A critical call to action: A reply to Jennings

After nearly two decades of reform focused on testing to hold schools and teachers accountable, it is apparent that progress in eliminating the achievement gap has been minimal at best. There is little in the Every Student Succeeds Act that offers the necessary change to address the daunting challenges faced by American public schools. I applaud Jennings for identifying a “flawed theory of action” and suggesting a road forward.

The achievement gap begins long before students enter school. The success of programs like Head Start is well documented. Federal intervention and funding to support high-quality preschool programs would pay huge dividends and do more to eliminate the achievement gap than any testing program. States pay billions of dollars to fund mandated assessments; consider the possibilities if that funding supported readiness to learn instead.

Jennings also recognizes the importance of having high quality teachers in every classroom. A teacher shortage will have dire effects on public education in the future; federal leadership will be essential in leading a cultural paradigm shift in how Americans value teaching as a career. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs continues to decline — the time to act is now.

Equity in education will not be achieved if testing is the primary policy vehicle used to drive change. Again, Jennings points to the critical importance of examining our funding practices. The challenges of equity are not isolated to public education. The federal government must take the lead in examining the social policy and funding decisions that can drive change. We as a nation need a War on Poverty today!

Jennings offers important areas for policy makers to consider going forward. It would be refreshing to reframe the policy conversations about public education, and Jennings presents an excellent conversation starter.

This article is an invited response to “It’s Time to Redefine the Federal Role in K-12 Education” by Jack Jennings.