Education Re-Imagined

Iowans have a unique opportunity just around the corner as the Iowa Caucuses are scheduled to begin February 1st. As a proud Iowan, I feel compelled to highlight issues important to us during this time to put a spotlight on education issues and our future.

Imagine an educational system that provides equitable programming despite your address or as it relates to your demographic information. Imagine a system that nurtures world-class innovators that solve real world problems where all students have access to quality education systems. While some students, who are mostly white and affluent, are receiving this level of education, others are not. Students in low-poverty schools are getting inadequate services and untapped resources are ignored. America’s PK-12 education system fails our country and our children when it comes to an education system that affords all students a high quality experience. Opportunities are not equitable and outcomes are unfair.

Demographic Change Amplifying Racial Inequities, by Suzanne Gamboa, “highlights that differences begin in preschool, where overall enrollment has been increasing but Hispanic children are less likely to be included. Of Hispanic children ages 3 to 5 in the U.S., 13.4 percent were enrolled in full-day public or private nursery school in 2011, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.”

That compares with 25.8 percent of black children enrolled in full-day preschool and 18.1 percent of white children. But already, Hispanics are one-quarter of students enrolled in public schools.”

The inequities within our education system create an economic impact that is unimaginable for some. To achieve excellence and equity we need a system that ensures all students have meaningful opportunity to achieve rigorous college and career ready standards. High levels of education are imperative for future success.

How might we establish a system of equitable education? Future decisions need to support school finance systems. It is a fundamental notion to the importance of funding education in a way that creates equal opportunity for all students. Next, we need high quality educators and leaders who develop curriculum, instruction, assessment and reporting of learning that ignite creative solutions. Development of a system that mitigates the effects of poverty is the third barrier that we need to breakthrough.

The sense of urgency is clear as we watch students each year not meet the expectations or have access to the system needed for future success. The urgency leads us to an open door of opportunity to be bold and design a system that is authentic in delivery and equitable in services. If anyone doubts the urgency, just take a moment to visit classrooms. Look in the eyes of our children who can imagine a future of an equitable educational system that allows them to make their dreams become reality. Imagine…

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~Francis of Assisi