Take the Good, Take the Bad

We've spent a lot of time focusing on quality education here (and our state's lack thereof). So, it would be hard to ignore the President's speech today on that topic.

There is much to like here, such as a call for merit pay to good teachers, especially those working in low income neighborhoods, and an expansion of charter schools. As this US Dept. of Education report shows, charter schools outperformed traditional schools in the 2005-'06 and '07-'08 school years. However, many unions still oppose these schools. I applaud President Obama for taking a stand even if it could upset people who backed and even helped to fund his campaign.

A glaring omission in the speech is accountability. I can understand if Obama didn't want to come across as attacking teachers in this, his first major speech on education. However, as he brings up merit pay to teachers who's students perform well, I would have hoped he'd also discuss what to do with teachers who's students continually fail. I'm narrowly willing to give him a rain check on this, hoping that it comes in future discussions.

Also, I would have liked to hear more about local control, certainly a key ingredient to get parents involved with their students. That seems an obvious one. Why was this left out?

That leads me to the bad, in particular this section of the President's speech:

Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early
education, despite compelling evidence of its importance. So what we get here in
Washington is the same old debate about it's more money versus more reform,
vouchers versus the status quo. There's been partisanship and petty bickering,
but little recognition that we need to move beyond the worn fights of the 20th
century if we're going to succeed in the 21st century.

First, he attacks the Republican party. Then, not a breath later, he argues that partisanship and petty bickering have been holding back educational progress. If that wasn't petty bickering, what is?

I think it's safe to say that both Republicans and Democrats have some good ideas as to how to fix the educational system. It's also safe to say that, throughout too much of California anyway, neither has done anything to actually succeed in improving public schools, especially in low income areas.

For all of us who graduated from high school, we know what it takes: good teachers, engaging curriculum, and parents who take part in the educational process. Cut out any of those items, and you drastically cut the chances of students' success. We need a government, starting locally,then statewide, then (with a more hands-off approach) nationwide that will support those three vital ingredients.