All must be involved in education debate

Much attention has been given in recent weeks to education “reform.” While a focus on these important issues is welcome, the voices of educators have been inexplicably ignored in the debate.

Educators were working to improve our public schools before it became trendy, and we are eager to collaborate with parents, community leaders and anyone else who shares our vision. We offer no easy answers, only the promise of hard work and a chance to make a difference.

We cannot move forward without acknowledging the challenges facing public schools. One out of every five children lives in poverty. Poor nutrition and health care and illiteracy in the home, among other things, have a real impact on learning. Helping students succeed requires addressing this spectrum of needs a fact ignored by many “reformers.”

Too much of the debate has focused on blaming teachers. We need to focus on nurturing great teachers, by strengthening preparation before they enter the profession, and ensuring opportunities for experienced teachers to build their skills.

We must move away from our systems for evaluating students and teachers. Standardized tests are clearly not the solution. We need to measure the skills our children need in the 21st Century critical thinking, reading comprehension and writing, and the ability to ask pertinent questions.

And, we need collaboration between teachers and management on new methods of evaluation that will give a better picture of what students are learning, and help teachers improve their practice. There is no silver bullet to improving education; the only way to provide a viable choice to every family is by improving our neighborhood schools.

As an educator, I truly hope that this national debate will allow for real dialogue about the challenges facing our education system. Let's start working together to give all of our students the world-class education they deserve.

Nancy Taylor

Naperville