Some people have said that a big reason for your victory was a sign that hung in your campaign offices. It read, "The economy, stupid!" It reminded you to stick to this issue.
Dear President-elect Clinton,
Congratulations on your election! A lot of us are looking forward to January 20 with excitement and hope. Some people say, that a big reason for your victory was a sign that hung in your campaign offices. It read, "The economy, stupid!" It reminded you and everyone working for you to stick to this issue instead of getting lost in a bunch of others, the way President Bush and the Republican party did.
Now, with respect to education, you may need something similar. There are hundreds of ideas about how to fix our education system, each with its enthusiastic supporters. But we need a strong and consistent focus if we are to improve student achievement so that it is comparable to that in other industrialized nations.
My suggestion is a sign that reads, "The education goals, stupid!" The education goals are not perfect, but President Bush accepted them and you had a major hand in developing them. By now they've become the nation's goals as well. Their biggest failing has nothing to do with what they say. It's that little was done to achieve them. To be the education president, you must work toward achieving the education goals with the same passion you showed in seeking the presidency.
What needs to be done?
First: Show the American people where we have to go if our students are to be "first in the world in math and science" and what it means for students to "demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter, including English, mathematics, science, history and geography." Support groups like the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that are already grappling with questions about content and performance standards. When the standards are developed, make sure they are widely publicized so that parents and students and teachers are aware of what students must achieve in order to meet them.
Second: We should spend less time testing students, but we'll need better tests that are geared to the national goals and standards. These tests will be used to give an honest report about how schools, school districts and states -- and even individual students -- are doing so people can make comparisons in a way that is not possible now.
Third: We need to support teachers and principals to help them help kids to meet the standards. This means creating training programs and textbooks designed with the standards in mind and using the best in technology.
Fourth: You'll have to be very tough about the need to work harder, but you've also got to educate the public away from the notion that they'll see results in a couple of years. If we are to achieve the education goals, we'll need the same tenacity that was required to win the Cold War.
The best way to keep people's minds focused on reaching the goals is to attach consequences to achieving them or failing to do so. But we can't simply lower the boom the day after the standards are in place. Kids and schools will need time to come up to speed. Furthermore, if we are serious about raising the achievement of all our students, we'll also have to fulfill another education goal that says, "All children in America will start school ready to learn." That means adequate health care and nutrition for kids and opportunities for preschool and parent education -- an end to neglect.
But as time goes on, it is essential that consequences kick in. Students who achieve the goals should be able to get into college -- your college program will help with that -- and those who don't should not. Students who have achieved the goals and go right to work should have access to better jobs at better pay -- your school-to- work program will help with that. Schools that do a good job helping students raise their achievement levels should be rewarded, and schools that consistently fail to help their students improve, even after these schools have been given extra resources and extra help, should be closed down.
Many U.S. cities are in terrible trouble, and they have made big cut backs in education spending. Too many children go to schools where savage inequalities reign: closets for classrooms, leaking roofs, no supplies, no labs .... Conditions like these will be no help in achieving the education goals. When you target money to be spent on repairing infrastructure, remember these crumbling schools. And when you are deciding where to put the 100,000 extra policemen you talked about, give priority to making our schools safe.
Finally, you should pick a secretary of education who sends a clear message that he or she is passionately committed to the education goals. Pick somebody special -- like Hillary. We know you won't let her down.
Sincerely, Al Shanker