Notes From the Revolution
Ten years ago this summer, a small but diverse group of state leaders gathered in Burlington, Vt., to plot a revolution. As the National Governors Association assembled for its annual summer session, these lesser-known men and women huddled in relative obscurity. Most were fairly new to their jobs, and were concerned about the challenges they confronted. As they talked, a sense of urgency grew. They left Vermont galvanized by a dedication to engage the residents of their states and the people of the nation in a spirited discussion of the need for fundamental, grassroots-driven reform in education.
In the beginning, the Education Leaders Council was all about changing the terms of America’s conversation about education. For too long, in the minds of these leaders, the discussion had been framed by and carried out among the education establishment. And it had gone nowhere. Student achievement was stagnant nationwide, and achievement gaps between population groups were evident everywhere. Yet, no one seemed aware of these facts (or willing to say they were). Many parents of public school children felt disenfranchised. School reform efforts were encountering strong opposition from those who felt threatened by emerging ideas such as charter schools, school choice, virtual education, and academic accountability. School board members seemed to be taking their direction from administrators, instead of providing the direction themselves. Teachers everywhere were under siege.
None of this was new at that time, of course. But what troubled those who formed the council was that the organizations whose purpose it was to improve public education seemed to be either ignorant of or blind to the problems. The national teachers’ unions were pursuing political agendas that had little to do with improving America’s schools. The organizations formed to address the needs of the nation’s school boards and state boards of education were doing just that: looking out for the interests of their members. The Council of Chief State School Officers, long established in Washington as the “official” voice of state education leaders, was actively engaged in discussions on Capitol Hill. But its agenda, in the minds of these maverick state leaders, was irrelevant to what was actually going on in the schools and...
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