Sun Times: Bush education plan on right track February 5, 2001 BY PAUL VALLAS I believe President Bush's education agenda presents a strong framework for bringing about substantive education reform. The Bush program moves education reform forward by providing resources, extending flexibility, demanding accountability and expanding school choices. While there may be some points of contention, the similarities between the president's plan and that of centrist Democrats in the Senate suggests that a compromise will be possible. A key component of Bush's plan is to provide $25 billion in new money over the next 10 years for targeted programs to improve student assistance. An important element is $5 billion to accomplish the goal of teaching all students to read by at least the third grade. This is consistent with Mayor Daley's efforts to improve reading and math mastery by third grade by expanding early-childhood programs, all-day kindergarten, and extended day- and summer-school programs for all primary schoolchildren not at grade level in reading and math. Another important component of the president's plan is his proposal to give schools greater flexibility of their use of federal dollars by consolidating many specific programs into broader grants. This proposal is somewhat similar to how we operate in Chicago, where we determine how most of our state funding for education is spent. In 1995, the Legislature consolidated our tax levies and categorical grants, allowing us to target funding for areas that most affect student achievement. Bush's proposal for accountability and high standards, including rewards for schools for closing the achievement gap and sanctions for schools that are clearly failing, is controversial but long overdue. Along these lines, his demand that all schools test children in grades three through eight and release the test data by school and ethnicity is important to assure that parents and students have the necessary information to assess their schools. We in the Chicago Public Schools have been testing and disseminating test information for years. The Bush administration has also called for increases in federal funding for special education. This is an important proposal because special education mandates present the most burdensome and fastest-growing mandates on school districts today. Yet they are notoriously underfunded, with the federal government funding 9 percent and the state (Illinois) 43 percent of the cost of these mandates. As teachers are an essential element in the success of any education agenda, it is good that the Bush plan places emphasis on improving the quality of teachers, focusing on high standards for professional development, and the improvement in math and science teacher education. The last proposal centers around the "v" word, which stands for vouchers. I believe the voucher plan, even if it survives as proposed by Bush, is not a threat to public education, mainly because $1,500 doesn't really buy you much these days in terms of alternatives. The real issue, which is school choice, is not limited to vouchers. Public schools can expand school choice through the creation of charter schools, magnet schools and, most important, neighborhood school magnet programs and expanded advanced placement programs. In this area, Chicago schools are thriving, pushing the boundaries of choice to provide varied and quality educational options for all students in all neighborhoods. The president has expressed his support for such public school choices. As for what is missing in the Bush education proposal, it is funding to build new schools and refurbish existing ones. The lack of capital funding for construction and rehabilitation is undermining the quality of education in most school districts across the country. In many instances, state and local sources of this money have been tapped out. It is time now for the federal government to weigh in and help fund this critical need for both public and private schools. Federal school construction funding has widespread bipartisan support in the Congress, including that of U.S. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert. Like Bush's appointment of Houston's school superintendent, Rod Paige, as U.S. education secretary, the release of the Bush education agenda so soon after his inauguration and the comprehensive, substantive nature of his proposal signals that Bush is serious about this most important and vital section of our national agenda. It represents a good start. Paul Vallas is CEO of Chicago Public Schools. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
