States Should Adjustment Laws Impeding Education Goals, Duncan Says
Legislators should revise “the hundreds of pages of state code that limit the ability of districts to succeed in promoting student learning, especially in our lowest-performing schools,” Duncan said in prepared remarks for a speech yesterday in San Diego. “Education is a national priority but a state and local responsibility.”
Duncan and President Barack Obama are using $100 billion in stimulus funds to try to reshape U.S. education to spur long- term economic growth. That includes $4.35 billion in competitive grants for states that make the most progress in raising academic standards, boosting teacher quality, tracking student gains and improving failing schools.
“I dont want state lawmakers to miss the handwriting on the wall: these four reform areas of the Recovery Act will remain priorities for the Obama administration beyond this set of grants,” Duncan said in the speech to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
States should let schools tie student gains to teacher evaluations, and reward educators for effectiveness instead of basing pay solely on seniority and educational credentials, Duncan said. States should also follow Louisianas lead in publicly linking student achievement data to the colleges that certified their teachers and principals, he said.
Student Growth
“Im more interested in student growth and gain than absolute test scores,” Duncan said. “How much are students improving each year, and which teachers, schools, school districts and states are doing the most to accelerate student achievement?”
States should also increase the number and quality of charter schools, and let districts expand the amount of time students spend in class, Duncan said.
“In virtually every state, the minimum length of the school day and school year is specified in state law and typically becomes the de facto school calendar,” he said. “If our students are to successfully compete with their peers in other countries, who get far more instructional time, they cant do it with one hand tied behind their backs.”