(From The Indianapolis Star, May 11, 2010)
By REID LITWACK
Is it possible the Indiana Democratic Party is part of the problem instead of the solution for reducing poverty?
Poverty rates and high school dropout rates are closely aligned.
Fifteen years ago, there was no clear path for education reform. Inner-city education seemed like a puzzle that couldn’t be solved. That was then.
Now there are tens of thousands of inner-city students experiencing a college preparatory education in many charter schools and district magnet schools nationwide.
We’ve seen what can be accomplished by changing both the governance and the culture of school systems. When you combine them, as New Orleans has, you open the door to dramatic results.
New York, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., have eliminated publicly elected school boards. All have seen improvement as a result.
New Orleans relegated all union organizing to the individual school level instead of one district-wide contract. As a result, each principal is highly motivated to keep teachers happy as well as achieve academic results. New Orleans has seen test results rise two years in a row, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says Hurricane Katrina was “the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans.”
There are many examples of the school culture necessary to have inner-city students catch up with their suburban counterparts, and they all seem to include these four components: tight discipline, high expectations, a close relationship between teacher and student, and extended hours.
Combining this culture with streamlined governance helps students catch up to wealthier school districts within three to four years, and causes college matriculation rates to soar.
Why can’t the Indianapolis and Gary districts have this combination of streamlined governance and high-achieving schools? Why can’t Indiana be on the forefront of education reform instead of always playing catch-up?
You would think the Democratic Party (of which I am a lifelong member) would be the first to embrace a plan that would send thousands more IPS children to college. The party premise has always been to look out for those in need.
This is where politics enters the picture.
The biggest contributor to Democratic House candidates is the Indiana State Teachers Association, which opposes legislation that would give us a shot at true education reform. The Indiana State Teachers Association wants assignments based on seniority. It doesn’t want to make it easier for principals to fire underperforming teachers.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: Do we prioritize the needs of adults (the teachers union) over the needs of children? Indiana chooses adults.
A good education is the best way to wage war on poverty, and the Democratic Party has betrayed our ideals through a self-serving alliance with the ISTA.
Litwack is a Center Township business owner and a member of Democrats for Education Reform.