Oregon's a slow starter in race to better schools - OregonLive.com

Oregon's a slow starter in race to better schools - OregonLive.com

Look, we're not yet completely sold on the claims that charter schools and performance pay are the end all, be all of school reform. And we still believe that the first step toward strengthening a school is to put a great principal in charge, surround her or him with teachers who are committed and work well together, and give kids -- every one of them -- the attention they need.

But what's going on with education here is not in the best Oregon tradition. This is a state that's been a bold, creative national trendsetter on everything from land-use planning to juvenile justice to protection of public beaches. And yet here we are, chugging along on schools, continually bickering over money and control, fighting most changes, and imagining all the while that we're actually in a race to the top.