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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Get Back on School Reform Bandwagon

By Terri L. Cole And Del Archuleta
Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce
      The failure of New Mexico's education reform initiatives to increase high school graduation rates and close the state's achievement gap was brought to the forefront in a recent Albuquerque Journal article. It was pointed out that New Mexico's graduation rate is only 54 percent compared to the national average of 70 percent. To put it another way, almost half of our young people are not graduating from high school. As for the achievement gap, the article notes that Hispanic, American Indian and black students are failing to graduate in significantly greater numbers than Anglo students. This looks more like a “chasm” than a “gap” to us.
       Shining a bright light on this long-term problem is always a good start, but in truth, we've known for a while that we weren't making much headway in improving student outcomes. The reality is that until we all demand immediate action from the Legislature and other stakeholders that specifically targets the problem, nothing much will change.
       Where do we start? First we need to address the reasons for why the process didn't work: the failure to pass enough key reform legislation, the lack of accountability and the absence of a sense of urgency.
       As so clearly pointed out in the article, there were dramatic reform initiatives in the legislation that passed. For example, teachers were given significant salary increases as a result of the 2003 legislation that crafted a three-tier teacher licensing system, which the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce strongly supported.
       However, legislation to pay our most experienced teachers an additional $3,000 to teach in our most at-risk schools didn't even make it through its first legislative committee. Despite the fact that a number of states provide for some form of “differential” pay to their most qualified teachers to incentivize them to teach where they are most needed, here in New Mexico it was thought “unfair” to pay teachers more based on their experience and skills. The general result was that our newest teachers continued to end up teaching in those schools where they were least qualified to deal with the challenges of a high number of at-risk students.
       A number of initiatives to provide support to those students and schools most at risk did not make it through their initial legislative committees; consequently, they never had an opportunity to be debated on the floors of the House or Senate, make it to the governor for signature or even come to the attention of the public. Efforts to include a Distinguished Educators program that would bring uniquely qualified teachers and administrators into schools facing significant challenges were dismissed. A provision for school and business partnership programs was left out. Recognition and reward for teachers that foster marked achievement gains among high-risk students was viewed negatively. The chamber had strongly supported all of these initiatives after having worked very hard since early 1999 to identify truly successful programs in other states dealing with the challenges we faced in New Mexico.
       As for those education reforms that did pass, some were never implemented and others were inadequately funded. However, of even greater concern was the lack of accountability tied to the reforms that were put in place. The Journal article stated that just this month the Public Education Department released for the first time a four-year high school graduation rate. Why has it taken six years to provide that information? Where are the annual reports that should provide a breakdown for every school, for every class and for every student? Without stringent reporting requirements, how do we know if our students are doing better, how do we identify those young people at risk for dropping out so we can intervene and how do we hold our teachers, schools and school districts accountable?
       And finally, to our last point about the lack of urgency. Why are so many people taking the approach that patience is needed, that it takes time to get new programs in place, that change doesn't happen overnight and that while it's not as fast as it should be, eventually, things will be different?
       We appreciate that the governor has stepped up to the plate, acknowledged the lack of success in increasing graduation rates and closing the achievement gap, and begun the process to refocus his administration and the Legislature on the issue. His “Graduate New Mexico Initiative” recommends, among other things, the appointment of a task force for Schools Most in Need of Improvement and the creation of an annual report card that clearly provides the data we need to tell us how we're doing each year. However, if we don't truly address the issues and have the courage to make the changes that must be made, and be willing to do it immediately, then we're no better off than before.
       Let's all get on the bandwagon and make this our priority issue. We must stay the course, add those programs most likely to help at-risk students, demand accountability of all the participants in our education system, tell the Legislature loud and clear that this is what we want, and we must do it now.
       Terri L. Cole is president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Del Archuleta is the chairman of the chamber's Education Reform Task Force.
       

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