Viewpoint: The voting booth affects the classroom
By Kara Kerwin
Pensacola News Journal
December 13, 2014
There’s a reasonable tendency among Americans to view the education of their kids as an exclusively local issue and distinct to their communities. After all, school buildings are constant fixtures in neighborhoods, sports teams play crosstown rivals and the vast majority of public students still attend schools based solely on ZIP code.
However, the innovations and flurry of activity that takes place in classrooms and communities are guided by the state-level policies that govern them, which is why the 2014 gubernatorial election results matter, and could potentially mean substantial improvements to student learning.
A national analysis found that more than half of governors hold encouraging views or have proven track records on promoting the types of choice and accountability measures that will lift student outcomes and give more power to parents in the educational process.
Post-election media reports signaled an overall victory for candidates with fresh ideas on how to make education the great equalizer. This means that if there are meaningful shifts in policy that facilitate excellent schools, they’re likely to originate from the statehouses and governor’s mansion.
These governors and governors-elect understand that schools cannot be properly held accountable for results if parents don’t have the choice to look around them and find the best educational fit for their child. And the teachers who work hard day in and day out should be rewarded for performing well and going the extra mile for kids.
They appreciate that some students need an alternate environment to master course content, and want to expand charter schools to operate alongside traditional schools, with the necessary autonomy for teachers to cater to particular learning needs.
What remains to be seen is whether state executives and lawmakers appreciate the urgency for action and that the status quo isn’t working for every student. Less than 40 percent of America’s fourth-graders can read and do math at proficiency, according to national assessments; and eighth-graders aren’t faring much better.
At the high school level, the average scores on the SAT remained flat for the sixth year in a row, and only 43 percent of test takers this year met the college-readiness benchmark.
Currently, 14 states plus the District of Columbia make school vouchers available to families, with a lesser number of states containing charter school laws that aren’t just in name only, but equitably fund charters and allow for the autonomy they need to truly thrive.
For these reasons, in addition to the principle that parents should have more say over what happens with their child’s education, this election cycle must serve as the catalyst for change to an education system in need of a shakeup.
Because American voters chose to elect real reformers, innovations that have been gaining traction in statehouses could soon become realities. A full one-third of states are currently considering some form of school-choice legislation, ranging from creation of new programs to strengthening ones in existence. Now that the voters have done their part, it’s now up to elected officials to finish the job.
Kara Kerwin is president of The Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C.
