November 2009
Where Does Your Elected Official Stand on Education?
By Gene R. Carter, Executive Director, ASCD
During ASCD's annual legislative institute, where members travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with their elected officials and advocate for smart and effective education policy, a member confessed to an official from the U.S. Department of Education, "I didn't vote for your guy [President Barack Obama], but I love what he's doing on education."
This simple, yet profound statement still resonates with me. Our members represent professional educators from across the professional and political spectrum—from classroom instructors to school principals, from district superintendents to college-level professors, and from liberals to conservatives. Yet despite our professional and political differences, we know that children belong at the center of our decision making. And we know that only when we consistently and deliberately make each child's success the most important criterion will we develop sound education policies that translate into sound practices.
We can agree that what's best for children should drive our discussion about education, but we can disagree on the best tactic at any given moment. What we should not disagree about is the importance of vigorous and civil debate. As we move into the important business of reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), we need to remember that debate should illuminate issues, rather than obscure them.
Educators can help ensure that the reauthorization focuses on the critically important issues facing our nation. Legislators have a responsibility to facilitate this dialogue, seek out well-informed input, and work in good faith toward consensus on practical solutions. Students and their families are not interested in political points scored, but in real improvements in the nation's education system.
If policymakers made decisions by first asking, What works best for children?, they would redefine what a successful learner is and how we measure success. Parents know what they want for their children. A child who enters school in good health and feels safe and connected to her school is ready to learn. A student who has at least one adult in school who understands his social and emotional development is more likely to stay in school. Students who have access to challenging academic programs are better prepared for further education, work, and civic life. These components must work together. This should be the goal of everyone whose job is to create education policies and practices to adequately prepare our children for their futures.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivered some sobering statistics on why reauthorization of ESEA cannot wait:
- 27 percent of America's young people drop out of high school.
- Recent international tests in math and science show our students trail their peers in other countries.
- Just 40 percent of young people earn a two-year or four-year college degree.
- The U.S. now ranks 10th in the world in the rate of college completion for 25- to 34-year-olds.
Duncan urges us all to "roll up our sleeves and work together and get beyond differences of party, politics and philosophy." ASCD members agree that reform of our nation's education law cannot wait. We stand ready to do our part. We advocate for the federal government to play a leadership role in equity and access for disadvantaged and special-needs student populations, support the development and training of highly effective educators, promote effective education policies and services for every stage of a student's development, and promote innovative strategies and programs for 21st century students to be successful.
ASCD members across the United States deserve an answer from each of their elected officials to the following question: Where do you stand on education?
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