OPINION EDITORIAL

November 19, 2004

Life after I-884: Solutions that work

By Marsha Richards
There are two major sides in the education reform debate: those who believe the answer to almost all deficiencies is "more money," and those who believe our education delivery system is broken and in need of some serious structural changes.

We all know quality education isn't free and we have repeatedly said "yes" to cries for more money. Unfortunately, while we're spending more today than ever before (no matter how you slice the pie chart), student achievement over the past couple of decades is represented by flat or falling lines. This stagnation is unacceptable, since crisis lows in achievement prompted the nationwide call for reform in the first place.

It's time to acknowledge the insanity of expecting different results while we continue to do the same thing over and over. Arbitrary infusions of more money won't fix a broken education delivery system any more than a new paint job will fix a car with engine trouble. We need to adopt a successful model.

We can start by renouncing the idea that our current education delivery system is somehow worth protecting for its own sake. Public education isn't about a system, it's about students.

Few on either side of the education debate will disagree on what students need: Highly qualified teachers; clear and rigorous academic standards; strong school leaders; small, locally controlled schools; and meaningful parental involvement. The debate centers around whether or not we can provide these needs while protecting and expanding our education system in its current form.

The answer is "No."

Our education system has devolved into an unwieldy, bureaucratic monopoly. Like any other monopoly, this one breeds expensive mediocrity. Successful reforms will dismantle the monopoly and put control back into the hands of local parents, teachers and administrators.

Here's what we need to do:

1. Put a highly qualified teacher in every classroom.
Our current system discourages excellence by paying teachers based not on how well they do their jobs, but how long they've had them. We should instead adopt a flexible salary model that removes the arbitrary salary cap, rewards demonstrably excellent teachers, and allows incentives to attract teachers to high-demand subjects.

We can objectively evaluate teachers by adopting value-added assessments, which measure individual student academics at the beginning and end of each year to determine the value they received from a year's instruction by a given teacher or school.

We should streamline and enhance the state's alternative certification programs to allow qualified individuals (those who can demonstrate knowledge and ability) to teach in our classrooms.

2. Ensure academic rigor and financial accountability.
We expect more from our public schools and teachers than ever before, but that doesn't always mean we should. If we want them to deliver quality education, we can't also demand that they be mom, dad, nurse, therapist and babysitter. No amount of money will make it possible. Schools need well-defined mission statements with a clear academic focus.

To ensure that academic missions are achieved, education agencies should be required to submit regular reports to the legislature (in a format and language easily accessible to parents, media and other concerned citizens) showing how each dollar spent adds maximum value to student achievement. The legislature should mandate that a majority percentage of allocated dollars follow students to the school building and classroom where learning takes place (currently less than half of the dollars spent are used for basic instruction).

3. Ensure that schools have strong and accountable leaders.
School principals need authority and flexibility to organize and motivate schools to achieve their academic missions. Right now, principals in Washington's schools have very little authority over hiring, firing or the school budget. This must change.

4. Return control to local parents, teachers and administrators.
Washington's public schools are required to comply with 1,300 pages of small-print rules and regulations handed down by the state and federal government. This stifles creativity and flexibility and soaks up resources that could be spent to benefit students more directly. Legislators should determine which regulations are necessary to ensure basic health, safety, civil rights and academic achievement, and get rid of the rest.

Sadly, adopting these common sense reforms will not be easy. Changes in structure mean changes in routine, and routines are comfortable, familiar, easy, and fiercely defended. As we move forward, we need to remember that public education is not about protecting jobs for adults or preserving and expanding one kind of delivery system; it's about giving students the academic tools they need to pursue and achieve their dreams. With the right focus, we can fix what's broken.

Marsha Richards directs the Education Reform Center for the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a policy research organization dedicated to individual liberty, free enterprise and accountable government.

Contact: Marsha Richards | Education Reform Center Director | 360-956-3482

Evergreen Freedom Foundation P.O. Box 552, Olympia, WA 98507 Phone: (360) 956-3482, Fax: (360) 352-1874 Email: effwa@effwa.org