Public Engagement Becoming Essential Component of
Education Cost Studies
Recognizing the value of public input on education
and the importance of broadening support for necessary
reforms in this public policy arena, cost
studies in New
York, Maine
and Kansas
incorporated public engagement in their methodologies
to both inform the public about the issues and gather
input from local communities.
New York
The New
York Adequacy Study, conducted by the American
Institutes for Research (AIR) and Management
Analyses and Planning, Inc. (MAP) used extensive
public engagement as a key component of the study. The
Campaign
for Fiscal Equity and the New
York State School Boards Association partnered with
30 other organizations throughout the state to form
the Council
on Costing Out (CCO). The Council met and discussed
in-depth the outcome standard that the study should
use. Consensus was reached and the Council advised the
research team that the study should determine the cost
of providing the opportunity for every child to achieve
the "Regents Learning Standards," since that is the
requirement to graduate from high school.
The Council also encouraged their members to participate
in a series of public forums held around the state where
parents, teachers, business leaders, taxpayers and other
community members were asked what programs and practices
can work for students who are low-income, English language
learners or special education students. A report of
the results, Adequate
Funding for New York's Schools: Communities Speak Out
on What Schools Really Need to Succeed was submitted
to the Professional Judgment Panel members who were
responsible for designing the instructional components
needed to enable students to meet the Regents Learning
Standards.
In the final stages of the study, a "stakeholders"
panel was given the opportunity to preview the results
and provide feedback before the final study was released.
Moreover, once the final study was released, forums
were held around the state to inform the public of the
findings of The New York Adequacy Study and what it
recommended for school districts statewide.
Maine
Maine's
costing-out study, Essential
Programs and Services: Equity and Adequacy in Funding
to Improve Learning for All Children, was commissioned
by the Maine State Board of Education Essential Programs
and Services Committee. For research and consultative
assistance, the Committee contracted with the University
of Southern Maine office of the Maine
Education Policy Research Institute. The Committee
also incorporated expert advice and testimony from a
wide spectrum of individuals and groups that had particular
knowledge and experience covering the topics under consideration,
including programs and services deemed "essential" for
all students to meet the Maine Learning Results. The
experts were from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and
Wyoming, and the Maine Department of Education, and
the groups were various educational organizations in
Maine.
In addition, the committee held over 25 public forums
and meetings at which comments on the draft report were
heard from over 420 individuals. Finally, once the study
was released, informational meetings have been held
throughout the state to educate the public about the
results of the study.
Kansas
Because a "suitable education" is the constitutional
standard in Kansas,
the Legislative Education Planning Committee (LEPC)
commissioned a "suitability" study, Calculation
of the Cost of a Suitable Education in Kansas in 2000-2001
Using Two Different Analytical Approaches. The
study was conducted by Augenblick & Myers, Inc. (A&M)
and included interviews with about 60 people who were
familiar with Kansas schools and the Kansas school finance
system.
Participants filled out questionnaires prior to the
discussion sessions, in which they were asked to comment
on issues such as: the adequacy of the current foundation
level, weightings for special needs, low-income, vocational
and bilingual students, and the definition of a "suitable"
education to be used by A&M in the study. This effort
was designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses
of the funding system in order to help the LEPC focus
attention on critical aspects of the system and better
use the findings and conclusions from the study.
As more and more adequacy studies are
being conducted across the country, it is likely
that public engagement will become an essential part
of the costing-out process.
Prepared by Melissa Mangino, May 11, 2004
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