Cal State Chief Can Shape Fate of Public Schools

Incoming governor Gray Davis has vowed to make education the centerpiece of his administration. Among the powerful weapons Davis has to turn that vow into reality are a Democratic majority in both houses of the Legislature and a firm grasp on the budget purse strings.

But the outlook for public education also depends heavily on a plain-spoken, somewhat rumpled ex-college football player named Charles B. Reed.

Reed is the chancellor of the 22-campus, California State University system. And since taking office last spring, he has said repeatedly that improving public schools is his top goal as well.

“You can’t improve the schools of California unless you come through CSU,” Reed asserted last week.

Why, some might ask, should the head of the largest university system in the country be concerned with kindergartners?

The reasons are both political and practical and are related to the fact that Cal State turns out about 60% of the state’s elementary and high school teachers.

Politically speaking, Cal State’s schools of education caught part of the blame for promoting mushy, feel-good methods for teaching reading and math that were later deemed ineffective. A disgruntled teacher-to-be told a legislative hearing a couple of years ago, for example, about a Cal State San Bernardino class in which she learned that an effective method of reading instruction might be to have a class spend a whole year raising a flock of chickens--and writing about their experience.

Such stories led to a law requiring teacher candidates to pass a test proving that they understand the important role basic phonics lessons play in early reading.

The practical justification for Reed’s emphasis on K-12 issues has to do with the fact that so many Cal State students arrive at his doorstep lacking the basic skills for doing bona fide college work. Fifty-four percent of students admitted to Cal State must take remedial classes in math and 47% have inadequate skills in English.

Obviously that must change if Reed is to achieve another of his goals, making Cal State a world-class educational institution. And there, too, Cal State-trained teachers play a key role. Cal State draws its students from the top third of the graduating class, and the fact that so many are not ready for college calls into question the skills of their teachers.

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To boost the reputation of the 12,000 teacher candidates Cal State turns out annually, Reed said he is considering a “warranty” that would guarantee their skills. If, after two years, a school district was unhappy with the work of a Cal State grad it had hired, the system would offer retooling classes without charge.

Reed said he also would support a requirement that teachers take additional tests based on the state’s new and ambitious academic standards in math, language arts, science and history. “I’m interested in getting that done and sticking to it,” Reed said.

In addition, Reed wants to establish year-round teacher centers--partnerships between Cal State campuses and school districts--to provide ongoing professional development. He is trying to crank up his system to turn out more teachers and next summer will launch an innovative, technology-based system for training teachers who hold emergency permits.

Finally, he wants every campus to come up with ways to “honor” the teaching profession to make it a more attractive pursuit.

Internally, Reed is having to twist some arms.

He said some campus leaders worry that a single-minded focus on teacher education may weaken the university’s multifaceted character.

And leaders of the Faculty Senate are claiming that academic freedom and tenure shields them from legislative dictates as to the best ways to teach reading and math.

Externally, though, he gets good marks. A former chief of staff to Florida’s governor, Reed is a skillful politician who wins points for frankness. And he spends considerable time in Sacramento, making his views known.

Gary K. Hart, the man Davis has tapped as his top educational advisor, believes Reed is up to the challenge.

With Reed, Hart said, “it’s more than talk. He’s a results-oriented person and he’s set some goals that are quantifiable.

“Over the next few years, there’s going to be some real movement,” Hart said.