From the Center for Education Reform Newsletter

Below are some good excerpts from the latest newsletter from the Center for Education Reform.

The nation's schools are largely mediocre and in need of fundamental structural change that would make performance central to teacher and school evaluation. That's more likely to happen with independent groups running schools on contract. Does that sound like Nation at Risk (circa 1983) or even something out of the Center for Education Reform playbook? Well it isn't. These are actually some of the conclusions of the report by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a diverse set of individuals tasked by the National Center on Education and the Economy and run by group president Marc Tucker, who was instrumental in policy direction in the Clinton Administration. The report's tough talk requires tough action by governors in particular, and it's not clear they have the stomach to stand up to the establishment as they should. This report is likely to have a long shelf life given the heft of Commission members and the viability of its recommendations.

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STANDARDS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

TOUGH TALK. The nation's schools are largely mediocre and in need of fundamental structural change that would make performance central to teacher and school evaluation. That's more likely to happen with independent groups running schools on contract. Does that sound like Nation at Risk (circa 1983) or even something out of the Center for Education Reform playbook? Well it isn't. These are actually some of the conclusions of the report by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a diverse set of individuals tasked by the National Center on Education and the Economy and run by group president Marc Tucker, who was instrumental in policy direction in the Clinton Administration. The report's tough talk requires tough action by governors in particular, and it's not clear they have the stomach to stand up to the establishment as they should. This report is likely to have a long shelf life given the heft of Commission members and the viability of its recommendations. Beyond restructuring how schools operate and are rewarded, the Commission also makes some peripheral recommendations that would have little impact if not combined with all the other ideas, like universal pre-school and additional funds that would institute equitable funding. This is important reading for anyone involved in making education policy. In particular, 2008 presidential aspirants would do well to embrace much of this report and use it to change the discourse on education policy going forward.

EVERYONE'S BUSINESS. Nobody understands the failures of our current education system better than the businesses that have to train ill-equipped recent graduates. Today, more and more students are leaving high school, or even college, and entering the workforce without the skills they need to compete in a global market. To see just how bad the problem is, the US Chamber of Commerce surveyed 571 businesses across the country to find their views on the current education system. Anyone who has read The American Education Diet probably knows what the respondents said. Their answers reflected the growing concern that without major reform, American students will not be prepared to contribute to the workforce in the 21st century. Nearly all respondents see a rigorous K-12 curriculum as a very important element in preparing students for the workforce, but more than half of all respondents see our current curriculum as inadequate. Some of the solutions the business community seems to support are school choice, accountability, and teacher quality measures. More than half of the businesses (53 percent) see voucher programs as a means to improve student learning - with 38 percent favoring state-by-state programs and 15 percent favoring a national voucher program. To no one's surprise most respondents (80 percent) believe that schools should be held accountable for meeting proficiency levels and 73 percent agree that teachers should receive pay raises for improving academic achievement. More fodder for the policymakers.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

GARDEN OF EQUALITY. Last week, teachers in New Jersey protested at the prospect of property taxes being lowered. They screamed that it would mean less money for the schools, which already receive a national high of $16,000 per pupil. Some Garden state schools have been operating with far less money for years. Charter schools, which because of NJ regulations receive almost 35% fewer dollars on average, are now fighting back with a class action lawsuit against the state Department of Education. As is the case in many states with weak charter school laws, New Jersey charter schools are often forced to run schools on a fraction of the public funds that conventional public schools receive. They are also given no funding for facilities. In Newark, the average per-pupil funding for charter schools was $9,500, nearly $7,000 less than neighboring district schools. "The disparity that exists is unconstitutional," said Shavar Jeffries, the lead counsel for the Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice, which filed the case on behalf of the state's charter school students. "The way funding works doesn't take into account the needs of kids in urban districts, these are the same kids." The Department of Education claims that school funding will be at the top of the state Legislature's agenda in January. Maybe a lawsuit will be the kick they need to finally fund all schools equally.