Turner: Educational Reform or Gridlock

Doug Turner

NMPolitics - At a time when good jobs are scarce and our economic future uncertain, lawmakers in Santa Fe have a responsibility to put aside partisan bickering and unite to enact reforms that give New Mexico a real shot at prosperity.

This year, Governor Martinez submitted two school-reform proposals that should have given our legislators the opportunity to show their ability to find a common ground for the greater good.
Her first proposal would have required literacy by 3rd grade, as a means to accurately evaluate student progress. The second would have established measures to finally evaluate educators on the actual results of their work, rather than focusing mostly on seniority and credentials as we do now.
Enacting her legislation would have not only improved our classrooms, it would have sent a strong message to the nation’s job creators that New Mexico is finally serious about improving education. By both rejecting the governor’s proposals and then curtailing the growth of charter schools, the Legislature blocked real efforts to improve quality and accountability in education. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Turner: Educational Reform or Gridlock