Schools Don't Need Cash As Much As Change
Noonan
Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to raise new revenue for education provides an important opportunity for public dialogue in Massachusetts. The governor is right that education is the key to economic growth. Yet more money is not necessarily the answer.
Twenty years ago, the state passed a landmark set of comprehensive reforms that launched significant changes in our education system. Among these was a commitment, which the commonwealth has honored, to make a sizeable state investment in K-12 public education. There's no doubt that this funding and the higher standards and accountability that accompanied it have led to improvements in student achievement. Yet, these gains have leveled off and our racial and socio-economic achievement gaps remain among the highest in the nation. In addition, large numbers of students still graduate without the knowledge and skills to qualify for jobs employers struggle to fill.
What the last two decades have taught us is that money alone won't improve our education system. The bigger, far more urgent challenge is reforming, if not revolutionizing, an outdated system built on education policies, principles and practices established when most of us worked on farms and in factories. What has served us in the past is not necessarily worthy of increased investment for the future. The change we need requires bold leadership, renewed collaboration and student-focused approaches to teaching and learning.
For most corporations, resource allocation is closely tied to results and justified by data regarding where current investments are yielding the greatest returns. Before raising taxes, state leaders must present the same analysis to make the case that additional funds are needed and will be well spent. We can start by following the 1993 law's requirement to review the foundation budget formula for distributing state education dollars. This will determine if the formula is still relevant at a time when technology is changing everything we do and new discoveries about how students learn are challenging our assumptions about how school systems should operate. We should be asking whether incentives for the strongest teachers and leaders to work in struggling schools will make a difference. Or, will educational technology to support teachers and improve student learning yield great value for every dollar spent? We must demonstrate that resources for education are being used efficiently and effectively to prepare students for the realities of a competitive global economy and society.
The governor's focus on high-quality early education for the children who will benefit most, extended learning time in Gateway City middle schools, and higher-education investments linked to campus performance are closer to this model than his proposal for simply adding funds for school districts. The business community cannot support any funding increase that's not highly targeted and based on strong evidence of what's working. Once again, we need systemic change at the state policy level, driven by business leadership.
Business leadership led to the comprehensive 1993 reforms, held the state accountable for following through, and can promote the reforms needed today to ensure our students have educational opportunities they deserve.
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Linda Noonan is executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.
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