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Introduction and Summary

Implementation of the Institution's strategy for "Bringing Synergy to Public Education" requires the Regents' awareness and concurrence. Summarizing the report that follows, the Regents should be aware that in seeking to help address the national crisis in education, the Institution has embarked on a course that will alter significantly its public service role and require not yet fully determined internal budgetary and organizational realignments. Some efforts already under way will:

I. Contemporize the Smithsonian's general historic educational philosophy and mission to emphasize programmatic, personnel, and budgetary resources in helping to overcome the national crisis in pre-college education, particularly in science and cultural education. In adopting this focus, the Institution is challenged to maintain its traditional commitments in education in research and museum exhibitions, and continuing education programs for adult audiences.

II. Expand and formalize Smithsonian contact and collaboration with pre-college educational systems, associations, and public and corporate networks. These entities will be indispensable for calculating the Institution's complimentary role with mainstay educational institutions. However, increased formal interaction will raise external expectations of the Institution and necessitate increased communication and coordination between central Smithsonian management and bureau educational initiatives.

III. Explore more directed usage of the Regents' Educational Outreach Trust Fund and Federal funds for long-term teacher training and curriculum development, while continuing limited support for testing new educational initiatives. In addition, the Smithsonian's Office of Development has already reorganized its staff to emphasize the Institution's educational priorities.

IV. Examine the Institution's broad offerings in research, museology, and education in relationship to the American Association of Museums Task Force Report on Museum Education "Excellence and Equity: Education and the Public Dimension of Museums" (May 1991). To continue the Institution's leadership contributions to the collegial community of museums and related educational institutions, it becomes incumbent on Smithsonian bureau and program staff and management to review and refine, where deemed appropriate, their respective missions. Balancing traditional missions and goals among the varied Smithsonian bureaus and programs will be a major challenge in a period of reduced budgetary resources and expanding public expectations.

Discussion

Despite the elimination of the entire education package in the OMB/Congressional 1992 budget mark-up, the Institution is moving ahead to implement a strategy for bringing synergy to public education. The Institution is mindful that the lack of additional Congressional budget support for education will require close scrutiny of educational initiatives and more effective alignments of existing budgets and personnel.