tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3038828360589919480.post9220685197718036357..comments2023-10-12T05:22:07.181-04:00Comments on The Prichard Blog!: A New Postsecondary Funding Model – A Positive Step for Future Investments, but Details and Transparency MatterSPWestonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08602329486466534720noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3038828360589919480.post-65425257758300233232017-02-24T17:17:12.092-05:002017-02-24T17:17:12.092-05:00(Please understand these comments to be my persona...(Please understand these comments to be my personal opinion only, and they do not represent the opinion of EKU, the EKU Board of Regents, or anyone else at the institution.)<br />Perry,<br /><br />Thanks for the summary. <br /><br />Thanks, too, for pointing out that the approach needs to be “[p]roperly structured and adequately funded.” At present, it is neither. University presidents were told plainly there would be no new funding for higher ed. Putting the Research Ones and Comprehensives in the same group will prove to be a great disadvantage to the latter.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there is little reason for optimism that the model will "better ensur[e] that Kentuckians have access to affordable, high-quality postsecondary education." It hasn't anywhere else. As the Century Foundation reported (http://theprincipal.blogspot.com/2016/06/performance-based-budget-cuts.html)<br /><br />"Despite the compelling logic behind paying for performance in higher education, research comparing states that have and have not adopted the practice has yet to establish a connection between the policy and improved educational outcomes. To date, there are twelve quantitative evaluations of state performance-based funding. There is remarkable consistency in the findings, all of which were conducted using different research techniques, spanning different periods of time, and examining various policy outcomes. Researchers typically examine how the policy affected graduation rates or the total number of degrees and certificates produced each year. These are the ultimate outcomes of performance-based funding, yet researchers have also examined intermediate outcomes like retention rates, selectivity, and resource allocation."<br /><br />Such a wealth of negative data ought to give one pause, particularly those who believe in data-driven decision-making.<br /><br />Following several years of disinvestment in Kentucky universities, additional pressure from today's skyrocketing retirement contributions and performance-based budget cuts will only further harm opportunity for families least able to afford it. If the legislature also curtails tuition increases, more teachers will disappear, class sizes will grow even more, quality will suffer, and comprehensives will be effectively hamstrung. <br /><br />The sunny tone of your piece is politically conciliatory, but somewhat confusing coming from a group Kentuckians have long admired for its steadfast support for increased opportunity for its students.<br /><br />I shudder to think where our P-12 system of schools would be today if it were not for the Prichard Committee. I remain hopeful that the Prichard Committee will become a champion for higher education as well. <br /><br />There is little history of inter-institutional cooperation in the area of political advocacy at this level. Perhaps the Committee's unifying capacity could extend to us, and teach those so accustomed to competition the benefits of cooperation for a common goal. Kentucky's big kids need you now.<br /><br />Richard<br />Richard Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14586435007687942849noreply@blogger.com