Committee Happenings

Greetings members of the Council of State Governments' Midwestern Legislative Conference Education & Workforce Development Committee. This quarter’s newsletter serves to recap our policy sessions that transpired at the MLC Annual Meeting this summer in Columbus and previews learning opportunities we have planned for the rest of the year.

I want to personally extend a big thank you to those of you who were able to travel to Ohio and for actively participating with our presenters. Your presence was greatly appreciated.

Copies of the various presentations can be found on the CSG Midwest website. The MLC Education & Workforce Development Committee held two sessions at the conference related to the committee’s issue areas. 

During the regular business session, attendees learned how Ohio has integrated state policy on education and workforce development through a restructuring of its state department of education to include a larger, deliberate focus on workforce preparation. The session also included an overview of how states such as Indiana are implementing “science of reading” pedagogy into classrooms. 

Presentations:

• “The Workforce Connection: Elevating Career Development in Primary & Secondary Education”
• “Science of Reading Implementation: Indiana’s Priorities for Early Literacy”

Our committee-sponsored session in Columbus provided an overview of the current state of academic remediation practices in postsecondary institutions. Attendees heard examples of existing inequalities, such as an overrepresentation of racial minority students placed in developmental education courses, and learned about alternative educational pathways, including state policies that encourage or require the use of a Multiple Measures Assessment and co-requisite learning.

A special thanks to committee member Ohio Sen. Andrew Brenner for being one of the presenters for this session.

Presentations:

• “Reforms to Developmental Education: A Synthesis of the Evidence”
• “Developmental Education Reform in Illinois”
• “Academic Recovery in Ohio: An Overview of K-12 Achievement & Learning Acceleration in Ohio”

CSG National Conference

Are you eager to learn more about how other states and your colleagues from across the country are tackling issues related to education and workforce development? Then we’d suggest attending this year’s CSG National Conference, being held in New Orleans on December 4-7.

Included on this year's agenda are several sessions related to education and workforce policy.

• Dec. 4 (3:00-4:00) – “Reading is Fundamental: State Success Stories to Grow Literacy”
• Dec. 5 (3:00-4:00) – “Future-Ready Education: How the School Curriculum is Evolving to Prepare Today’s Students for Success in the Future”
• Dec. 6 (9:00-10:00) – “Pathways to Public Service: The Power of Apprenticeships”
• Dec. 6 (1:30-2:30) – “Closing the Gap in Education: What Can States Do Now to Remediate Pandemic Related Learning Loss?”

In addition, the MLC Executive Committee will meet on Dec. 5 (1:30-4:00 p.m.), and there will be a CSG Midwest Reception held on the evening of Dec. 4. All Midwest legislators are invited to both of these events.

View the full CSG National Conference agenda HERE.

A discount on registration is available through November 1.

Register HERE.

December Webinar

The MLC Education & Workforce Development Committee will wrap up its work for the biennium with a December webinar. We are holding this event in collaboration with the MLC Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. 

Tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, December 19, the webinar will explore strategies for Midwestern states to develop economic and workforce development plans for their rural regions. 

Be sure to be on the lookout for more information about this event as the date draws closer. Information will be shared both via email and posts on the committee webpage.