Seize the moment for education reform in Iowa

By Sioux City Journal

----

Whatever the endeavor - be it business, athletics ... or education -nobody stays number one by staying the same.

Historically, we Iowans have prided ourselves on the quality of our schools. We have considered ourselves at or near the top in the nation.

The state's education system still gets good, passing grades, don't get us wrong, but we can and should do better in our classrooms to prepare our children for the realities and dynamics of a changing, more-global workforce. “We must,” in the words of Iowa Department of Education Director Jason Glass, “have a world-class education system ...”

According to a new report prepared by IDED, “Rising to Greatness: An imperative for Improving Iowa's Schools,” our state has slipped over the last 20 years from “national leader” in education to “national average, or sometimes below average, performer.”

“Iowa's school system has a good foundation to build on, but this house needs a major remodel,” Glass said in presenting the report on July 21. “As a system, we've got very dedicated educators and some very good schools - but we need to upgrade and consider adopting some of the practices of the highest performing systems to create a truly world-class school system.”

In his keynote address during a recent Iowa Education Summit in Des Moines, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan adopted much the same message. He urged Iowans to use the summit as an “urgent wake-up call” to end the state's “stagnation” in education and prevent a continued slide to “educational mediocrity.”

“Many nations and states are now outperforming Iowa,” Duncan said.

We give credit to Gov. Terry Branstad for planning and hosting the summit, which was attended by some 1,700 persons, and for making the issue of education reform a high-profile priority within his administration for the next session of the Legislature.

Legislative debate, we understand, is likely to be contentious. With a split General Assembly - Republicans control the House, Democrats the Senate - agreement on a package of reform measures will not happen easily. We witnessed the extent to which philosophical divisions separate the House and Senate in the protracted budget debate of the last session.

Already, Branstad's stated support of merit pay for teachers is meeting with skepticism, if not outright opposition within some quarters. While not surprising, that's disappointing nonetheless. Merit pay can take many forms. All Iowans should wait to see specific proposals for merit pay before dismissing the idea completely. In general, we support the concept, but we believe pay must be tied to something more than just the standardized test scores of students.

We urge lawmakers to use the next six months before the start of the new legislative session to examine education reform in honest fashion and with an open mind and return to Des Moines next winter prepared for a healthy, robust discussion. So, too, should Iowans in general embrace as a positive opportunity the introduction of specific proposals and a statewide dialogue?

This isn't about casting blame. Just as all segments of our state - elected and appointed state and local government and education leaders, school administrators, classroom teachers and parents - share in Iowa's education successes, so must all of them share in its shortcomings. To build “world-class schools” (the summit theme), all Iowans must come together in shared commitment to the common goal of improved public education.

Will we seize the moment and rise to this challenge or will we ignore it, preferring instead to rest on the laurels of our past? If we know Iowans, we are confident of the former, not concerned about the latter.

After all, as Glass said in presenting the IDED report earlier this month, “Iowa's kids deserve nothing less.”

---