Missouri’s commissioner of schooling, Margie Vandeven, is not any stranger to politics in schooling—even when she’d desire to be one.
Within the 8 1/2 years she’s spent main the Missouri Division of Elementary and Secondary Training, she has survived a former governor’s ouster try, polarizing debates over the response to COVID-19, and a rising mother and father’ rights motion that has injected itself into debates on quite a few matters, together with social-emotional studying.
Vandeven has navigated these challenges all whereas attempting to keep up a nonpartisan strategy to her place—which is formally nonpartisan and appointed by a state board of schooling designed to keep up partisan steadiness.
Now, Vandeven is making ready to step down from her place on July 1 after saying her resignation final October.
Vandeven began in her function in 2015 however later turned a political goal of Republican Gov. Eric Greitens, who took workplace in January 2017 and appointed State Board of Training members who would vote to fireside her—even eradicating one in every of his appointees who modified her place to oppose firing Vandeven.
The board voted to fireside Vandeven in December 2017 however rehired her lower than a yr later. By that time, Greitens himself had been ousted after a scandal over an extramarital affair.
Since her return, Vandeven has labored to develop competency-based schooling in Missouri, assist lecturers undertake evidence-based studying instruction, and led faculties by the pandemic.
Vandeven can be lively in schooling circles nationally. She is the board president of the Council of Chief State Faculty Officers, the nationwide nonprofit that represents state schooling chiefs. When she steps down, she’s going to hand over that place to a different long-serving state chief, North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, who will function president for the rest of the yr.
Vandeven stated it’s time for her to maneuver on. This fall, she might be a visiting scholar with the Hoover Establishment, a public coverage assume tank at Stanford College.
Previous to serving as commissioner, Vandeven was a highschool English trainer and district administrator in Maryland and Missouri. As commissioner, she and the Missouri State Board of Training established a blue ribbon fee to review trainer recruitment and retention and labored with lecturers to ascertain the Success-Prepared College students Community, a competency-based studying initiative that goals to transition Missouri faculties to measuring college students primarily based on their mastery of expertise relatively than seat time.
All through her time as commissioner, she has seen politics make the job of state chief tougher, she stated in a dialog with Training Week. Finally, if state policymakers wish to enhance pupil outcomes, they’ll have to seek out frequent floor, Vandeven stated.
“Whenever you begin considering when it comes to what’s finest for teenagers and also you deliver each dialog again to that, you discover on the market’s extra commonality than distinction,” she stated.
The next interview has been edited for size and readability.
What are you most happy with out of your time as commissioner?
What I’m most happy with is, regardless of a variety of distractions which have occurred over this time interval, particularly the pandemic and others, now we have been in a position to keep very targeted on a number of the priorities that our state board of schooling has established, and labored very exhausting to implement these—the priorities being early studying and early literacy, working with Success-Prepared College students, ensuring now we have protected and wholesome faculties, after which our educator workforce recruitment and retention efforts. [I’m] actually happy with a number of the progress that we’ve made in these areas.
How has the politics surrounding schooling and schooling coverage modified over your time as commissioner?
Within the state of Missouri, now we have a state board of schooling that appoints the commissioner. If you happen to take a look at our structure, it was meant to make this a nonpartisan, non-political place. We have now eight members on the State Board of Training, one from every of our eight congressional districts, and not more than 4 of these eight might be of anyone political get together. They’re eight-year phrases, and they’re staggered. In order that in itself seems to be designed to keep up some stability in what is happening.
Once I got here into the place it was very clear that that’s how our structure was meant.
That stated, we actually haven’t been spared a variety of the political consideration that has actually surfaced. If anybody requested me what I believe [have] been the best modifications on this function over the previous decade, I would definitely say the addition of politics into the function. I actually have seen that.
I actually have labored actually exhausting in my function to keep up a nonpartisan stance. Our board has labored very exhausting to stay nonpartisan as they have been referred to as to do. [Board members] must establish as specific events once they be part of the board, but when we will get to a spot the place nobody can bear in mind which get together they’re representing, we predict we’ve been profitable.
Politics doesn’t belong in schooling. It needs to be a really nonpartisan situation once we’re speaking about ensuring each baby has entry to a high-quality schooling and we’re educating our kids.
You confronted a tense political second early on in your tenure as commissioner when former Gov. Eric Greitens tried to oust you from the function. What was that like?
That was actually a memorable expertise for me. That was when it turned actually clear that politics was starting to infiltrate into our system right here within the state.
As exhausting of a time as that was for us, it additionally turned very clear at the moment that Missourians weren’t taken with having politics being concerned in schooling. We had a variety of folks from all totally different walks of life come collectively to say, “Let’s not do it this fashion.”
The massive resounding message was folks needed to let our structure communicate. The Missouri Structure was very clear that it was a state board of schooling in a nonpartisan style [that] could be deciding on the commissioner of schooling.
How have you ever gone about sustaining that nonpartisan strategy to your place?
All of these items that I’m going to say to you’re going to sound quite simple, however so essential. And that’s sustaining belief within the board. You might be profitable in these roles when you preserve the belief of your board and the arrogance of your folks. You preserve the belief of your board by constructing these relationships.
For at the very least the previous 20 years, the evening earlier than any board assembly [our board] at all times had a casual dinner the place they weren’t allowed to discuss work since you can’t in a casual surroundings [under Missouri’s open government law]. They only received to know one another as folks and actually constructed nice relationships as folks.
After we get to know the folks, then you definitely begin to actually set up the priorities, and that’s our kids. Whenever you begin considering when it comes to what’s finest for teenagers, and also you deliver each dialog again to that, you discover on the market’s extra commonality than distinction there.
I believe one of many challenges we’re having right now is our capability to only stroll into our personal little echo chamber. We comply with the identical folks we wish to comply with. We see issues in a really partisan method as a substitute of taking the time to actually get to know and perceive the place totally different viewpoints are coming from. I’d prefer to see some correction in that space if we might.
Some main candidates for state chief lately don’t have schooling backgrounds. How would possibly these state chiefs who aren’t as acquainted with schooling affect or impression schooling coverage?
There might be actual worth in bringing any person with an outdoor perspective right into a occupation. Very, very profitable leaders are available in from totally different environments and have the varied management expertise which can be essential to take path.
However what I believe could be essential for any person coming into these roles is that they do take time to go in and go to together with your classroom lecturers, watch what’s occurring in school rooms earlier than making some actually fast judgements on issues.
I used to be a trainer for 15 years and I at all times say that I nonetheless consider myself as a trainer. After COVID, a few of these lecturers, who’re very, very upfront with me, they are saying when you haven’t been within the classroom, you don’t know what it’s prefer to be a trainer right now.
I believe we’re all attempting to be taught and perceive the terrain that we’re working in. Typically outsiders might be good for that, however I believe it’s at all times sensible for them to acknowledge the place their blind spots are.
What do you want lecturers, principals, and district leaders understood concerning the state chief place and the way state schooling coverage works?
Once I first was named the commissioner, I bear in mind one of many first reporters stated to me, “Effectively, you have been a classroom trainer. What would you like the commissioner to do?”
And I stated, “Once I was a classroom trainer, I had no concept what the commissioner did.”
I do assume there’s some actual worth in [educators] following what’s occurring on the state stage, what’s occurring on the nationwide stage on a few of these schooling points. There was a time in my life once we stated it’s the superintendent’s job to considerably defend lecturers from the exterior pressures of politics, defend the lecturers from even getting communications instantly from the state schooling company. However I believe these days are gone.
It’s actually essential for everybody to remain alert to what’s occurring. Communication is so prevalent that they’re getting info someplace. If we will simply get info from the supply, I believe that’s actually useful.
What do you assume are the highest challenges that state ed. chiefs are dealing with proper now or would possibly face sooner or later?
If you happen to’re going to tackle this function, you really want to have fairly powerful pores and skin. The balancing act could be very actual. You need to have the ability to take heed to your constituents. You wish to perceive what the wants are, and also you even have to acknowledge that it doesn’t matter what resolution you make you’ll most likely get fairly a little bit of criticism.
There appears to be a extremely good understanding of what’s occurring within the literacy world—a variety of good work occurring across the “science of studying” and ensuring that our lecturers are understanding and know tips on how to educate studying. There’s been a variety of questions on tips on how to educate math, and so chiefs are engaged on these points.
One other huge space that we’re speaking an increasing number of about is on, what’s the applicable use of know-how? For instance, embracing the entire great items that know-how can deliver to us, understanding the strengths of synthetic intelligence, but in addition being conscious of, the place do we have to perceive its limitations? Or how can we cope with ensuring that’s getting used within the classroom appropriately?
We’re speaking an increasing number of concerning the psychological well being wants of our college students and the function of colleges in serving to tackle these psychological well being wants. An space that appears to proceed to floor now could be, what’s the impression of assorted social media platforms and that form of factor? How are we coping with a few of these sources which can be out there for college students and how they correlate to a number of the excessive anxiousness that our college students is likely to be feeling?
General, I believe it’s a extremely thrilling time in schooling. It’s a good time to be a chief, and I believe now we have a fantastic alternative forward of us as we exit out of the pandemic, and looking out and reflecting on what labored with the monetary inflow that was supplied and making choices going ahead of, what are these issues that must be maintained and what are these issues that we will transfer away from?
