Politics Will Not Stop School Reform: The Train Has Left the Station
As we enter a political season that may be defined by the election of some who oppose substantive changes in K-12 schools, the consensus is that we cannot afford to go back to what has clearly failed America’s students. As our nation grapples with a domestic and global slippery slope, we are constantly reminded of what is necessary to produce elementary and secondary schools that are capable of educating our youth at the highest levels. The impact of failing schools on our nation’s global competitiveness and prominence is not lost on too many people at this point. Our current political, social, and economic climates will not allow politicians and special interest groups to hijack public schooling as they have done in the past. The momentum for real change in public education can be felt and witnessed across a range of constituencies. Parents have become more inclined toward new school prototypes, just as local and state legislators are becoming more receptive to experimenting with more aggressive forms of teacher evaluation and compensation systems. The reform genie has been let out of the bottle and there is a discernible sense of urgency across the country as states and districts struggle with shrinking budgets, poorly trained teachers, low achieving students, and agitated parents.
Politicians and their allies who want to stem the tide of effective reform efforts should think twice, because everyone is watching and they will have to prove that any alternative reform efforts can measure up to those that are being implemented and producing measurable student academic success. The arguments that reform models such as charter schools and private management of school systems did not produce academic results that exceeded those of traditional public schools can no longer be made, because there are enough experiments across the nation that have proven grade level progress beyond the status quo. The plethora of forces (and voices) pushing and prodding toward the transformation of K-12 teaching and learning ultimately make it virtually impossible for school reform to be held hostage by political agendas. We are well past the point of proving the legitimacy and efficacy of comprehensive reform. Old political debates will not suffice because those who support business as usual in public schooling have been given decades to get things right and have failed miserably. The entire spectrum of public opinion and private interests surrounding the state of public education has created a groundswell that simply cannot be stopped.
Politicians and their allies who want to stem the tide of effective reform efforts should think twice, because everyone is watching and they will have to prove that any alternative reform efforts can measure up to those that are being implemented and producing measurable student academic success. The arguments that reform models such as charter schools and private management of school systems did not produce academic results that exceeded those of traditional public schools can no longer be made, because there are enough experiments across the nation that have proven grade level progress beyond the status quo. The plethora of forces (and voices) pushing and prodding toward the transformation of K-12 teaching and learning ultimately make it virtually impossible for school reform to be held hostage by political agendas. We are well past the point of proving the legitimacy and efficacy of comprehensive reform. Old political debates will not suffice because those who support business as usual in public schooling have been given decades to get things right and have failed miserably. The entire spectrum of public opinion and private interests surrounding the state of public education has created a groundswell that simply cannot be stopped.
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