Look past distractions in K-12 to embrace solutions with a track record | Commentary

“Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no other,” said statesman and politician Edmund Burke. We’re very slow learners. We claim to have learned lessons, and yet we repeatedly think that if we just try harder, spend more money, or elect the right politician all will be well. This is as true in our personal life as it is in questions of public policy.

This is painfully true in the primary area of state policy — K-12 education. Again, we’re apparently slow learners.

The present controversy is critical race theory. Assertions are made that it isn’t being taught, and yet examples to the contrary abound. The ideas of CRT may go by different names, but “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” We also needn’t look too hard to observe a trend of educational controversies. A decade ago, it was Common Core. Proving the phenomenon is bipartisan, ten years prior it was No Child Left Behind.

These controversies distract us from the lessons of the real example that must be learned and learned quickly. The educational achievement in too many Kansas classrooms is decidedly mediocre. What’s more, lower-income children suffer from staggering achievement gaps between their higher-income peers. The distractions of CRT or other things leave adults fighting and kids suffering.

Let me be clear, I count public school teachers, administrators and board members as friends and family. They are to be commended for dedicating their lives to students. The achievement numbers simply show a system that doesn’t work for many kids.

On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, low-income children are at least two grade levels behind their higher-income peers. On the ACT college entrance exam, less than one-quarter of Kansas high schoolers are prepared for college in four key subjects.

In Wichita, on the state assessment, 60% of high school students are below grade level and only 13% are “on track” in math. The numbers are hardly encouraging in other districts around the state; there are more high school students below grade level than are on track for college and career. All the while, total spending tops $16,000 per pupil and far outpaces inflation. It isn’t enough to simply pass students along while academic achievement is lacking. Administrators need to be held accountable for the blinkered opportunities they’ve provided to too many children.

There is no silver bullet, but we can look to the examples of other states. Florida is but one of many states focusing on educational choice and accountability to improve student achievement. In 2003, Kansas beat Florida in six of eight categories on the NAEP exam. That is now precisely reversed. Florida provided bonuses directly to teachers for students passing Advanced Placement exams, implemented tax credit scholarships and other choice programs, and graded schools A-F. While doing so, they increased standards, spent less than Kansas, and saw remarkable achievement gains in public schools.

This is an example from which Kansas can, and should, learn. And learn quickly.

CRT, by whatever name, matters less when families could be empowered to choose their curriculum or school. Families have experienced learning pods throughout the pandemic and should be encouraged to continue to innovate. Public school teachers could start their own school in a flourishing environment of micro-schools and educational choice.

The examples abound. Do we have the courage to learn from them?