Spurring students to future success

The decision by lawmakers to delay the math and science graduation requirements of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning until 2013 will allow hundreds of thousands of young people to graduate high school without demonstrating they have acquired key skills they will need in the future.

Sure, they'll have diplomas. But that paper will provide little comfort if they lack the skills needed to get a job to support themselves.

We're letting these kids down despite overwhelming evidence of the consequences. The twin forces of global competition and rapidly evolving information technology are changing the ways we learn, work and live. Future opportunities for young people depend on a strong foundation in math and science.

With economists and other experts emphasizing the importance of these subjects, what was Olympia's response? The decision was to delay the state math graduation requirement for five more years and the science requirement for three years while increasing spending on K-12 education by $1.8 billion. The policymakers in Olympia argued that the standards needed to be delayed so long because "the system failed the kids," then appropriated lots more money without making any fundamental changes to that system.

Assuming the state actually follows through with implementation of the math and science graduation requirements in 2013, it will have taken two decades to implement a requirement that high-school graduates demonstrate math skills routinely performed by eighth-graders in other parts of the world. The challenge is not just from other countries. Other tech-oriented states like Massachusetts and California have moved considerably faster than Washington on math.

This decision to delay raises a fundamental question. If it takes 20 years to implement an eighth-grade standard, is there any chance that Washington will ever implement standards that are actually competitive — particularly given that the global economy won't put itself on hold so our schools can catch up? The evidence suggests otherwise. The 19th century industrial design of our current public-education system creates insurmountable obstacles.

The No. 1 factor in student learning is teacher quality. But our outdated education system makes it nearly impossible to attract and reward great teachers or to eliminate bad ones. We expect principals to build high-performing teams, but don't give them authority to hire or fire the teachers they are expected to lead.

Today's seniority-based personnel system serves the adults far better than the students. Teachers with the most tenure enjoy their pick of plum assignments, so the most-challenged low-income and minority students too often get the least-experienced teachers. We need a system that provides incentives for our very best teachers to take on the toughest assignments.

Why must every teacher be paid the same, regardless of the energy and creativity — or results — they bring to the classroom? In any other profession, we'd pay more to reward the best. In K-12 education, we can't.

Anywhere else, we'd offer incentives and find creative ways to get qualified professionals to fill spots in highly competitive fields like math and science. It's one of the tools that allow us to ensure institutions like the University of Washington are led by the brightest minds in their fields and are offering a top-notch education. In K-12 education, we can't do that. As a result, too many students take algebra from a teacher who majored in sociology.

Polls indicate overwhelming support for changes such as differential pay and giving principals hiring and firing authority. It's time for our elected officials to put these important tools in the hands of education administrators.

While we are at it, let's get serious about performance data, tracking whether each student has made at least one year's progress for each year in school. Then, give parents these data, along with the ability to choose schools that are best for their children. Competition for students — not to mention the state dollars that follow — would provide a huge incentive for schools to ratchet up performance.

These and other proposals will spur howls of protest from those who are heavily invested in the status quo. They'll say the changes are too radical.

I say we have no choice. The 1950s discovery that the Russians had beaten America into space spurred an entire nation to redouble its efforts in math and science. While we have no similarly acute "Sputnik moment" today, the consequences of inaction are every bit as real.

Steve Mullin is president of the Washington Roundtable, a nonprofit, public-policy analysis and advocacy organization representing major private-sector employers in Washington state.