Radical (29 page)

Teaching is sometimes a lonely profession. It doesn't have to be that way. We can build structures that allow teachers to grow their practice and engage in meaningful sharing with other educators within schools and across the country. We have to invest in developing those structures if we want teachers to fulfill their potential.

If we can bring about these changes, students will be excited about coming to school every day, because they know they'll be challenged and engaged. School will become the place where they can grow not only academically but also physically, through robust athletic competitions and activities. Art and music offerings must be mandatory in every school, so students gain important skills and knowledge beyond academics. In tough economic times, like the ones we are facing today, school districts often move to cut art and music programs first. They are seen as nonessential. We simply can't allow that to happen. All children must have access to a broad-based curriculum. Art, music, and PE are not “nice-to-haves”; they are must-haves. Studies show that achievement on test scores goes up with a broad curriculum, rather than a narrow one. That's why we tried to ensure that every school in D.C. had access to an art, music, physical education, and library professional. Debate and chess teams, orchestra, dance companies, robotics, and gaming programs should sit alongside the traditional athletic programs. Students will grow in social skills, too. We are building character skills such as discipline, effort, and hard work. When we engage kids fully, they will both respond and thrive.

We also have to acknowledge that the lives of children have changed significantly, which means the role of the school also has to evolve. Thirty years ago schools were responsible for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. If you delivered the material, you were doing your job as a teacher. Not anymore. Ask any teacher, and he will tell you that at times he feels like a guidance counselor, social worker, nutritionist, and sometimes parent for many of his students. With a new understanding of how difficult it is to be an effective teacher in our changed American culture, we have to do everything we can to recognize and reward the best teachers. They are our country's heroes.

We must also recognize that parents deserve options in choosing the right schools for their kids. No family should ever feel as if their sons or daughters are trapped in a failing school. Successful charter schools should be allowed to flourish and grow to scale, with our assistance rather than barriers. Low-income families should also be able to access vouchers to attend private schools. We should care less about whether a school is public, private, parochial, or charter. The measure that matters is whether it's an effective school—or not. To that end, we should have structures and systems that give parents and the public real and meaningful information about how all of our schools are performing and an accountability system that shuts down failing schools.

The average parent with a child entering school should have ample access to information about their options. Ideally, parents should be able to log onto a website, input their address, and search schools that are a possibility for their child by proximity to their home, curriculum/course offerings, or theme. Information should be available about the academic achievement levels of the students, listings of the program of study and extracurricular activities, teacher-parent retention and satisfaction rates, and other available programs at the school. Parents would be able to view a virtual tour of the school and hear testimonials from other parents about the quality and qualities of the school. If they wanted, they could schedule an in-person tour or have their child attend a day at the school in the grade to which they are about to enter. Having assessed this information, families would then rate their choices of school in order. But unlike current lottery systems, which have far too many applicants for far too few spots, mutually agreeable matches would be the norm.

School funding will no longer be based on formulas. It will be distributed based on both need and performance. We should have complete transparency of the taxpayer dollars that are being spent on education so we can stop spending money on things that don't work (or benefit only adults) and focus on the things that do. That means we have to shift more dollars into the classroom and schools, where they'll have the greatest impact, and away from bloated bureaucracies and mandated spending requirements that don't produce results.

To restore the competitive spirit, we need to have high expectations for all children. We have to fully acknowledge the challenges that we face, yet not let those serve as an excuse for a lack of achievement. We have to ensure that all students who graduate from high school or college are ready and able to compete in the global marketplace.

And since students know better than anyone what is working, they should also have a say in evaluating and rating their teachers and schools.

Teachers deserve a greater voice and role in the education reform debates. We can't do anything without a significant number of teachers behind us. If the unions can reform themselves, that would be great. They should spend far less time protecting ineffective teachers and far more time developing and investing in the best. They should stop fighting change (and denying that they're fighting it) and come to the table willing to have the tough conversations. Union leaders and reformers have to have real and meaningful conversations instead of staking out polarized positions with kids in the middle of the battle. If unions can't come along, it shouldn't stop us. Teachers can no longer close the door to their classroom and hope that things get better. They have to take an active part in the reform, with or without union involvement. Everyday classroom teachers must be front and center.

We have to begin aggressively identifying and electing candidates for public office who are able to withstand pressures from special interests in order to serve the interests of children. Everyday citizens have to make education their number one priority. They need to be knowledgeable about school reform and hold their elected officials accountable for their votes on the subject. Bowing to pressures for political reasons ought to be a case for ousting those officials from office.

The inevitable question is, How will we pay for it? It's a valid one. For decades, the education establishment has been arguing that we need more money to fix the schools. Whether we are in lean times or prosperous ones, the same dance seems to occur around budgeting time every year. The school districts argue they need more money, and the government doesn't seem to have enough.

A hard look at the data here is important. The bottom line is that over the last three decades we have more than doubled—almost tripled—the amount that we are spending per child on public education, controlling for inflation. Yet the results have remained stagnant. When we plot the spending on education and academic achievement levels of countries across the globe on a graph, we are in the quadrant where you don't want to be. We spend more than almost every other country, but our achievement levels are not high. Countries like South Korea spend about half of what we do per student.

The days of claiming that all we need in order to fix education is more money have to come to an end.

I have said and will continue to say that our reforms require investment. But that doesn't necessarily mean they require huge infusions of new cash. The bureaucracy doesn't work. We can throw good money after bad, but we won't get a different result in the classroom until we start spending taxpayer dollars in education more wisely. Only when we fix the fundamental flaws in the system should we begin to invest more money.

How? First, we have to mandate total transparency. Every parent, teacher, and taxpayer should be able to see how public dollars are being spent. This means that a district would have to report how much of its budget is going toward classrooms, compared with the central office bureaucracy. Are we paying for bureaucrats to go to conferences in Las Vegas versus children being able to go on a field trip to the nation's capital? All of that information should be accessible.

We can begin by making the hard decisions to move dollars away from the programs that, while beloved, aren't producing results for kids. Let me give you an example. Right now we spend about $18 billion a year paying teachers for having their master's degree. Research shows that teachers with master's degrees—except those in math and science fields—do not have better student achievement outcomes. Eighteen billion dollars! For something that is not producing better results for kids. That money could be spent much more effectively. So could many other dollars being spent on everything from after-school programs to class size reduction initiatives at higher grade levels. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have after-school programs. We need them. But we should be funding only those programs that show a measurable benefit to children.

We also have to move a greater percentage of the dollars we spend into the classroom and school. When I took the helm in the Washington, D.C., school system, we were spending more money than almost any other jurisdiction in the nation, and yet our results were dismal. The same can be said for cities across the country. Newark, New Jersey, spends about $22,000 per student. One would think they'd have a model education system. Instead it's one of the worst in the nation. These districts are clear examples of why more money doesn't always get us better results. The funds are not being spent well. There is no reason why teachers in D.C. or Newark should want for anything, yet throngs of them will tell you that they often lack the basic supplies and books they need to teach.

In D.C., this meant cutting the central office from more than nine hundred employees to fewer than five hundred. It meant improving the services and programs for special-needs students to stop the costly lawsuits and the court-mandated tuition payments to private schools. If we are going to spend more money than any other country in the world, then let's make sure that money is felt by students, parents, and teachers every day.

And finally, we should ensure that every additional dollar that is put into education is accompanied by the policies necessary to reform the system. This should include federal dollars, which are currently largely distributed by funding formulas. Under those formulas, each jurisdiction is allocated a certain number of dollars based on the number of students it has, and how many of those students are low-income, special education, et cetera. There is, however, little to no accountability for those dollars. Instead, federal dollars should be given to states based on their willingness to adopt and implement reforms, similar to President Obama's Race to the Top initiative.

If we want to stop the cycle of spending more money for the same, dismal results, we have to reward reforms that produce good results.

H
ISTORY TEACHES US THAT
the only way to effect radical change in an entrenched system is through grassroots activism. There's only so much that people will do for other people's children or the greater good. People become active when something significant in their own lives is at risk or under attack. Right now, Americans need to understand that this is not someone else's fight. This is about the soul of our nation and the future of our children.

I'm often asked when I will be satisfied. Maybe we should never be satisfied. But I'll think we're on the right track if:

• Every child has a high-quality teacher in his or her classroom. That every teacher has the confidence that he or she will have the resources and professional feedback they need to succeed, and understands that he or she will be treated like a professional so that they are judged based on their results.
  
• In the hallways of power, decision makers know they will be held to account for doing right by children. That they make decisions based on the best interests of students and not the special interests, based on the advancement of learning and not the advancement of power. That they spend dollars on education rather than bureaucracy, on what works rather than what doesn't.
  
• And all parents know that they will have the tools and power to hold all of us accountable.
  

To what end? What is possible?

America is the greatest nation in the world. We should have the greatest education system in the world to match. I believe it is possible for the United States to move from the bottom third on international tests to the top third in a ten-year time span. It's doable. It's been accomplished by other nations. Finland educated and exalted teachers. Germany made improvements to public education a national priority after reunification, and its students responded by moving to the top third of international rankings.

Elevating our children into the top third is possible only if we make education, teachers, and students the priority of the entire nation. That means acknowledging that our system is broken, but that its radical improvement is within our grasp. It means setting aside other issues, knowing that education is the key to the comeback of America and its economy.

It means putting the interests, dreams, and future of our children at the forefront of our country's collective efforts.

It means putting students first.

Acknowledgments

S
o many people made this book possible. It was truly a group effort.

First, thanks go to my husband, Kevin Johnson. I couldn't ask for a more patient and supportive partner. You push me to be a better person, a more effective leader, and a more thoughtful advocate. Your passion for kids and public service inspire me every day, and you set a high bar for what hard work looks like. Your strategic advice and insights are second to none, and when all else fails, you make me laugh.

To my daughters, Starr and Olivia. Thank you for allowing your mom to be away more than we'd like so that we can take on this important work. While I know it's not always easy being my daughters, you handle it with great aplomb, and moreover, you've become impressive education reformers yourselves!

Next, to my mom and dad. While all of your friends are enjoying their retirements on the golf course or the beach, you've taken on the duties of chauffeuring the kids around and attending field trips. Dad, you taught me about social justice and to fight for the underdog. Without that, I wouldn't have chosen this course. Mom, without your help, I would not have been able to take on the jobs I have. Thank you for your sacrifices.

To my brothers: Erik for helping me start StudentsFirst and serving as my attorney on this book, and Brian for always supporting my efforts and keeping me humble.

Much love to Jason, Alissa, Ann, Myung-Seok, Young-hae, Stephanie, Ted, Namhee, Sungjin, and Mitchell for always being on my side. Appreciation to Denise Merano and Dana Peterson for making my and my husband's lives better every day. And to Mother Rose and Shawn Branch, who are my biggest cheerleaders and defenders!

There were many people at StudentsFirst who helped with the book, but special thanks go to Dominique Amis, Dmitri Mehlhorn, Enoch Woodhouse, Tim Melton, Matt David, Mike Phillips, and Brian Wanlass. Each of you added to the book in different ways, and I appreciate all of your help.

To my colleagues from Harlem Park Elementary: Michele Jacobs, Deonne Medley, Andrea Derrien, Chris Isleib, John Wagner, Bertha Haywood, Rhoda Jones, Pam Saunders, Neva Camp, Everlyn Strother, and of course, Linda Carter. You made me understand what great teachers do and look like. To my students and their parents, you helped me to see what is possible in this world. My experiences with you are what have shaped my entire career. You showed what is possible when adults believe in children.

To the leadership and staff at The New Teacher Project. The work that you do is some of the most important in the country. Ari Rozman, Tim Daly, Karla Oakley, Jessica Levin, Victoria Van Cleef, Karolyn Belcher, Robin Siegel, Roger Schulman, and Bruce Villineau, you are one of the best teams a person could have asked to work with. You taught me a tremendous amount.

I can honestly say that this book and story would not have been possible without my fearless colleagues at the DC Public Schools: Kaya Henderson, Richard Nyankori, Lisa Ruda, Jason Kamras, Jim Sandman, Erin McGoldrick, Abigail Smith, Michael Moody, Carey Wright, Noah Wepman, Cate Swinburn, Peter Weber, Peggy O'Brien, Tony Tata, John Davis, Billy Kearney, Dwan Jordon, Anthony deGuzman, Chad Ferguson, Susan Cheng, Pete Cahall, Brian Betts, Bill Wilhoyte, Scott Cartland, Angela Williams-Skelton, Joyce McNeil, Dave Anderson, Errick Greene, Barbara Adderley, Clara Canty, Tim Williams, Willie Lamb, Reggie Ballard, Mafara Hobson, Kaitlin Murphy, and last but not least Margery Yeager. Each of you took on one of the most daunting tasks imaginable, and you worked at it every day with dedication, fervor, and an unshakable belief in children.

Thanks to my agent, Simon Green, and my editor, Tim Duggan, along with his assistant, Emily Cunningham. George Parker, Kahlil Byrd, Hari Sevugan, and Eric Lerum were integral to the book by reading drafts, giving insights, and generally making it a better read. Harry Jaffe's writing guidance was essential.

To my best friends, Layla Avila and Liz Peterson. You keep me sane, happy, fed, and looking cute! You are wonderful aunties to my children and the kind of BFFs every girl needs.

To my teachers Susan Zaliouk, Chuck Lundholm, Beneth Morrow, Sam McCoy, Margaret Blackburn, Karen Horikawa, Jane Bishop, Laszlo Koltay, Mari Dorfmeyer, Al Getman, Bob Russell, Ken Meineke, Ron Euton, Sandy McPeck, David Burkett, Jenny Barthold, and Hope and Peter Stevens. You ensured that I got the great education that we should aspire to for all of our nation's children.

To the members of the D.C. government who were so supportive of our efforts: Victor Reinoso, Dan Tangherlini, Peter Nickles, Neil Albert, Joanne Ginsburg, Bridget Davis, Kate Gottfredson, Cathy Lanier, Allen Lew, Jesus Aguirre, Carrie Brooks, and Tene Dolphin.

Much thanks to those in D.C. who supported me from beginning to end: Beth Dozoretz, Katherine Bradley, Mark Ein, Jim Joseph, Don Graham, JoAnne Armao, Mary Sidall, Tijwanna Phillips, and “the clock lady,” Lenore Moragne.

To Adam, Steve, and Mary Weiss, Gretchen Verner, Patrick Day, Peter Chung, Melissa Williams-Gurian, Jenny Kim, Donald Kamentz, Chris Bierly, Wendy Kopp, and Jewel Woods—you all shaped my views on the world and life for the better.

In my research, I relied often on
A Change for Every Child: A History of Toledo Public Schools
, by Robyn Hage and Larry Michaels;
The Bee Eater
, by Richard Whitmire; and
Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C.
, by Harry Jaffe and Tom Sherwood.

And finally, I owe a debt to my mentors: Joel Klein, thank you for having more confidence in me than I do in myself at times. You are my hero. To Kati Haycock, who taught me to be fearless and speak my mind. You are my role model. Fred O'Such, you believed in me when few others did. To David Coleman, who forces me to think deeply about everything, no matter what the topic.

And to Adrian Fenty, who is the most courageous politician I have ever met. Your leadership on education reform has benefited the children of the entire nation. We owe you a debt of gratitude.