A Quality Education Model

It has always been fascinating to note the transformation a plan undergoes when finances are attached to one (or all) of the plan's outcomes.  Such is the case in this discussion of a Quality Education Model.  

>From the start of the discussion (and adoption) of State standards, the issues being addressed by the Quality Education Model were raised by parents, teachers, and administrators - the issues of equity, the linking of standards to student (and teacher) accountability, and the link between these expectations and the resources (people, and money) needed to achieve them. Now that money has been attached to these issues, we may actually get some sort of agreement on how to proceed.

While I may not agree with each and every recommendation as it is presented in the Report of the Working Group - K-12 Education, I do agree and wholeheartedly support the role this Model can have in shaping and aligning the Standards and allowing local communities and schools to identify how best to serve THEIR customers to their best ability with at least a minimum $/student in a agreed-upon environment that supports learning.

I believe that the State's responsibility to provide for education that allows ALL students to learn on a "level playing field" begs the questions that this Model will answer, but the cost MUST be borne by the State alone.  It is in the State's best interest to increase the $/student, and along with the increased accountability contained within the Model, will allow the funding to GET to the students themselves.  If local communities wish to raise money for their schools, then programs that ENHANCE the educational experience by providing more training to teachers should be encouraged.  That way, THEIR children and every child that follows in that teacher's classroom gets the benefit of the extra dollars.