It seems like every session of the Indiana General Assembly is labeled as the “education session” by someone. This certainly is not surprising for several reasons. First, education spending makes up approximately one third of all state spending in Indiana. Second, education is a key component of economic development. Third, as Horace Mann and others have said, education is the great equalizer in society. Why shouldn’t education be featured prominently in each session?
Discussions around educational issues fall into several categories, but two that are worth mentioning here because they are likely to come up this session are technical challenges and disagreements about assessment and accountability.
Lately, the technical challenges have surrounded the administration of the ISTEP+. In 2013, some students were not able to log into the test. Others were logged out before they completed the test and others were asked to “please wait,” for extended periods of time. This year there were glitches in the grading of the exam. Problems like these make people question the validity of the scores. We probably should not be surprised when technical issues come up this session.
Even if the ISTEP+ was administered without any problems, there still would be disagreements about what should be taught in schools; how we assess what happens in schools; and how we hold students, teachers, and administrators accountable.
For almost 15 years, much of the policy discussion focused on the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). NCLB was a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) signed into law in 1965. Late in 2015, President Barack Obama signed the latest reauthorization of the ESEA into law. This version is known as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESS), and like NCLB, had broad bipartisan support.
There can be a sense of euphoria after major legislation passes with true bipartisan support, but the reality of legislation surfaces when it is implemented. Right now, the expectation is that ESS provides more freedom to states to determine how well they are educating students. Theoretically, some of this freedom will find its way down to school districts and individual schools. The optimism about ESS will rise and fall as it is implemented.
We might be tired of the fights over education that have taken place over the last few years, but we should prepare ourselves for serious discussions about education in the coming legislative session, in part because ESS is a major shift in federal education policy and it opens up opportunities regarding state education policy.
The discussion is likely to take place at several levels. We can expect that the Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction will weigh in along with the chair of the House Education Committee and the chair of the Senate Education and Career Development Committee. There is no doubt that the voices of other legislators will be heard. There also will be opportunities for local school board members, school administrators, and teachers to provide input. Scholars and interest groups will speak up as well. Special efforts should be made to be sure that parents, students, and taxpayers are not left out of the discussion.
We will be able to watch many, if not all, of the hearings about our evolving education policy through the General Assembly’s web site, but we have to remember that not all of the input will be provided during hearings. To stay up to date, we will need to follow a number of news sources and talk with school administrators, teachers, and elected officials. This might seem like quite a bit of work to some, but fortunately, given the importance of education, developing these relationships will prove valuable well beyond the end of this legislative session.
Andrew Downs is Director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at IPFW.
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