National Center Hosts "State Policy Dimensions for K-16 Reform"

K-12 and Higher Ed Experts to Work on Connecting Education Systems

Racine, WI- On September 12-13, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education will host a working session, "State Policy Dimensions for K-16 Reform," at the Wingspread Conference Center. National education experts and state leaders from both K-12 and postsecondary education will meet to discuss options that states should consider to improve successful student transitions between high school and postsecondary education. State policies to link high school and college coursework and testing, finance, data systems, and accountability will be the focus of the conversation.

At the conference, the National Center will release a new report, The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success. The study offers recommendations that states can use to create sustainable K-16 reforms, and provides details of the steps four states have taken and the implications of these policy decisions over time.

The report is based on findings from Partnerships for Student Success (PSS), a study of state level K-16 educational governance in Florida, Georgia, New York, and Oregon. PSS examined state policies such as organizational structures, leadership, finance, curriculum and assessment, accountability, and data systems.

The report was written by Andrea Venezia, Patrick M. Callan, and Joni E. Finney from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education; Michael W. Kirst from the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research; and Michael D. Usdan from the Institute for Educational Leadership. Support for the project was provided by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Upon its release, The Governance Divide will be available on the National Center's Web site at www.highereducation.org.

WHAT:	"State Policy Dimensions for K-16 Reform" Conference
WHEN:	September 12, 2005, 2:00 p.m.-September 13, 2005, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE:	Wingspread Conference Center 33 East Four Mile Road Racine, WI 53402 (262) 639-3211 www.johnsonfdn.org
WHO:	Sponsor: The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Co-sponsors: Achieve, Inc. The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Institute for Educational Leadership The Johnson Foundation Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation