Gov. Deal and his supporters cite the New Orleans RSD as proof of the validity of the concept, failing to acknowledge New Orleans is not an example of a successful state take-over of failing schools. Instead, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the failing government-run school system, Louisiana authorized and funded all new charter schools, run by charter management organizations.
As a long-time supporter of Gov. Deal's efforts to expand parental choice in education, my better idea is to give our teachers and educators the freedom and incentive to achieve the equivalent of putting a man on the moon within a decade: Georgia's students out-performing the world, using international standards, by 2025.
Credit: Maureen Downey
Credit: Maureen Downey
The Education Olympics represents another dream of possibility, much like hosting the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. We know that American students can, and are, achieving at the highest levels internationally, when educators have the freedom and autonomy to hire the best teachers, who set high expectations for all students.
According to the 2014 results from the OECD, BASIS students already rank #1 in the world, outperforming students from Shanghai, Finland and Japan by large margins; in other words, if BASIS students constituted a country, they would win the gold medal
1. We have a moral obligation to make Jefferson's dream that "all men are created equal" a reality. Today, many low-income minority students are denied equal education opportunities simply as a result of their zip code. Gov.Deal believes that, in order to compete in the 21st Century economy, at least 60 percent of Georgia's 9th graders need a two or four year college degree; unfortunately, today, only 9 of 100 ninth grade students in Georgia ultimately get a two or four-year college degree; for minority students, the number is 2 of 100.
2. There is an economic imperative for the Education Olympics. If U.S. students improved to No. 1 in the world by 2050, the Gross Domestic Product of the U.S. would increase by a net present value of $14.7 trillion, while tax revenue would grow by $5.3 trillion, more than enough to fund the entire U.S. government for a year.
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