Indiana can't afford to stand still

Indy Star

By Margaret Spellings

As 2013 begins, Indiana faces a defining moment in its education reform history. Former State Superintendent Tony Bennett was recognized nationally as a true reformer with a clear vision for breaking the monopoly of mediocrity in education in the Hoosier state. Indiana's "Putting Students First" initiative challenged the status quo with forward-looking policy focused on higher standards, accountability and more choices for all students, regardless of ZIP code or family income, race or ethnicity. Indiana has gotten serious about teacher effectiveness -- moving beyond qualifications on paper to real classroom performance -- and paying teachers accordingly.

But Bennett's successor ran on the intention of reversing these policies. And the unfortunate reality is that high standards for all students, regular assessments of student progress, transparency for results, and consequences for school failure and choices for families -- are being challenged by protectors of the status quo across the country for asking too much of students and too much of schools.

Now, more than ever, it is time for Indiana to put students first. As the state implements the Common Core State Standards, the Nation's Report Card shows that most students in Indiana are not proficient in reading or math. The achievement gap between poor students and their more affluent peers is staggering -- 80 percent of low-income fourth-graders aren't meeting NAEP standards for proficiency in reading and 69 percent are below proficient in math. The gap is wide for African-American and Hispanic students as well.

When it comes to higher education, too many students are ill prepared to be successful in college and careers. While the majority of jobs in Indiana will require a career certificate or degree by the end of the decade, only about 36 percent of adults in the state have such qualifications. Only 28 percent of Indiana students who enroll in a four-year institution after high school graduate in four years while two-thirds of Indiana students who graduate with a general high school diploma require remediation in college.

Putting students first means refusing to accept that Indiana is doing well enough. It means rejecting the myth that some students can't learn. It requires standing by testing systems that expose education's shortcomings, even though that makes some adults uncomfortable. If only the zeal with which some argue against the value and frequency of student assessments was matched with equal passion about the test results. What gets measured is what gets done. And as long as assessment results point to large numbers of students unable to read at grade level, it is hard to see how the tests are the core problem.

Indiana aptly named its statewide education data system "Compass." With compass in hand, state, district and school leaders in Indiana must continue to work toward pairing effective teachers with the kids who need them most, identifying schools most in need of dramatic change, appropriately rewarding educators for their hard work and their students' success, and providing meaningful choices and options for all students. Honest transparency about student and school performance can and should provide educators with critical information that allows them to move forward rather than searching for solutions to misunderstood challenges.

When it comes to our schools, adults must face difficult truths, work hard to improve inadequacies, and take personal responsibility for the results. All of us -- parents, teachers, school administrators, business leaders, and public officials -- have a stake in student success. And we all stand to benefit by putting students first.

Spellings, a former U.S. Secretary of Education, is president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.