In this guest blog, Colorado Senator and renowned education reform champion, Mike Johnston answers a few questions about his work driving ed reform in his state and the challenges he’s faced along the way. Johnston also talks about the importance of collaborating with others to advance changes in the education system. Sen. Johnston, named one of 2010′s “Seven Most Influential Educators” by Forbes Magazine, is a nationally recognized expert on education policy and the architect of Colorado’s “Great Teachers and Leaders Law”. He was also a recent guest speaker at Education Reform Now’s Educate Indiana Series.
1) You are a Democrat who embraces Education Reform. Why is it important for Democrats to support Education Reform efforts?
Educational equity is a piece within the broader Democratic commitment to equality of opportunity – the former drives the latter. I’ve never believed that there’s much of a gap between “reformers” and everyone else; most disagreements are on the margins. Instead, the power of education reform is that it represents an incredible alignment of interests among camps that typically don’t work together. The key is illustrating that alignment.
2) What has been your biggest challenge in getting education reform policies/legislation enacted? What has helped the most?
The biggest challenge has also been the biggest opportunity – making the case for education reform by talking to anyone who will listen. It’s labor-intensive, but it’s worth it. Almost no one I’ve met is intrinsically opposed to education reform, so it’s really just a matter of explaining why our proposals will propel student achievement, innovation, and respect for education as a profession.
What helped most during the passage of SB 191 (our signature teacher effectiveness bill) was not a glitzy ad campaign or tough talking points. It was recognizing that while most people have never been involved in education policy, almost all of them are still deeply invested in seeing our education system succeed.
In that spirit, we picked up endorsements from chambers of commerce, community nonprofits, minority advocacy groups, community organizers, law firms, philanthropists, the second-largest teachers’ union in Colorado, and even community grocery chains. Faced with that groundswell of support, it’s hard to argue that education reform doesn’t represent the interests of the community.