Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann received copious media attention this week after advocating for a drastic and somewhat controversial reform to the state’s education system. His proposal advocates changing the certification standards for those intending to pursue a career in education. Neumann contends that Wisconsin public schools are struggling due to the fact that many educators lack “real world” knowledge in the disciplines in which they teach. Neumann and many others argue that by allowing business professionals, auto mechanics, culinary specialists, and other specialists to teach courses in subject matters that mirror their expertise, the quality of education could only improve. Neumann’s education policy has been lauded by conservative intellectuals, politicians and think tanks throughout the United States. The change in the way school districts measure a teacher’s expertise will enhance the state’s public school system, provide students with firsthand knowledge on specific subject matters from experts in the field, and let local school boards (rather than the teachers’ union or the distant federal government) set hiring standards.
For nearly a decade, leading conservative intellectuals and political leaders have been staunch advocates of changing teaching license standards and allowing other experts to enter the education field. For example, Dr. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in his enthralling new tome To Save America: Stopping Obama’s Secular-Socialist Machine, contends that the only viable solution for improving the American education system is to allow experts in particular disciplines to play an active role in the learning process. Dr. Gingrich, much like Mark Neumann, recognizes that in school districts throughout the country (but especially in metropolitan cities), superior instructors are a rare commodity. Neumann, in a speech to a group of educators in Green Bay, described his proposal in the following manner: “We would like to empower our local school boards to have control over who they hire so they can hire the best educators in the world to teach in our schools. That effectively means the elimination of state certification programs.”
Some conservatives are lauding Neumann for his eagerness to shrink the magnitude and authority of the distended and ramshackle state government. Conversely, political analysts from think tanks and public policy firms throughout the Midwest deem Neumann’s education policy an eleventh-hour attempt to gain the support of conservative voters, many of whom have thrown their support behind his Republican challenger, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. However, Neumann has been an outspoken advocate of drastic reform to the education system throughout his career. In fact, several years ago, Neumann assisted in the creation of choice and charter schools for inner-city and underprivileged children. A large percentage of the educators in these schools are retired professionals who have experience in the world of business, marketing, auto repair, non-profit management, and physical fitness, to name a few. These instructors, unlike many of their contemporaries with teaching certificates, have first-hand knowledge of the skills that are necessary to thrive in a specific profession. While Neumann’s proposal may not be viable in every school district in the state, it certainly could play a paramount role in improving education quality in many under-funded, inner-city, and less-prosperous school districts.
If Wisconsin intends to recover from its precarious financial situation, reforming the education system ought to be a fundamental priority. Neumann’s proposal is not the only solution for reforming the education system. In the two weeks prior, PAI has apprised the issue of education at the state and federal level and offered numerous solutions for effective reform. It is evident that public schools are living ostentatiously and receiving far too much money per pupil, both of which are hampering education quality. Reform to the Wisconsin public school system must include enhancing teacher quality, ensuring that students are receiving firsthand knowledge of the outside world, less overall funding per pupil, and penalties for fiscally irresponsible school districts.
Both Scott Walker and Tom Barrett are critical of Mark Neumann’s proposal for education reform. Walker contends that Neumann’s proposal will do very little to enhance education quality in many public schools, especially inner-city schools. Furthermore, Walker believes that the best methods for education reform are merit-based pay and eliminating state educational mandates. Barrett’s campaign has yet to reveal a comprehensive solution for education reform. As a result, many are beginning to believe that education reform is not a top priority on Barrett’s legislative agenda, which, if true, could have a demonstrable effect on the success of his campaign. Currently, Barrett serves as mayor of a city which ranks near the top in high school dropout rates. The USA Today and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in a 2003 study examining graduation versus dropout rates in inner-city schools, found that only 43.1% of Milwaukee public school students graduate from high schools. Further, nearly 60% drop out of school on a yearly basis. With graduation rates as abominable as these, education must be a cornerstone issue for both parties in the 2010 gubernatorial campaign. The implementation of policies such as those separately advocated by Mark Neumann, the Heritage Foundation, and PAI in previous weeks’ columns are excellent solutions for improving the quality of the American public school system.
The Wisconsin section of the Weekly Political Forecast is written by PAI’s Political Analyst.
