Contact People:
Gerald Mansergh
Executive Director
Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU)
3499 Lexington Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55126
Les Martisko
Executive Director
South Central Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU)
1610 Commerce Dr.
North Mankato, MN 56003
Ceil Critchley
Minnesota Department of Education
530 Cedar St.
St. Paul, MN 55101
The state of Minnesota, including the Department of Education and the legislature, is very interested in how schools can be reorganized to maximize results in student learning. Our staff development legislation mandates site-based decisionmaking and learner results. The proposed graduation standards also focus on results. Extending the school year has been discussed extensively in Minnesota. However, the millions of dollars spent each day on the present system prohibit any changes. Indeed, the school districts are proposing less student time so that teachers can have more planning time. For example, the 180-day teacher contact year is being reduced to 175 days in order to contain costs. This step may appear to be a positive one, but in some ways it is a step backwards, since many other states and countries have 200 days of student contact time.
The Minnesota Educational Cooperative Service Units (ECSUs) provide a substantial amount of staff development for local school district personnel. More release time raises difficulties, however, because (1) teachers do not like to leave their classrooms; (2) substitute teacher costs are getting out of hand; and (3) in some cases, substitute teachers are in short supply. Still, the legislature is allocating 1 to 3 percent of local dollars to staff development. This money could perhaps buy more time for staff development.
We need more time for dialogue and reflection. Collegial groups and networks are our best hopes for these activities, and educators love them. They are built into our staff development programs.
Student Time. Learning time is a concern. Districts are restructuring time allocations for learning. We are back to "block" or "core" learning times. High schools are experimenting with four-hour time periods or other longer time periods, fewer subjects, and alternating schedules, i.e., seven-period and four-period days every other day.
Planning Time. To get planning time for change is still difficult. Some schools are trying to get more time for teacher preparation and planning. We have some extended time during the school year for teachers and other educators to plan.
Reflective Time. We probably do not have enough of this time in work or play. We need more time for dialogue and reflection. Collegial groups and networks are our best hopes for these activities, and educators love them. They are built into our staff development programs.
Les Martisko, South Central ECSU, makes the following comments about actions:
"One measure to increase the amount of time to deliver meaningful instruction to the student is to increase site-based management incentives, therefore allowing more control in the buildings and thus minimizing the amount of time spent responding to district mandates and regulations. The state also has been reducing the number of rules to allow more direct delivery of needed and meaningful time to students. There is a great deal of confusion and purposelessness on this issue due to the difficult and esoteric nature of this type of change. Therefore, the real driving mechanism may be adult employment rather than children's services."
Legislate more educator workshop and planning time. We have dollar support for site-based staff development, but no increased time for site-based decisionmaking, policymaking, and planning.
By Les Martisko, South Central ECSU
School boards need to be community boards, with one-half of the members being consumers - including students - and one-half being business and community people and those with no direct interest in the system. This type of membership will facilitate innovation and change and will open options for new thinking, which is needed.
We need national licensing of educators. The licensing process should allow people to test into the field rather than taking years of college courses. People should be allowed to take substantive alternative routes for entering the profession. Alternative measures of competency for staying in the profession should be encouraged. These steps will encourage new options for professional staff as well as change.
Programs need to be meaningful, directed, purposeful, and aligned with accountability structures that make a difference. Flexibility is needed for both students and teachers.
Many institutional artifacts greatly influence the use of time for nonproductive, political purposes and, therefore, are responsible for a dysfunctional system built on time variables important to an industrial/manufacturing/miltary system. The schools that reflect outdated social values are still mostly intact. This situation makes K-12 and higher education almost "schizophrenic" relative to the pace of change and the use of time in a reality-based, revenue-driven world. Therefore, should we be asking about the use of time or trying to eliminate the artifacts? Does it make any sense to have more time to promote obsolete tasks and ideas?
Posted on March 6, 1995
URL: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/94-4mn.htm