Higher goals for schools

In case you haven't heard from your younger sibling, Hoosier kids today are being held to much higher standards than we ever were. Indiana, along with only California and Massachusetts, earned A's in both its English and math standards in a study by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a Washington, D.C. group working for educational excellence.\nPublic education in the United States enjoys a long history of shaping national progress and achievement, but too often education reform becomes a mere catch phrase that lands somewhere between terrorism and the environmental policy on voters' priority lists. Everybody -- legislators, teachers, parents, students and taxpayers -- wants to build a magnificent future for the nation. That construction starts with ensuring that all kids get a chance to challenge and prepare for a wide, fast-paced world. \nIndiana's one million public school students already have a record of beating national and international average scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. However, state-wide ISTEP results continue to show unacceptable achievement gaps based on race, income and language, despite gradual increases in passing rates. High standards make a good starting place for improvement, but Indiana's students need universal competence in basic skills, special education support and flexibility, as well as advanced work for the most talented, driven students. \nTeachers do not work in vacuums, molding minds in perfect circumstances. Although outside conditions should not excuse schools from making progress, the legislature must recognize the importance of shaping education policies that work in concert to capitalize on the high standards. \nAs the Indiana General Assembly reconvenes this week in a budget year overshadowed by a $600 million deficit, our representatives will feel pressure to trim state spending. In Education Weekly's annual Quality Counts report evaluating all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Indiana received a mediocre C in the "Resources" category. It's not OK to neglect funding and still require ever-higher achievement. In an open letter to Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels, the Indiana State Teachers Association reminded him that when the government expects more from teachers, teachers have a right to expect more from the government. Fiscal responsibility must be a priority, but the state's public education system cannot be asked to meet the highest standards in the nation without the most comprehensive support, financial and otherwise, in the nation. Let's use the momentum from this ranking to accelerate progress in class size, teacher training, school construction and complementary curricula in the arts.\nWe commend the state department of education and the teachers who established the award-winning standards, and we urge them to demand that the state give teachers and schools the tools they need to meet these lofty goals. With these standards, we have a detailed blueprint of what schools should be. The governor, the legislature and the recently reelected superintendent of public instruction, Suellen Reed, can begin laying the foundation now. With other states looking to Indiana as an example in standards, Hoosiers must seize the opportunity to become the benchmark of efficient, effective public education.