FLORIDA'S EDUCATION GOVERNANCE

Florida's Education Governance System

Florida's Education Governance System

Introduction

Florida's education governance systems have undergone some of the most drastic restructuring of any in the country, making Florida the first state to develop and implement a K-20 governance system. Almost all lines of state education authority, from early childhood education through postsecondary education, fall under the State Board of Education, whose commissioner reports to the governor (Wright, 2010). The state is using significant governance changes to aid in the creation of a K-20 education system. Many elements of the system have been in place for decades, such as a statewide articulation agreement and a common course numbering system. Others are new, such as the evolving accountability, data, and performance-funding systems—as well as a new Board of Governors, which replaces the recently abolished Board of Regents.

Discussion

Higher education in Florida is the responsibility of states, not the federal government. Therefore, with few exceptions (such as military academy), a state higher education is recognized and controlled by 50 states. About 57% of colleges and universities, 23% of all enrolled students are private non-profit, most of whom - is the most prestigious colleges and universities, as well as public schools. The federal government has two important features that are equally applicable to both private and public institutions of higher education: providing students financial aid, much of which takes the form of government guaranteed and subsidized loans, as well as providing the majority (but not all) of research funding, particularly operating in the biomedical and physical sciences.

In 1862, Congress passed the Morrill Act, providing land for many states to establish universities. These universities "land grant" in addition to providing a wide, range of education in many areas, emphasizing the application of knowledge in areas such as agriculture and engineering. The universities whose emphasis is knowledge applied, usually called "Agricultural and Mechanical University" or "Technological University". Other states are called "state universities" ("state university"). More recently, some state university colleges have been called "sea grant" to emphasize the importance of the maritime studies applied (Mills, 2007).

Management involves the interaction of two organizational forces: the first - this powerwhich has no legal power to command and control, as in the case of parliaments, ministers or other senior ministry officials, manuals (this applies particularly to the United States), as well as presidents and rectors of the universities. The inferior force - this effect, which is able to shape policy and ...