Published the week of 9/4/04

Have you ever heard a restaurant owner complain that a new restaurant is "taking our money?" How about a car dealership saying something similar about a new business down the street? When faced with competition, wise business owners do several things:

• Examine what they are doing well, what is attracting people, and try to keep doing those things
• Examine what concerns customers have, and try to make improvements
• Examine what the competition is doing, and adopt some of their best ideas.

So, for example, when USA Today pioneered the idea of color in newspapers, many newspapers decided to do the same thing. All papers improved. When one van company developed the idea of sliding doors on both sides of the car, other companies adopted the idea. When one company (in my home town of Wichita, Kansas, by the way) found that Americans loved pizza, many other folks entered the field.

One of the best things about America is that we have many choices, and competition has helped improve products and services. So it surprises and saddens me to hear some educators insist, "they are taking OUR money." Some educators complained when the Post-Secondary Options Law was adopted in 1985, when open enrollment passed in 1988, when the charter law approved in 1991, and when people open charter public schools around the state. Minnesota's legislature allocates money for the education of young people in this state. That money is not guaranteed for any particular system. It shouldn't be.

Look what's happened with Post-Secondary Options (PSO). This law allows high school juniors and seniors to attend colleges or universities, part or full time, with state funds following the students, paying their tuition and books.

More than 100,000 students have used this law. At many institutions, including the University of Minnesota, high school students have earned a higher average grade than normal freshman, while taking rigorous, challenging courses.

Some students use PSO to enroll in a college where they are treated more like adults. Wise high schools are giving more freedom to students who've demonstrated they can handle it.

Unfortunately, some high schools responded to PSO by threatening them, by not allowing them to participate in high school sports and other activities. Very shortsighted - and NOT consistent with the law, which allows high school students to be in high school sports, debate, music, etc. while taking college courses.

Wiser high schools responded by improving their own programs. To their credit, Minnesota high schools created hundreds of new Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and College in the (High) Schools courses started after PSO was adopted. A survey by Minnesota's Legislative Auditor found that the majority of high school principals responding said this law-INCREASED cooperation between high schools and colleges.

Wise educators welcome competition - whether from PSO, other district schools, or charter public schools. Americans value freedom and choice. Minnesota has used these ideas well, which is one of the reasons our students consistently rank, on average, among the nation's best.