A Chance for Every Child

“There is no more critical issue facing the United States than the need for education reform. These are the words of Florida Governor Jeb Bush in his foreword of Mitt Romney’s white paper, A Chance for Every Child, which outlines his plan for education reform. Governor Romney believes this plan will set the stage for what he considers genuine education reform. He criticizes the current administration and President Obama’s approach to education reform of throwing money at the problem. He points out that while America’s spending per student is among the highest in the world, our achievement lags far behind, a theme that begins in elementary school and continues through college. Romney’s plan details the steps he and his administration will take, if elected, to enact change in America’s schools. For grades K-12 the first step is to provide greater choice to parents and students. He believes that best way to increase the achievement of students who are trapped in a bad district is allow them the choice to leave. He thinks that it’s not enough to allow parents to make the choice of where to send their children. However we need to make sure those alternatives are available, and that schools are held accountable. They should be graded based on their results and that information should be transparent and easily understood by parents. Additionally he believes that Title I and IDEA funds should be able to follow the student receiving them wherever they want to go. Recent reactions to Governor Romney’s paper, released in May 2012, have been pointed out some holes in his theory. Democratic Representative from South Carolina James Clyburn says, “I don't see how you strengthen education by taking money out of the system and giving it to a few students to go to a private school”. In the Hechinger Report, HechingerEd, Sarah Butrymowicz writes: allowing more public dollars to follow low-income and special-needs children to private schools, one of Romney's main proposals for reforming American education, does not guarantee those schools will open their doors to them. The Florida Council of Independent Schools which accredits 159 independent schools across the state does not accept vouchers. Barbara Hodges, executive director of the Council says, “Part of being independent means that, typically, our schools do not take tax dollars and that vouchers have not significantly impacted us one way or another”. Even those who support Romney’s idea see the possible drawbacks. NYU professor of History and Educations Jonathan Zimmerman points out that while if successful Romney’s plan could completely transform the way Americans organize and fund public schools, and that's why it has little chance of being implemented any time soon. He calls it the NIMBY (not in my backyard) system of schooling. Wealthy districts are not going to let less fortunate kids into their schools vouchers or not. As far as accountability schools are already required to report student achievement and the Center for American Progress action funds says grading schools on an A-F scale, is hardly a way to eliminate the achievement gap among student groups. Governor Romney also supports greater innovation in the schools, allowing states to find the best way to educate their students as opposed to just following federal regulations. Governor Romney says he will reauthorize No Child Left Behind which will outline basic principles but allow states to carve their own path for educating their students. He also proposes elimination or restructuring teacher tenure, and having evaluations that focus on classroom effectiveness and advancement of student achievement. His plan also calls for recruiting and rewarding great teachers whose primary concern is student achievement and not their own interest. He censures President Obama’s tie to special interest groups including the National Education Association. Romney supporter Florida State Senator Antiere Flores agrees, “given how indebted he is to special interests, President Obama won’t be able to deliver the results that our students need and deserve. In contrast, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will fight to restore the promise of our country’s education system. Jeanne Allen from Center for Education Reform also illustrates this point, “until the president of the United States who ever that may be, stands up and says “No longer are you welcome to walk in to our offices to sit at our tables and talk to us about issues, when children are not your primary concern, until that happens we can't say that you truly reform minded. That is exactly what governor Romney is prepared to do. In his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, Romney states, Teachers’ unions do their very best to secure these insulations from performance for their members, and the results are lack of accountability, rising pay as a simple function of years on the job, and near-absolute job security. These have a deadening impact on student achievement”. Romney’s white paper also includes a new vision for higher education. This includes strengthening and simplifying the financial aid system, welcoming private sector participation in the student loan market, and replacing regulations with innovation and competition. Only with these changes will students be prepared to enter the job market with the skills they need to be successful and the ability to pay back their debts. While all of his points have their pros and cons there is one that stands out as a resounding positive. Regarding the regulations government places on universities about awarding degrees is one that could use and adjustment. Jordan Weissmann, associate editor of The Atlantic says it best, “if schools can figure out ways to graduate students faster and cheaper without compromising the quality of their education, there's no reason to let the government get in the way”. No matter which side of the political spectrum you stand on it’s easy to see that there needs to be a change in the education. Governor Romney’s stance for reform focuses on greater choice, higher standards and accountability, innovation, and rewards for effective teachers. His plan for higher education is to reduce the cost of school by tightening the federal funding and giving schools an easier way to reward to degrees to students who have the skills they need to enter the working world regardless of the number of hours spent in the classroom. Despite a bevy of ideas for reform, Romney revealed few concrete steps to achieve that change, and it will take a lot more than ideas to restructure America’s education system. The upcoming election will not only decide the next President but which direction education in our country will take. Will it stay the course or make a sharp right?