[Speed Gibson,
Friday July 25, 2008 at 10:48pm]
Licensing Community Education
I note in the biography of the newly hired Director of Community Education for the Robbinsdale Area Schools that he has the required Director of Community Education License. I guess I'm not all that surprised that such a position requires some sort of licensing, like a principal. But I am somewhat surprised that such an exact license exists or is specifically required.
I guess I see this as a largely managerial position, not requiring extensive educational training. Managers are largely born, not made. I've met dozens of managers who I think could step in and do a great job in this position, perhaps as a career change later in life.
By great, I mean creative, again, something you really can't teach. Maybe it would help not coming up the ranks, learning how to do the job the same way every other licensed person does it.
As a parallel, consider the mess in our State Attorney General's office under Mike Hatch and now, Lori Swanson. Neither are managers. Neither is Amy Klobuchar, who had a similar record running the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Law school can teach you the law and how to practice it, but not how to manage other lawyers.
In fact, anyone can file for State Attorney General; no legal training is required at all. Again, many non-lawyers I know could do a good job running such a department - or a Department of Community Education.
To sharply limit the pool of candidates via licensing for a position like Director of Community Education seems unwarranted to me.
I guess I see this as a largely managerial position, not requiring extensive educational training. Managers are largely born, not made. I've met dozens of managers who I think could step in and do a great job in this position, perhaps as a career change later in life.
By great, I mean creative, again, something you really can't teach. Maybe it would help not coming up the ranks, learning how to do the job the same way every other licensed person does it.
As a parallel, consider the mess in our State Attorney General's office under Mike Hatch and now, Lori Swanson. Neither are managers. Neither is Amy Klobuchar, who had a similar record running the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Law school can teach you the law and how to practice it, but not how to manage other lawyers.
In fact, anyone can file for State Attorney General; no legal training is required at all. Again, many non-lawyers I know could do a good job running such a department - or a Department of Community Education.
To sharply limit the pool of candidates via licensing for a position like Director of Community Education seems unwarranted to me.