Support what works for our state’s schools

To the Editor:
Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Tue Jun 07, 2011, 09:22 PM EDT

— I recently returned from another leg in my education listening tour of Maryland, hosting my fourth and fifth roundtables in Allegany and Garrett counties to talk to educators and parents about what is working and what isn’t in the way the federal government works with rural schools.

I’ve always said the best ideas come from the people. And when it comes to education, one size doesn’t fit all.

Maryland’s schools are No. 1 in the country. But, as Congress gets ready to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), I’m listening to superintendents, principals, teachers and parents from all over Maryland so I can take their ideas back to Washington and make our schools even better.

As a senior member of the Senate’s committee on education and the chair of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, I am fighting on behalf of Maryland’s children, parents, teachers and administrators to make sure the ESEA reauthorization encourages meaningful community engagement, high expectations for students, and rigorous and fair accountability for schools.

I started my education tour in Easton in March, where I met with the superintendents of nine counties to hear about the challenges they face as rural administrators. Then, after a stop in Baltimore to see wrap-around services at work, I met with teachers and parents at a Charles County Judy Center to hear about community schools and the integration of early-childhood services into elementary education.

Most recently, I sat down with educators, students and parents at the Allegany Career and Technology Center in Allegany County and heard about the unique needs of the county’s school system. I also visited the award-winning Garrett Engineering and Robotics Society (GEARS) to hear about how Garrett County is preparing its students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

At all of my roundtables, we talked about how the current legislation works, how it hurts and how it must be reformed. I want to make sure the ESEA I reauthorize is helping schools improve student outcomes, not creating a barrier to success.

What I’ve heard time and time again is that rural school districts are more likely to have trouble recruiting teachers and have limited numbers of staff in their district offices compared to urban districts – making it more difficult for them to meet ESEA requirements or compete for grants. Yet, our rural schools are doing a great job of educating students.

I’ve also heard that teachers and administrators want to be held accountable – but they want to be held accountable for student progress, not for meeting an arbitrary benchmark. Superintendents want the resources to provide quality professional development for teachers and principals. Rural schools are also facing challenges in competing for federal grant funding.

Students and teachers in our rural communities need flexibility and funding they can count on, not more unfunded federal mandates. I will continue to fight in the U.S. Senate to make sure all children — including those in our rural communities — have the tools they need to succeed.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

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