LearnmoreMN Blog

Millions being saved via cooperative purchases and agreements

By Joe Nathan, January guest blogger

Looking for some good news? How about the more than $226 million in savings by cooperative purchases: that’s the record since 1994 of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC.org), based in Minneapolis. The state of Minnesota spends $90,000 a year to be a member of this 12-state cooperative.

I'd love to hear from college and university folks about how this has worked for you and your institution.

MHEC President Larry Isaak reports that in the current fiscal year, the cost savings programs plus the savings to students from the student exchange program yield a benefit/cost ratio of 45 to 1 when comparing the state funds paid to MHEC with the savings of $45 million.

MHEC Vice President and General Counsel Rob Trembath told me that because Minnesota belongs to MHEC, school districts and charter public schools, along with colleges and universities may purchase an array of items through this organization without paying any membership fees. Last fall, State Senator Sandy Pappas (who also is an MHEC Commissioner) praised MHEC and Larry Isaak. Over the last six months, our organization worked with them on a conference. I agree with Pappas.

Isaak is a humble, low key, results-oriented person. He is a Certified Public Accountant was chancellor of the North Dakota University System for almost 10 years. Isaak is the kind of person who is focused on getting things done, rather than worrying about publicity or credit.

But he and his MHEC colleagues deserve plenty of that, for they have much to teach. Gov. Tim Pawlenty cited MHEC in a press release saying that Minnesota could save money by doing more collaboration, including cooperative purchasing.

A group of Western states was so impressed with MHEC efforts that in 2004 the states asked to participate. MHEC agreed. That gives us even more purchasing power.

Isaak estimates that students and families are saving more than $14 million a year in college tuition, because of agreements that MHEC helped negotiated. The organization also has created an electronic transcript program to simplify and ease sharing of information between high schools and colleges. That means less time and paperwork.

Now, about cost savings by cooperative purchases. Here are a few examples:

• A Master Property program helps lower insurance costs (MHEC estimates by more than $40 million since it was established). More than 100 collegecampuses are insured.
• Computer discounts are available not only for hardware, but also for training and longer warranties. Whether an organization is purchasing a handful or hundreds of computers, discounts and free shipping are available.
• Software – Special prices are available for a variety of programs from major companies, including Novell, Oracle and Trend Micro.
• Telecommunications from companies such as Quest, Sprint and Verizon.

Hopefully, school districts and charter public schools around the state will look at possible cost savings available through MHEC, as well as other groups, such as service cooperatives.

Cooperative purchases will not solve all our financial challenges. But they do offer impressive savings opportunities. 

Small Minnesota schools have lowest percent needing remediation in public colleges/universities

By Joe Nathan, January guest blogger

Here's something little noted when an important state report was released last year. The report dealt with the number of Minnesota public high school graduates who need to take a remedial (aka "developmental" ) course in reading, writing or math at a Minnesota public college or university. 

First, large numbers of high school graduates 2003-2006 entered Minnesota public 2-4 year colleges and universities: 49% overall Minnesota public high school graduates in those years). The rates vary among high schools.

However a disturbing percentage of the graduates who entered Minnesota public colleges or universities, needed remedial courses in reading, writing or math. Statewide, it was 38% of Minnesota high school graduates who attended our public 2-4 year universities, a total of 10,834 students.  The trend is for more, rather than fewer graduates to take remedial courses.

Which high schools have the smallest percentage of their graduates taking remedial courses at Minnesota's public colleges and universities?  All fifty high schools with the strongest record in this report are in greater Minnesota.  Forty-six of them are quite small, in places like Clinton Graceville (52% of 2003-2006 grads entering a Minnesota 2-4 year college or university, but only 13% of them taking a remedial course, Verndale, 57% of graduates entering a public college, 15% taking a remedial course, and Chokio-Alberta, 66% of graduates entering a public 2-4 year institution, but only 16% taking a remedial course).

Some suburban educators have pointed out that they have larger percentages of graduates entering Minnesota universities that are private, or colleges outside of Minnesota.  That’s true.  But there still are thousands of suburban public high school graduates taking remedial courses.

Give educators and families credit for helping many students enter higher education. But students clearly need more encouragement to take advantage of challenging high school courses – especially in math.

When I wrote about this last year, a couple of college students contacted me.  "Yes," they agreed, it is important for many high school students to take more challenging courses.  "But, it's also important for high school teachers to encourage students in those challenging courses. Sometimes faculty teaching the most challenging courses encourage students to drop out of them, when they really are capable of doing the work."

That's where learning from some of the state's smallest and most successful high schools comes in.  When our staff interviewed them a couple of years ago, we heard over and over that these successful small schools:

• Do not offer a large number of courses in key academic subjects.  They encourage virtually all students to take challenging, college prep courses.
• Have developed strong options for those not interested in attending 4 year institutions, that help lead to good jobs in applied fields like printing, electricity, construction, car or computer repair, etc.
• Often have partnered with 2 and 4 year institutions to offer courses described immediately above
• Work with families and community groups so there are clear, strong consistent messages including, "continuing your education is valuable, doing well in academics is important, and we believe in you!"
• Deep belief from faculty that most students should continue their education beyond high school, whether in a two or four year institution.

Unfortunately, Minnesota taxpayers and families are paying MILLIONS of dollars for students to take classes covering material that most of them should have mastered in high school. This is especially true in math. Of the 2005 high school graduates who took remedial courses in Minnesota public colleges or universities, 36% took a course in “developmental mathematics” compared to 17% in “developmental writing” and 13% in “developmental reading.”

Minnesota trends are not encouraging. The percentage of Minnesota high school graduates attending public colleges and universities is not increasing. It was 49% in 2000-2003, and in 2003-2006. Even more important, the percentage of Minnesota high school graduates taking remedial courses on entering public colleges and universities is NOT declining. It was 33% for the class of 1999, 36% for the classes of 2001-2003, 37% for the class of 2004, and 38% for the class of 2005. As legislators and educators try to improve education, the trend should be down, not up.

The data comes from “Getting Prepared 2008,” a study done by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College and University system (MnSCU). The report is available at www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/gettingprepared08.pdf

The report suggests possible reasons for the increase. First, “since 1999…larger percentages of new high school graduates were attending public colleges and universities.” But since 2001, “the percentage of new high school graduates enrolling in Minnesota public higher education institutions has been relatively steady at 49 or 50 percent.” Next, the report notes that recently MnSCU has done “more thorough placement testing and enforcement of required enrollment in developmental education.”

Developmental – also known as remedial – courses do not count toward graduation. Statistics cited above may help account for disturbingly low graduation rates at many Minnesota public colleges and universities.

The report is published every few years, and has valuable information.  But it would be even more helpful if data from Minnesota's private colleges and universities were included. Is this possible?  Could Minnesota's Private College Council work with the University of Minnesota and MnSCU, to help make even more comprehensive information available?

Minnesota Hmong author helps explain cultural/college transitions

Spirits from the clouds bring eloquent young woman to Minnesota

By Joe Nathan, January guest blogger

When did your family, and your people come to Minnesota?  Why?  What surprised you, and what delighted you?  How has your family's culture influenced your experiences in k-12 and higher education?

These questions came up as I read a wonderful book published last year, The Latehomecomer, by Kao Lalia Yang.  This was one of those rare books that made me sad when it ended.  The writing was so engaging, and the stories so compelling.

Yang was born in 1980 Thailand’s Ban Vinai Refuge Camp, and came to St. Paul when she was six years old.  Her story is in part, deeply about the Hmong experience in Minnesota – and readers learn a great deal about Hmong culture (such as the central role chickens play).  But Yang’s writing is also deeply American – when we are at our best.  Here for example, is how she describes what her father told his children:

“My father told us that we were his future in America and that it did not matter if we were boys or girls.  He had called our spirits from the clouds, and we would be his future on the earth…. We were in America and the small size of our feet would not determine how far we could travel in life.”

Two centuries of immigrant parents, Italian, Irish, Jewish, Japanese, British, Bolivian, whatever have encouraged their children in similar ways. And the discomfort that Yang feels as she and her sister translate for their parents is readily understandable.  She describes a number of times in stores where she was called on to ask for things because her English was better than her parents, “It’s hard to watch your parents stumble before other adults.”

Yang includes plenty of humor.  There is, for example, the time when her revered grandmother flies to Minnesota for the first time.  It has been a long, long flight, and the grandmother had problems with an escalator at the San Francisco airport.   Her long dress had become mired in the machine, which officials had to stop so that she could proceed.  Yang notes, “Many things in American were not made for her slow feet.”

The love between grandmother and granddaughter is one of the book’s central themes. Her grandmother promised to attend Yang's college graduation.  But she became very ill in the months before this event took place.  As her health fades, “In all the languages of the earth, in all the richness of words, there is no word, no comparison, no equivalent for my grandmother trying to be strong for me….”

Now a Minnesota public high school, Carleton and Columbia University graduate, Yang is helping immigrants with translating, writing and business services.(Her lovely website is at www.kaokaliayang.com)

Yang provides many examples of the way educators worked with her, and her family members.  She is deeply grateful to some.  And there is plenty for educators at all levels to learn from both those she praises, and those who embarrassed her and/or her family.

Although Yang’s particular culture is quite different that most of us, her ideals are deeply American.  She is optimistic, humble and hopeful.  The book ends with thanks to her mother, father, grandmother and other family members: “My hand is all caught up in yours.  Together we are typing on the keyboards of time.  We will pick up the same warm breeze, the winds of summer.  Our dreams are coming true, my Hmong brothers and sisters.”