This month, Education Week published a major study on graduation rates in the U.S. The report, Diplomas Count 2008, bears good news for Minnesota: our state ranks ninth among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the percentage of ninth-graders who make it to graduation in four years. Furthermore, the report lauds Minnesota and 37 other states for forming P-16 councils to unite elementary and secondary education with higher education. States like Minnesota whose P-16 organizations meet at least quarterly, have dedicated sources of funding, and work together to set P-16 performance goals were cited for their efforts. MACTE has an active presence on Minnesota P-16 Education Partnership, which includes representatives of a broad range of P-12 and higher education organizations as well as business and community groups. Despite all of this good news, however, a closer examination of the data on graduation rates reveals that, among the 39 states that disaggregate data by ethnicity, we are 39^th - last place - in the percentage of African-American students who graduate on time. Only 38.8% of African-American students in Minnesota graduate from high school in four years. In fact, Minnesota ranks near the bottom in graduation rates for all minority groups. Clearly, we have work to do together to improve education for all Minnesota children.

Earlier this month the MACTE Executive Committee met to establish its short-term and long term goals. With an overarching theme of continuous improvement, and a focus on a vision for restoring Minnesota's preeminence as a national leader in education, we continue to offer our organization as a partner to the Board of Teaching. Working together, we can envision and enact a better future for Minnesota students and the teachers who serve them.

On the near horizon in our work together are the proposed changes to the Board's standards for teachers. We embrace the Board's efforts to review, revise, and amend these standards, which are an essential component in efforts to ensure student success. We look forward to working with you and with our own stakeholders throughout the rule-making process. We pledge to work diligently and effectively within our institutions to make the curricular and policy changes necessary to embed the new standards within our programs.

The proposed rule changes are complex. Each of the MACTE institutions faces a great deal of work with faculty, staff, and internal approval bodies to make the necessary programmatic and curricular changes. While we desire to respond to the new standards as quickly and nimbly as possible, we must recognize and plan for other potentially competing demands. We know that an ambitious timeline for rule-making is being considered - and we share the sense of urgency. Yet we wish to express our concern about a timeline that would require MACTE institutions to begin making changes in programs and coursework before the rule-making process is complete. The changes to the standards come at a time when we are participating with the Board to remake the program approval process (currently known as PEPER),while we continue our efforts to embed Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies within our programs, while several MACTE institutions are preparing for state and national accreditation, and while MNSCU institutions are engaged in a process of curriculum review necessitated by the move from 128 to 120 credits in undergraduate majors. As we work on these important initiatives, we must do what is in the best interest of our own students, those individuals preparing to teach in Minnesota. Let us work together to establish an ambitious yet realistic timeline for enacting the proposed changes to the Minnesota standards for teachers.

The Education Week report on graduation rates highlights both successes and challenges in our state. MACTE members take pride in Minnesota's schools, and we recognize that all education stakeholders must make every effort to strengthen the school experience for every child. We care deeply; we are aunts, uncles, caring adults, parents, and grandparents to Minnesota kids. We look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the Board of Teaching - and to working together to restore Minnesota's preeminence as a national leader in education.