Understanding that our schools require dramatic change in order to produce the skilled workforce necessary for America to succeed in today's global economy, policy makers at every level of government are focused on developing and implementing innovative ways to make our schools the best in the world. In cities across America, district leaders are working to transform their schools. Some - like Joel Klein in New York City, Arne Duncan in Chicago, and Rudy Crew in Miami - are making encouraging headway. At the federal level, we have cemented a national commitment to the goals of excellence for all students and accountability for results.
Meanwhile, states are looking to build comprehensive statewide plans for education reform that combine the effective goals of national efforts and the reform strategies of local efforts with the advantages that states can provide. States offer a fast and coherent way to jumpstart American student achievement in a scalable way. One big reason is that states have the authority and the infrastructure to address all the interrelated priorities that comprise a world-class school system:
- Adequate, reliable funding that can be focused to meet the learning needs of each student from birth through the transition to college and the workplace;
- An integrated system of standards, curriculum tools, and assessments for elementary, middle and high schools that is both aligned with college and workplace expectations and delivered in a way that fully leverages the power of technology and provides the learning time needed for each student to excel;
- Strong, enforceable policies for teacher certification coupled with compensation and management programs that elevate the profession and keep teachers eager to return for the next school year;
- A process for systematically evaluating and replicating high-performing, innovative schools from around the world, as well as supporting or closing and starting fresh with those that are struggling;
- Aggressive strategies for recruiting great teachers and principals and providing them with the resources they need to excel; and
- A data system that allows us to keep track of our students, see how well they're doing, provide extra help or enrichment opportunities to those who would benefit, and follow students' progress from year to year -- along with mechanisms to share all this valuable information so that parents can make the best choices for their own children and government can be strategic about what is working and what is not.
States hold the constitutional responsibility for providing education to our citizens, and they bring other advantages as well:
- Geographic and demographic diversity that often is lacking at the urban level -- suburban and rural children are no less deserving of our best thinking than their urban peers;
- The human and financial capital to look across the state and around the world to see schools or systems that are working, and to build those innovations into a coherent strategy that addresses needs within a state's own borders;
- A broad cross-section of voters and stakeholders who are close enough to hold lawmakers accountable, yet far enough removed to allow them some space to try out promising ideas;
- The power of the state's highest political leaders to mobilize peers in business, industry, and education on behalf of world-class schools;
- Compelling incentives to act: The success of a state's schools translates directly to its economic success, the health of its communities, and the well-being of its citizens.
While states have the means to start making headway, what's lacking in some cases is the impetus and freedom to work outside the bureaucratic box. In addition to setting national standards and demanding measurable accountability, a forward-thinking federal initiative could provide these in the form of incentive dollars for innovation and exemptions from regulations that discourage it. Accountability and transparency should be built in -- in the form of a national data system that monitors progress toward the highest academic standards and rewards successful initiatives with increasing levels of "earned autonomy."
A good example of a comprehensive statewide plan for reform has played out in Delaware over the last couple of years. In October 2006, a coalition of Delaware leaders in business, education, community action, and state government presented the Vision 2015 Plan for world-class schools for every student in the state -- no exceptions, no excuses. The plan, which was financially supported by the Rodel and Broad foundations, offered a comprehensive, bold, yet achievable agenda to improve the state system, based on extensive research into what has worked domestically and around the world.
The Vision 2015 Plan, which was released after more than 50 statewide meetings with 1,000 citizens, commits Delaware to securing a high-quality education for every child in the state by 2015. All policies and actions will answer one central question: How can Delaware best tailor learning so that each student succeeds? The plan is based on six principles:
- Set high standards, to compete with the world's best
- Invest in early childhood education
- Develop and support high-quality teachers
- Empower principals to lead their schools
- Encourage innovation and parent involvement, require accountability
- Establish a simple and equitable funding system
Through this plan, Delaware is setting the foundation for a world-class education system. Since its release, 25 corporations, foundations, and public entities have contributed more than $3 million and Gov. Ruth Ann Minner commended the plan in her State of the State address. The Governor included $3.9 million in her FY 2008 budget recommendation for programs aligned with Vision 2015, and established the Leadership for Education Achievement in Delaware (LEAD) Committee by executive order, thus formalizing the Vision 2015 coalition. In addition, the Delaware General Assembly passed a resolution supporting Vision 2015 and the LEAD Committee. LEAD's first tasks are to take a thorough look at how we fund public education and to produce a user-friendly performance dashboard on every school and district throughout the state.
Following release of its plan, the Vision 2015 coalition invited districts and schools from across the state to begin implementing the recommendations and created the Vision Network. Participation in the network is both selective and voluntarily, and each school makes a multi-year commitment to the network. In this first year, four districts and two charter schools were selected. Network schools are focused on improvement in leadership and instruction. Network partners have opportunities to learn from top performers from around the world and the United States. In their training, partners are working to improve their use of student data to drive instructional decisions and provide support that meets each student's needs. Throughout, leaders are receiving coaching as they implement new practices in their schools and districts.
Thus far, Delaware has set the foundation for success, and plans to work with and expand the Vision Network schools, as well as tackling several critical issues laid out in the Vision 2015 plan, including: improving the way the state funds K-12 education; launching the Delaware Virtual School; exploring ways to recruit, pay, and retain great teachers; creating a user-friendly "performance dashboard" for all schools in the state; benchmarking state standards against those in high-performing countries; and raising public awareness about the state's schools and their need for improvement.
To date, Vision 2015 has received support from political leaders, the business community, educators, and citizens from across the state. It plan demonstrates the potential of a comprehensive statewide plan in leading the efforts to build a world-class education system.
Vision 2015 Website
www.vision2015delaware.org/
Paul A. Herdman, Ed.D.
President and CEO
Rodel Foundation of Delaware
(302) 504-5246
pherdman@rodelfoundations.org
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