Date: Sat, 04 Dec 1999 17:37:16 -0500 From: Fred Battey More on Baldrige. Also some material from the site of Partners for Education & Business, Inc. in NY state. Fred The National Alliance of Business, the American Productivity & Quality Center, and our business and education partners are launching a national effort to accelerate state and local efforts to raise student achievement. The Baldrige in Education Initiative (BiE IN) will support states and local communities in using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Criteria for Performance Excellence in their schools, by assisting them in aligning their reform initiatives. BiE IN will also help states and communities build the organizational capacity to continuously improve student and system performance. BiE IN has a three-point approach: 1. Build a national infrastructure of the key education and business organizations - including the national BCER partners - that represent educators, education policymakers, and their business partners. Organizations in this partnership will provide materials and technical support to their members. These organizations will also work strategically to help their members collaborate in using Baldrige as a long-term, comprehensive assessment framework. 2. Work with consortia of state and community-based leadership teams, beginning with five pilot sites in November 1999, to help states align their education policies. The teams will also be a resource, providing training and networking to school districts interested in using the Baldrige Criteria as the basis of their school/district improvement plans. In July, BiE IN will invite leaders and educators from every state to apply to be a pilot site. BiE IN will also provide each consortium with two years of support so that they can develop the training and networking capacity they need to support school districts statewide. The cost: $100,000 per state over two years, which will be supplemented by funding from foundations, businesses, and grant contributions. 3. Provide tools and technical support to accelerate and reinforce successful application of a Baldrige-based improvement strategy. BiE IN will raise funds to develop and disseminate materials that enhance the business-partner support role in implementing Baldrige in school districts. For more information about BiE IN, contact Peggy Siegel at NAB: (202) 289-2906, or Bob Newhouse at the American Productivity and Quality Center: (713) 685-7258. THE BCER IS THE VOICE OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ON THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT This June, the BCER's national business partners sent to Congress a joint policy statement on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The group sought the advice of its collective membership and from the BCER's 500+ state and local coalitions. Coordinated by NAB, the statement is intended to represent the business community's position on the legislation. The statement reflects broad consensus about the role of the Federal Government in education and the education issues that should be addressed in the legislation. While it does not attempt to address every issue in education reform or in the ESEA, it addresses those issues on which the business community can speak from experience at the state and local levels. The BCER believes that the Federal Government should not focus on running programs. Instead, it should be investing in local activities that are producing results and act as a catalyst and leader in education reform. Both Houses of Congress will consider the legislation in the fall and a compromise bill is expected to be ready by early the next year. On July 1st, NAB President Edward Rust, Jr., Chairman of NAB, Chairman of the Education Task Force at The Business Roundtable and Chairman and CEO, State Farm Companies, testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce to highlight the concerns of the business community. A copy of the statement can also be found on the BCER web-site (www.bcer.org). We encourage coalitions and companies to communicate with their Representatives and share their individual concerns. For more information contact Shannon Dunphy (202) 289-2918 or Tom Lindsley (202) 289-2932, both at the National Alliance of Business. Up to top BUSINESS AND EDUCATION LEADERS OFFER THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON HIGHER EDUCATION Higher education and business leaders agree: the most serious challenge facing higher education is not the high price tag, but the fact that many students are not sufficiently prepared for college. This was the major finding of Taking Responsibility: Leaders' Expectations of Higher Education, conducted by Public Agenda for The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The study surveyed leaders in higher education and business nationwide on their concerns about higher education. Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that a strong higher education system is vitally important to the well-being of American society. Eighty percent of the respondents said that a college education is more important today than it was ten years ago. However, these leaders are concerned that too many students are not prepared for college. According to the study, the education and business sectors believe that higher education cannot produce an educated society alone: primary and secondary schools need to adequately prepare students for college. While there was great consensus amongst respondents, business leaders disagreed with educators about how well colleges and universities are fulfilling their teaching mission. From the business perspective, higher education in America is not providing education in a cost-effective way. Furthermore, business leaders are the least likely of those surveyed to agree that today's colleges teach students the things that are important to know. For more information, contact The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 408/271-2699, or visit the web-site to download the report, www.highereducation.org. ______________________________________ Welcome to Partners for Education & Business, Inc.! http://www.peb.org/facts.htm Who we Are: Member of: Business Coalition for Education Reform, National Association of Partners in Education (NAPE) NAPE-NY. 11 school districts members: Syracuse City, North Syracuse, Lafayette, Fayetteville-Manlius, East Syracuse-Minoa, Liverpool, Westhill, Jamesville-Dewitt, Fabius-Pompey, Central Square, Baldwinsville 200+ school/business partners and affiliates affecting 60,000 students 26 member board representing higher education, parents, community, government, school districts, and employers. Mission: The mission of Partners for Education & Business, Inc. is to assure the quality of education and the economic vitality of Central New York by promoting, developing, and coordinating the involvement of schools, post-secondary institutions, businesses, employers, government and the community to enable our students to become more productive, responsible and contributing members of our community. Beliefs: We believe that: -the future of education depends on business and the future of business depends on education. -learning is a life-long process. -education is a priority concern and a responsibility shared by all. -all students can learn and succeed. -all children have the right to an education that enables them to be productive and contributing members of the community. -a collaboration of stakeholders is essential. -a sound educational system is critical for successful economic development. -continuous improvement is possible if risk-taking and willingness to change are present. -investment in education secures the future of our community. Visions: Curriculum Reform System Reform Financial Resources . The attached file is a standard graphic bitmap file that will open in most "Paint" programs or other graphic programs. It will also open in higher level word processing programs such as MS Word if you insert it as a picture. Most publishing packages will also open the file as a picture. I tried to find the original material on the internet without success on the sites of the National Alliance of Business (NAB) and American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) both of which act as managers of the Baldrige in Education Initiative. While I did not find the attachment I did find considerable education material and the activities of NAB and APQC in STW/Careers. I will forward this material in a separate message. Fred _____________________ All: Diana Fessler sent this. It is a scream that so many "groups" have detailed plans for ALL states and districts. Maybe they will ALL trip each other up--as in too many cooks spoil the broth. Then again, maybe that is the goal. All marks on the 'briefing" are Diana's. Thank you, Suzanne Attached is a one-page Executive Briefing on the Baldrige Criteria. Baldrige is a national initiative; the "new" framework for restructuring in ALL states. File includes the names of 24 National Partners and Design Team Partners (NC, Penellas, Brazosport, & Jim Shipley and Associates). The attachment was scanned in. You may need to use IrfanView (its free on the web) or some other software to view the file. Please don't write me and ask me how to read the file; find local help. I think you will find the effort worthwhile. If you can read my scanned files you will be able to receive additional information. Scanning will enable me to avoid fax/phone charges and photocopy bills. See http://www.nab.com http://www.apqc.org Also, if you pass any of my scanned files on, please strip out my name from the header.