Reform + more money = progressive
The movement for education reform in America has a tendency to cut across partisan lines in a unique way, which I think tends create some confusion about what a progressive vision for public education in our country looks like. Obviously there are some divergent views here, but here at Parent Revolution we think the answer is pretty clear – any progressive agenda for education must couple badly needed reforms that place the interest of children (especially low-income and underserved children) first, along with significantly increased investment of tax dollars into public education. Our President, Barack Obama, clearly agrees, having laid out an agenda that aggressively pursues badly needed reforms while urging Congress to appropriate more money to avoid pending teacher layoffs.
Today, however, comes the disturbing news that some Democrats in Congress are trying to use teacher layoffs as an excuse to gut President Obama’s reform efforts. Congressman Obey has even proposed taking $500 million out of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top appropriation, even though dozens of states already applied for it weeks ago, and the US Dept of Ed is essentially in the process of figuring out how to appropriate it as we speak. This, of course, is the same Race to the Top program that has spurred more kids-first education reform in a year than we have seen in the last decade, and was instrumental in passing game changing policies such as the Parent Trigger (in two states!) and Colorado’s landmark teacher effectiveness bill.
The Dept of Ed has already come out strongly against this move, with the nation’s second largest teachers union (AFT) also speaking up against it. It is extremely unfortunate that many elected officials still cling to an outdated belief that all we need to do to transform a broken system of public education is just appropriate more money, and everything will be OK. Our schools need both more money and serious structural reforms, and I have trouble thinking of anyone who fails to pursue both as any sort of “progressive,” at least when it comes to giving all children the quality education they so desperately need.
