By: Tichi Pinkney Eppes
In today’s increasingly partisan times, it’s become all too rare to find Democrats and Republicans working together on tough issues. That’s a big reason people get so fed up with politics and politicians.
Regardless of who is in power or what hot-button issue is currently in the news, our top priority must be to make sure every child has access to a quality education and that upon graduation, every student is ready to enter the workforce and contribute to the economy.
Giving our children a quality education should not be a partisan issue, which is why I — a lifelong Democrat — am supporting Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s K-12 Education Plan. The education of our children is the No. 1 issue for me, and the attorney general’s plan would significantly improve Virginia’s education system by giving students and parents more options.
The goal of Cuccinelli’s plan is to make certain every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of where they are from or how much money their parents bring home every year. In the plan, he addresses the serious issues that plague our school systems and empowers parents to make the decisions that are best for their children.
One of the biggest problems we have in Virginia’s education system is a disparity of quality. As a member of the Richmond School Board, I see the significant differences based on ZIP code. For me — and the attorney general — those differences are unacceptable. As citizens, we cannot allow children to fall through the cracks because they live in a poor area of town or a rural community. Republican or Democrat, we should all want our children to have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. As the attorney general recently said, we won’t be able to secure Virginia’s long-term economic future unless our education system works for everyone.
Cuccinelli’s plan would allow parents to take over failing schools and do what is necessary so their children can receive the education they deserve. This includes closing the school, restarting it or converting it to a charter school — whatever is in the best interests of the community and the students.
A commission of educators and parents also would be established to revise the Standards of Learning tests to evaluate cognitive thinking skills instead of rote memorization of facts. Our schools need to develop skills students can use in the real world, therefore, tests should examine each student’s ability to solve problems, not memorize flashcards.
Cuccinelli places an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum and foreign languages to prepare our students for a global economy. He also addresses the need for more digital learning, so we can offer classes not normally available, such as Chinese or other specialized courses. Digital offerings would allow our best teachers to earn overtime and expand learning options for students in rural and lower-income communities. In general, his plan would take a number of steps to empower our teachers, because he recognizes that teachers are the backbone of our education system. Rather than pouring budget dollars into school administration, the plan would make sure resources go into the classroom so teachers can be paid what they deserve.
All of these changes are necessary to improve our schools, but we also need to hold the schools accountable and reward them for success. The attorney general’s plan implements verifiable measures to grade our schools, so we can continue successful methods and fix problems within the system.
When it comes to the education of our children, politics must be set aside. There are undeniable problems within Virginia’s education system that must be solved if we want the commonwealth’s future to be bright. We must empower parents to have a say in their children’s education and we must make certain every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education.
I applaud Ken Cuccinelli for putting forward such an aggressive education plan. It’s exactly what Virginia needs.
Tichi Pinkney Eppes represents the 9th District on the Richmond School Board.
*This article was first published for the Richmond Times-Dispatch on September 3, 2013.
