New education law's 'flexibility' will require better leadership from Gov. Brown
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and education policymakers must keep students' needs front and center as they develop accountability measures to track whether schools are making the progress that they should. (Stephanie Yao Long/Staff)
A few hours after President Barack Obama signed a new law that entrusts states with significant education-reform responsibilities, Gov. Kate Brown broadcast her own pledge to Oregonians.
In a short statement, Brown said she is "committed to ensuring every student graduates high school with a plan and opportunities for his or her future" and that under the new Every Student Succeeds Act, the state will continue its focus on "equity, high standards and continuous improvement in our schools." She lauded the "flexibility" granted by the new law, which, as The Oregonian/OregonLive's Betsy Hammond reported, transfers the authority to set goals, define progress and select other accountability measures from the federal government to states.
Healthy skepticism is warranted. Oregon does not do accountability well, whether it's in education or any other number of areas (see our Department of Energy editorial for an example of a state agency that has long escaped it). But more important, how states use their flexibility under the new law can be the difference between a tailored system that rigorously evaluates and seeks improvement for schools and one that hides its failures – such as Oregon's low graduation rate,chronic absenteeism and persistent gap in progress for low-income students with students overall – behind a façade of weak metrics. Oregon's success under the new law will require strong educational leadership from an administration that has, so far, shown little interest in making politically difficult decisions.
Editorial Agenda 2015
Make Portland a city that works
Smart choices for education
Help rural Oregon
Keep people and goods moving
Foster small business growth
Track health reforms
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To be fair, there have been other fires to put out since Brown abruptly became governor last February when Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned amid influence-peddling accusations. But it didn't take long for legislators to roll back, with Brown's blessing, one of his key reforms. The Legislature dismantled the Oregon Education Investment Board created by Kitzhaber in 2011 as an effort to comprehensively remake the educational system for children from birth to age 20.
Personnel changes also set back educational initiatives. State Schools Chief Rob Saxton, a strong proponent of adopting higher standards and expectations in schools, retired from the state to take a lower-profile position with the Northwest Regional Education Service District. And the state's chief education officer, Nancy Golden, whose position was also pared down after Kitzhaber's resignation, retired three months ago. The position has been filled on an interim basis by Brown's education policy adviser, Lindsey Capps, a former teachers' union leader who has no experience as an educator.
Brown then delivered her own blow as well. A teachers' union-led revolt against standardized tests took hold, resulting in a bill that would allow families to opt their students out of the new, tougher Smarter Balanced exam for any reason. Despite extolling the need for data from such standardized tests to track how well schools are teaching students – particularly low-income and disadvantaged students – Brown buckled and signed the bill. Both the old New education law's 'flexibility' will require better leadership from Gov. Brown: Editorial Agenda 2015 | OregonLive.com: