“Cabin Fever” is a virtual conversation between two friends who come from the opposite ends of the political spectrum but share a belief in the power of public education to improve lives and brighten our collective future. The focus of the conversation is the federal K-12 education law known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind), which is in progress in Congress. Our initial post on February 4 reflected areas of agreement around annual testing and transparency. Additional posts focus on areas of disagreement and will run simultaneously through February 19 every other day on Rick’s blog at Education Week and on Education Post.
Should the federal government support education innovation? If so, how should it do so?
Rick Hess Responds
Rick Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His books include “The No Child Left Behind Primer,” “Education Unbound,” and “Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit: Lessons from a Half-Century of Efforts to Improve America’s Schools.”
Peter Cunningham Responds
Fields like health care, energy and space exploration all get federal support for research and development, so why wouldn’t education? There are several good reasons for Washington to support innovation. First of all, so many school systems are underfunded and simply don’t have spare funds available to try new things. Today, 30 states are funding schools at pre-recession levels. How much innovation will they support? Second, the field is desperately in need of change. Huge numbers of schools are still organized along the same factory model of the last century. Few other fields have been so resistant to change. School systems need a nudge to innovate. Third, in a decentralized system like ours, innovation does not always spread organically. Someone has to proactively share new ideas and it is better if that someone is seen as an honest broker of proven ideas rather than a self-promoter. The wraparound services model developed by the Harlem Children’s Zone was adopted and expanded through the federal Promise Neighborhoods Program. Colorado expanded participation in college-level courses among high schoolers with a grant from the federal i3 program (Investing In Innovation). This Promise Neighborhoods grantee in Seattle is helping homeless kids succeed in school. Other federal grantees include proven teacher training programs, whole school improvement programs, a rural district improving outcomes for poor kids, and high-quality school options for communities that want them and need them. Good ideas in education don’t come from Washington, but if we want good ideas to reach more kids quickly, support from Washington can really help Other Posts in This Series Wednesday, February 4 – Issue #1: Testing and transparency Friday, February 6 – Issue #2: Federal mandates around student performance Monday, February 9 – Issue #3: What the federal government should require when it comes to school improvement Wednesday, February 11 - Issue #4: Title I portability Friday, February 13 - Issue #5: What the federal government should require when it comes to teacher evaluation Thursday, February 19 – Wrapping Things Up: The proper federal role in K-12 education
