Democrats are almost certain to leave their convention in Denver united behind Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as their nominee for president.
But it is less likely that they鈥檒l settle an intraparty disagreement over the most pressing question in K-12 education policy: How much can the public expect of schools?
The stark differences emerged the week after Sen. Obama secured enough delegates to claim the nomination in June. On back-to-back days, two groups released public statements outlining approaches for improving K-12 achievement. One argued that policymakers need to invest in health care and other social programs before schools can deliver large increases in student achievement, while the other said that increased accountability, the expansion of charter schools, and other education policies would result in better student outcomes.
For the latest developments at the Democratic National Convention, read .
The differences of opinion demonstrate that teachers鈥� unions and civil rights activists, which traditionally have been allies and are powerful forces in the Democratic Party, disagree on some significant policy issues, particularly on education, said Patrick J. McGuinn, an assistant professor of political science at Drew University in Madison, N.J., who has written extensively about the politics of educational issues.
鈥淭hey now see their policy agendas as considerably opposed to each other,鈥� Mr. McGuinn said of the two blocs. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the making of a big battle. The outcome of the struggle within the Democratic Party is going to be crucial for the future of education reform.鈥�
Matter of Priorities
That struggle was evident in the two manifestos released on consecutive days in mid-June. Although both groups include Republican supporters, their leaders are Democrats, some of whom have served at high levels of Democratic administrations.
In one manifesto, called the a group comprised mostly of social scientists and education researchers said that society needs to invest significantly in children鈥檚 health care and other social services, as well as extending learning time, before student achievement will increase dramatically.
The next day, the 鈥攁 group of urban educators and civil rights activists鈥攅ndorsed a series of educational policies such as tough accountability measures, innovative teacher pay, and expanding charter schools, that they say would increase student achievement regardless of changes in other social or health care policies.
The draft of the Democratic platform to be considered by the convention鈥檚 delegates contains policies proposed by both groups.
The draft, which closely follows Sen. Obama鈥檚 rhetoric from the primary campaign, recommends experimenting with alternative forms of teacher pay鈥攁 point emphasized by the Education Equality Project.
鈥淲e鈥檒l reward effective teachers who teach in underserved areas, take on added responsibilities like mentoring new teachers, or consistently excel in the classroom,鈥� the proposed platform says.
On accountability, the draft says Democrats would use the No Child Left Behind law to track whether schools are closing the achievement gap between white students and minorities.
The draft also promises to expand learning opportunities by extending the school day, offering summer school, and other efforts to help students, according to one of the proposals listed in the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement.
Outside of education, the platform outlines a plan to provide 鈥渁ffordable, quality health care coverage for all Americans,鈥� a priority of the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement.
鈥淎ll of the pieces are there,鈥� said Lawrence Mishel, the president of the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute and one of the organizers of the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� effort.
While one goal of the Democrats is to unify themselves around the platform, voices from both the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� and Education Equality camps were scheduled to promote their agendas this week in Denver.
The Education Equality Project had scheduled an Aug. 24 forum at the Denver Art Museum to discuss its proposals. Joel I. Klein, the chancellor of the 1.1 million-student New York City school system, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, the New York City-based community leader and civil rights activist, were both slated to speak on panels at the event. Mr. Klein and Mr. Sharpton organized the effort to produce the Education Equality Project鈥檚 statement.
The next night, Randi Weingarten, the president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers, who supports the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� approach, was scheduled to speak to the Democratic convention during prime time. Reg Weaver, the president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, also was listed as a speaker during the convention鈥檚 opening night.
The debate over education policy and its priorities is unlikely to play a prominent role in the fall campaign because education policy issues haven鈥檛 been a top-tier concern of voters this year. But the statements do illuminate the differences among Democrats that will arise once the next president takes office and Congress returns to its effort to reauthorize the NCLB law.
Campaign Topic
The debate over the dueling statements emerged in the presidential campaign briefly earlier this month. In a New York City speech, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is to be nominated by the Republicans next week in St. Paul, Minn., said he would sign the Education Equality Project鈥檚 statement and challenged Sen. Obama to do so. (鈥淢cCain Supports 鈥楨quality Project鈥�,鈥� Aug. 13, 2008.)
Sen. Obama鈥檚 campaign didn鈥檛 respond to Sen. McCain鈥檚 speech. After both the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� and Education Equality statements were released in June, an Obama campaign aide said that the Illinois Democrat endorsed the sentiments in both statements because he believes federal policymakers should improve access to health care and social services while also working to improve schools.
The response isn鈥檛 surprising because the two statements are compatible, said Arne Duncan, the chief executive officer of the 408,000-student Chicago Public Schools.
鈥淭he debate over either/or is a phony debate,鈥� said Mr. Duncan, who was the only person who signed both the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� and Equation Equality statements when they were released in June. 鈥淚t should be both/and, and we should push as hard as we can on both fronts.鈥�
Mr. Klein, the New York City Schools chancellor, who was a senior official in the U.S. Department of Justice under President Clinton, said the differences between the two statements is mostly a question of emphasis and priorities. He supports the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement鈥檚 call for improved health care and social services, but he added that he believes schools can improve students鈥� performance without them.
鈥淚 have no doubt that bad schools significantly contribute to [lower] student achievement,鈥� Mr. Klein said in an interview. 鈥淲hy do we want to let schools off the hook?鈥�
Critics have said that the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement would do just that because it doesn鈥檛 emphasize how to hold schools accountable and it does not explain how it will require schools to improve the academic outcomes of students.
Robert B. Schwartz, the academic dean of Harvard University鈥檚 graduate school of education and one of the original signers of the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement, responded that many of the statement鈥檚 supporters include people who have argued for educational accountability, including Marshall S. Smith, whose academic research in the 1980s and early 1990s provided the conceptual framework for educational accountability efforts, and Diane Ravitch, a noted historian of education who served as an assistant secretary of education under President George H.W. Bush.
But one critic of the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement said that several other supporters of that approach are critical of existing accountability measures and that the statement itself lacks a specific explanation of how the group proposes to change them.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e absent on accountability,鈥� said Kevin Carey, the research and policy director for Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing in the manifesto that provides enough concrete detail.鈥�
Informing NCLB
While the differences between the two camps may not be prominent during the convention, they almost certainly will be a major part of the debate over the future of the NCLB law.
鈥淎 lot of this will get fleshed out in the reauthorization of NCLB,鈥� said Mr. McGuinn of Drew University.
The 6陆-year-old law, one of President Bush鈥檚 most significant domestic accomplishments, requires states to hold schools and districts accountable for increasing student achievement on a pace toward all students being proficient by the end of the 2013-14 school year. A congressional effort to reauthorize the law stalled last year. The law鈥檚 renewal will be one of the top K-12 priorities for the next Congress, regardless of whether Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain is elected president.
The 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement says: 鈥淭he potential effectiveness of NCLB has been seriously undermined ... by its acceptance of the popular assumptions that bad schools are the major reason for low achievement, and that an academic program revolving around standards, testing, teacher training, and accountability can, in and of itself, offset the full impact of low socioeconomic status on achievement.鈥�
Instead, policymakers should look for ways to replace the 鈥渇lawed accountability systems鈥� established under the NCLB law with ones that use 鈥渁ppropriate qualitative and quantitative methods,鈥� the statement adds.
鈥淲e will not surrender one inch on the issue of reforming schools and having an accountability system,鈥� said Mr. Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute, a research group with ties to major labor unions.
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure that other people have spelled out their full accountability system either,鈥� said Mr. Mishel.
The Education Equality Project doesn鈥檛 mention the NCLB law, but it does say that policymakers should 鈥渢ake immediate steps to ... create accountability for educational success at every level鈥攁t the system and school level, for teachers and principals, and for central-office administrators.鈥�
In July, Mr. Klein, Mr. Duncan, Michelle A. Rhee, the chancellor of the 50,000-student District of Columbia school system, and Beverly L. Hall, the superintendent of the 51,000-student Atlanta Public Schools, told a congressional committee that they support the NCLB law鈥檚 accountability measures. (鈥淐ity Leaders Back Stronger Accountability,鈥� July 30, 2008.)
Ms. Rhee and Mr. Duncan signed the Education Equality statement. Ms. Hall signed the 鈥淏roader, Bolder鈥� statement.
