I'm not surprised by the terrible experience Craig Westover had trying to get school officials to understand tuition tax credits on Monday. With a room full of teachers and administrators, systemic change was no on the menu. But this comment did surprise me.

This is the second time I�ve seen Commissioner Seagren speak, and both times I sensed she was working harder at not being former Commissioner Yecke than she was at setting any kind of an education agenda.

Despite the fact that "not being Yecke" is probably the only qualification for confirmation by the state Senate, this is a sign that Pawlenty administration may be trying too much for consensus and not enough for leadership.

Where are people going to go to get good ideas of what should be done in higher education? For starters, Yecke's still around.