January 2, 2008

Two Education Observations Heading into '08

Posted by Aaron Tang at 7:48AM

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The New Year gets off to a fast start with the Iowa Caucus on January 3rd and the New Hampshire primary just 5 days later. As I've been discussing with my 8th graders, these first 8 days of the year will offer a strong hint as to who might be our next President of the United States.

What could the new year and all of the election cycle buzz bring for our students from an education policy perspective? There is room for hope on one front, as a major news media source gave significant attention to the efforts of some very brave and committed students in Los Angeles who continue to fight an uphill battle to ensure that LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa listens to their voices as he works to bring reform to their schools.

As you'll see in the article, though, the Mayor appears to be treating the student organizations--who are campaigning for some pretty common-sense improvements like finding permanent teachers rather than long-term substitutes for math and science classrooms, better staffed guidance offices, and more college counselors--with a grain of salt. At one point during a recent evening meeting with the mayor and over 700 community members, a student asked the mayor whether his high school diploma would have any value given the lack of rigor or college track classes in his school. The mayor dodged the students question and instead replied, "Look at this young man. He's in a suit. He's ready. He's intelligent. This is what we want in our school. . . . A diploma should signify that you're prepared." Just like it is with national student organizing, it sounds like it will take more numbers, more visible approaches, and more pressure before the LA students have the voice they deserve in local reform discussions.

On a second front, it looks as though there might not be too much progress for serious education policy discussions at least during the contentious early primary season. While both Senators Clinton and Obama signalled an open-mindedness towards controversial reforms like paying teachers on a merit basis several months ago, they've all steered clear of possible negative buzz lately. One thing that is grabbing headlines is that GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, who leads polls in Iowa as of the day before the caucus, appears to be as supportive (or "submissive to"), if not more supportive of the teachers unions than perhaps any other candidate--including all of the democrats! See for yourself if you think this diagnosis is accurate based on a speech he gave to the NEA this past summer. The fact that he even appeared at the NEA convention has been seen as anathema to some die-hard conservatives, some of whom object to the idea of a US Department of Education--let alone a strong role for unions in what they view as a local issue: