Last week Tom Donohue, president and CEO of the US Chamber, wrote a column detailing some of the problems with the country’s educational system. This week, in a follow-up, Donohue identifies some suggested guidelines for reform. The article is included below. You can read the article on the US Chamber website by clicking here.
Guidelines for Education Reform
By Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce December 18, 2007
Last week we explored the significant deficiencies in our K-12 school systems, including appalling high school graduation rates, lack of accountability, weakening academic standards, poor achievement results and fewer hours spent in the class room compared to our international competitors, and poor administration of our schools. This week we look at five guidelines for reform that can help our education systems become more accountable, rigorous, innovative, and focused on achievement.
First, teaching must be focused on results. We need to change the way we pay and evaluate our teachers. Pay for performance should be the standard. Teachers who achieve excellent results, choose to work in troubled schools, or teach hard to staff subjects like science and math should be paid more. Teachers who are ineffective, incompetent, or otherwise impede the progress of students should be removed from the classroom.
We should raise salaries for first-time teachers to bring better talent into schools. We should allow professionals from the private sector who wish to teach to do so by using common-sense certification requirements that take into account their experiences.
Second, school administrators must be given greater independence to run their schools. Principals should have more authority over budget and personnel decisions. They must insist on greater transparency surrounding spending, staffing, and student achievement.
Third, we need to collect more data so that we can accurately measure results. Without better data, we won't know when students need additional help to succeed, when teachers are being ineffective, or when teachers are excelling and should be awarded merit pay. Not a single state could provide systematic data on teacher performance or return on investment. No responsible publicly or privately held firm could operate successfully with such a lack of data.
Fourth, we need more rigorous academic standards, and states must be more truthful about whether or not they are meeting them. Many states paint a much rosier picture of how their schools are doing than is actually the case. This makes it tough for parents, voters, or business leaders to hold public officials and educators accountable.
Finally, innovation. If history has taught us anything, it's that nations, organizations, and individuals that adapt and innovate are the most successful. Small learning communities, early enrollment in college-level courses for credit, charter schools, and online learning can help revolutionize and improve our classrooms.
What has long made the American private sector an engine of global prosperity--its dynamism, creativity, and relentless focus on efficiency and results--is essential to tapping the potential of our educators and our schools.
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