The Need for Educational Reform: A Teacher's Take

(Links to education platforms on New Mexico's Federal candidates in the '08 elections can be found at the bottom of this page- links to the candidates' websites can be found on the blog's main page)

Eleven months ago I was in college putting the finishing touches on an undergraduate degree in international affairs. Just seven months prior, I'd been moving full speed ahead with my study, which concentrated in international politics and Latin America. I'd taken the GRE examination (graduate school entrance examination) and submitted applications to top-tiered master's programs in my field. My plan was to spend my days working on the Hill as a staffer for a New Mexico lawmaker for whom I'd interned and worked during my time in college and spend my nights in the classroom. Through these positions, I'd take critical steps towards not only advancing my mind and ability to inform public policy in my country, but also play an active role of improving the lives of those in my home state of New Mexico.

In late October, things changed for me. I sat down with a recruiter from the Teach For America program and began to discuss ways in which TFA is taking steps toward bringing excellent leadership and instruction to schools in low-income areas across the country. I'd heard of TFA before but never considered it seriously for myself (as is the case for so many future TFA Corps members). During the interview, the recruiter mentioned three particular aspects of the program that transformed my mindset and, before the interview was out, reset my future plans.

Secondly, she informed that Teach For America operates in New Mexico. Before our talk, I'd not known that, thinking that, primarily, TFA only existed in urban settings. The NM program, she said, was based in Gallup and operating throughout a wide range of Northwestern New Mexican communities, including many on Navajo and Zuni Reservations. This immediately caught my attention, as the chance to contribute to my state in such a direct way was quite attractice. I felt young, energetic, and deeply committed to improving the state of education in the Land of Enchantment. Moreover, the opportunity to learn more about a part of the state about which I'd previously known little excited me quite a bit (I grew up in Las Cruces and spend most of my out-of-the-city time in Albuquerque or points along the I-25 corridor). Coming to know and contribute to my state in a new and powerful way was a second reason why, during this interview, I began to believe this program was for me.

Finally, my recruiter mentioned one of TFA's powerful goals: to have 100 former Corps Members become elected officials by 2010. Growing up, I'd always imagined myself a leader. I cared deeply about the issues facing my community in Las Cruces, had strong opinions on the political situation in the country and world, and, during college, had sought to improve the conditions and opportunities of my fellow students by running for and winning the spot of a student senator, representing over 2,000 of my classmates. Now, as I looked toward my adult future, I knew that one day, I hoped to serve in a leadership position that would allow me to represent the voice of everyday New Mexicans in the making of public policy at the highest levels in this country.

As such, when I heard that TFA had its sights set specifically on encouraging and offering significant logistical and financial resources to Corps Members who hoped to run for and
win office, I became very excited. Imagine a country in which a substantial portion of our Federal lawmakers had spent time in a low-income classroom. Where would our priorities be? Would we continue spending the same amount of money on our national education program (No Child Left Behind- $8 billion annually) in one year as we do for eight days of operation in Iraq? Would we continue to overlook the need of teachers to provide their students with a real and comprehensive education by continually requiring to requiring them to uphold rigid, one-size-fits-all standards that don't speak to the particularities of varying cultural settings across the country? And would we continue to deny millions of children in low-income communities the opportunity to earn a college degree and have a real shot to earn a satisfying, well-paying job that helps create a standard of life that one has reason to value? I think not.

Having concluded that my time to act had come, I floated out of the meeting and promptly began my application to the Teach For American program. For my state, for my country, my mission had changed. I was going to be a teacher and do my part to directly improve the educational opportunities available to the young people in New Mexico who needed it most.

Eleven months on, I can say without hesitation that teaching is at once a challenging and rewarding experience. I am more convinced today than I was last October during my interview that improving the educational conditions in our most at-risk areas represents the most important and effective way to ensure a better future across our land. However, I have also observed the many things that make it difficult for teachers, administrators, and parents to help their students achieve a high level of education. Indeed, my main reflection at this point in my teaching career is the most mind-blowing one: the hideous crime of educational inequity in this country is a multi-faceted problem, and its solution requires a comprehensive approach that involve factors as much outside as they are inside the classroom. A wholistic approach to education is what our current leaders and Federal legislation lack. In my school and community, I've observed parents, teachers, and principals who are bursting at the seems with excitement about helping their children learn but extremely limited in their ability to do so. The problem, then, does not rest with anyone party, and there certainly exists no silver bullet for rescuing the disastrous condition of education in our country. Rather, there exist a slew of issues, which must all be addressed by a Federal plan for education in order to finally unlock the tremendous academic potential we know is inherent within every child.

As New Mexicans, with an educational system that faces particularly severe education challenges, we must keep this in mind as we head to the ballot box to elect our Federal lawmakers this coming November. Specifically, when considering the candidates and their education platform, we should elect leaders who:

• support the establishment of a $40,000 minimum annual salary for public school teachers

Recruiting the best, brightest, and most capable of our young people into the profession of teaching requires a salary sufficient to achieve a secure financial situation. We can neither hope nor expect to lure the next generation of leaders away from lucrative careers in law, business, and the sciences if we do not offer a comparable salary, or at least one that allows them to live comfortably.

• work to lower drastically reduce classes in public schools

As a teacher in a classroom with 28 students, it is virtually impossible for me to independenrly accommodate all the unique learning styles and performance levels of my youngsters. I do not argue against classroom diversity. Indeed, combining in one classroom students who learn in different ways and are performing at different levels can significantly enhance the learning environment. However, when teachers are stretched too thin in trying to work with an unreasonable number of students, it becomes extremely difficult to provide quality instruction to each person. Creating smaller class sizes would go a long way in allowing teachers to adequately meet the needs of each student.

• fully fund pre-K and Head Start programs

Every child, especially those in low-income areas and underperforming school deserves a chance to be performing on or above grade level by the time they enter kindergarten. Unfortunately, right now, pre-K and Head Start programs across New Mexico and our country are vastly underfunded. We need lawmakers who understand that the first three years of a child's life represent a crucial period in the formation of that child's impressions of the world and academic development. As such, struggling school districts require capable early-education leaders to ensure that their young students do not enter kindergarten performing below grade level.

• supports eliminating the punitive measures of No Child Left Behind and the creation of a more thorough notion of accountability

People have many takes on the best way in which to reform NCLB, but one thing on which nearly all critics can agree is that the program is drastically underfunded and has not been given a real chance to succeed. With annual funding running at a palty $8 billion/year, it is no wonder that schools, particularly those in low-income areas, have had an impossible time meeting its standards. No good teacher will tell you that accountability is a bad thing. Indeed, all teachers committed to fully educating their students want to know just how far their work is coming. However, tying all forms of progress to results on a standardized state test does a grave disservice to hard-working teachers and the students they mean to educate. We need lawmakers who will rework NCLB (or a new Federal educational initiative) to create a system of accountability that factors in things other than state test scores when deciding on a school's level of progress: These factors might include:

1. results on quarterly and short-cycle assessments
2. student attendance
3. school communication with parents and other community members
4. level at which schools comply with district-level systems, reading and math development programs (Linda Mood Bell, Accelerated Reader), and staff development standards
5. efficiency in utilizing resources (including technology, staff development funding, classroom resources such as textbooks, and library facilities)

These five things represent just a few key components of a more thorough, telling accountability system than the one currently employed by the NCLB framework. We need elected officials who understand this and would work to implement a more fair system of measuring teachers and schools.

As we look ahead to the critical elections of 2008, New Mexicans have a choice of how they want to educate the next generation of our state's leaders. We have a moral imperative to do all we can to ensure that our young people, particularly those in underserved communities, have every opportunity they need to achieve the tremendous academic potential inherent in every child. As a teacher, I believe in my students, and I know they can achieve whatever it is they set out for. However, they need the help of a concerned and committed populous, as well as thoughtful and passionate lawmakers to do so. In November, we have an opportunity to ensure that the latter piece to this puzzle is in place. Vote responsibly, New Mexicans.

Education platforms and, or voting track records of New Mexico's Federal candidates:

U.S. Senate:
Rep. Tom Udall (D)- http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Tom_Udall.htm#Education
Rep. Heather Wilson (R)- http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Heather_Wilson.htm#Education
Rep. Steve Pearce (R)- http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Steve_Pearce.htm#Education

U.S. House-Congressional District 1:

Democrats:
Michelle Lujan Grisham- http://www.michelleforcongress.com/issues/education.html
Martin Heinrich- http://www.martinheinrich.com/issues
Rebecca Vigil-Giron- http://www.rebeccaforcongress.com/inner.asp?z=17
Robert Pidcock- http://www.robertpidcockforcongress.com/issue_education.php

Republicans:
Darren White- http://www.darrenwhiteforcongress.com/index.php?page=issues
Joe Carraro- http://www.peopleforjoe.com/

U.S. House-Congressional District 2:

Democrats:
Harry Teague- http://www.harryteagueforcongress08.com/issues_education.html
Bill McCamley- http://www.billmccamley.com/issues/index.php?id=10

Republicans:
Ed Tinsley- http://www.edtinsleyforcongress.com/on-the-issues/
Aubrey Dunn, Jr.- http://www.aubreydunn.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=28
Monty Newman- http://montyforcongress.com/issues
Greg Sowards- http://www.shortbaldhonest.com/ (website undergoing 'complete redesign')


U.S. House- Congressional District 3

Democrats:
Ben Ray Lujan- http://www.benrlujan.com/Issues/education.htm
Don Wiviott- http://www.donfornewmexico.com/issues/education
Benny Shendo- http://bennyshendojr.com/bio
Harry Montoya- http://www.montoyaforcongress.com/content.php?contentid=14
Jon Adams- http://www.jonadamsforcongress.com/