GUEST EDITORIAL: Reform New York education

Editorials

November 20, 2009

Anonymous The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Fri Nov 20, 2009, 01:48 AM EST

Reform is top of mind for New York state’s new education commissioner, and that’s a good thing.

It’s been documented for years that students in the United States have not kept up academically with their peers in many other industrialized countries.

Isn’t it time for serious talk about major changes in the way children are taught here?

The new education commissioner, David Steiner, is laying the groundwork. In his former job as an education college dean, he led a national effort to transform teacher preparation and improve teacher quality.

Clearly, that topic deserves attention, but Steiner also recognizes that principals need help. He cites the new Rochester Leadership Academy, which offers professional development for city district principals, as a good step.

In a meeting with the Editorial Board, Steiner outlined ideas for transforming New York’s K-12 education system to make it first-rate.

What he said makes sense. Steiner said the challenge is to ask, “If a curriculum were designed today from scratch, what would it look like?”

Steiner also makes the point that the school year is 40 days shorter than in some countries that the United States competes with. Children from lower-income families suffer the most during those long summer breaks, as parents can’t afford enrichment programs.

Extending the school year is a sensitive topic for educators and parents, but it’s high time that serious consideration be given to that, and to longer school days.

Steiner wisely is spending substantial time traveling the state; he has visited Rochester twice. He said he’d like to meet with parents next time.

That’s important, as parents should be main drivers of reform, pushing teachers, administrators and school boards to do what’s best for students, and do it quickly.

This country’s recession is a grim reminder of how important a good education with marketable skills is for economic survival. Reforming New York’s education system is essential.

— The Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester

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