ELC Welcomes Minnesota As Newest Member; Minnesota Commissioner Jax Will Serve on ELC Board of Directors 5/6/2002
From: Brian Jones of the Education Leaders Council, 202-261-2603, or Doug Gray, 651-582-8281 (Minnesota) WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Education Leaders Council (ELC) CEO Lisa Graham Keegan today announced the addition of Minnesota to the growing list of ELC member states, as well as the appointment of Dr. Christine Jax, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families & Learning (CFL), to the ELC Board of Directors. "I am so pleased Minnesota has chosen to become a member of the ELC, and we are honored that Commissioner Jax has agreed to sit on our Board," Keegan said. Dr. William Moloney, chairman of the ELC Board of Directors, echoed Keegan's enthusiasm. "Dr. Christine Jax is one of the nation's most active leaders and advocates for educational excellence," he said. "She knows that what matters most is the academic progress of all students, and she's making that a reality in Minnesota." "In appointing me to its Board of Directors, the ELC recognizes the important steps Minnesota has taken to reform its K-12 public education system," Dr. Jax said. "This national honor shows how far we have come. I plan to work with my fellow ELC leaders on the many things we still need to do to get the best education system we can for Minnesota and the rest of the nation." Some of the key Minnesota reform initiatives Dr. Jax cited that would benefit from her involvement with the ELC are: -- School district budget structural balance legislation requiring Minnesota public school districts to calculate expected revenues for future years and to keep planned spending within those limits. -- Alternative teacher compensation systems currently in place in four Minnesota districts allow public schools to move away from traditional teacher pay based on years of education and experience toward systems that provide rewards for meeting goals set by teachers and districts. -- Up-to-date, easy to use information on student achievement and school performance available to all Minnesota parents and other interested people through CFL's CLASS (Connecting Learning and Accountability for Students and Schools) Web site. -- Charter schools: Minnesota was the first state in the nation to set up independent, innovative charter schools. The number of Minnesota charter schools in operation has nearly doubled to 78 today from 40 in 1999 when Dr. Jax was appointed; 15 more have been approved to open in the future. -- Alternative pathways to teacher licenses including school district-designed programs incorporating formal and practical training, accelerated teacher preparation programs for college graduates and the development of an Educator Credential Assessment Center to evaluate prospective teachers' backgrounds and provide guidance on opportunities for further preparation. "We're very excited about working with Dr. Jax on these priorities on behalf of Minnesota's 900,000 students and their families," Keegan said. Dr. Jax was appointed by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura in 1999. Previously, she was a professor of education at St. Mary's University, Twin Cities Campus. She has also served as an adjunct professor of sociology at the College of Saint Catherine as well as a legal research fellow at the University of Minnesota Institute of Race and Poverty studying educational finance and segregation. She is the founder of a school for homeless children, and has directed numerous child care and early learning centers. Commissioner Jax received a degree in child psychology from the University of Minnesota, a masters degree in public administration from Hamline University and a Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota. The ELC was established in 1995 to add a fresh voice of practicing education reformers to the education debate. With the addition of Minnesota, the ELC has grown to include eleven chief state school officials who oversee the education of more than 30 percent of the nation's K-12 public school students -- more than 17 million children. ELC members also include state education boards, state and local education board members and other officials from 32 states. Web site: http://www.educationleaders.org |