In business, all ideas remain hazy until they legitimize themselves on the bottom line. In education, all ideas remain idealistic until the cloudy powers of our system fashion graduates from mere students, and their shiny new knowledge is applied in the vaguest place of them all: The Real World.

At times, business seems to view education as an unwanted stepchild needing to be nurtured before it can stand on its own, soaking up resources before it can ever pull its own weight. But today, there are signs that here in the Kansas City

area, those two preciously-linked worlds might find common ground.

Getting Them There

At the elementary and secondary levels, where there are 14 different school districts in the area, City Council Member Alvin Brooks pointed out how difficult it is to regulate all of them because of their size, ethnic breakdowns and because each has a different relationship with the city.

"We spend more on prisons than we do on schools," he said, "and when it comes time to budget every year, education is the first thing that gets cut. The ‘no child left behind' idea is nice, but American children are being left behind today, and Kansas City is a good example."

Brooks said that at the elementary and secondary levels, students face poverty and lack of resources in urban centers like Kansas City and St. Louis. But in order to succeed, they have to be driven, and refuse to let these hurdles stop them.

"It's hard, because when these kids visit other schools, they know they're not being treated equally and it affects their attitude," he said. "There is no common understanding or consciousness for what these kids really need. There are brand new schools out in the suburbs with kids being brought in because the schools aren't full; meanwhile, the inner city schools are falling down."

Help may be around the corner, as the Missouri Legislature is working on proposals to substantially increase appropriations for elementary and secondary education in 2005.

"Our goal is to keep the focus on high standards and expectations for all students in Missouri," said Dr. D. Kent King, Missouri Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. "Even in difficult financial times, the state and local school districts must continue to push for higher academic achievement by all students, recruitment and retention of top-quality teachers, and widely available high-quality preschool services, because these programs are the most effective way to boost student achievement."

A quick look at the Missouri

Public School Accountability Report, ("Annual Public Reporting by School Districts, form 5 CSR 50-340.200) does have its bright spots. Over the past five years, enrollment and attendance are static, as are teacher-to-student ratios (14). Teacher pay and per-pupil spending are steadily up, as is the high school graduation rate. However, more revealing in light of these recent state funding woes may be that the number of graduates entering two-year colleges is up drastically, while those entering four-year colleges remains static.

Across the state line, Kansas Representative Kenny Wilk (Dist. 42) shrugs off recent gloom-and-doom reports for education in the Sunflower State, and has high hopes for the future.

"We have a lot of faith in our higher education system," he said. "The Eco-Devo Act (HB 2647, ‘The Bioscience Authority Act') we passed overwhelmingly is a major piece of economic development legislation, and it's very strongly rooted in education. The whole plan counts on our universities to produce results for us, and it passed almost unanimously. That's a big statement that our legislature has really bought into the concept that our schools are going to deliver for us."

But that's not to say Rep. Wilk thinks the system has peaked.

"Can we get better? Sure we can, but I'm proud to be associated with the system we have in Kansas," he said. "I think we're doing a great job of changing our model from a traditional K-12 mindset, to a broad-er notion of pre K-16 and beyond, a cradle-to-grave vision of lifelong learning and continuing education for professional employees."

Higher Ed--and Beyond

Quentin Wilson, Missouri's Commissioner of Higher Education, faces similar issues, but he's working to keep his eye on the state's top priority.

"Missouri needs to increase its percentage of college graduates," he said. "We've dedicated ourselves to working more closely with K-12. In the past, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had its own agenda apart from ours, as did the Department of Economic Development and all its workforce components. Now we're all working closely together to develop stream-lined priorities and a common agenda."

The Missouri Senate recently approved a higher education increase of $20 million for 2005--its first increase in three years. If passed in the House, that new money will be distributed to all institutions of higher learning in Missouri. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but no miracle cure.

"That money doesn't mean kids are automatically going to be better prepared," Wilson said. "We want to focus on the desired result--having more kids advancing through grade school, high school and eventually graduating from college. The governor and the legislature have made it clear that state education is a top priority."

The Legislative Pinch

Missouri Representative Chuck Graham (Dist. 24) works in the trenches on the state's Education Appropriations Committee, and he knows firsthand how difficult funding can be in tough times.

"For the first time in history, tuition now makes up more university income than state appropriations," he said. "That's a bad trend and it needs to change. We have kids taking six years to earn a four-year degree because they have to work while they're going to school in order to afford it. That trend will have a negative effect on the business community--maybe not overnight--but it's a bad trend."

Some incubators for economic development Graham points to in the Kansas City area are various emerging initiatives to get research institutions to adapt to the idea of bringing their ideas to the market.

"I think when Elson Floyd [President of the University of Missouri System] asked that economic development be added to the mission of the system, we took a big step forward," said Graham. "For the first time, the insti-tutions were called upon to do research not just for publication and self promotion, but for the specific purpose of establishing the institution as a direct force in the marketplace.

"We need to seek out more ways to connect the venture capital side with the research side," he said. "We need to team together to bring these hypothetical ideas and research to the marketplace, because right now that process takes too long. When we can be proactive in getting our entrepreneurs to work with our research people at these great institutions, it bodes well for economic development throughout the region."

College: The Final Frontier

John Neal, President of Ottawa University, finds himself in an intriguing position amidst today's state-funding pinch: He heads up a private university and is used to not relying on the state for revenue.

And yet, the affairs of the state are still linked undeniably with his private school's state of affairs.

"In Kansas, the government has a double effect: comprehensive grant programs and Title 4 [the student aid section of the federal government's Higher Education Act]," he said. "Grants are instrumental in allowing high-need students to attend the college of their choice, even if it's not a state school. The Title 4 issues are huge in terms of affordability for the students.

"We would like for students to spend more time on campus, and not just go to class and then jet off to work," he said. "From an altruistic standpoint, a certain kind of graduate is sought, and businesses that understand their role in producing that kind of graduate help us foster an atmosphere that allows them, in the end, to pick the cream of the crop.

There's nothing wrong with investing in a desired product in that way-- it's just good business."

One of the complaints many collegiate administrators talk about is that the business sector continually seeks out only entry level people, and won't go the extra mile to cultivate future executive-level talent at universities.

"In the marketplace and in the classroom," Neal said, "we're making too many decisions based on immediate need. I think uncertainty breeds this sense of desperation, but the thinking contradicts itself: Do you want a difference maker or just a warm body to get you through a tight spot? Sometimes, these great instruments for growth are looked upon as luxuries; it's hard to be strategic when you're just trying to keep the doors open. While Ottawa University wants to stay innovative, nimble and even risk-taking at times, we'll always be solid on the fundamentals of a good education."

Tom Bryant, President of Pittsburg State University, tends to have faith in the Midwest, no matter the economic climate.

"Lack of funding is just a fact of life," he said. "The face of education is changing in that these tuition increases place the graduate in the marketplace with a pretty big debt burden. But the people who improve the marketplace in this region will always be the thinking and imaginative students who come out of this system.

"I'd tell an employer looking for good talent to hire one of our grads, because our kids have those tools. Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott is a Pitt State grad. Bridgestone/Firestone CEO John Lampe is a Pitt State grad. These are great companies who are obviously well served by their employees. There are plenty of other schools in this region that can say similar things about their graduates.

"I think the Midwesterners have tremendous work ethic and a great system of values and ethics. Those qualities give them an edge in the workforce. There's no doubt that we're in the midst of a very challenging climate," he said. "But it's not an impossible one. We're going to educate our kids, no matter the climate. It may be tough now, but that doesn't mean we aren't going to do our best."