State-Leve Education Reform Key To Kids’ Future

Our children represent our hopes and dreams for tomorrow, and in the eyes of a parent, there’s nothing more important. Unfortunately, today the troubles in our education system hang like a dark cloud over our children’s bright future. It’s not surprising that 53 percent of Americans think today’s children will not be better off than their parents were. With gridlock in Congress and a history of disappointment at the federal level, the best place for meaningful education reform to take place is at the state level.

The flaws in our education system leave too many parents with no choice but to send their children to failing schools and sit by as they receive a poor education. Despite the federal government’s ambitious attempts at the federal level to improve education through initiatives like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, these programs haven’t worked as intended.

State lawmakers can look to the example set by Louisiana, a pioneer in education reform for the 21st century. The reform package passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal last year creates an aggressive school voucher program, expands charter school opportunities and ties teacher tenure to effectiveness in the classroom.
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