Dept. of Moot Points: Here Is That Attorney General’s Opinion on the Arkansas Higher Ed Post

September 12, 2011
Shane Broadway: BMOC? Eh, not quite.

Your state attorney general, Dustin McDaniel, was tidying up around the office and came across that long-awaited AG's opinion on the qualifications of former Sen. Shane Broadway to serve as director of the Dept. of Higher Education. (More background here.) Here is McDaniel's opinion (opens as PDF), furnished in response to a request from state Reps. Allen Kerr and Jane English, which sidesteps offering a definitive answer to the question but does arrive at this conclusion: ...any person who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Democrats, Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Republicans, Atty. General Dustin McDaniel, Gov. Mike Beebe Tagged With: , , , , , ,

And So Shane Broadway Will Not Be Arkansas Higher Education Director, After All

September 9, 2011

Former state Sen. Shane Broadway, nominated by Gov. Mike Beebe to head the Arkansas Dept. of Higher Education despite his lack of qualifications for the post, has withdrawn himself from consideration for the post. In a letter to Beebe, Broadway cites family obligations for his decision not to pursue the directorship. He also offers to continue as interim director whilst Beebe and the Higher Education Coordinating Board search out a new chief executive for the department. Broadway's full … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education Reform, Gov. Mike Beebe Tagged With: , , ,

Broadway Malady: GOP Lawmakers Still Waiting on AG Higher Ed Opinion

September 7, 2011
waiting_game

Hey, remember way back in July when a pair of  state legislators asked Attorney General Dustin McDaniel for a legal opinion on whether former state Sen. Shane Broadway was statutorily qualified to serve as director of the Arkansas Dept. of Higher Education? Come on, think back.... Remember that? So do Republicans Reps. Allen Kerr and Jane English, the aforementioned lawmakers who requested the opinion. Here we are some six weeks later and they wanna know, "Hey, where's that opinion?" … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Democrats, Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Republicans, Atty. General Dustin McDaniel, Education Reform, Gov. Mike Beebe Tagged With: , , , ,

Lawmakers Question Legality of Broadway Higher Ed Appointment (Updated!)

July 26, 2011
Shane Broadway wants to be your Higher Education Overlord.

Is the pending appointment of former state Sen. Shane Broadway to head the Arkansas Dept. of Higher Education even legal? That is what two state lawmakers want to know! Arkansas Reps. Allen Kerr and Jane English, both Republicans, have requested an opinion from Attorney General Dustin McDaniel as to whether Broadway's appointment by Gov. Mike Beebe meets statutory muster. Broadway has been serving as the department's interim director since February. Questions were raised about the appointment … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Democrats Tagged With: , , ,

Let’s Go Back to School with Shane Broadway!

July 12, 2011
I tell ya, Shane Broadway don't get no respect, no respect at all.

The Twitter is aflutter with talk about the nomination of former Democratic Sen. Shane Broadway to serve as director of the Arkansas Dept. Of Higher Education (ADHE). Let's discuss! To review: Broadway, having lost his bid for lieutenant governor in 2011, was tapped to head up ADHE by Gov. Mike Beebe late last month. Broadway’s nomination was criticized by the Arkansas GOP, who noted that his experience falls well short of what is required by statute for the position, since he lacks … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Democrats, Education Reform, Gov. Mike Beebe Tagged With: , , ,

UA Prof Makes Pitch for Ed Reform

December 7, 2008
Admittedly, it has nothing to do with this post, but readers are demanding more cheesecake photos.

University of Arkansas education reform guru Jay Greene is the subject of this story in the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, which focuses on his stats-based approach to analyzing educational outcomes. He compares it to the analytical strategy employed by the Oakland A's baseball organization to compete successfully against rivals with deeper pockets, as detailed in the book "Moneyball" by Michael Lewis: “We need better metrics to examine our schools. We’re stuck with the skills for a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

A Lawmaker Reads the ‘Access to Success’ Report

August 25, 2008
The Access to Success Report

In 2007, the Arkansas legislature created a task force on higher education reform. Last week, the task force produced its final report, Access to Success (opens in PDF file), an extensive list of problems with and recommendations for our state's higher education system. I mentioned this report last week in a post that Arkansas Project editor David Kinkade thoughtfully titled Is College a Waste of Time? So let me answer the question: Yes. Definitely. For some people, college is a huge waste of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arkansas Legislature Tagged With: , , , , ,