Education reform signed into law

Gov. Terry Branstad signed that big education reform compromise into law today. The governor and key lawmakers deserve a lot of credit for making education improvement a top priority and getting a significant package through a divided Capitol. I hope there were enough commemorative bill-signing pens for all:

The legislation encourages school districts to adopt new career ladders and evaluations for teachers by giving districts that chose to do so roughly $300 more per student to help pay for the costs of implementing the new programs.

The bill was the governor's top priority this legislative session after a reform bill from the previous year didn't address teacher and administrator career paths.

“This is a key turning point in Iowa history,” Branstad said. “Having good schools is no longer good enough.”

Now, see, why is it that politicians always have to serve one double shot of hyperbole too many?

I'm not saying that the governor is absolutely wrong. But we really don't know, yet, how historic this is or is not.

The career ladder, improving pay and encouraging top teachers to mentor others, while attempting to build a more robust atmosphere of professional collaboration, could be historic. If school districts embrace it. If future Legislatures don't shortchange it, as they did the last time we got historic reform. If a commission and lawmakers and education interests can agree on a new framework for teacher evaluations. And if a new student testing regime truly provides a clearer picture of performance, as advertised.

The Statehouse spirit may be willing, but too often, the follow-through is weak. And the ed dept. director who launched this is headed for Colorado.

My colleague, Jennifer Hemmingsen, says be skeptical of the hype:

But despite the superlatives his staff has been piling on in praise of the bill (Transformational! Comprehensive!), it's a partial victory for the governor, who started reform talks with a clean chalkboard and an ambitious take-it-or-leave it plan to reclaim Iowa's seat at the head of the class when it comes to public education.

Many of the bolder ideas from those early days have been relegated to study groups or the recycling bin.

Some, such as expanding competency-based learning opportunities, still might become a reality. Others, such as loosening tight restrictions on charter schools, were DOA.

By political necessity, the compromise package had to be a little less bold, and more flexible. That's how the Statehouse works. But Jennifer doesn't mind, and neither do I, because real educational transformation isn't coming from the Golden Dome. Improvement maybe. Much needed bucks, definitely. But not fundamental transformation. We're actually better off with more flexibility, so that schools have room to try new approaches.

But folks are still on the job, looking for transformation:

Former educators Shawn Cornally (left) and Trace Pickering are bringing students back into the classroom for the summer with their latest "big idea," aptly named The Big Ideas School.

Set to begin its first session June 24, the program promises an alternative approach to traditional education systems by getting students in grades 7-12 engaged with interdisciplinary projects that interest them.

Cornally said his previous role as a community builder in the Creative Corridor-a seven-county area in northeast Iowa-inspired him to start the school. In that role, he worked on a program that placed community members in schools for a day and then recorded what those individuals wanted schools to look like. The Big Ideas School is the manifestation of what the group envisioned.