The topics for the first presidential debate have been announced and education is not on the agenda. The economy dominates half of the planned topics, which is unsurprising. But the recently ended teachers strike in Chicago has put education back on the national stage over a decade after the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act under President Bush.
The Chicago strike was about several issues, including recurring concerns like pay raises and seniority. One of the main sticking points was over teacher evaluations, and how much weight should be given to student testing. Chicago Public Schools had put in place a plan that would eventually use testing as 30% of teacher evaluations. This change was meant to comply with an Illinois law, the Performance Evaluation Reform Act, passed in 2010. The Illinois law was adopted to help the state compete for the Obama administration’s competitive Race to the Top grants.
The Washington Post ran an article last week about the Obama administration’s push to overhaul education, mainly through efforts that bypass Congress. The lure of Race to the Top funding has compelled 28 states to enact significant reforms to their education systems. In addition, the administration has given 33 states waivers to No Child Left Behind.
The Obama administration’s initiatives represent a change from the philosophy of No Child Left Behind. No Child Left Behind focused on using testing to measure proficiency, and used accountability measures to make sure schools improved every year in order to meet their proficiency goals. Race to the Top shifts the focus to teacher evaluations, which are based on student test scores. These evaluations will be used in firing and salary decisions. Instead of accountability on the district and school level, as in No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top puts accountability firmly on the teachers. This makes sense if you believe teachers are the most important part of education. But many teachers argue that because so many factors outside their control effect test scores, it’s unfair to place such a heavy emphasis on those scores.
I can’t settle the debate on the best path forward for American education. I suspect that testing remains pivotal in current education policy because, intrinsically, quantitative assessments and accountability seem desirable. Even teachers unions seem to have accepted testing, and are now battling for a say on how test results are used. It only seems fair, however, that if increasing pressure is going to be placed on teachers, they should be compensated as such. Much has been written about the success of Finland’s education system, which ranked near the top in reading, science, and math in a 2009 international student assessment. Finland’s success has come from making teaching an elite, well-compensated profession that requires a master’s degree. There is a reason that Wall Street attracts the best and brightest in America: it pays extremely well. Wall Street workers are happy to work without union protection because they are compensated for the stress and risk of their jobs. Maybe it’s time to start recognizing the true value of teachers to our future, and pay them accordingly.