by AFT President Sandra Feldman
December 1998

November's top vote
getter was our nation's
public schools.

As we enter the holiday season and prepare for a new year, I can't help but think back to the debates I had, this time last year, with soon-to-be-former Senator Alphonse D'Amato. Senator D'Amato had decided he could raise his political stock with voters by talking about education (the right idea) and bashing the teachers' union and accusing teachers of standing in the way of school improvement (all wrong). Now D'Amato is history, and the new senator from New York is Charles Schumer, a longtime friend and supporter of public education.

In fact, D'Amato was on to something. Education was the biggest issue in this election all over the country. As you may remember, a national sample of voters who were asked what concerned them most put education at the top of the list--above taxes and the economy. And they acted on their concern: Candidates who were friends of public education won in nearly all hotly contested races.

In gubernatorial contests, across party lines, candidates who supported public education did well. And support for public education was the key ingredient in the success of two challengers who defeated incumbent governors.

Vouchers Voted Down

Vouchers were rejected everywhere they were subjected to a vote. Although the Supreme Court recently turned down a chance to rule on the constitutionality of the Milwaukee voucher program, the voters in this election made very clear what they think.

In Colorado, a coalition of business, parents, and teachers defeated an initiative that would have allowed tax credits for tuition to religious and other private schools. Voucher supporters running for Congress in Oregon, New Mexico, and Kansas were defeated by candidates who supported public education. California voters made the same call when they turned back candidates for governor and senator who were voucher advocates.

These results are not ambiguous. The public wants leaders at the state and federal levels to work on improving public education for all of our students. And neither party can accomplish this alone.

The majority of states have already made significant progress by raising academic standards and getting rid of social promotion. But higher standards will only get you so far unless you also have better curricula, assessments to go with them, and higher quality professional development for teachers. And kids who are struggling to meet the new standards can't just be allowed to sink or swim. They need extra resources and support--long before promotion becomes an issue.

Historically, the federal role in education has been to level the playing field so that poor children get the same kind of education as middle-class kids. Title I, the federal program that provides academic support in schools attended by poor children, will come up for reauthorization this year. Title I used to be a fairly low-level remedial program, but its current version emphasizes academic standards and helping kids to meet them. Although it's still being implemented, there are already good reports about what it's accomplishing, and Congress should continue to support and refine it.

Let's Get On With It

Congress should also pass the rest of the President's education program. The school modernization proposal, which would enable districts to repair or replace the terribly run-down schools that many poor kids attend, deserves support. So does the proposal to lower class size in the early grades by hiring 100,000 new teachers, which was only partially funded last year.

Teacher quality is an issue that the public really cares about, and there's already a fight brewing. On the one side are those who support headline-grabber stuff--like merit pay or testing all teachers to find the few lemons, who could be identified by any principal worth his salt. On the other side are the supporters of effective, commonsense approaches--like making sure that teachers we hire are well educated and get ongoing professional development; and that those who aren't cutting it are identified, helped, and, if necessary, fairly removed. This is where the public comes down. State and federal leaders have the task of sorting out the solutions that will work from those that are all flash.

It's easy for party leaders to get caught up in ideology and forget what the people want. Elections offer a sharp reality check. So, when Congress and state legislatures reconvene after the holiday season, let's hope our newly elected and re-elected officials settle down to work together on the people's business, with public education where the voters want it--at the very top of the agenda.