Missing the Brass Ring in Education

As the governor lobbies for more money from the Obama administration, as reported yesterday by the Seattle Times' Andrew Garber, the probable loss of education assistance must smart. That second link is to a good editorial in The News Tribune this morning. The feds are distributing some $4.3 billion to states that demonstrate excellence in public education. The editorial looks at some criteria:

Essentially, a state would have to demonstrate that it can implement successful, student-focused reforms in the face of political obstacles, hidebound K-12 establishments and teachers unions.

Some of their core expectations:

 • A state must connect data on student performance to individual teachers. The logic for this is blindingly obvious: The data connection can not only help evaluate teachers, it can help evaluate the curriculum they use, the schools of education that trained them and the effectiveness of their principals.

The failure to make that connection cripples accountability all around. Washington doesn’t make it.

 • A state must reward high-performing teachers. For the most part, Washington does not.

 • A state must encourage educational innovation by not imposing a cap on the number of charter public schools – schools commonly organized and self-governed by teachers and parents. Washington imposes a cap: zero.

 • A state must have a credible way of stepping in and fixing failing schools. Washington doesn’t.

Not good. Also in The News Tribune is Education Secretary Arne Duncan's challenge to the nation's governors.  See also this post by Jason Mercier at the Washington Policy Center.