million in response to the court's equity ruling.

The proposal would use $15.2 million from the current extraordinary needs fund, $13 million from a job creation fund in the Kansas Department of Commerce, $7.3 million by freezing the level of funding for virtual school funding, $3 million from federal welfare funds and $750,000 now set aside for tax credits for private school scholarships.

The Democrats also said they would oppose proposed constitutional amendments aimed at limiting the Kansas Supreme Court.

"It's beyond time for us to get to work to address the real problem so that all Kansas children, no matter where they live in Kansas, have access to a quality education next school year," said Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka.

Democrats are vastly outnumbered by Republicans, 32-8 in the Senate and 98-27 in the House.

KASB UPDATE: Education advocates urge compliance with court ruling on school finance; committee discussion Friday

Education advocates urge compliance with court ruling on school finance; committee discussion Friday

Education advocates on Thursday urged legislators to raise the necessary funds to comply with a Kansas Supreme Court order on school finance and to leave the court alone. But powerful interest groups and leading state officials have proposed constitutional amendments aimed at the court and they say the recent ruling on school equity can be met within existing appropriations to the school system.

Testimony on school finance and the judicial battle was given to the House and Senate judiciary committees, which conducted a joint meeting in the run-up to the special legislative session that starts June 23. The joint committee meeting will continue Friday in which legislators will discuss possible recommendations to the full Legislature.

Last month, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the Legislature's school finance law failed to provide enough equity funding to poor districts and said an unconstitutional school finance system couldn't extend beyond June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Gov. Sam Brownback and his Republican allies said the court was threatening to close schools and needed to be reined in.

But on Thursday, school groups, including KASB, and education advocates recommended that legislators quickly comply with the court ruling and allocate anywhere from $38 million to $50 million deemed necessary. Here is a link to testimony before the committee.

The school representatives said the Legislature should avoid even the possibility of school closures, saying a shutdown would have a devastating impact on schools, parents, students and the state.

David Smith, a spokesman for Kansas City USD 500, pleaded with legislators, noting that most of his district's students come from impoverished backgrounds and are relying on public school education to "realize the American dream."

KASB, United School Administrators of Kansas, the Kansas School Superintendents Association, representatives of Kansas City, Wichita and Pratt school districts recommended restoration of equity formulas already approved by the court. For districts that could lose funding by returning to previous Local Option Budget equalization, the groups said they would support a "hold harmless" provision if it were provided to all districts in similar circumstances. Later in the day, Johnson County chambers of commerce and school officials from Blue Valley, De Soto, Gardner-Edgerton, Olathe and Shawnee Mission recommended the previous LOB formula and hold harmless.

But the Kansas Chamber, which is the state's largest business lobbying organization, said the funding to provide equity could be taken from schools' "unencumbered funds" and distributed by the Kansas State Department of Education. The Kansas Policy Institute, a group that frequently opposes school spending, recommended legislators use existing school funds even if that meant taking money away from some districts and giving it to others. KPI also said if schools are closed during the current funding dispute, then the state should issue vouchers for students to go to public or private schools.

On the issue of proposed constitutional amendments, state Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, passed to committee members a measure that would prohibit the Kansas Supreme Court or Legislature from closing schools. To amend the Kansas Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate and majority vote during an election.

Kansas Chamber President Mike O'Neal, who is a former speaker of the Kansas House, said the chamber supports such a proposal. KPI said the Legislature should consider an amendment to remove the word "suitable" from the portion of the Kansas Constitution that requires the Legislature to "make suitable provision for the finance of the educational interests of the state."

The Kansas Bar Association submitted testimony that said the notion the court is threatening to close schools is misguided and that the court found the Legislature's law doesn't comply with Kansas Constitution. An attorney for the Kansas Legislative Research Department told legislators the court has many options to enforce the ruling short of closing schools.

Several education advocacy groups said any amendment that would limit remedies of the Kansas Supreme Court would weaken state government and the ability of Kansans to seek judicial redress for wrongs.

The KASB Delegate Assembly adopted a resolution that says, "We support the role of an independent judiciary in enforcing constitutional provisions. We oppose either changing the selection process for judges or limiting the ability of the courts to enforce those provisions, which would weaken the traditional separation of powers in Kansas."

Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy at KASB, said, “The people of Kansas placed the requirement for suitable finance of the educational interests of the state in the state constitution precisely in order to provide a higher standard than ordinary legislative majorities. A constitutional right or requirement that cannot be enforced is not right at all.”