Education

Another great deck by Mary Meeker and Scott Devitt from Morgan Stanley hitting on some top Internet trends.  Some interesting points:

• Mobile is heating up faster than earlier forecasts, catching many providers somewhat flatfooted.  iPhone/iPad adoption is faster than AOL or Netscape. 

• Interesting how in the 90s the debate was around "online" versus "bricks-and-mortar."  The debate shifted then shifted to how physical providers would leverage online strengths (e.g. order online and pickup in a store).  Meeker points out that the mobile/social ecosystem is enhancing that even more with location-based services and discounts (e.g. FourSquare's promotion offering for businesses).  Others, like Target, are experimenting with augmented reality apps that blend online, print, and in store assets.  

• Best slide is 32 - mobile connectivity drivers new ways to do lots of things faster / better / cheaper.  Two drivers of this trend are instant on devices and longer battery life.

One trend not entirely addressed in the deck is the blurring of computers and phones.  The iPad is a good example - I've found it has easily replaced 80% of my home computing needs (video and photo editing the two main exceptions).  And I've noticed that I use it more for apps and connecting to the Internet then my BlackBerry.  My sense is that these lines will blur even more with future updates that will add VOIP and video chatting capabilities.  

The presentation is geared toward Internet Execs but still good reading for other solution providers.  Big implications for those thinking about new ways of delivering government services, including education.  States and schools need to be thinking about cost effective strategies for delivering college ready courses, transitioning to common core, and delivering mobile learning opportunities, not just online learning opportunities.

click to read full deck.

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lection results and what they mean for policy areas such as education.  

On Wednesday, Andy Rotherham and I hosted our fourth Education Insider webinar, this one focused on the midterm elections.  Alyson Klein over at Politics K-12 covered some of the top line findings as did Rick Hess. Some results that caught my attention:

• State Elections:  For those involved in education, the real political shakeup didn't happen in Congress but at the state level.  Republicans picked up the governor’s office in 12 states (including key 2012 Presidential swing states) and now control more legislative seats than at any other point since 1928. Federal policies like the Common Assessments and national efforts such as Common Core, might face some additional scrutiny and challenges in this new political landscape.

• Voter Frustration:  The exit polls revealed that seven out of 10 voters were dissatisfied with the way federal government is working.  Other polling shows that voters think the stimulus programs have helped big banks and institutions but did little to help low- and middle-income families.  That helps to explain why voters want to see some spending restraint.  They are not going to support increased federal spending when they believe the government isn’t working and isn't pursuing policies that benefit them.

• Insiders Are Pessimistic About ESEA Reauthorization:  54% expect reauthorization will take place after 2012 with 46% believing it will take place in 2013 after the next Presidential election.  

• But There Is Hope:   The President highlighted education as one of the areas he could work with the Republicans.  The White House has sent stronger signals over the last week that they want to work on ESEA reauthorization then they have all of last year.  Insiders also pointed out that incoming Speaker Boehner is passionate about education reform, having worked with Sen. Kennedy on NCLB. If both sides want to show voters that they can work together on something, education could be as good of an issue as any. Insiders said that if we don't see a bill by August, then we're most likely looking at a reauthorization after January 2013.  

• Funding:  We have likely see the high-water mark for education funding.  More than 45 states have 2011 budget shortfalls totaling $125 billion with additional shortfalls projected for next fiscal year as well.  State revenues are decreasing while Medicaid enrollment is increasing making matters even worse.  At the Federal level, we're likely to see a pivot from stimulus to austerity measures.  Eric Cantor has called for holding reverting the budget back to FY 2008 levels (pre-bailout/stimulus).  The President attacked this saying it would result in a 20% cut in education funding, but then his Fiscal Responsibility Commission issued a similar recommendation of holding the budget to FY 2010 levels with 1% reductions over three years.  Our Insiders were split 50/50 if this will mean cuts for Federal education dollars or just level funding. 

Much more in our 47 page report found here.  

We also spoke with investors and analysts about the elections as part of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company hosted event.  There were a lot of questions around what the elections mean for the higher education community, particularly the pending gainful employment regulations.  We happened to have asked Insiders this very question and found that more than 82% believe it is likely that the Republicans will try to block the implementation of Gainful Employment. what surprised me was the number of times Insiders referenced Gainful Employment in other areas of our survey.  Meaning how the Administration handles this controversial regulations has implications for the politics around ESEA reauthorization.  

We also just finished a summary of the education platforms of the 37 governors that won their election last week. Will be available soon...

Finally, our colleagues at Dutko Grayling State and Local hosted an event discussing the election with Nathan Daschle, Democratic Governors Association; Phil Cox, Republican Governors Association, and Josh Kraushaar, National Journal.  You can watch it online at C-SPAN.  

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Hat tip to Lindsey Mask for pointing me to this video. 

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