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‘‘Educational surge’ requires tough short-term leader

By Jim Waters

Even some of the Bush administration’s most vocal critics now reluctantly admit that the military surge is showing some success.

Perhaps an “educational surge” in Kentucky would also offer some progress beyond the miniscule improvements often touted as “substantial progress” by an education bureaucracy obsessed with making itself look good.

Whereas military surges provide short-term security in order to give time for political stability to take hold, an educational surge would offer Kentucky time to focus intensely on getting its public schools — especially the failing ones — back on track.

Such a strategy’s success begins with hiring a fearless leader.

America fortunately got Gen. David Petraeus to lead the military surge in Iraq. A recent headline described Petraeus as “a general who won’t sugarcoat.”

Kentucky’s education system needs similar leadership.

Unfortunately, the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) seems intent on jumping from one long-term commissioner to another.

Instead, the board should follow the example of successful companies in the private sector by bringing in an active interim to lead during the transition.

This style of succession lets an active interim address problems that need immediate fixing – and employees who need immediate replacing. The interim leader can act in the absence of long-term political realities faced by permanent commissioners.

The board could help the state and itself with this approach.

It would buy more time to find the best candidate for the permanent job – a decision of great consequence. But just as important, it would keep Kentucky’s education system from wasting valuable time as the federally established deadline of 2014 approaches for requiring 100-percent proficiency.

Of course, success would hinge on having an interim candidate available who already knows Kentucky’s system and who would accept the heavy lifting such a role requires.

That person is available.

Penney Sanders, who served as the first director of the state Office of Education Accountability from 1991 through 1997, doesn’t want the permanent commissioner’s job. Instead, she’s willing to provide the interim leadership necessary for two years during this critical time in the state’s education system.

“They need a plumber,” Sanders said. “The plumber doesn’t move in with you. He comes in for a period of time, fixes a problem, ensures a plan is in place and moves on.”

Not everyone in Frankfort would greet Sanders’ arrival warmly.

In fact, she would probably rub defenders of the status quo like sharp fingernails on a blackboard. Then again, Petraeus probably isn’t exactly the warmest and fuzziest guy in the world, either. But he commands respect and does what it takes to get the job done.

Sanders would, too.

She forced out several poor-performing superintendents and school-board members during her tenure at the OEA. Her no-nonsense style, high expectations and remarkable understanding of – and support for – the principles of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) would provide a valuable service at a critical time to the commonwealth.

Sanders knows Kentucky’s system and would immediately take action to bring improvements for those students trapped in Kentucky’s lowest-performing schools. She also indicated she would look at the top-performing schools “to see what academic improvement really looks like – so that we can raise them to even higher levels of achievement.”

Two years might sound like a lot of time for an “interim” commissioner. But even new KBE chairman Joe Brothers acknowledged that once a permanent commissioner is hired, it would take another six months for that person to “analyze where we are.” The entire process will consume nearly a year.

But Kentucky’s education system cannot afford another year void of results.

Sanders said this interim period offers Kentucky “an absolute stellar opportunity” to make some significant progress in improving its educational results.

Military campaigns require more than just money and well-intentioned plans. The United States offered that combination before the surge in Iraq. Sometimes, the scope of the mission needs to narrow to reinstate security neighborhood by neighborhood.

Kentucky parents, taxpayers and lawmakers could play an important role in an education surge. They should demand that the state board not multiply its past failures by continuing to operate in a defensive mode.

The KBE needs to go on the offense to ensure that the next year brings demonstrable improvement in the state’s education system.

— Jim Waters is director of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank.

The Bluegrass Institute is an independent research and educational institution offering free-market solutions to Kentucky's most pressing problems.

Permission to reprint Perspective commentaries, in whole or in part, is hereby granted, provided the author and his affiliations are cited. Authors are available for interviews by contacting the institute.

Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions
400 East Main Avenue, Bowling Green, KY 42101

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