The best goal of national education policy should be to free up that talent, energy and creativity and to tap into that wisdom. I firmly believe that the federal government should tailor these programs around what already is working in the states, instead of a top-down approach that stifles creativity and innovation in education. Clearly, education must remain the purview of state and local officials. Indeed, I believe these are the essential ingredients to substantive and lasting education reforms that will make a positive difference in our children s lives and prepare them for a lifetime of success. First, you should be mindful of the limited role of the federal government in education.
Education is the responsibility of the states and local school districts.
Recognizing that the federal government will play some role in education, however, I believe you should create programs and craft guidelines with an eye toward what is being done by state reformers like Gov. Ridge and others. The federal government can work to empower states like we are empowering our school districts, including our most academically challenged ones, with unprecedented new authority to make dramatic improvements. These 11 districts now have new tools, more flexibility, and more targeted resources to implement programs to turn themselves around and ensure that every child receives a quality education. The districts could choose to hire talented new leaders who don t have traditional backgrounds in education to run their schools, or transform any or all schools into charter schools or independent schools, where the power to change is in the hands of building leaders, not a central bureaucracy. They could contract with for-profit companies to provide educational services to students.