Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw recently participated in Gov. George E. Pataki’s commission on education reform, and a Syracuse University class joined in, too.

The class, MAX 123 Critical Issues For the United States did extensive research on the subject of economic equality in the United States, said Grant Reeher, a professor of political science and one of the professors of the course.

‘The course looks at a series of pressing issues for the United States that aren’t necessarily driven by headlines and have a domestic focus,’ Reeher said. ‘We looked at the specific case of public funding and the nature of public funding for education in New York state and the specific case of funding for education.’

The commission’s findings, released on Monday, included education reform in New York, but Shaw’s involvement did not have to do with the class research on the subject.

‘That was a plus,’ Reeher said. ‘It was really more that this was in New York state and because, right now, it represents the most significant state level issue in that regard.’

Students in the class were required to write a paper on the subject, though their work extended much further, Reeher said. In some of the discussion sections, students went to local schools, took pictures of students and interviewed them.

‘It generated some very lively class discussion and some really good student work orally in the class,’ Reeher said. ‘It concerns things that are close to (students’) lives and recent memories, just coming out of high school. I think it engages them in a way that some of the other issues don’t so it was a good case for us to use.’

Pataki selected Shaw for the commission, said Jim Denn, a spokesman for the New York state Commission on Education Reform.

The study found that the process New York state uses to allocate education spending lacks transparency, and is not aligned with ‘student need,’ according to a press release. The study found discrepancies between spending in regions and grade levels.

They were first commissioned in October 2003 and had their first meeting in November.

‘Our job was to do as good a job as we could in the time frame we had to present a report that focused on both the price of doing this and then the reforms necessary to make the money actually work for our young people,’ Shaw said. ‘It’s now out of our hands, so as far as I am concerned. I am done.’

Although Shaw gave his input, not all of his ideas were included.

‘Anytime you are on a committee of 22 people it doesn’t end up with everything you want, (but) I am satisfied that we couldn’t have done a better job given the time we had,’ Shaw said. ‘I think we presented the politicians with a template that if they use, it has a good chance of being successful.’

Shaw said that he enthusiastically signed on to the commission, and he was pleased with the outcome.

‘I think what I am most happy about is that what we have is 100 percent agreement,’ Shaw said. ‘That’s not to say that every piece makes my socks jump up and down, but we have 100 percent agreement from people from a variety of walks of life and that’s what makes me feel good.’

Published on March 31, 2004 at 12:00 pm