The need for school reform

Much of what President Obama has said lately about education is correct. Students in the United States lag behind their peers in many other nations. Students could benefit from more days of instruction. Also, unions need to quit resisting change and make it easier for schools to fire teachers who aren't doing their jobs. He also reiterated his support for education choice through expanded charter school programs.

But what the president says has little real effect on education in this country because, despite a growing federal presence, schools remain local concerns. State legislatures and school boards make the big decisions about reform. Even the federal No Child Left Behind law has had limited influence on real reforms, other than to prompt schools to find ways to meet certain criteria.

The president does possess a large bully pulpit, as Theodore Roosevelt said. And while we have been dismayed by some of Obama's decisions regarding education, such as defunding the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program that once helped 216 low-income children attend the school of their choice, just before he decided to send his daughters to a private school, his words can influence the discussion in the right direction.

Unfortunately, the economic slowdown has turned the attention of many states from education reform to simply finding ways to make ends meet without firing too many people. While the president would like U.S. schools to extend their class time to 197 days a year, as is average in many other nations, Utah lawmakers this year voted to allow schools to grant up to five furlough days to help their budgets. Utah law requires only 180 days of instruction per year.

The truth is real education reform will require difficult and painful decisions. It will require support from parents, who must wean themselves from school traditions that have little productive value. It will take tough leadership from public officials who have the courage to put their re-election on the line.

It will take the courage to stand up to unions, as a young teacher did this week at a town hall education meeting sponsored by NBC News. She listed things she needed to do to help her struggling students but couldn't because of rules; "... the reality is in my case is that the union contract is in the way," she said.

Utah schools often perform slightly better than average on tests that can be compared nationwide. Some see this as acceptable, even commendable, given how little the state pays for public education per student. But as President Obama correctly noted recently, money and results don't correlate ("... our per-pupil spending has gone up over the last couple of decades, even as results have gone down.")

Utah should not be satisfied with mediocrity. Education reforms shouldn't have to be pushed from Washington. They need to blossom up here at home.