Editorial
Richmond Times-Dispatch
September 16, 1993
Governor wilder has heard the outcry of
Virginians about the dangerous direction that education reform had taken, and he has
acted. Yesterday afternoon he axed
Outcome-Based Education. For that he deserves
high praise.
Political motives may be assumed, of
course. The effect of this may be to cool
somewhat what was becoming a hot issue for the Republicans in this fall’s statewide races;
or it may be to weaken the electoral chances of the Democrats who supported OBE.
But every Governor operates in a political milieu.
So often timidity or stubbornness prevent Governors from truly terminating
well-entrenched programs within their own administrations.
For reasons of expedience, they will take half-measures that only give the
impression something has been done.
There is nothing timid about Doug
Wilder’s style of leadership. When he decides
something is wrong, he acts. A close reading
of yesterday’s statement, which is excerpted below, will bear that out.
The Governor began by making an
important point: that the World Class
Education Initiative, of which the OBEish Common Core of Learning was the centerpiece, was
begun “with the best of intentions.” Indeed,
many business and civic leaders came on board to push the school reform practically
everyone acknowledges is needed. We share the
Governor’s hope they will stay aboard now – along with the many grassroots
citizen-activists whose interest in education was piqued by this issue – to fashion
constructive school improvement in every community.
As the Governor indicated, too many
dubious agendas from the touchy-feely realm had piggybacked onto the World Class Education
movement. Basic skills and knowledge, he
correctly stated, must remain the central goals of education, not values-clarification and
the like.
There had been recent speculation that
the State Board and Department of Education might tinker with the Common Core – removing
some of the more egregious attitudinal outcomes – and then go to the public for the
comment that should have been sought form the beginning three years ago.
But the Governor would have none of that.
He said the state’s fiscal crunch is too serious to permit further spending on the
experimental stuff. Put the money where it
counts – and make sure local efforts to upgrade standards “are rewarded and emulated.”
That’s how reform must come, he said –
“from the bottom up.” And that’s the message that needs now to be sent to Washington where
the Clintons are pushing a top/down model of school reform that could bring the OBE
nightmare back all too soon – in a federalized form.