State Representative Raul Torres
A Necessary Response to Achieving State Goals & Combating the Rising Cost of Higher Education
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas This week the Joint Committee on Oversight of Higher Education Governance Excellence and Transparency met to begin deliberations on the governing structure and organization of the states universities and university systems. The Committee is charged with identifying best practices in policy development and implementation and recommending changes to promote greater accountability and efficiency in the states higher education system. Greater accountability and efficiency is necessary to control the rising costs of higher education while achieving the states Closing the Gaps by 2015 initiative a plan to improve student participation and success.
Although the state has made some progress in closing achievement gaps in higher education it continues to miss several important targets on goals established in 2000. These include increasing Hispanic enrollment awarding more degrees to African American students and awarding more degrees in fields related to technology. Statewide graduation rates are also lagging with just 17 percent of students graduating in four years and half finishing in six.
Achieving the changes in policy and practice necessary to reach the states goals by 2015 will require bold and coordinated action. Outlined below are the seven breakthrough solutions put forth by Governor Perry and conservative think tank the Texas Public Policy Foundation. While the general academic establishment opposes the proposal the key concept centers on changes that would best serve the needs of students taxpayers and employers rather than the comfort of tenured faculty.
The ideas are as follows:
1. Measure teaching efficiency and effectiveness and publicly recognize extraordinary teachers by providing legislators and governing boards with tools to measure faculty teaching performance.
2. Recognize and reward extraordinary teachers by offering voluntary cash bonuses to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching on college and university campuses and attract the best teachers.
3. Split research and teaching budgets to encourage excellence thereby separating reward systems for teaching and research making it possible to reward exceptional individuals in each area.
4. Require evidence of teaching skill for tenure ensuring that teaching will be considered as an important qualification for tenure and that teachers have demonstrated the ability to teach well.
5. Use results-based contracts with students to measure quality so that the promises of each degree program are clearly stated to each student and institutions are held accountable because success is measured.
6. Put state funding directly in the hands of students through student-directed scholarships to increase college access among low-income and disadvantaged students while making students the real customers of higher education institutions.
7. Create results-based accrediting alternatives that promotes alternatives to the current largely input-based and institution-dominated accrediting process.
I am convinced that only through gains in higher education can we have the potential to strengthen Texas economic base and attract innovative businesses and top faculties to the state. As we formulate a game plan for achieving these gains I wish to encourage you to review these recommendations very carefully and feel free to make your thoughts and concerns known to me and my office staff.
As I look forward toward the 2013 Legislative Session I believe it is necessary to create meaningful reform now in order that we can ensure that Texas stays competitive with the rest of the nation. I believe that by working tighter we can find an efficient and effective way to provide a high quality low cost college education to our students and taxpayers. However we must take action now because tomorrow cannot wait.
