Utah’s governor has entered the blogosphere. Gov. Gary Herbert’s new blog launched last Thursday and his education director, Christine Kearl, has already penned a piece on public education, one of the Governor’s four policy “cornerstones,” which also include energy, jobs and self-determination.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert with his education director, Christine Kearl, at left. Photo by Utah.gov
We have to take the time to look beyond dollars and test scores. We must determine what is working and what needs revamping. We must identify the key variables we can affect in the most meaningful way and target improvements where our limited resources are most potent. Then, it’s time to innovate.
That is precisely the focus of the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission—to ask questions, probe deeper, work together, create solutions beyond our current ideas and budget.
The Governor’s Education Excellence Commission met again this morning to continue this questioning, probing and problem solving, though the agenda this month is focused largely on higher education. However, the commission will continue discussing goals for the upcoming legislative session and “Education Translating to the Workforce,” a conversation that typically includes Career and Technical Education.
Governor Herbert says his new blog will give citizens of Utah “an unprecedented window into the workings of the executive branch. His posts will primarily focus on education, energy, jobs and self-determination. Contributors will include himself, his advisors and senior staff, cabinet members and policy experts.
“I am thrilled to launch this new blog,” said Governor Herbert in a press release. “I believe in open government and meaningful communication, and this blog will give the citizens of Utah access to detailed, first-hand information about the priorities and goals of my administration.”
Herbert’s blog comes online as another prominent education blog departs. After two years, the Salt Lake Tribune’s education reporter Lisa Schencker entered her last blog post on ”The Chalkboard.” On August 2, she thanked her readers and explained the Tribune’s “experiment” in blogging is being phased out “as technology continues to change and more people turn to places like Twitter and Facebook for news.” Just in case you’re wondering, UtahPublicEducation.org has no plans to follow suit.
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